I don't quite understand the appeal of Dragon Quest.

I've tried a little bittle of both IV and V for the DS and they're by no means bad games, actually kinda enjoyable.
Although IV, did seem pretty bland compared to V especially in terms of story, but this seems to be the case in alot of the DQ
games from what I've heard. The hero is often silent with little to no backstory, and instead of actual human allies you get recruitable
monsters, which means there's almost no character development regarding your party. The gameplay is really simple and old school
and the graphics for the majority of the games are subpar, even in the DS remakes. I just can't seem to understand why such a series
would be the number one most popular series in Japan, topping both Final Fantasy and Shin Megami Tensei, both of which have superior stories, memorable characters, and much more innovative gameplay(although the former has fallen off within recent years admittedly).

Is it pure nostalgia that seems to get fans craving for more with every release?
Or am I just plain ignorant and blind to what the series truly has to offer?

The games are fun, RPGs don't need crappy attempts at stories to be good.

Considering that im like 24 and started the series with DQ9 I can say that Dragon Quest isn't a nostalgia based game. (better candidates for that, but for another time).Honestly I think the reason why I like Dragon Quest so much is because its a basic RPG that constantly adds changes too it, but never changes itself because of it. Its consistent, but at the same time no Dragon Quest game is alike. Also the stories actually are pretty in depth, and aside from DQ5 and 9 all your allies talk, have a back story, etc. But if you really want to see what the hype is about I'd pick either Dragon Quest 4, 5 or 9. I think they represent the series the best, and Dragon Quest 5 is easily the best of them all because it just makes everything work so well.

I like Dragon Quest for being old school RPG games. And IV-VI offers plenty of old school & nostalgia. And with each game the story keeps evolving & keeps it from being too blend, in my opinion. And the art for the characters is done by the creator of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama. I hope they bring DQVII outside of Japan, especially since I never played that one.

and instead of actual human allies you get recruitable monsters, which means there's almost no character development regarding your party.redmangoose

I only really like V and VI, and VIII is my favorite game of all time. Most other games in the series (haven't played VII) are just plain bland and boring to me, so to an extent I agree. I like V, VI and VIII though because of the fun, cartoony graphics, and character and monster design, and the simple combat system. It isn't really overcomplicated like most other RPGs, which isn't always a bad thing, but can sometimes be annoying when I'm just trying to have fun and relax.

It's the fact that they are so old school and simple that is the charm. That and the "gung ho" adventure feel of it, along with the very charming art syIe. It's an RPG series that has stayed true to its roots since the beggining. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on the individual.

I LOVED the storylines. If I were going to rate them I'd say V had the best followed by IV and VI. IX was ok, although it had the best graphics. For IX, I liked the town stories a lot better than the main one. (Who DIDN'T get a LUMP in their throat when the princess danced with the knight?)

I'm going to HAVE to buy a 3DS now that VII is coming out. Didn't want to but now I will.

It's the fact that they are so old school and simple that is the charm. That and the "gung ho" adventure feel of it, along with the very charming art syIe. It's an RPG series that has stayed true to its roots since the beggining. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on the individual.

turtlethetaffer

guys you should play pokemon games

i tried Sentinels of the Starry Skies.

Boring gameplay, beautiful art style. thats basically it.

I've played through every DQ from 1-9 and I love this series because every episode provides a huge world to explore that is really quite charming. part 5 is the best btw :P

yea i guess for the most part like everyone else has said, their just old school fun rpgs which you dont have much of anymore, well that are done right. my first dragon quest was dq8 and it was great, ive also played 9 which was loads of fun too. planning on getting around to 4 5 and 6 eventually.

I like them, but can see how they might be a bit too old fashioned for some people.