Topic: Dragon Quest - What's the Appeal?

I love the Dragon Quest series because they always manage to keep it very traditional when so many JRPGs have evolved into nothing like they originally were to begin with. Dragon Quest is for old-school RPG fans who still prefer the classic no frills turn-based combat system. That's why I've always preferred it over the FF games.

Don't even lie with that post...

Here's my experience of Dragon Quest so far:
I got Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the DS on Christmas of '09, but it's mostly due to being attracted to the box art (it's Akira Toriyama art) back in the summer of '09. Having highly anticipated the game, I start playing it, and it seems quite nice; I'm on the the little ship that's headed for Littlehaven. The camera rotation in the game (L or R) is quite interesting. Koichi Sugiyama's done some good music, from what I heard. Unfortunately, after that I can't say more. My copy of the DS game is not functioning properly. So, I'm supposed to land at Littlehaven, so basically I have to talk to everyone onboard to make the boat dock there. Okay, that sounds simple. Sadly, it's not the case (concerning my copy of the game). I talk to everyone onboard, but the boat won't dock. I keep trying to talk to everyone onboard, and the boat still doesn't dock. What's sad is, because the way my copy is, I can't get to go anywhere or see anything besides the boat.
I'm sure it's a good game as a whole, but unless I somehow break my copy's habit of not letting me past the boat, I just can't get anywhere.
I'm hoping Dragon Quest IX: Sentinel of the Starry Skies is really good.

I was stuck on that part for awhile, too, Starboy. Not the most obvious way of starting the game. Could be you missed someone, or maybe you have to do something else, too. I wish I remembered because that really sucks not to be able to play it. Have you tried watching speed runs to see what exactly is done? The PS2 version is probably pretty similar, so why not start a new file (not like you're losing any progress), and follow this video step by step?

Exactly.

@Adam - there's no way I could've possibly missed anyone on the ship. So, I tried to do it again; but this time I tried to do it like the video (the DS most clearly resembles the PS2 version visual-wise). I woke up on the cabin, I used the Seed of Resilience, I exited the cabin, I talked to the guard but did not enter Mr. Briscoletti's room (like I often had), I entered the storage room, I exited the storage room, I went to the captain's cabin, talked to the muscle guy, talked to the green uniform man, talked to the captain, exited the captain's cabin, and nothing.

And once again Corbie, you have stolen my brainwaves. =)

I haven't played normal DQ, but Dragon Warrior Monsters is Da BAWMB!

Puns, that's why. Not to mention the craziness of the games

Cruelcumber FTW!

I do it all for the puff puff.

If you don't get the appeal then you don't like it. I don't get the appeal of tomatoes, so move on.

'Ave you ever felt a pair as warm and soft as mine? <3

You have to go to the front of the ship, if I recall correctly.

@MickeyMouse - no, I saw gameplay footage, and you have to come out of the captain's cabin. I keep doing that, hoping the ship is gonna dock, but to no avail. The worse part is that, according to some comments on YouTube, the only way to actually be able to get past the ship in the DS version is to play by "unofficial means", and I don't want to do that. I only own the DS version, and I wish that it would work properly.

That's a very strange problem. But since i've completed the game on DS without encountering this problem, i can promise you that whoever said the only way past it is through "unofficial means" is wrong or a liar.

Did you buy the game second-hand? Maybe you got a pirated cart?

@theshpydar - that's what I thought when I read some comments on YouTube: that I may have gotten a pirated cart. It's a shame, really, as I really wanted to experience a Dragon Quest game and see what it's like. But, piracy has ruined my first experience. I hope that my next Dragon Quest purchases for the DS are not pirated.
I cannot believe that some pirates (in disguise) are sold in stores!

Yes, it's a pirated copy. I'd recommend returning it and letting wherever you purchased it from know about the problem. Seeing things like this happen to consumers irritates me to no end... >: (

@TwilightV - problem: I did not buy it at a store, I got it as a Christmas present. I have no idea where the game was bought. Also, I never sold a game before (except for Killer Instinct for the Game Boy Pocket, which I bought at GameCrazy, and then returned it 'cause it didn't work).

@StarBoy
That does suck. Especially as DQV is one of the best games in the series! If you got it back around Christmas, you may be out of luck on returning it, but i'd definitely let the store know either way (or just never pick up DS games from there again).