July2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: Illusion Of Gaia
Or 'Time', if you will
Welcome, one and all, to another edition of Box Art Brawl. Taking a look at last week's battle, Europe went up against two opposing forces from North America for the DS release of Magic & Might: Clash of Heroes. Full blown civil war, over here. Europe came away with the victory, though, bringing in 56% of the vote with...
April2023
Random Fan Collects Over 1 Thousand Copies Of The Original Dragon Quest
Technically 'Dragon Warrior'
One person's quest (get it?) to accumulate a 'Mega Collection' of NES games has finally been achieved. FerrisonNA — who also goes by the username Ferris Bueller — is the proud owner of one thousand copies of the original Dragon Quest on the NES. Or, Dragon Warrior as it was known in the west back in 1989. FerrisonNA...
September2022
Anniversary Dragon Quest V Is 30 Years Old Today
The best Dragon Quest?
One of the Super Famicom's most-celebrated RPGs turns 30 today in Japan. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride was the series' first game on the 16-bit console, and even today, Dragon Quest V is fondly remembered, despite the game not receiving an official Western release until its 2009 DS port. The Super Famicom (or...
December2021
Feature Artist Kamui Fujiwara Talks Terranigma Amid Drive To Resurrect Classic SNES RPG
"It means the quest is not over, right?"
Terranigma is a SNES title that holds a special place in the heart of many an RPG fan, which is remarkable when you consider that it was only released in Japan and Europe, and bypassed North America entirely. Part of Quintet's loose RPG trilogy (which also includes Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia),...
May2021
Feature More Than Just Pokémon - Japan’s Secret World Of Game Boy Color
Hidden handheld happiness
The Game Boy Color was the immensely popular home of a wide range of handheld classics, from multi-million sellers such as Pokémon Gold and Silver and Link’s Awakening DX to the now painfully expensive Metal Gear Solid, not to mention the non-Color original Game Boy library it played, too
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #85 - Dragon Quest
Don't be such a Warrior
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular (normally, although we've had a few weeks off) retro box art-based poll to find the best regional variants from two or more territories. Last time we grabbed our cameras for a closeup of Pokémon Snap on Nintendo 64. Europe's bluer cover emerged as as the winner quite comfortably,...
Poll What's The Best Dragon Quest Game?
I need a Hero
Originally released in the West under the localised Dragon Warrior title, it's been nearly thirty-five years since Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii's seminal RPG series, debuted in Japan. In that time, we've seen eleven mainline entries in a series which led the way in defining the JRPG genre itself. Japanese Nintendo gamers have enjoyed...
December2020
News Yuzo Koshiro's Sumptuous ActRaiser Soundtrack Is Getting A Vinyl And CD Release
Includes previously unreleased tracks
The gorgeous soundtrack for Quintet's ActRaiser – one of the SNES' most unique and iconic third-party releases – is getting a special re-release on vinyl and CD, courtesy of Paris-based Wayô Records. Composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, who has also created the music for Streets of Rage,
January2020
News Dragon Quest: Your Story Looks Set For A Netflix Release This Year
Update: It's coming February 13th
Update: Netflix has confirmed that Dragon Quest: Your Story will arrive on February 13th 2020. Better add it to your wish list now. Original Story: The CGI movie Dragon Quest: Your Story looks set for a Netflix release in the West, following its initial launch in Japan in August of last year. Based on Dragon...
December2019
News 23 Years On, And We Still Can't Believe This Classic SNES RPG Didn't Get A US Release
Time to celebrate with a new remix album
On December 19th, 1996, Terranigma was released in the west. Quintet's final SNES release and part of a loose trilogy which also includes the superb Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia / Time (and ActRaiser, if you're feeling generous), Terranigma ranks as one of the best RPGs to grace Nintendo's 16-bit system...
March2018
News That Japanese "Dragon Quest Law" Is Actually An Urban Myth
The creators behind the franchise spill the beans
Those of you versed in video game history will be aware of a story relating to the astonishing popularity of Dragon Quest, one of Japan's most beloved RPGs. Back when the series was just starting out on the Famicom, kids and adults alike would bunk off school or work to buy it and spend an entire day...
January2018
News SNES Classics Illusion of Gaia And Mystical Ninja Receive MSU1 Audio Support
Will and Goemon join the high fidelity club
Another week and another two major MSU-1 Audio projects released by Super Nintendo fans. Considering both these classic soundtracks come in at nearly one hundred tracks each this is no small feat. Two epic quests featuring brand new audio possibilities await you. Caught between the brilliance of both...
May2015
Another Japan-only release gets localised
When you say Westone, you think Wonder Boy. The recently-defunct Japanese studio created a series of amazing action-RPG titles for Sega which have since become legendary slices of retro gaming, but outside of that particular franchise the company's work is somewhat less well known - at least in the West...
March2015
News We Have World War II To Thank For This Insanely Detailed Hand-Written Dragon Quest V Guide
Grandson uncovers incredibly in-depth tome
World War II was a pretty dire business, costing the lives of countless millions all over the globe. However, if there's one thing we can thank this catastrophic international conflict for, it's possibly the most awesome fan-written guide to Dragon Quest V ever seen. A fellow in Japan has recently...
March2014
Matters Of Import Wonder Project J2 Brings Masterful 2D To The N64
Making cute robots girls cry
The N64 never did get much 2D love when it was around, but games like Wonder Project J2 — as well as Treasure’s Bangai-O — show that other developers were missing a trick by ignoring the untapped potential of this side of Nintendo’s hardware. First published by Enix in 1996, Josette’s adventures on Blueland...
February2014
Playing God
Back when the Super Nintendo launched in Japan — where it was of course known as the Super Famicom — it was accompanied by some truly remarkable titles. As a young (and loyal) Sega Mega Drive owner at the time, for me personally it was torture to see the likes of Pilotwings, F-Zero and
