User Rating: 9.5 | Dragon Quest III GBC
This game is amazing. I played the original NES version of it nearly 11 years ago. Sadly, that was just a rental, and I had to return it before finishing it. Even worse, I was on the VERY LAST BATTLE! AHH! Fast forward 11 years: This game is still amazing, and has pulled off a feat that even most Final Fantasy games haven't managed. That being, I still like it MANY YEARS after my first time playing it. In fact, this is pretty much the only RPG I'd have the patience to replay at the moment -- and will, once I finish off all that secret stuff which requires collecting 144 something monster medals tp unlock a secret dungeon (this is about the only downside to the game, but keep in mind the NES version never had this, and it's purely optional). One thing I've always liked about the Dragon Warrior games is the battle system. While the first game in the series could've used more characters (1 vs 1 battles are annoying), 3 really showed that you can have great, fast-paced turn-based combat without the drudgery that is inherent in most other RPGs of that nature. Almost entirely throughout the whole game you will find the battles difficult, and to top it off some resources aren't as easy to come across. This game requires that you consider your characters a valuable asset, meaning if one of them dies you're going to have some serious trouble bringing them back. There's always the option of going to a town to bring them back, but if you're going to get through a dungeon you need to try to keep them alive. Another landmark of the series (which bloomed with DW3) is exploration. It's much more open-ended than most FF games, and once you get a boat you'll find the places you can go becomes practically limitless. It's seriously half the fun of the game. The graphics were surprisingly good. If you know anything about the NES Dragon Warrior games, the battles were practically text based. All you see is the stats and a picture of the creature(s) you're fighting. Well, the GBC version is a step up from that. This time the creatures are animated (some of those very fluid for a GBC game), there are spell and weapon animations, and some of the worldmap stuff has been updated. Dungeons looked quite amazing for a GBC game. Almost has sort of a quasi-3D look. Sound is nothing to write home about, but it's functional. Music is good, and anyone that played DW1 will absolutely love the nostalgia a certain piece of music brings (you'd have to experience it for yourself). One cool thing is this game added music for night time in towns. Nifty stuff, even if just a bit extra. If you played the original DW3 (and still own it), I don't think I'd recommend getting this one as well. Then again, I'm not a person that has that kind of money to spend. If you have only played the NES version once and liked it, then getting this might be worth it. If you like RPGs and have never played a Dragon Warrior game, this is the one to get. This game is my favorite over practically every Final Fantasy game I've ever played. If it were my choice, I'd have more of these games and less Final Fantasy games. If only more people bought games from this series. 
