Took about 3 1/2 years since this account was first made, but I'm so glad I've become a Metal Slime. Makes sense, as much as I've always loved all things Dragon Quest (plus the fact that I'm still an officer of the only DQ Union on Gamespot as of this blog writing).

David/Maverick_Hunter/lostmind69 (on Slime Knights)

Feel free to visit and join:
http://unions.gamespot.com/DragonQuest

I was in my 5th week of Basic Training (Boot Camp) for the US Army. We were out in the field for Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) Training when the sh*t hit the fan over the loudspeakers, since the drills played the news over them to get us hyped up to go to war. Then we went back for chow that night and the news was playing on one of the TVs behind a window while we were waiting in line for our dinner. The headlines and footage alone were enough to make me believe that it wasn't just a prank...

In the mystical realm of Dragovian Sanctuary, where the mighty Dragovian race once again roams the skies freely and the lands in humanoid form, there is a foretold prophecy of another destined hero and savior of the new world. He comes from the lineage of Eight and Medea: their first-born son. In his blood boils one-quarter of Royal Dragovian blood. He has been named Prince Alistair, in honor of Jessica's brother who died bravely at the hands of the possessed Dhoulmagus. Meanwhile, there is a dark new evil that despises this young man and his unseemlingly limitless potential. He was the apprentice of Dhoulmagus long before he was corrupted...and he seeks revenge for his master's untimely demise at the hands of Prince Alistair's father. His name is Dark Lord Helios, and he has picked up quite a few tricks since the defeat of Dhoulmagus' final form.
Only his physical body was destroyed, not his soul. Remnants of the power of the cursed scepter allowed him to stay in constant contact with his apprentice through black magic and powerful mental telepathy. He has finally taught him everything he knows about the dark arts, and it's time for the newly empowered Helios to set out on his conquest for bloodlust and retribution against Prince Alistair and his famous father. You as the player will get to experience both sides of this turn of events. You will be able to play as Eight once again, Prince Alistair, and Dark Lord Helios at one point in the middle of the storyline. This will give you a much better perspective of his character (including his struggling times as a youth) before the evil Dhoulmagus decided to take him under his tulelage and corrupt his soul. Now we shall finally see who gets the last laugh...

Dragon Quest VIII is definitely one of the better, if not THE best role-playing game that I've played in a long time. The quality of the cel-shading hybrid graphics and cutscenes are remarkable, with spot-on English voice-overs and lovable characters created by Akira Toriyama of Dragonball Z fame. I'll never forget Kalderashaa in particular, who is a dead ringer for Hercule (except for the voice-over of course). A good example of the voice-overs being used to just the right degree is Valentina. The voice actor who portrayed her gave her just enough depth with the foreign accent to sound believable.

As far as gameplay, this game knows no bounds. In the beginning, you'll spend time interacting with NPC's (non-playable characters) in town to solve certain mysteries involving the local fortune teller Kaldershaa, his daughter Valentina, and his mysterious crystal ball. I won't give away the details, but I can definitely say I spent a fair amount of hours just in town. I would recommend hitting at least Level 4-5 (6 if you have enough patience) before heading into the cave later in the quest.

The battle system is implemented and executed in a very streamlined manner, with easy to navigate menus and a myriad of characters at your disposal. I personally love Jessica and her whip, since it can attack enemies in a single horizontal line in one turn. You're also able to "charge-up" and increase your tension level inbetween turns, which is highly reminiscent of Dragonball Z and definitely brings some originality to this well-executed RPG. In conclusion, I highly recommend this game to anyone remotely interested in role-playing games, Dragon Warrior/Quest, the Dragonball Z anime, or even just gaming in particular!