GamesRadar - Dragon Quest IX

Dragon Quest IX Confirmed For Overseas Release (News)

6 Nov 2009

Shinji Hatano, General Manager of the marketing division at Nintendo, confirmed that we'll be seeing Dragon Quest IX in English at some point.

Square Enix shares Dragon Quest stats (News)

15 Oct 2009

A few weeks ago, Square Enix started a new type of cooperative Dragon Quest IX quest. These quests require that large groups of players team up to perform tasks. The first such quest was simple: get 500,000 players to submit their DQIX play data via Wi-Fi. Last week, players succeeded in this quest and were given a promised reward: an appearance by Dragon Quest Sword's Setia as a guest character.

Square Enix's plan was to use the data acquired through the quest to share stats about DQIX with other players. Today, it did just that. A National Census page page opened up at the DQIX Square Enix Members site. The page shares play data based off 677,350 (that's right -- they totally beat the 500,000 goal, it seems) data submissions.

The data is split into four pages: Special Data and Ranking, Profile Information, Battle Information, and Character Information.

Here are a few of the stats.

Dragon Quest IX Guide Books Top a Million (News)

1 Oct 2009

Anoop Gantayat: "Dragon Quest IX is on its way to topping four million in sales. Meanwhile, the game's various guide books have combined for a major sales feat of their own: one million sold."

Dragon Quest IX (Screenshots)

30 Sep 2009

Dragon Quest IX Has Players Team up for Wi-Fi Quests (News)

11 Sep 2009

Anoop Gantayat: The surprises keep on coming for Dragon Quest IX. Today, Square Enix unveiled a new type of quest for the game: "Wi-Fi Quests."

Square Enix CEO sinks 30 hours into Dragon Quest IX (News)

7 Sep 2009

It seems Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada is as addicted to Dragon Quest IX as the rest of Japan - having spent 30 hours on the game in 4 days.

In his weekly column in Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Wada tells how he always tries out the latest games, and "spent 30 hours in the four days after its release" in the case of Dragon Quest IX.

Square Enix Still Making Dragon Quest IX Commercials (News)

4 Sep 2009

Anoop Gantayat: Dragon Quest IX has already sold over 3.5 million copies. But Square Enix has even bigger plans for the game, to the tune of 5 million domestically.

RPG Deals 8/30 - 9/5 (News)

31 Aug 2009

Russ tells of console sales and other RPG deals as he begins, "September may have a lot of games coming out for it, so it is a good thing the prices of the 360 and PS3 dropped. Plus you still might be able to grab a decent computer during the back to school sales. Gaming triple play ahoy!"

NGamer review scores - second Metroid Prime Trilogy score included (News)

11 Aug 2009

The NGamer magazine has brought some interesting review scores in its latest issue. Check them out.

Dragon Quest IX - "Definitive decision" not yet made on western launch (News)

11 Aug 2009

VG247: Square told VG247 today that a final decision on launching Dragon Quest IX outside Japan is yet to be made.

Dragon Quest IX – import review (Preview)

11 Aug 2009

Forget AWOL, here’s AWOI – Absent Without Intent, the art of accidental fleeing. In a game that’s rammed with Japanese text, it’s a mis-prod of the run-away button that irritates most. Story, job classes, skills, spells and item conditions – you can muddle through without them, but showing a boss your back to stab is suicidal. ...

N-Zone review scores and details - First Cursed Mountain score (News)

11 Aug 2009

German magazine N-Zone has some reviews for Wii and DS games.

Dragon Quest IX Expected To Sell 5m Units (News)

8 Aug 2009

Gaming Union writes "News has been flooding out of Square Enix's most recent financial media briefing, with investors and journalists clamouring to find out Square Enix's plans.

Comparing Dragon Quest IX to Dragon Quest VIII, which was released on the PlayStation 2, Yoichi Wada, the president of Square Enix, stated that he expected it to achieve at least 5m unit sales. This effectively means that Square Enix expect Dragon Quest IX to surpass Dragon Quest VIII."

Dragon Quest IX Coming To North America In 2010 (News)

8 Aug 2009

Gaming Union writes "Yoichi Wada, the president of Square Enix, was recently speaking to journalists about his company's performance in the first period of the new financial year. Dragon Quest IX came up, obviously, but questions were fielded about an overseas release."

Square Enix Has Shipped More Than 3.5 Million Dragon Quest IX Copies (News)

6 Aug 2009

Kotaku writes: "The title says it all: Square Enix has shipped over 3.5 million copies of DS role-playing game Dragon Quest IX in Japan.

Going on sale July 14th, the game is the latest entry in the Dragon Quest series and was developed by Fukuoka-based studio Level-5."

Dragon Quest IX Sales Climb To 3.2 Million (News)

28 Jul 2009

Dragon Quest IX is well on its way to earning the coveted title of the best-selling DS game in Japan. Honestly, who would have expected otherwise? Famitsu parent Enterbrain today reports that unit sales in the region have crossed the 3.2 million mark, a figure that represents sales from July 11 to July 26.

VGChartz - The Japan Preview: 7/19 Edition (DQIX Sprints Past 3.0m) (News)

20 Jul 2009

Sports games and Dragon Quest IX (third biggest week ever) were the big hits for the week on Wii, PS3, PS2, and DS respectively. PSP and Xbox 360 had very quiet weeks by contrast.

Square Enix thinks Dragon Quest IX can reach 5 million in shipment numbers (News)

18 Jul 2009

No one can deny that Dragon Quest IX has gotten off to a tremendous start in Japan. In just two days, 2.3 million copies of the game were sold.

RPGfan : DQIX Goes Triple Platinum (News)

17 Jul 2009

Chris Winkler writes "Square Enix today announced that total shipments of Dragon Quest IX have reached the three million mark, only four days into the DS-based RPG's availability in Japan. Meanwhile, worldwide shipments for the entire Dragon Quest franchise have passed the 50 million mark.
As reported earlier, Dragon Quest IX sold more than 2.3 million copies on July 11th and 12th, the first two days that it was on sale"

Nintendo DS Japan sales jump on Dragon Quest (News)

16 Jul 2009

Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS) sold more than twice as many units of the DS game player last week in Japan as it did the week before, helped by the latest version of Square Enix's (9684.T) "Dragon Quest" game, a research firm said.

Demand for video game machines had been showing signs of slowing down worldwide, making investors wonder if the current expansion phase will soon come to an end.

Dragon Quest IX gets perfect score from Famitsu (News)

15 Jul 2009

Examiner: "The highly anticipated Nintendo DS game, Dragon Quest IX, becomes the 10th title to get a perfect score from Famitsu by scoring 40 out of 40."

But How Many Copies of Dragon Quest IX Were Shipped? (News)

14 Jul 2009

Kotaku: We know how many were sold in the first two days, and now we also know how many copies of the game were shipped. We sure do know a lot of things.

411mania's Release List for the Week of July 13, 2009 (News)

14 Jul 2009

411mania talks about this week's game releases. Highlights include Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!, Unbound Saga, Ys I & II Chronicles, and Awatama. They also talk about some of the past week's releases, including Trine and Street Fighter IV PC.

These Amazon Japan Customers Do Not Like DQIX (News)

13 Jul 2009

"Did you hear? Dragon Quest IX is out in Japan. And if the Amazon Japan reviews are anything to go by, the people have spoken and the people are upset."

Dragon Quest IX Tops 2.3 Million in Two Days (News)

13 Jul 2009

Dragon Quest IX sold 2,343,440 copies in its first two days of sales, Famitsu.com reported today citing data from its parent Enterbrain. The game is off to a faster start than its PS2 predecessor.

Rumor: Dragon Quest IX sets record with first day sales (News)

13 Jul 2009

The Dragon Quest series is one of the most successful video game franchises in Japan. That fact alone left no doubt that Dragon Quest IX would be a mega hit in Japan.

Dragon Quest IX Already Being Hacked (News)

10 Jul 2009

Kotaku:

Tomorrow in Japan, Dragon Quest IX is going on sale. But there is already at least one player who has conquered the game - by cheating.

This character is a Level 99 with max HP and MP, and it has 9999999 Experience and 9999999 G, making it way more impressive than Koichi Sugiyama's Level 97 DQIX character and he composes the Dragon Quest music and has being playing the actual title for who knows how long.

If the game is this easy to cheat, then maybe it's best that it doesn't have actual online play, no?

Dragon Quest IX Street Date Broken In Japan (News)

9 Jul 2009

It appears that Square Enix's Dragon Quest IX, one of the most hotly anticipated titles in Japan, has broken its street date, getting sold two days before the official launch.

Poll: Japanese People Thought Dragon Quest IX Would Have WiFi (News)

9 Jul 2009

This Saturday Dragon Quest IX is going on sale in Japan. Apparently, there are already 2 million pre-orders. Some of those folks might be in for a surprise!

The game uses the DS's local ad hoc wireless, but loads of gamers thought the title would use the DS's WiFI connection so that players didn't have to be in the same room to play co-op.

A quick poll at game site IT Media showed that an overwhelming number of those who responded thought the game would have proper WiFi. The poll, which a thousand readers participated in, reads:

Hey Pirates, Beware of Fake Dragon Quest IX Hentai Boobies! (News)

9 Jul 2009

Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku writes:

"The "leaked" version of Dragon Quest IX is malware. The ROM was dumped early on to Japanese bulletin board 2chan and is actually a hentai slideshow show called "DS Owata".

Maybe download "Dragon Quest IX JPN DSi Enchanced NDS iND" if you'd like a hentai slideshow? Oh, this bricks your DS. Buying it legally does not."

Dragon Quest IX tops two million preorders (News)

8 Jul 2009

Examiner: "Dragon Quest IX about to take the gaming world by storm in Japan. Every time a new Dragon Quest title is released in Japan, it's treated like a national holiday. It should come as no surprise that Dragon Quest IX for the DS, which has a massive install base, will be treated any differently."

Dragon Quest IX Is Gonna Be Hard, Yo (News)

6 Jul 2009

Just because Square Enix is releasing Dragon Quest IX on the DS, doesn't mean they're putting out an easy game. On the contrary, DQIX is going to be difficult says series creator Yuji Horii.

-Kotaku

Dragon Quest IX Panic Starts Now (News)

22 Jun 2009

"Reservations for the eagerly awaited DS role-playing-game Dragon Quest IX have started in Japan with some stores opening early."

Is Dragon Quest IX Co-Op WiFi or Local? (News)

19 Jun 2009

"There's been some confusion about Dragon Quest IX co-op play. Is it local only or does it using Nintendo's WiFi connection? Just imagine playing DQIX with faraway friends!

Square Enix PR clears up the issue with this: "From the beginning of development, co-op play hasn't been via WiFi, but rather DS wireless play."

So there you go, bye-bye confusion and bye-bye DQIX WiFi dreams."

Dragon Quest IX Definitely Coming 11th of July (News)

16 Jun 2009

Gaming Union writes "Dragon Quest IX has been nothing but a catalogue of errors for Square Enix, as the game was initially planned for release in 2007. Despite this, here we are in mid-2009 and the game still hasn't been released.

Most recently, the game was officially penned in for the 28th of March, 2009, after Square Enix unveiled the release date at the end of a trailer. However they then had to go against that, and on the 12th of February, informed the general public that the game would be delayed until the 11th of July, 2009."

Dragon Quest IX Famitsu scans (News)

30 Apr 2009

A few new scans of Dragon Quest IX have been released.

Dragon Quest IX Pre-Order Start (Again) (News)

17 Mar 2009

Eagerly-awaited, twice-delayed DS title Dragon Quest IX is finally going on sale July 11, 2008 in Japan. Those hoping to secure the game can pre-order.

Starting today, Japanese retailer TSUTAYA is opening up pre-orders for the game. Other Japanese retailers also are starting to take pre-orders. The game is slated for late 2009 in North America and is TBA for Europe.

Elderly Actress Wants More Dragon Quest Before Death (News)

11 Mar 2009

For most of us, we can wait a little longer until Dragon Quest IX is released, but not 73-year-old Japanese actress Keiko Awaji.

For her, it's a matter of life or death.

Japanese film actress Keiko Awaji wants to play new Dragon Quest and pronto. Awaji, who has appeared in over 160 movies since 1949 including Akira Kurosawa's police noir Stray Dog, said this about DQ.

"I won't live forever. I'd like to play two more more games... I really want them to put out a new game once every two years."

Don't we all Awaji-san, don't we all.

Awaji is a big fan of role-playing games, including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Mother (known in the West as Earthbound).

Dragon Quest IX : Wi-Fi explain (News)

20 Feb 2009

The latest images, released by Square Enix and Level 5 about Dragon Quest IX, explain that you will can purchase online items, costumes, weapons and specific items for specific periods.
You will can also download additional dungeons.

"Critical bug" delays Dragon Quest IX (News)

12 Feb 2009

Square Enix has delayed the release of Dragon Question IX in Japan because of a recently discovered "critical bug" in the software.

Dragon Quest IX delayed until July in Japan (News)

12 Feb 2009

DarkZero: Via an update on Square Enix's official Japanese site, the company have announced that Dragon Quest IX on the DS will not make its March 28 date in Japan, and has instead been delayed to July 11.

Square Enix Postponement Causes Dragon Quest IX Delay Concerns (News)

6 Feb 2009

Kotaku writes: "Square Enix has announced it'll delay its third-quarter earnings by a week to February 12th due to a delay in "accounting work." Some fear its less an accounting delay and more a game delay.

The concern is that either Dragon Quest IX or Final Fantasy XIII has been pushed back with a higher probability being placed on Dragon Quest IX. This is, granted, simply speculation, and Square Enix has not confirmed any such delay."

Net Shopping in Dragon Quest IX? (News)

6 Feb 2009

Details have leaked out from Weekly Jump regarding upcoming download content for Dragon Quest IX. The upcoming blockbuster will offer players both downloadable quests and a version of "net shopping," where players download unique item lists filled with rare goods.

Koichi Sugiyama discusses Dragon Quest IX music (News)

5 Feb 2009

Dragon Quest music composer Koichi Sugiyama shared a few insights yesterday into his work on Dragon Quest IX. His comments on the upcoming DS entry in the series came during a press session prior to the latest Dragon Quest series concert.

RPGfan : Dragon Quest-Themed Accessories Announced (News)

30 Jan 2009

Chris Winkler writes "Leading accessory maker Hori announced two accessories set to go on sale alongside Square Enix's highly anticipated DS release Dragon Quest IX in Japan on March 28th. The first and arguably more curious item is a slime-shaped stereo speaker. This item also doubles as a stand for DSLite and DSi units. It will be available for 4,725 Yen ($52.87 USD)."

RPGfan : New DQIX Details Revealed (News)

7 Jan 2009

Chris Winkler writes "Square Enix has revealed some new information regarding its highly anticipated DS title Dragon Quest IX. Not unlike previous series installments, the Level 5-developed title will feature a variety of optional quests. One NPC might ask for a simple errand, while another might ask the player to find a certain piece of treasure or dispose of a particular monster. Players are free to take on multiple quests simultaneously. Moreover, the decision when to complete a questis entirely up to the player."

Iwata's Quest: help sell Dragon Quest IX (News)

12 Dec 2008

Let's be clear: Square Enix will have no trouble whatsoever selling Dragon Quest IX in Japan. In the west, where Final Fantasy is a far bigger name than its stable-mate, huge sales are by no means guaranteed. That's something Satoru Iwata wants to change, and if that means teaming up with Square Enix to promote the game in not-Japan, so be it.

"At Nintendo, we were able to popularize the Brain Age series overseas, which was said to be unmarketable," the Nintendo boss told the assembled press after yesterday's Square Enix conference. "I want to increase the number of people worldwide that understand the appeal of Dragon Quest."

Iwata added that he is keen to "form a strong tag team" with Square Enix to achieve this, and mentioned that he was looking forward to working with the publisher and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. Does this mean Nintendo is definitely going to be pouring some of its own resources into pushing DQIX outside Japan? It's not official, but we can't think of many better partners to help sell your game than Nintendo! Make the jump for Iwata's full comment.

Dragon Quest IX dated for Japan (News)

10 Dec 2008

Amidst the exciting news of Dragon Quest X for Wii, Square Enix also dated another anticipated title, Dragon Quest IX for Japan.

Dragon Quest X Announced for Wii (News)

10 Dec 2008

Megaton!!

Dragon Quest X was just announced for Wii!

Square Enix shares full Jump Festa lineup (News)

1 Dec 2008

Square Enix opened a special website today for this year's Jump Festa. The big news from the site is confirmation that Dragon Quest IX will appear in playable form at the event. In all, over 25 games will be shown in the company's booth.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride Coming Soonish? (News)

4 Nov 2008

There was an eight month interval between the release of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride in Japan. North America might not have to wait as long for the next game in the Zenithia trilogy since Dragon Quest V: Hand in the Heavenly Bride was just rated by the USK, Germany's ESRB equivalent. Since Dragon Quest V has a rating it must be well in developmen

Square Enix Still Popular In Japan (News)

26 Oct 2008

Despite all the negative press that Square Enix have been getting from fans on Western Shores, Japanese gamers don't really seem anywhere near as concerned. Famitsu published a list of Japan's most anticipated games and Square Enix had a staggering 9 games from the list which had 15 titles.

What's even more interesting is that two of the titles are appearing on the 360 (Star Ocean 4 and The Last Remnant), but even though the Xbox 360 still doesn't hold much weight in Japan, it seems to peaking interest finally.

Dragon Quest IX Playable at 'Jump Festa' Event (News)

24 Oct 2008

Wired: "Missed playing Dragon Quest IX at the Tokyo Game Show? That's because the game's presence was limited to a new trailer (right) shown inside Square Enix's closed theater. To play it, you'll need to go to Jump Festa in December.

Still a good three months before the game's Japan launch in March 2009 -- the public event takes place December 20-21 at Makuhari Messe, where TGS was held -- it's a good move by the publisher."

Tournament of level one enemies (Feature)

21 Oct 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the runts and rejects of the forces of darkness, the first line of defense for evil. They're kind of a joke. Nonetheless, they stand tall and straight, inches above knee level, and they bop, hop and wiggle towards any nearby heroes. ...

Dragon Quest IX to hit Japan in March (News)

1 Oct 2008

The Japanese gaming gurus over at Famitsu have confirmed in their latest issue that Dragon Quest IX isn't in development hell as many feared, and is actually nearing completion, ready for a March 2009 release.

Dragon Quest IX to hit the Stage at TGS (News)

26 Sep 2008

Dragon Quest IX has been quiet for some time now, the silence in the development proving painful for some and exciting for others - those who hoped development for the Nintendo DS would prove too difficult so that the game would shift back to a more traditional system.

It looks like that isn't the case, though, as Square-Enix will be holding a "Dragon Quest Special Stage Event" on 11th October between 1 and 2:30pm. At this event they're set to announce the latest news about DQIX, including the most anticipated information - a Japanese release date.

Breaking: Dragon Quest IX coming early 2009 (News)

18 Sep 2008

Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada was interviewed by Jiji Press and stated that "The next Dragon Quest title will be released early next year".

Dragon Quest IX actually coming out in 2008? (News)

8 Sep 2008

Siliconera writes: "A game like Dragon Quest IX usually has a prelude of previews months before it launches. We haven't heard Square Enix or Level 5 say much about the game and supposedly it's coming out sometime this year. Square Enix's TGS 2008 page for Dragon Quest IX sticks the title with a 2008 release window and there aren't many months left in the year."

Bloomberg: Square Enix Advances After Cosmo Upgrades Game Maker (News)

3 Jun 2008

Bloomberg writes: "Square Enix Co. rose in Tokyo trading after Cosmo Securities Co. lifted its rating on Japan's third- largest video-game maker to ''neutral plus.''

The shares added 60 yen, or 1.9 percent, to close at 3,210 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, after advancing as much as 6 percent.

The company's Dragon Quest 9 title, released for the Nintendo DS portable game player in November, will produce 20 billion yen ($190 million) in revenue from 5 million units sold in Japan, Cosmo Securities analyst Takashi Oka wrote in a Japanese-language report dated yesterday.

''It's not surprising Dragon Quest 9 for the portable console sold twice as many units as a version for stationary game machines,'' Ota wrote."

Dragon Quest IX coming this year, FF Agito XIII might be cancelled (News)

25 May 2008

Square Enix held a shareholders meeting two days ago which discussed the financial status of the company during fiscal year 2008. Game Watch have posted an article that gives us more in-depth details on what was said:

- Wada says Dragon Quest IX is coming this fiscal year, but the game still doesn't have a release date. He also said the DS is a great choice for the game, and thinks it may sell up to 10 million copies.

- Wada says that due to 3 billion yen in losses, the company has cancelled a "revolutionary mobile development". The project is rumored to be Final Fantasy Agito XIII or Parasite Eve 3.

Dragon Quest IX coming to the U.S. in November (News)

23 May 2008

Destructoid Writes: When Square Enix announced that the Zenithia trilogy would be coming stateside, responses seemed mixed: among the shouts of joy were a few lonely curmudgeons wondering if a release date for Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky had finally been announced. Disappointed, they returned to their humble caves to eat rats and poke at the ground with sticks.

Rumor: Dragon Quest IX ships November 20 (News)

23 May 2008

Known gaming website 1UP.com has posted an article about Dragon Quest IV's arrival to North America, but the most interesting part in it was actually about Dragon Quest IX. The final paragraph featured the following text:

"With all that Dragon Quest going around, you've got to wonder if Square Enix might not be risking a little Japanese RPG burnout by the time Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky hits town on November 20."

It might be just pure speculation by the editor, but perhaps they know something we don't.

Level-5 Aims for Dragon Quest IX in 2008 (News)

15 Feb 2008

Square Enix may be unwilling to commit to a final release date for Dragon Quest IX, but developer Level-5's president may have just done the deed himself. Akihiro Hino said that his goal for 2008 is to finish work on White Knight Chronicles, Inazuma Eleven, the third Professor Layton game, and Dragon Quest IX.

Yoichi Wada: Dragon Quest IX nearly finished (News)

1 Feb 2008

After a long time we did not hear anything about Dragon Quest IX, Yoichi Wada, current president of Square Enix, has revealed that the game is "nearly finished" in an interview with Bloomberg News.

This means North American DS gamers might still be able to play Dragon Quest IX this year.

simExchange: Nintendo is Changing the Industry (News)

9 Jan 2008

A report today from Jesse Divnich at the simExchange says Nintendo has turned casual games and gamers into the primary forces driving the videogame industry. Using data from the holiday 2007 shopping season, the firm said that one factor in the industry's growth has been a larger-than-expected next-generation adoption rate among casual gamers. (GameDaily, 01/09/08)

Famitsu's Most Wanted Top 20, Dragon Quest Dominates (News)

15 Oct 2007

Dragon Quest dominates the top twenty in four different positions, not including missionary, Monster Hunter 3 makes its debut under the Wii name.

Square Enix TGS Lineup (News)

3 Sep 2007

Square Enix's Tokyo Game Show lineup, announced today in Tokyo, is full of surprises, both good and bad. It turns out, for instance, that Dragon Quest IX will be shown, although in video form only. Also surprising is the video-only showing of The Last Remnant. That game appeared to be far enough along at the Square Enix Party earlier this year that IGN was expecting a playable debut.

DQIX gets pushed back to 2008 (News)

27 Aug 2007

Those of you who've been eagerly awaiting Square Enix's latest title on the DS will have to wait extra long, as the company has announced that Dragon Quest IX has been delayed until 2008. The reason for delaying the game? Square Enix apparently needs to improve the quality of the game, but DSFanboy is going on machine translation, so it isn't the best.

PS3, 360 too high-spec, says Square boss (News)

12 Jun 2007

Publishers and developers can no longer focus on a single format, according to Yoichi Wada, chief executive of Square Enix. He goes on to say that the technicalities of the new consoles hugely limit their appeal. "In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the GameBoy, but the environment has changed completely," says Wada, who believes that developers need to focus on making games that also cater to "a new breed of gamers.” Discussing Square's shock decision to shift ...

Dragon Quest IX to Sell 5 Million, Remakes Confirmed (News)

24 May 2007

Square Enix surprised everyone by announcing that Dragon Quest IX would be coming to the Nintendo DS, let alone in 2007, but the company has high hopes for the game. Revealed today was how Square Enix could well sell five million copies of Dragon Quest IX, already the most anticipated game of the year, which would make it the biggest ever in the series, following the PSone's Dragon Quest VII and Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2. However, if remakes and re-releases are included, Square Enix states that the actual best seller is Dragon Quest III from the NES, with six million units sold so far since its original release in 1988. The series as a whole has now surpassed 41 million units as of 31st December, 2006.

In related news, CEO Yoichi Wada spoke in Japan lately and stated:

"This summer, we'll release Battle Road in arcades and Swords for the Wii. Following that, we're thinking of a release 9 once we've released remake versions and so forth."

Dragon Quest interview (Feature)

14 May 2007

Thanks to the Square Enix Party 2007, we were lucky enough to sit down with Yuji Horii, the creator of the Dragon Quest series - the most popular series of RPGs in Japan (and no slouch in the US as well.) Here goes: GamesRadar: The Dragon Quest Monsters series has been continuing for several titles now, to the side of the main DQ series. What sets it apart from the main DQ series, and what does it bring to the table? Yuji Horii: Where Dragon Quest Monsters originated from was Dragon Quest V, ...

Dragon Quest IX Tops Famitsu's Most Wanted. (News)

29 Apr 2007

Dragon Quest IX Tops Famitsu Most Wanted, followed with 4 ps3 games. Final Fantasy XIII,Biohard 5(Resident Evil), Metal Gear Solid 4 and Monster Hunter.

Dragon Quest IX Battle System Revealed (News)

25 Apr 2007

1up reports that the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump reveals that the combat system of Dragon Quest IX for the DS will retain the traditional turn-based system as opposed to a more action-oriented one suggested in earlier reports.

Enemies will be visible on the field, and players will enter into battle once in contact with them. Like Dragon Quest VIII, the battle will be presented in 3D with players selecting commands for attacking enemies, casting spells and others.

Dragon Quest IX will also be the first time players can customize their appearance including physical features such as your height, weight, face, hair as well as your costume.

Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Starry Sky (Preview)

2 Feb 2007

2006 marked the 20th anniversary of the original Dragon Quest, and while Square Enix could have rested easy and watched the fan love-fest unfold, they instead dramatically announced a new installment, dropping an unexpected bombshell in the process. IX would be the first Dragon Quest installment to debut on a handheld console, and would do away with the turn-based battling that had up to this point defined the series and given it much of its unique appeal. ...

DS equips Dragon Quest IX (News)

12 Dec 2006

Publisher/developer powerhouse Square Enix has announced that the next installment in its Dragon Quest RPG series is heading to Nintendo DS and will be released in 2007. Dragon Quest IX - which sports a roughly translated subtitle of "Defender of the Stars" - is being developed by Level 5, the people behind the previous PS2 exclusive Dragon Quest VIII, and will feature 3D adventuring, an action-focused battle system and will let up to four players join forces in co-op multiplayer. No further ...

Weapon Skill Descriptions (Hint)

20 Jul 2009

Go to GamesRadar to see the Hint ...

More Weapon Skills (Hint)

20 Jul 2009

Go to GamesRadar to see the Hint ...