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bigmatrimonial · 2 years

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Timeless Quality: Are Citizen Watches Worth the Investment?

Being an extremely well-known watches in the world It is likely that you've seen the name Citizen for a moment or two. However, just because something is well-known doesn't mean it's the best and I've found this through trial and error with some things. This raises the question: are Citizen watches reliable? In this article, we'll look at some of the most well-known models as well as their competition to determine if the iconic brand is still able to maintain its elegance and high-end. Nowadays, I consider myself an expert on watches. Just like a sweet dessert finishes a fine dinner, a new watch completes a perfect outfit. Although I mostly stick to an occasional rotation of trustee watches occasionally I'll break out a flashy piece of jewelry to impress a date or evening out with friends. Although I have an expensive timepiece every now and then. I always return to my regulars. What I am looking for in a daily watch include simplicity, elegance cheap and the ability to tie any outfit together. Does Citizen's watches satisfy these criteria? We'll dive through all of these aspects to identify the most reliable watch brand you can count on regular basis.

What are Citizen Watches?

If you don't be aware, Citizen has been making watches for over 100 years! In fact it's been around for 104 years to be precise (as as of 2022). With the same amount of experience the Japanese company, Citizen is a major brand within the watches market. Citizen was the initial manufacturer to create watches powered by light. In 1976, following the launch of Crystal Solar Cell, the first analog quartz watch powered by light. watch, a revolution was created. Through the invention of Citizen the road was set for other businesses to follow. Citizen also revolutionized the industry by introducing an automated assembly line that produces Citizen watch components. The assembly line was initially used in the 1970's for the production of the quartz movement and continues to be used until today. The majority of the components of the Citizen watches is manufactured entirely in-house. Nearly every component comes from their country of origin, Japan which includes electrical chips, mechanical parts and much more. The exquisite watches are made by specially trained craftsmen, known as Meisters or Super Meisters. The most expensive Citizen watches, like those made by the Chronomaster Quartz model are made by an experienced watchmaker with an unwavering dedication to his craft and has at least 30 years of watchmaking expertise with Citizen. Citizen also set new standards with the release of the first titanium watch in the year 1970. Its model X-8 Chronometer watch was first electronic watch with a case constructed entirely of titanium. To further advance the technology, Citizen launched the first multi-band atomic-based timekeeping watch in 1993. The fact that it is timed in sync with atomic clocks permits they to be accurate to within a second of 100,000 years!

Things to Consider When Buying the Citizen Watch

As we mentioned earlier, Citizen watches are unique because almost each watch is designed and manufactured by hand in the company's own factory. It's impossible to locate a watch manufacturer which is as dedicated to creating high-quality watches like Citizen is. Simply put, no one can make the same kind of contribution to the industry that Citizen is making. Citizen is dedicated to creating top-quality watches that keep track of time. In comparison to its rival, Seiko, which is known for its inability to keep the track of time. It could be a good idea if you're looking for an excuse for being late everywhereand make it appear that your watch tells you that you're in time. It's just not feasible. Quality doesn't have to mean expensive, however. Citizen is determined to make their watch reasonably priced,while getting the quality of some of the most expensive brands, like Rolex. Yes, Rolex may be flashy traditional, but also sturdy but Citizen is always seeking revolutionary innovations that will transform the world of watches like they have done since the beginning of time. Sure it's true that an Rolex might attract the attention of the woman or man you've tried to please however once you've impressed them, you'll not have money to take them out on dates because you've paid for the metallic glimmer that you wear on your wrist.

Citizen Watch Reviews

1. The Citizen Promaster Professional Diver A Citizen ProMaster Professional Diver has been on my list for quite a while. Its simple design is an elegant design that shouts "everyday watch" It is an ideal watch to add to your routine that is sure to draw attention and earn respect. This classic piece is ideal for every occasion and for every daily. Its flexibility is an attribute that cannot be beat by the other watches. Another advantage of the watch's durability and durability. Many watch manufacturers will put an unpretentious diving watch on the market to be part of the club. However, Citizen isn't like most firms. Famous for its quality, Citizen hasn't budged with their watch. The Promaster Professional Diver has a three-hand quartz movement that has an electronic date display. It is equipped with Citizen's exclusive Eco-Drive technology. This means that it can utilize any type of light source to recharge the battery. Therefore, unless you're Patrick Star, who literally lives in the shadows and never has a battery power again. Promaster is also known for its accuracy. Promaster is also well-known for its precision, with +/-15 sec/month precision in the normal temperature range from five C from 5 to 35 C. The price is a huge advantage for this watch. If you are thinking of top quality, you would think of a pricey tag that comes with it. But not with this model. Being one of the more inexpensive models, you can receive everything you might desire and require in an item of jewelry. You'll find the look, durability usability, practicality and dates. (Not the type of date! The watch displays the exact date!) Everything you could want is included in one wristpiece. I highly endorse this wristwatch. 2. Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph This is another watch that can be worn with everything. Aren't those my top choices? This is not without reason, however. It's the perfect combination of practical and classy and simple, but stylish and modern. It is classic, but stylish and sexy. The last sentence could be a prank, but you'll get the picture. My favourite part is the fashionable leather band. The band provides the watch with a the sleek appearance that can be worn for daily life, but also will impress potential clients or employers by your refined fashion sense. The face of the watch is packed with features hidden under a simple cover. The watch's stainless-steel case is the renowned Japanese quartz mechanism. Similar to other Citizen watches the one here is solar-powered. A few of the features on the face of the watch I'm not even sure what they refer to! It's pretty cool, isn't it? The watch's diameter is 44mm, which makes it an ideal watch that is suitable for wrists of any size. It has a one-fifth second chronograph that can measure between 60 and 120 minutes. It also has 12/24 hour time as well as a the date. It's waterproof to 100m or 333 feet. Also, of course, the quartz eco-drive, powered by solar power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWKBb4lj_lA 3. Romaster Dive Automatic For the flashy men out there, get your timepiece right now. This timepiece will be noticed everywhere you go. The high-end metal band is a beautiful accessory to an already elegant watch. For those who love attention, this one will bring you the most attention you could imagine. This isn't your typical watch. It's your watch for the yacht. It's the one you don't wear when would like everyone to ask what you do at work. That is, "Are you rich?" The combination of gold, silver, and royal blue mix effortlessly. The serrated bezel is a reference to a fugu. This is the Japanese name given to pufferfish. On the back of the case you will also see the engraving of a fugu. The masterpiece that is the bezel that rotates joining the stainless steel case in gold tone that is joined by the silver band could not be made more beautifully. It's possibly it's one of the more fashionable watches that I've listed, but the most inflexible. It's definitely a choose-your-outfit smartly however it could be the perfect complement to that perfect outfit. 4.CZ Smart Ghasp! A smart watch? Are I a fake-watch man? Let me tell you that the CZ Smart watch is not the typical Apple or Samsung watch. The CZ blends your traditional notion of a watch's style with contemporary technology of today. Inspired by the design of the traditional sport watches of Citizen's past, you enjoy the sophisticated look you seek in watches, without losing out on the revolutionary technology of tomorrow! The watch comes with an LCD color display as well as being powered by the most prestigious tech firm, Google with its Wear OS technology. Have you ever purchased coffee using your watch? No, I haven't. But this watch may alter this. The watch is compatible with Android and Apple It gives the user the option of choosing which phone model you'd like to purchase. Particularly if you're on team Android just like I! All fun and games aside, prefer the look and feel of a traditional old-fashioned watch but with the latest technological advancements, then this watch is the watch to get all the benefits of two worlds. While I've spoken about practicality, this might seem the easiest to implement. With a real computer connected to your wrist it is possible to have endless possibilities. One of the best things is that that you can enjoy all the features and freedoms you want without losing the style of a classic, sexy wristwatch that you wear.

What are other people's opinions about Citizen Watches?

As an ingenuous, world-renowned brand, customers will have plenty to review your products. Of course, reviews have generally been positive. If you're skeptical, take a look. Here are a few short reviews written by Citizen customers. It's very difficult to find any negative reviews on an online citizen's watch. The verdict is in. And the reviews are all positive. When you work for an organization that is as dedicated to innovation and quality as Citizen is, you're sure to be able to get plenty of great reviews.

My Thoughts on Citizen

What I Like I'm convinced that Citizen is among the most popular watch brands there. It is hard to find the same price and quality that Citizen provides. - Citizen watches are available in all price ranges, which makes them affordable to all. Even purchasing a lower priced Citizen watch does not mean you sacrifice the quality. - There's a broad range of styles to suit the various types of individuals seeking a high-quality watch. - Free shipping is available to The United States, and a 30 day return policy. Warranty is also available on the majority of watches. - There is no need to replace the batteries of their solar-powered or light-powered watches. - Citizen watches are available for any occasion. Whether you'd like to be a normal person or even be a bailer someday. What I Do Not Like Actually, I'm struggling to find something I dislike regarding Citizen watches. If I really want to be selective, perhaps I'm able to say I do not like the colors of a few watches, but that's not a problem for the company. This is just my personal preference.

In conclusion

It's time to address the major question. Are Citizen watches good? My answer is the definitive yes! It's difficult to find a watch of the same quality as Citizen in any field. They have fashionable and robust watches that are difficult for anyone to match. In the end, only you will be able to answer this question by yourself. Does it fit your style? Do you think it is appropriate for your style of living? I'm here to give you the facts. Now , it's your turn to decide on your own. What are your thoughts? Are Citizen watches good? Read the full article

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factsmoon · 2 years

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konilt · 5 years

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Parenting in all its Glory

Following the theory of All for One |Sensei being the biological absentee parent of Midoriya Izuku, and the greatest villain of all times himself, failing to bond with his own son:

[trigger warning, but only for this first chapter; attempted suicide]

Parenting in all its glory - Chapter 1 - Konilt - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Summary:

a story were Izuku is subjected to a psychologically horrific yet paradisiac environment, where the one person that cares the most about his flesh and blood becomes the one monster to avoid at all costs, with that Monster of all monsters trying at the same time to “repair” their “damaged” Relationship, while taking over Japan all the same.

Perhaps one of those tasks is slightly failed.

There wasn’t possibly anything wrong with this situation.

All for One had managed to get back his supposed rights of guardianship on him, and he had had to move from Toshinori’s apartment to a luxurious complex without having any choice in the matter.

His mother in a coma didn’t help.

He hadn’t even come by his own choice. He hadn’t even taken a bus, a car, something to go there.

Black goop was all he had seen.

There had been the crushing embrace that had been done before, and a few muttered words that had made him froze and panic, realizing who the person was.

He had already known, but once the teleportation was done, he had been able to see the black curls and an absence of all scarring.

Two tense flares had been fixed on him, the eyes not even leaving an instant as they had began talking the commodities and boundaries of his stay.

And how apparently, Izuku’s studies at U.A. had been removed from existence, and any references to them would be at best ignored, and at worst, followed by long admonitions and rebuttals.

The chiding was working, and Izuku hadn’t liked it as soon as he had realized it.

He was supposed to take classes with personal tutors, people that “would be able to bring the best out of him”.

He was sure that All Might was trying his best, outside.

But the fact that from the very few voice calls he had heard (his… father had been quite too efficient at hiding them from him in the four months they had- been in the same- house), All for One was somehow reappearing on the political scene.

And quite successfully, too.

That could only unnerve him.

He had tried to escape, at first.

So many attempts at escapes.

So many of them.

His f- his 'father' had not even punished him once for his attempts.

He had tilted his head, a disapproving glint in his eyes, and done nothing more than dulling him with way too much work for a single human being to do.

He had even forbidden him of taking dessert, once.

It had been utterly humiliating.

And it had slowly worked, for all that Izuku hated it.

For each escape attempt that Izuku made each new day, he had ineluctably been reduced to square one, with or the same damned black goop that seemed to come half of the times, or the slow steps that didn’t even show any kind of haste, catching up to him.

It had been the same disappointed stares, the same awkward silences that were held with unwithered control from the man who always wore formal attires.

It had only showed him how pointless each attempt was.

How ineluctable it was.

And slowly, his escape attempts had become less frequent.

Izuku knew that at first he had told himself that it was just to do more in the quality than the quantity.

In order to find a righter moment.

It was a lie, and Izuku could only grimace when he had realized that fact.

And somehow, his- his father had been pleased with that.

Pleased by “progress”.

Izuku had been allowed a bit more freedom with each day an escape wasn’t attempted, and when one was done once more, his newly acquired rights were reduced, his load of work increased, and Izuku, humiliated once more in subtle ways by the man that had probably more than 200 years of experience in doing so.

And if Izuku didn’t do his load of work, well.

There was punishment.

The only true thing he was punished for, contrary to escape attempts, that seemed a matter far less important. Far more futile.

One of the first lessons he had learned, all escape was futile.

And the man always managed to bring guilt in his guts whenever Izuku attempted one.

And Izuku hated it.

So when Izuku wondered in the kitchen, searching for something to eat, and trying to find something comestible and not old fashioned, he jerked when he noticed his- supposedly father, leaning on the wall opposed to the bar.

“You aren’t going to skip dinner, are you, Izuku?”

The younger boy hid behind his back the box of cookies he had found, cookies probably overpriced, probably coming from a company that somehow baked cookies with the luxury label on it.

Cookies were cookies, and he didn’t understand how one box could come at a price higher than ten normal boxes of those.

Though he wouldn’t admit that they weren’t delicious.

“Maybe I am”, he answered, a bit of spite in his voice.

He heard a disapproving tsk.

“You do know that that is not healthy for you, young child. Let me offer you needed counsel.”

He saw in the corner of his eyes maybe the damn goop appear, and the weight of the box disappear from his arms.

The box in question reappeared almost immediately like magic in the hands of the standing man.

The glare that was once more given had almost something warm in it.

He tried to ignore the caulked steps that approached him, and he kept himself immobile as he looked right in front of him, ignoring anything that wasn’t a wall.

He was destabilized by the sudden ruffle of his hair.

It was almost affectionate.

“Did you know that your uncle, my little brother, had the same tastes as you?”

Izuku answered by silence.

“Back then, the small company that it was made home-made pastries, but unknown to him, as we soon parted ways, that company sank with the low incomes it made. Yet, he continued to buy the same cookies from the same brand, unknowing that I had acquired it. It was quite a sweet thing, than to see him eat the same delicacies from our younger years, unbeknownst that the luxury boutique it had become was only of the consequences of my actions.”

So much for wanting to eat something not old-fashioned.

The affectionate ruffled stopped.

“But I must quite bother you with my rambles, how rude of me.”

Izuku looked up and stared back in the eyes of the man.

It didn’t last more than four seconds.

Somehow, he could never manage to win a staring competition.

Izuku tried to sigh.

He struggled not to make it remain blocked in his throat.

“So I expect you for dinner, youth.”

...

This time, Izuku did grimace.

It wasn't the fruit of any sort of reasoning.

Just... a fleeting envy.

This time, he didn’t wait for any sort of order to finally go.

He took shaky steps towards the door, ignoring the burning eyes that had to probably follow him from wherever the man was.

Izuku only wondered since when he had accepted all of this.

Since when this had become the norm.

Since when he accepted curfew, since when he accepted the impossible amount of work, the rebuttal of his dreams, the denial of his needs.

“Young man.” he heard.

He ignored it.

He missed some of his friends. He missed Yagi.

“Young man.”

He missed mom.

...Did he miss mom?

There was a distinct instant of silence, and a cold menacing storm was about to break out on him, and for all that Izuku knew it, he decided to be the one to begin it for once.

“WHAT.” he screamed.

He was so done with the manipulation, with the entirety of all things that made him simply accept it, for everything that had made through him so easily.

Somehow, the man had so much control on him that he couldn’t just cope with it any more.

He felt tears in the corner of his eyes.

He couldn’t bear it. Not one more moment. Silence would be denial.

The tears prickled, and he bitterly remembered how he was hungry, how he was tired, how he couldn’t bear any more of the long stupid dinners where he was supposed to report, which very clearly, was only an excuse to bring him to talk his mind out, just so that the man could see how he was changing.

Yes, tears prickled.

But- yes, he only needed space.

No?

“What- is wrong?” came the answer, feeling too fake to be sincere, too worried to be actually of matter.

It was the first time the man reacted like this, and it was the only thing that was surprising Izuku right now.

“I am Done.” was his answer.

He felt the hatred coming through his eyes, that made the man’s eyebrows rise, and against all rationality, he activated Full Cowl.

The man, too, seemed surprised.

“Over a box of cookies?”

Izuku tsked, and didn’t wait for the man to do the first blow.

Not like the man would have ever thrown a blow at him.

...

And as he threw a violent kick, he thought that maybe that was the solution.

He had always run from him. He had always been or taken out cold or accepted the man’s words to give up.

He knew the man would never hurt him.

The least possible, at best.

Maybe the solution was to force the man to do something he would regret.

And as he kicked, he saw the man’s arm suddenly deflect it way too fast for the human eye, and grip his leg, almost gently.

Like he was made of paper.

And as Izuku’s punch came in contact with the man’s jaw, he twisted his leg, trying to make it break if the man didn’t unleash him.

He saw his father’s pupils becoming suddenly thinner, and Izuku was freed, to which he began immediately to fall down back on the ground.

He landed smoothly, and immediately jumped back, preparing a new assault.

“Playing dirty, aren’t we, Izuku?”

He didn’t answer. His eyes were concentrated on his next tool, as a crazy idea went in his mind.

He didn’t stare at his future to be tool. It would only give away what he was about to do.

Which his- father would definitively not like.

“There, there, young man, there’s no need to continue these frivolities. I’ll let it go if you talk to me and stop this right now.”

That made Izuku cringe.

He answered, this time.

“So WHAT? That you can break me and manipulate me better? So that you gain MORE control over me?”

His eyes were fury as he whipped his last tears.

“You hurt me, an-and I’m done. I am going to hurt you back.”

He saw a strange amused smirk appearing on the man’s face, but his eyes had a… worried edge?

No, that was just him imagining things.

He always imagined things.

“And how are you going to do that, youngling?”

Izuku met All for One’s eyes, and for once, smirking back, he said:

“By the only possible way, of course.”

One of the man’s eyebrows quirked.

Izuku didn’t look longer, and jumped towards the kitchen bar, sparks of electricity igniting along the way.

And he did what he had wanted to do.

He took solidly in his arms the tool he had wanted from the start.

A knife.

He smiled back, a pained smirk plastered on his face.

All for One’s face became suddenly serious.

“Izuku. Do. not.”

It was so strange, seeing for once the man immobile, as if he was an unstable animal, cornered, that would soon leash out.

And perhaps an actual threat for the first time in four months.

And Izuku smiled back, wanting probably to say to the man that he was sorry for his mother, if she woke up back.

Instead, those childish lines got out of his mouth, as he took his decision.

“You can’t order me what to do any more, father.”

And as Izuku settled for his veins instead of his throat, moving the knife from the place near his head to a farther one, somehow making All for One show Strange fake relief, he said one last time, as an echo:

“Yes, you can’t. Any more.”

And he pressed the metal, a swift movement, circular, deepening in his veins.

The knife was somehow immediately thrown away by an unseen force, and Izuku regretted that it was only one arm that was butchered. He felt more than saw firm arms taking him as he fell back, repeated “no, no, no”s as Izuku’s vision became blurry.

He looked with an empty stare in the eyes of the man, and he somehow saw an open panic inside of them.

Izuku mentally cursed once he remembered that the man had an arsenal of healing quirks probably hidden somewhere.

All hazy, a dark liquid pouring around them, he said a few last words as his consciousness finally faded away.

“Should have aimed for the throat.”

#dad for one #fanfic #all for one is hisashi #bnha #midoriya hisashi #all for one #midoriya Izuku #drama and deep pression

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lesindispensablesparis · 4 years

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Interview of Thom H. Boehm, circular knitting operator and Linkedin influencer

Thom H. Boehm is a machine operator specializing in circular knitting machines. Followed by several thousand people, he often publish articles on Linkedin both about his work and life in general. He plans to eventually write a book about his knitting experiences.

We asked him a few questions to better understand the world of circular knitting machines.

"Well, for quality, I only know from a knitter’s point of view. I know that often lighter stitches are used to save on yarn, but I much prefer to knit with a tighter stitch, and am under the impression that this will also help reduce shrinkage in the finished product. " -- Thom H. Boehm

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

My name is thom h. boehm, and I currently live in Truro, Nova Scotia with my wife and son who is doing his Master’s degree from our basement due to covid restrictions.

How did you fall into the world of textiles?

I got married and moved to Japan at the age of 20 years old. Once there, I picked up the occupation that most foreigners in Japan have, that is teaching of English. I have no college education, but I did have a spousal visa, so my boss in Japan made up a college degree for me and turned it into the prefectural government. I taught on that degree at the same school for almost 10 years. At the age of 30, as a family, we moved back to Canada. Since I had no college degree, factory work was the easiest work to find. I got on at the mill where I work in August of 2001 on the night-shift as a piece-work knitter. Later I apprenticed as a fixer, and now do a little bit of everything, or whatever needs to be done.

Which company do you currently work for?

I work for Stanfield’s Limited in Truro, Nova Scotia. It was founded in 1856 in Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and later moved to Nova Scotia.

What machines do you work on? What types of garments do they produce?

Depending on the day, I work on jersey, fleece, interlock, two-layer, rib, or thermal machines. Stanfield’s produces a wide variety of products, but many of them still are undergarments or winter woolens. We also produce a lot of fire retardant attire for oil workers, fire fighters, or anyone else who is in need of fire retardant clothing.

What are your daily tasks?

Day-to-day, I cover a lot of ground. Lately, an average day finds me covering often over 10km in one day. The knitting room is large, and often machines I look after are on opposite sides of the room. I operate machines, maintain the machines, take the garbage downstairs, keep my manager appraised of the what is happening on the floor, and general house-keeping. By far, though, this is not the end of the things that I do. I do whatever needs to be done to keep things flowing through the room.

What is your favorite machine and why?

My favourite machine. That is a hard one, as most of them I like in one way or another. Probably my favourite would be MC #62. An old 30 inch Mayer rib machine w/lycra. It was a terrible machine to run back when I was a piecework knitter, but it runs much better these days, and it is an attractive machine with an attractive and affable personality.

Would you like to learn how to use flat knitting machines? (Like those of Shima Seiki for example)

I would love to learn how to use flat knitting machines, but I don’t imagine that will ever happen. I would love to just see a Shima Seiki machine in action, so I could wrap my mind around how they work.

Do you have favorite fashion brands? Or brands you think their t-shirts and sweatshirts are really good?

The majority of my clothing, I buy from the second-hand store. Go to the second hand store and you can see what companies are producing quality goods, as if they still look good when they are hanging at the second-hand store, then usually they are made pretty well. For my t-shirts I often gravitate towards American Eagle, as they hold up well, and I like the cut of the t-shirts. If I am buying something new, then lately I like Puma and have always like Diesel, but I don’t buy new clothing very often.

Men’s fashion is very attached to the notion of quality. In circular knitting, what does "good quality" mean? Is it necessarily a thicker knit?

Well, for quality, I only know from a knitter’s point of view. I know that often lighter stitches are used to save on yarn, but I much prefer to knit with a tighter stitch, and am under the impression that this will also help reduce shrinkage in the finished product. But, sad to say, my knowledge is mostly limited to my small step in the larger process. But, I like as much as possible with the limited resources that I have to produce a quality fabric free of defects.

Tubular t-shirts often get very good press. However, no article explains why a tubular t-shirt would be better than a cut and sewn t-shirt. What do you think about it?

Outside of my area of expertise, but I can’t imagine that there would be any difference. I mean even with circular knitting, most of our garments are still cut and sewn. I would be more concerned with the quality of the materials and workmanship.

#monach #circular knitting

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garywonghc · 7 years

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The Man Who Told the Future

by Pico Iyer

Kristin and I were scuffling around the back streets of Kathmandu on a lazy November afternoon. We’d already gone to the zoo that day, and been unsettled to see a brown bear clutching at the bars of his cage, wailing piteously. We’d trudged around the National Museum, where every artifact of the King’s life was recorded, with particular reference to “The Royal Babyhood.” We’d passed an early evening amongst the spires of Durbar Square, watching bright-eyed boys play Carom while their elder brothers brushed against us in their jackets, muttering, “Brown sugar, white sugar, coke, smack, dope.”

But now the afternoon was yawning ahead of us and we didn’t know what to do. It was a rare opportunity for shared sight-seeing: Kristin was accustomed to heading out every night at 10 p.m., reeling through the pubs and bars of the old city, being chatted up by self-styled mystics before fumbling back to our tiny room in the Hotel Eden as the light was coming through the frosty windows. I’d take off, a little later, into the heavy mist, notebook in hand, to record the bearded sages who sat along the streets peddling every brand of cross-cultural wisdom. She was collecting experience, we liked to think, I was collecting evidence.

We’d met in New York City eight months before and, on a wild impulse, had decided that Kristin should join me on the last stop of a four-month tour through Asia that I was planning to take. She had a charming boyfriend back on East 3rd Street, and I was romancing my notebook, so it felt more than safe as we settled into our sixth-floor room on Freak Street.

I opened my Lonely Planet guide — my companion through all the countries I’d visited — and pointed out to her one item that had long intrigued me. There, tucked among long lists of trekking agencies and meditation centers, explanations of living goddesses, and reviews of apple-pie emporia, was the single most startling entry I had seen in such a work: “The Royal Astrologer.” For a price, the write-up said, this mage who consulted with the palace on even its most important decisions — When was the right day to pass some edict? Which time boded well for a royal birth? — was available to anyone who wished to see him.

How could either of us resist?

I had grown up in England, among little boys at boarding school who defined ourselves by everything we imagined we could see through. By day, we committed to memory the lines of Xenophon and Caesar; by night, we proved ourselves “superior” to everyone around us with cascades of fluency and quasi-sophisticated airs we’d borrowed from our books.

Three times a year, I left my all-male internment camp and flew back to my parents’ home in California. There, in a blindingly yellow house perched above the clouds, my father was reading the palm of every stranger who visited, talking of Aquarian precessions and the “Ascended Masters of the Himalayas.” His students, graduates of the Summer of Love, were attuned to psychic vibrations, auras, and verses from the Bhagavad Gita, but I wasn’t sure they’d recognise real life if it punched them in the face.

What better environment for producing someone who loudly announced he believed in nothing?

Kristin, however, had never given up on magic. She was five years younger than I — twenty-three to my twenty-eight — and she had a powerful belief in herself (or some parts of herself), matched only by her conviction that life would reward that faith.

One time, she’d come to my office, on the twenty-fifth floor of Rockefeller Center, and I’d pulled out a backgammon set. I was one throw from victory, and the only way she could defeat me was by throwing a double six. She closed her eyes, she shook the dice again and again between her hot palms, she muttered something nonsensical, and then she sent the dice clattering across the board.

One stopped rolling, and disclosed a six. The other came at last to rest: another six.

Now, as we tried to follow the runic instructions to the Astrologer — what true sage would allow himself to be listed in a Lonely Planet guide, I wondered? — we found ourselves passing through empty courtyards and along a scribble of narrow lanes. We were directed toward a golden temple, and then through another maze of darkened backstreets, and then led out into an open space where a ladder brought us up to a second-floor redoubt.

When the Royal Astrologer greeted us with a business card listing his doctorate and his work for NASA, my every doubt was confirmed.

Still, I was sure I could get a good story out of this, so we agreed on neither the priciest of his readings, nor the cheapest. We padded off to while away the hours before he could give us his verdicts, and settled into one of those Kathmandu cafés that might have doubled as Ali Baba’s cave.

Nepal in those days was budget time-travel to all the revolutions we were too young to have experienced firsthand. Pillows and cushions were scattered across the floor of this (as of many a) café, and a swirl of peasant-skirt bedspreads turned the space into a kind of magic tent. A creaky cassette of “The Golden Road of Unlimited Devotion” unspooled blearily on the sound system, and any number of mushroom enchiladas and “secret recipe” lasagnas on the menu promised transport of a more mysterious kind.

Travel, for me, had always been a testing of the waters. Every journey is a leap of faith, of course, a venture, ideally, into the unknown. But for me a large part of the point of encountering the Other was to see what and how much to believe in. Every stranger approaching me with a smile posed a challenge of trust — and asked, silently, how much I could be trusted, too. Something was at stake in nearly every transaction, I felt, and it was as essential as whether you believed the world made sense or not.

Kristin and I had met when she, a former student of my father’s, had read a cover story I’d written on the Colombian drug trade. She dreamed of being a writer, though for now, just out of college, she was working as a temp in a succession of Manhattan offices, deploying her capacity for typing at a furious speed. I had similar dreams, though for the time being I was cranking out long articles every week on world affairs for Time magazine, drawn from the reports of colleagues in the field. The explosion of demonstrations that was convulsing apartheid-stricken South Africa, the manoeuverings preceding the Mexican election, the gas leak in Bhopal: I covered them all with the assurance of one who had never seen the places I was describing.

In the warm summer evenings, the two of us met often in the gardens of tiny cafés in the East Village, and she showed me the story she’d just written about Desirée, an Indonesian bride arriving in America. I told her of the book I was going to write on Asia. We swapped our latest discoveries from James Salter or Don De Lillo, and she told me of her girlhood adventures growing up in India and Japan and Spain (her father a spy under deepest cover).

By the time we headed out into the streets again, dusk was beginning to fall over the Nepali capital, turning it into fairy-tale enchantment once more. Oil lamps and flickering candles came on in the disheveled storefronts and faces peered out at us, almost invisible save for their eyes. We slipped and lurched across the uneven, potholed paths, the silhouetted spires of temples all around us. The noise and the crowds of the big city seemed to fade away, and we were in a medieval kingdom at its prime.

As we climbed the stairs back to the Royal Astrologer’s chamber, we might have been stumbling into an emergency room after an earthquake. Half of Nepal was there, so it seemed, shivering in the near-dark as everyone waited for his or her fortune. A family wondering when to take its newborn to the temple, and how to name him; a nervous couple thinking about auspicious marriage dates.

Quite often, a sudden thump at the door announced an urgent messenger — from the palace perhaps? The Royal Astrologer handed out futures as easily as a doctor might, and the people who left his room were seldom the same as when they came in.

Finally, he summoned us closer and pored over the charts he’d drawn up from our times and places of birth.

“So,” he said, turning to Kristin — she craned forward, taut with attention — “generally, I have found that you have a special talent.” She braced herself. “This gift you have is for social work.”

I’d never seen my friend look so crushed.

“Does it say anything about creative work, an imaginative life?”

He looked again at the circle with all the partitions and said, “Your talent is for social work.”

She didn’t say a word at first. “Nothing about writing, then?”

He shook his head.

When it came to my turn, I worried it might prove awkward once he confirmed my future as a ground-breaking writer after what he’d said to my friend.

“So,” he said, looking down, “generally I have found that your strength is diligence.”

“Diligence?”

He pointed out the calculations and quadrants that confirmed this.

“‘Diligence’ in the sense of doing one’s duty?”

“Yes,” he said, and began explaining every scribble, but to someone who was no longer listening.

I knew that diligence was the quality that the Buddha had urged on his disciples in his final breath. But the Royal Astrologer wasn’t a Buddhist, and nor was I. To me, the word smacked of Boy Scout badges and “to do” lists.

“I think,” he went on, perhaps sensing our disappointment, “that every month, on the day of the full moon, you should meditate for an hour. And eat no meat all day.”

This sounded like the kind of thing my father would say. He’d been a vegetarian all his life and was full of talk of the virtues of stilling the mind and fasting so as to access a deeper wisdom.

I negotiated the sage down to fifteen minutes a month and a day without meat, and we filed out.

My four months wandering amidst the conundrums of Asia changed my life more irreversibly than I could have imagined. I went to California to write up my adventures, and when my seven-month leave of absence was over, and I returned to New York City, I knew I could never survive in an office now that I had such a rich sense of how the world could stretch my sense of possibility in every direction. While writing up my droll account of the magicians of Kathmandu — and the others I’d met across the continent — I’d remembered to keep an eye out for the full moon and had sat still for a few minutes once a month, restricting myself for one day every thirty to Panang vegetable curries.

It hadn’t seemed to hurt.

So now I served notice to my bosses at Time, packed up my things in the elegant office overlooking another 50th Street high-rise, emptied my eleventh-floor apartment on Park Avenue South, and moved to a small room on the backstreets of Kyoto without toilet or telephone or, truth be told, visible bed.

As I was settling into my cell, on my twentieth week in Japan, I found a letter in my mailbox downstairs. It was from Kristin, in New York. Her father had died suddenly the previous year, she told me. She’d been distraught, hadn’t known where to turn or how to get her longing out, so she’d taken to her desk.

Every night, while everyone around her slept, she’d typed — and typed and typed. When her novel was finished, she’d sent it out to publishers. Within hours, Random House had signed her up for a six-figure sum, and by now rights had been sold in a dozen countries around the world; she and her friends were spinning a globe as the number mounted.

At twenty-six, she seemed assured of a glorious future. She’d rolled a double six again.

A few weeks later, I walked, as I did every Wednesday afternoon, to the little shop across from Kyoto University that stocked a few foreign magazines. It was my one tiny moment of connection with the world I had abandoned. I forked over 700 yen, collected the week’s edition of Time magazine and consulted it, as I always did, while ambling back through the quiet, sunlit lanes to my tiny room.

As I was paging through the magazine, from the back, something caught the edge of my gaze that looked like a misprint — or, more likely, a projection of an over-eager imagination. There, in the Books pages, was a picture of someone who looked a bit like me — or, rather, like me in my previous life, in button-down shirt and striped tie.

I knew the magazine was eager never to take notice of books written by its staff — even former members of the staff — but I looked again and there, among the eminences, was a small, friendly review of my book about whirlwinding across Asia, accompanied by a visa-sized picture. I had any number of other projects I’d been chafing to complete, and now, I felt, I could try to be a writer at last.

“Diligence” and “social work” indeed! The Royal Astrologer didn’t know a thing.

That was half a lifetime ago, almost to the day, and more than a hundred seasons have passed. A few years after our visit, the palace in Kathmandu was torn apart by a crazy massacre and I had no doubt that the Royal Astrologer was no longer in service (if only because he would have been in trouble if he had predicted such a bloody coup — or if he hadn’t. Telling futures for the powerful has never been a reliable source of income).

As for Kristin, her path of double sixes had continued, almost impossibly, for quite a while. Her boyfriend in the Village, like so many, was a committed Star Trek fan and, like thousands of Trekkies, no doubt, had sent in a script on spec to the program’s showrunners in Hollywood.

Unlike most such fans, though, he’d seen his script accepted. He’d been flown out to L.A. and offered a full-time job with the program. He’d taken up a big house with Kristin in the Hollywood Hills, a chief architect of the universe he’d once worshipped from afar.

Few couples of my acquaintance had found such lustrous futures in their twenties. When I visited, Kristin and her beau seemed to have exceeded anything they might have hoped for, with their Spanish-style villa above the canyons, the red, open-top sports car, publishers and TV executives waiting to turn their words into pictures.

But Kristin had always had a restless soul — perhaps the same soul that had brought her to Nepal and sent her out into the streets every evening — and somewhere along the way, in flight from stability but not sure exactly of what she wanted instead, she’d burned the life she’d found and lost it all. Now, in her early fifties, she lives alone with a beloved cat, tending to every lost animal, still writing, but in a world that doesn’t seem very interested in novels, especially from the not so young.

Her strongest quality, though, remains her fierce attachment to her friends. She lives through them and with them, the centres of her universe, and keeps up with pals from high school in Tokyo and Delhi on a sometimes daily basis. She sends me warm and mischievous messages on my birthday and remembers every last detail of 1985. As the years have passed without bringing all the adventures that once seemed inevitable, she tells me that the trip to Kathmandu was one of the highlights of her life.

And me? A couple of years after my first book came out, I sat in a car just under the yellow house above the clouds and watched a wildfire take it apart, every inch of it, so that everything I and my parents owned — not least the notes and outlines I’d drawn up for my next three books — was reduced to ash.

In any case, I’d fallen under the spell of Japan and silence by then and decided to take on a wife and two kids, giving up my thoughts of becoming a writer, and simply turning out several articles a week to support an expanding household.

Writing, I’d seen, demands a ferocious, all-consuming commitment, a refusal to be distracted — or, sometimes, even to be responsible. That would never be my gift.

I smile when I hear people say that the young are too credulous, too open, too ready to be transformed. I and my school friends were so much the opposite. It was only travel — being propelled beyond the world we thought we knew and could anticipate — that stripped us of our petty certainties, our flimsy defences, our boyish confidence. It was only figures such as the Royal Astrologer who showed us that we didn’t know a thing.

We sit on opposite sides of the world now — Kristin essentially a model of social work, with the passionate attention she brings to her friends, while I steadily meet my daily deadlines, the very picture of diligence — and see that life has much wiser plans for us than we ever could have come up with. The only one who really was exercising a writer’s imagination, the kind that sees the future as easily as the past, was the well-meaning man I had mocked as he tried to nudge us toward a truer understanding of who we really are — and were.

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christhehoff · 7 years

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An Ode to Silver Boxes

To those who got into video games only in the last 10 or so years, the appeal of the Konami name might not be readily apparent. Newcomers to the hobby probably associate them with Metal Gear, soccer games, and probably little else. But there was a time when the Konami name was as good as gold; in the days of the NES, Konami built itself up as a gaming powerhouse, and it delivered its trademark brand of 8-bit action with a distinct, eye-catching hook: action-packed artwork framed by a silver border.

To me, that silver box, with its weighted lines on either side that faded away to showcase the dynamic art, was a promise — a promise that something awesome was inside. Whether it was flying through space to save the galaxy in Gradius, running through the jungles with a buddy in Contra, hitting the ice in Blades of Steel, maneuvering an assault jeep across enemy territory in Jackal, or driving a stake into the heart of evil in Castlevania, there was almost always something good behind that silver veneer. It seemed like just about any game could get the Official Nintendo Seal of Quality, but to get into a silver box? That meant it had to be something special. It had to be elite: adrenaline-pumping gameplay, cutting-edge graphics, responsive controls, and some of the most memorable music you'll ever hear from a sound chip.

Not every Konami NES game was great, of course. Top Gun was fun until you tried to land, and few games have disappointed me as much as The Adventures of Bayou Billy. But for the most part, Konami consistently delivered excellent game after excellent game. To me, Konami games were just as much of a reason to own an NES as the first-party Nintendo titles were. It could be considered sacrilege, I know, but as much as I love the Super Mario series, Zelda, Metroid, and Punch-Out!!, if I was forced to choose one library over the other, I might take Konami's NES offerings over Nintendo's.

And Konami's appeal went beyond those silver borders. Konami's second label, Ultra Games (created to circumvent Nintendo's third-party publishing restrictions), didn't feature the silver boxes, but typically delivered quality nonetheless (Metal Gear, anyone?), and Konami's reputation for amazing gaming experiences continued late into the NES's lifecycle and into the 16-bit era when Konami eschewed the silver frames for more conventional designs. But even when the silver was gone, the quality remained, with games such as Super Castlevania IV, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Axelay, Contra III, Rocket Knight Adventures, and one of my all-time personal favorites, Snatcher.

And let's not forget Konami's licensed offerings. In an era when movie- and cartoon-based games were frequently unplayable garbage, Konami made licensed titles that weren't just good but brilliant. As a kid, I wasn't even a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tiny Toon Adventures, or The Simpsons, but I absolutely loved the games. (Well...not the first, awful NES TMNT game.) These games were fantastic whether you enjoyed the property they were based on or not, and the games actually got me interested in the franchises they were based on rather than the other way around. Co-op brawler TMNT IV: Turtles in Time, technique-filled platformer Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!, and skull-crunching beat-'em-up Batman Returns exude as much polish as anything released in the 16-bit era and remain among my favorite SNES games of all time. As for The Simpsons? Konami didn't have home-console rights to the property, so when the opportunity presented itself, I bought the actual arcade machine.

As the gaming industry matured, consoles and gaming fads came and went, but Konami remained a leader, branching out into new genres, reinventing old ones, and pioneering its own with offerings that included Suikoden, Vandal Hearts, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Silent Hill, Zone of the Enders, and the groundbreaking Dance Dance Revolution and Bemani music series. When the Pokémon craze hit, I was excited by the prospect of this new, collectable take on RPGs, but I was even more excited hearing that Konami had its own spin on the formula with Yu-Gi-Oh, which I was sure would outclass Pokémon in every way. I was completely wrong, of course, and in retrospect I'm glad, but at the time, it certainly seemed like a possibility.

When I made my first trip to Japan in 1996, it warmed my heart to see a Konami building in the Tokyo skyline, complete with the classic red-and-yellow wave logo. "Those are my guys," I thought as I looked at the building. I knew they were making magic in there. Maybe someday the Konami Omni Building from Snatcher would even be a reality.

But the magic didn't last. Though Konami continued to pump out appealing games on both consoles and handhelds up through the PS2 and Nintendo DS eras (special shoutout to Contra 4, a game I'm incredibly proud to have had a hand in revealing), the company's output dropped dramatically after that. The rising costs associated with the PS3/Xbox 360 era were not kind to Japanese gaming, and the teams responsible for beloved franchises got dissolved, development on some properties were outsourced to external companies, and resources were shifted to pachinko machines and lackluster mobile titles. Subsidiary Hudson Soft, purchased by Konami in 2011, was shut down, and its brands were all but wiped from existence. Later, reports trickled in of how some of gaming's greatest minds were being mistreated by Konami management, and most of them abandoned ship at the first opportunity.

When I visited the once-proud company's E3 booth on the second day of the show in 2014, it looked like an abandoned wasteland. An irate Konami fan once accused me of taking the photo shown here before they'd finished setting up the booth, but this was right in the middle of gaming's biggest annual event, and they apparently didn't have any products to display. Instead of warming my heart like it had 18 years prior, this Konami just made me sad.

Honestly, I applaud Konami for branching out into alternative revenue sources rather than go belly-up or face continuous losses like some Japanese gaming giants, but to say they threw the baby out with the bathwater is an understatement. By squandering their greatest resource — their creative personnel — and abandoning the brands that made them famous, Konami has eliminated the very things that made them special, and destroyed the good will and respect that they'd forged with a generation of fans.

Will Konami ever try to take back its place of greatness in gaming's pantheon? Will they consider reviving brands like Gradius, Contra, Mystical Ninja, and Suikoden? Or could those series be licensed to talented outside studios who, like me, were inspired by Konami's original works and would love to carry on the legacy? After seeing Konami's revival of Bomberman R on Switch, it may be fair to say that those old brands may not be dead just yet.

Then again, if they are, I'll still always have my old cartridges...and my memories of those captivating silver boxes.

#konami #video games #nes

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liquidmetalslime · 8 years

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Dragon Quest: Where to Start

Introduction

The “where do i start” question is asked quite frequently on /r/dragonquest and the main FB fangroup, so i assumed i’d make my own list.

I’m gonna compile each game that has been released outside of Japan into this post and give their most important features of each version available -at least- in English so anyone can see the differences and choose according to their needs or preferences.

Note 1: To mark in which languages is available each release, i’m gonna put these next to its platform: (E) = English; (F) = French; (G) = German; (I) = Italian; (S) = Spanish. “EFIGS” may only apply to the EU version, though.

Note 2: Some things might not be 100% accurate, I’m just a slime, sluurp 🙇🏻🙏.

Note 3: Games with only one version available in English (or Multi-5) will get this message in the recommendation: “There’s only a version.”. Games in which you can choose the gender of the main characters will include this sentence in its info: “In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character.”.

Note 4: Reminder about the Roman numerals (just in case): I = 1, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4, V = 5 , VI = 6, VII = 7, VIII = 8, IX = 9, X=10 and XI = 11.

Note 5: The post-2006 releases use lots of puns, jokes, and accents. It’s a characteristic of the series, as are the title alliterations (ie: Chapters of the Chosen, Luminaries of the Legendary Line, etc), the black and white menus, or the classic main theme, etc. Most of the post-2010 releases use visible encounters as well. As for now, there seems to be no turning back.

I’ll be skipping games that require fan-translation (I only mention them, but I highly prefer officially released titles).

↳ Aside from this, i am aware US Gamer made a similar list (click here).

⚠️ BEWARE: This post is HUGE. ⚠️

What is Dragon Quest?

Dragon Quest is a JRPG franchise developed by Enix (now Square Enix). The series is very traditional, in various aspects, the most notorious being the turn-based encounters and the encouragement to explore every corner. The main staff behind the series is: Yuji Horii (Scenario), Akira Toriyama (Art) and Koichi Sugiyama (Music). DQ first started 31 years ago in Japan, in May of 1986. A few years later, in 1989, it was first released in North America, but due to copyright issues with “Dungeons & Dragons”, Enix had to change the name to “Dragon Warrior”. After the Square Enix merger in 2003, they could finally solve the naming issue and, starting with the eighth entry in the main series, in 2005, DQ was finally getting called “Dragon Quest” in North America. One year later, in 2006, the series was introduced in Europe with that same game, Dragon Quest VIII (prior to that, only one spinoff had came to Europe). Since then, many remakes, re-releases, and spinoffs came to the West, even with some years of silence between 2011 and 2014. In 2017 we’re getting Dragon Quest VIII for 3DS (in January) and Dragon Quest Heroes II for PS4 and Steam (in April). ---

It should be noted DQ is a very special JRPG series, and most of its narrative comes from NPCs or books. This series really encourages the player to explore everything and to talk to everyone. That might be the only way to get clues of what to do next. Aside from that, in the games that it’s available, the Party Chat feature is also one of the most reliable features you’ll find in these games. Party chat lets your party members give you their opinions and comment on lots of different things that happen in the game -from the reaction they get after talking to a NPC, to their reaction after an important cutscene-, and they might also give you tips and remind you of what you have to do next. Aside from that, it’s a great tool to see the personalities of your characters. That said, do not come to this series expecting lots of pre-rendered cutscenes and lots of flashy action, this series is not about that (there is some, of course, but not as many as in other JRPGs). As i said a bit earlier, DQ is very special for other things too. The combat is always turn-based in the main series (except in the MMO) and the dialogue is usually full of puns and jokes. Unlike many other series, almost all the games have the same quality and its a highly consistent series, due to the main creators always being the same (Mr Yuji Horii, Mr Koichi Sugiyama and Mr Akira Toriyama). What you need to know about the other works of these three gentlemen: Horii created one of the games that inspired Hideo Kojima that videogames could offer interesting stories (”The Portopia Serial Murder Incident”); Sugiyama has been composed many classic music and worked on various 70s Japanese tv shows such as “The Return for Ultraman”; and AKira Toriyama is a worldwide known manga artist, mainly for his two masterpieces: Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball.

↳ For more information about the series, check its Wikipedia article.

Where to start? @liquidmetalslime’s choices

NOTE: Okay, let me be clear, in this block i’ll talk about what are the best entry points IN MY OPINION, as the title clearly say.

To start playing the series, the best three entry points in the main series are IV (4) , VIII (8) and XI (11). The first one can be played in English on NES and Mobile and in Multi-5/EFIGS on DS. The second one can be played in English and French on Mobile and EFIGS on PS2 and 3DS. The third one will be available on PS4 and PC in Multi-5 later this year; sometime in the future also on Switch.

- IV is divided in chapters and features a highly likeable cast -specifically a certain Tsarevna. Each chapter is unique and follows a specific set of characters, who will later meet in the fifth and longest chapter. This story is quite tragic and is best enjoyed on the remakes of the game, since these remakes include a sixth chapter that gives an insight in the motives that drove the villain to do what he did. If you want to play in English and get its best version to date, the mobile (iOS/Android) version is the one. If you want to play using physical buttons or in French, German, Spanish or Italian, the (EU) DS release is for you. The DS/Mobile remakes use lots of puns and accents (the NES version doesn’t), and that can be bothersome until you get used to it, but it’s worth it (and I personally love it, except in the first chapter while playing in English. I didn’t have any issue while playing in Spanish). This is the one that gave me an obsession made me a DQ fan.

- VIII on the other hand, focuses a lot more on a major plot and its characters. Due to that, it is the easiest DQ to jump in if you already like other JRPG series. Given its artstyle and big scale of its world, it gives a great sense of adventure (its actually not that big, but it feels huge). As IV, VIII’s characters are regarded as some of the best in the whole series, specially Yangus and Trode. As in IV, the remake gives us some more information about the villain and his motives. If you value content and quality of life improvements over looks, the 3DS version is the definitive version. Otherwise, if you prefer prettier graphics, go for the PS2 version. The 3DS version is what i consider its best version to date, and its the easiest to find nowadays, besides the Mobile port.

- XI is an interesting title because despite being full of throwbacks and -maybe- connections to the older games, it introduces many quality-of-life improvements into the usual mechanics of the series. On top of that, has a killer soundtrack, composed with brand new songs (which some will say that are weaker) and a whole lot of classic songs from all the main games. And to round up the package, it also has gorgeous graphics. The cast is likeable, the story is interesting, the gag moments are nice, the sad moments are touching (i personally thought Horii couldn’t outdo himself after V, but boy i was wrong). It has a lot to like, and little to dislike. The real shame about this game is that we -apparently- won’t be getting the 3DS version.

Aside from these three games, the other main titles might be a good point to start too, but some might have give some trouble, for example:

I and II: (Terribly) Outdated. II is also the hardest game in the whole series, and its NES version is quite unbalanced at the final parts of the game.The devs even admitted in an interview that they couldn’t balance it properly because they couldn’t delay the game.

III and VII: These are better enjoyed if you have played some of the previous games, for example III is better enjoyed with knowledge of I and II (of their story, i mean), and VII with knowledge of what to expect from the game (how DQ’s narrative usually works, how the battles work, etc) as well as knowing a bit about VI’s mechanics.

V: Probably the top of the series, but I feel it’s not as DQ-newbie-friendly as IV and VIII. Still a solid game.

VI: Love it or hate it experience.

IX: It’s quite different from the other games since it focuses a lot more on character customization (there are no pre-made characters, besides some that are acquired in some postgame DLC quests), so it might give a wrong idea of what the series is like. It is a lovely game, though.

Other notes:

III, VI, VII and IX (and X, but that’s Japan-only for now) use class systems.

Outside the main series, in my opinion, the best entry points might also be:

- Dragon Quest Monsters 1 and 2 (better known as Dragon Warrior Monsters 1 and 2). Charming monster collecting games. The first one features Terry, originally from DQVI, on his quest to win the Starry Night Tournament, while the second one features two original characters (Tara & Coby) on a quest to save their new island. DQM2/DWM2 comes in two versions. In one you play as Tara and in the other as Coby. Might be a bit outdated, but they’re quite fun games. I feel like they’re better than the other monster-catching games of that era, at least technically.

- Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2. The most recent Monsters game we got. Has a quite deep synthesis system and it’s quite intuitive. Also has a large amount of beasts. Could feel a bit clunky and slow to play nowadays, though.

- Dragon Quest Builders. Easy to play and with really charming aspects. Has a long story and huge replay value, as each time the player can build their base differently. It has been called “the Minecraft for those who don’t like Minecraft”, due to it being more guided that the mentioned game. It has some connections to the first three games in the series, but can be enjoyed without previous knowledge of the series. If you had to choose a DQ spinoff, choose this one. Don’t think of it as a “Minecraft with DQ skins”. There’s a Minecraft mod for that, this is quite different.

Games & Releases: Versions that have been released in the West

In this huge block, we’re gonna look at each game, its western releases (trying to cover both NA-only and NA/EU/AUS releases), the features each re-release (if any) has in comparison to the first English/Western version, and my recommendations for each game.

Dragon Quest I

Info: Old JRPG with very simple mechanics. It is the first console JRPG out there (almost a year and a half earlier than Final Fantasy 1!). The story is quite simple (save the princess and defeat the bad guy) and the gameplay is very bare bones, but still an enjoyable game. It’s also really short, can be beaten in about 6 hours if you’re fast.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest I · II (SFC), 1993; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a lot of Old English.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

Quite grindy.

- Dragon Warrior 1 · 2 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Better balancing.

There is a prologue scene.

- Dragon Quest I for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation (still uses Old English, but with the newer DQ glossary).

Brighter, more colorful world, but poorly upscaled graphics. (Because its a port of an old mobile port they did in the mid 2000s, but fitted into a way higher screen)

Even better balancing.

No prologue scene.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest I” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: It’s simply the best version: better graphics, music, translation and balancing (meaning less grinding).

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Dragon Quest II

Info: Second game in the series. Adds extra two party members there can be various monsters on battle, there’s also a ship and a waaaay bigger world (the world of DQ1 is just a small part of the one in DQ2). That said, it is worth noting the original version of this game was quite rushed and the end-game areas are quite unbalanced. The story is quite simple too: An evil mage named Hargon plans on destroying the world and starts by attacking the kingdom of Moonbrooke. The princes of Midenhall and Cannock reunite with their lost cousin from Moonbrooke to stop Hargon.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest I · II (SFC), 1993; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior II for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a lot of Old English.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

Quite grindy, specially in end-game areas. (Enix admitted they couldn’t balance the last areas of the game due to time constrains.)

- Dragon Warrior 1 · 2 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Better balancing.

New intro scene.

- Dragon Quest II Luminaries of the Legendary Line for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation.

Brighter, more colorful world, but poorly upscaled graphics. (Same reason as DQ1-Mobile).

Even better balancing.

Prologue scene.

Limitations to avoid players venture into the most dangerous dungeon unprepared.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest II Luminaries of the Legendary Line” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: It is the best version: better looks, sound, translation and balancing.

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Dragon Quest III

Info: First DQ game to feature a class system, which was supported by a personality system thus making almost every character unique. This game also features some big plot twists and even larger areas to explore. DQ3 also ends the Erdrick/Loto trilogy. The story follows the offspring of a great hero (Ortega) and their quest to finish what their disappeared father started: to defeat the evil Baramos. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: And the gender of any character you create.)

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest III (SFC), 1996; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior III for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a bit of old english.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

- Dragon Warrior 3 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Pachisi/T’n’T minigame.

Monster animations.

2 bonus dungeons: the one added in the SFC remake and a brand new one.

Monster medals.

- Dragon Quest III Seeds of Salvation for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation. (There are some areas that still use Old English).

No Pachisi/T’n’T minigame, nor Monster Animations nor Monster Medals.

Brighter, more colorful world, but (somewhat) poorly upscaled graphics. (Same reason as DQ1-Mobile).

1 bonus dungeon: the one added in the SFC remake.

My recommendation: This is a hard choice, but it is between “Dragon Warrior 3” for GBC (E) and “Dragon Quest III Seeds of Salvation” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: The GBC version has a lot more content, but the Smartphone version has a newer DQ-style translation and better graphics. Many will say the SFC remake is better, but i love monster medals and the official translations 🤷‍♀️

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Note about the Erdrick Trilogy (I - III): This trilogy is better enjoyed when played in order (DQ -> DQII -> DQIII).

Dragon Quest IV

Info: First game of the Zenithian trilogy (which is loosely connected). First -and only- DQ game to be told in chapters so far. Each one follows different people, and in the fifth, they all meet to fulfill their roles al the chosen ones. Here, instead of having generic characters with classes, we have set (and very charismatic) characters who learn a specific sets of spells and skills. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character.

The overall story focuses on a demon who loves a lovely elf and hates human for how they treat elves, monsters and dwarves. The party must stop this demon, Psaro, from awakening the demon lord and destroying the world.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest IV (PS1), 2001.

- Dragon Warrior IV for NES (E)

Old DW translation.

Completely 2D.

- Dragon Quest IV: (The) Chapters of the Chosen for DS (EFIGS)

New DQ translation.

Prologue chapter.

No party-chat. (It was added in the Japanese remake, and was mostly translated by the release date, but SQEX decided to not put it for some reason)

2.5D, since it uses DQVII’s PS1 style.

- Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for iOS and Android (E)

DQ translation.

Prologue chapter.

Has party chat.

2.5D.

My recommendation: Depends, but choose one from the latter two. Why?: If you want to play in French, Spanish, Italian or German, go for the DS release. If you want to enjoy the party chat feature, for for the Smartphone release. The party chat seems pointless but it actually gives a lot of characterization to the party members.

Dragon Quest V

Info: Second game of the Zenithian trilogy. In this particular game, the story follows a young man through his (painful) life: from his childhood to his adulthood. DQ5 was one of the first games ever to let players recruit monsters to join their team (which, some years after its release, and after the success of Pokémon, inspired the birth of “Dragon Quest Monsters”). It also allows choosing a wife (well, it forces the player to choose one, since it is related to the plot): Bianca, the childhood friend; Nera, the sweetheart from a good family; or Debora, the passionate sister of Nera. This game has probably the best story in the whole series.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest V (SFC), 1992; Dragon Quest V (PS2), 2004. [There are fantranslations for these two titles.]

- Dragon Quest V: (The) Hand of the Heavenly Bride for DS (EFIGS)

- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for iOS and Android (E)

Some slight tweaks.

The two versions of this game we got are quite similar, except some small balancing and changes of MP cost. Both feature DQ-style localization (it’s the same for both versions), a new bride not present in the original SFC release nor PS2 remake (Debora), a few more monsters of newer games (like DQVIII’s Jailcat) and some other tweaks.

The NES version only released in North America, btw.

Dragon Quest VI

Info: Third and last game of the Zenithian trilogy (First, chronologically). In this game the party travels between two worlds: reality and dream world. There are two extra “worlds”: underwater and the dread realm. In this game, there’s a class system quite different from III, since the classes of VI aren’t tied to the character’s level but to the number of battles won, with 8 levels of mastery (8 stars = mastered the class).

The story is about a group of young people who are off to fight the evil demon who rules the dreams and treats the land (Murdaw). But there’s more, the game is about traveling between worlds and solving problems and fighting the Dreadfiends.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest VI (SFC), 1995. [There is a fantranslation for this title.]

- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation / Reverie for DS (EFIGS)

- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation for iOS and Android (E)

Better balanced and a few tweaks.

The two versions of the game we got are pretty similar, so there’s only these two differences: controls and enhanced balancing (for example, Terry joins with a few more classes mastered). Both feature the same graphic style, the same DQ-style translation and the same music.

My recommendation: Doesn’t matter. Why?: Both are pretty much the same, choose according to your wallet or control preferences. I’d choose DS though, since the mobile port can be buggy in some phones (and due to multi-5 too). The SFC version is objectively better (better atmosphere, much prettier graphics, can recruit monsters like in V), but it doesn’t have an official translation and the fan-translation covers 95% of it (but you can beat the main story, though).

Note about the Zenithian Trilogy (IV - VI): This trilogy, unlike Erdrick’s trilogy, is loosely connected. Only a few elements connect the games, so they can be played as individual experiences. A few details in VI imply the cronological order is different from the release order.

Dragon Quest VII

Info: Longest entry in the series. It is also the only DQ game with time-travel so far. The story is divided in islands, each of which is unlocked after completing a small puzzle made of shards/fragments. This game features the class system from VI, but extended.

The story starts in the only island in the world, but with the help of Prince Kiefer and Maribel, the player unravels the mysteries of an eerie abandoned shrine, which transports them into another island in the past. The party must solve the problems of the islands in the past to save the islands in the present, and learn what happened with the world and how can they fix it.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest VII (iOS/Android), 2015.

- Dragon Warrior VII: Warriors of Eden for PS1 (E)

Old DW translation.

2.5D.

Only an NPC can help you find shards/fragments.

Better puzzles at the beginning.

- Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past for 3DS (EFIGS)

New DQ translation.

Fully 3D.

There are many ways to find fragments: a radar, a fairy npc, a menu option...

Dumbed down puzzles at the beginning.

Faster class mastering and better balanced class system (making the monster classes relevant).

Traveller tablets / free DLC tablets.

The JP version of the 3DS remake uses orchestral soundtrack, but the Western version doesn’t. It can be restored with a hacked 3DS, apparently. The Western release also added some lag in the menus.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past” for 3DS (EFIGS). Why?: Firstly because of the multi-5 text, but also for the QoL improvements, specifically the faster class mastering and fragment radar.

Btw, the 3DS version is the only one in Europe.

Note: There is a patch for the 3DS that adds the orchestral soundtrack. (You need a CFW on your 3DS.)

Dragon Quest VIII

Info: First fully-3D (non-remake) game of the series. It had various changes: firstly, the story focused on a main plot. Secondly, each character had a few learning paths, which could be followed by allocating Skill Points, earned by leveling up, and that at certain milestones would teach them new skills, spells and passive bonuses. Other changes include the Monster Arena (which plays a bit like the Dragon Quest Monsters arenas), having orchestral music ingame and voice acting (these two things were only present in the western PS2 version), having the alchemy pot and some more innovations.

The story follows a young guard and a bandit, who are helping a cursed king and his daughter to catch the culprit of their curse. They follow him around the world, finding some interesting partners along the way.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King for PS2 (EFIGS)

Voice acting.

Orchestrated music.

“Beautiful” but slow menus.

Pink super saiyan. (This was introduced in the western releases to get the attention of DBZ fans.)

Pretty graphics.

- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for iOS and Android (EF)

Instant alchemy.

Portrait mode only.

No voice acting nor orchestrated music.

- Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King for 3DS (EFIGS)

New playable characters, scenarios (& optional endings), items, and dungeons (one is post-game, the other is optional before ending the game).

Instant alchemy.

Voice acting.

No orchestral soundtrack. (It’s present in the JP version, and afaik it can be restored with a CFW 3DS.)

Classic DQ menus.

Alternative outfits for everyone, not just 2 characters.

New camera mode & quests.

There are some small changes made by SQEX Japan so the game would keep the same rating it got on the PS2 years ago (For All Ages). Nothing game changing.

Free DLC items.

Some re-balancing.

Speed-up option for battles.

On New 3DS, the C-stick can be used to rotate the camera. (There is no performance improvement on N3DS.)

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King” for 3DS (EFIGS). Why?: The improvements, QoL enhancements and new features make it worth it despite it being inferior graphically to its PS2 original release. The music change doesn’t affect you a lot if you do not play using headphones. Also, the “censorship” is irrelevant since Jessica is 17 and the two other scenes don’t change that much anyway. If that’s your main concern, I may suggest you check your priorities, my dude. 🤷‍♂️

Note: There are patches for the 3DS version that give Jessica her PS2 outfits and put the orchestral soundtrack in. (You need a CFW on your 3DS.)

Dragon Quest IX

Info: In some aspects this game is a throwback to Dragon Quest III. The player can customize the party, their aspect and their equipment. It mixes DQIII’s classes and VIII’s skill trees. As VIII, it also has (instant) alchemy. This is the first main DQ game that allows playing with friends (up to 4, in local multiplayer). Unlike almost all the other games (except I and III), there aren’t set characters in this game*. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: And the gender of any character you create). IX has tons of throwbacks and cameos from the other heroes (as Inn Guests and costumes) and villains (as Bosses) from the main series and a character from DQ Swords.

*There ARE some set characters, but to be able to get them you need to have access to the DLC quests (the DS and Wii servers are dead right now, so you need to edit your file or connect with someone who has them unlocked) and have beaten the main story.

The story in this game follows a young celestrian (a guardian angel, basically) in their quest to find out what happened to their realm. They must travel around the world, helping as many people as possible while getting clues of what or who is responsable for the fall of their land.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for DS (EFIGS)

My recommendation: There is only the one version of this title. Its best enjoyed with friends, and/or if you like roleplaying/creating your own characters.

Dragon Quest XI

Info: Return to the classic formula after the multiplayer-focused IX and X.

The story focuses on a boy, who is the reincarnation of a Hero, who is acused of being “the demon’s child”. He has to escape and unravel the mysteries regarding this “demon’s child / hero’s child” controversy with a cast of great characters.

The most interesting part about this title was how it was made in three different styles: 2D, “chibi” 3D and full-scale 3d. The first one, tries to emulate the graphics of the original DQ6 and the SFC remake of DQ3; the second one tries to go for the aesthetic of DQ9 and the remake of DQ7; and the third one gives us the logical step after DQ8. The first two modes are only present on the Japan-only 3DS version, while the later is present in all the UE4 versions (PS4, PC and probably Switch). As each of them tries to emulate a different era of the series, there are gameplay mechanics that change. For instance, when playing in 2D mode (3DS), the items won’t have an image when looking at the inventory. Meanwhile, they will while playing in 3D (3DS). Or the way boomerang works: in the 3DS version, they hit from left to right, like in previous titles; while on the UE4 versions the player can choose which enemy it should hit first. (Since the 3DS version is staying Japan-only i’ll avoid making more comparisons to it.)

Official site

Versions and features: - Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (3DS, 2017)

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PS4

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PC / Steam

Same version as on PS4

Probably more resolution and fps

Probably mods

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for Switch

???

Nobody knows anything about it so far, except it’s confirmed for all regions.

My recommendation: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PS4 or PC. Why?: So far, we’re only getting “one version” on two platforms, so it’s up to the player to decide their platform of choice. I’d personally choose PS4 because the game was designed with a PS4 in mind. If you can read japanese, the 3DS version is also a great option. I personally prefer it to the UE4 version.

And that’s all for the main series.

Dragon Quest X is a MMO for Wii, Wii U, PC, 3DS and Mobile, which will be soon available for PS4 and Switch in Japan. There are no plans for a Western release of this game for now. (There is a western localization campaign, started on October 2016. @imutone recently started a complementary campaign to send physical letters to SQEX. Here’s the latest update on the campaign. Make sure to join it!)

Now, lets move to the Spinoffs:

Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland

Info: Inspired by DQV’s monster recruitment feature and Pokémon’s success, this was the first attempt to make a Monster-Catching DQ game. It features Terry and Milly (called Milayou in the old DWM translation) from DQVI as the protagonists (Note: Only Terry is playable, Milly is a secondary character).

In this game, you have to travel worlds to get stronger monsters to be able to win in the Starry Night tournament, which grants a wish to its winner, and save your kidnapped sister.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Monsters 1 · 2 (PS1), 2002; Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland 3D (3DS), 2012. [There is fantranslation for this remake.]

- Dragon Warrior Monsters for GBC (E)

Randomly generated dungeons.

All monsters can follow you, up to 3 at a time.

3 vs 3 battles.

Hundreds of DQ monsters, either from DQI-VI or new.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Tara’s Adventure / Coby’s Journey

Info: In this sequel, they went the monster catching Pokémon way: two versions with exclusive monsters. Each version offers a protagonist: The young Tara, or her older brother Coby. This game offered monster trade.

In these games, you have to travel between worlds to save your new home, an island, while becoming a better monster master.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Monsters 1 · 2 (PS1), 2002; Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (3DS), 2014.

- Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 for GBC (E)

Comes in two packages: Tara’s Adventure and Coby’s Journey. In the first one you play as a girl (Tara) and in the other as a boy (Coby). They’re sibilings.

Set worlds. (Not randomly-generated as in DQM1.)

All monsters can follow you (all have sprites), up to 3 at a time.

3 vs 3 battles.

Hundreds of DQ monsters, either from DQI-VII or new.

Local multiplayer.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There was DQM game for GBA, Caravan Heart, which was Japan-only. Quite different from the first two DQM/DWM games, but as DQM1/DWM1, it has a child version of a character of the main series as the protagonist: Kiefer from VII. [There is a fantranslation for this game.]

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

Info: This is a reboot of the DQM formula. Coming after the Japan-only DQM Caravan Heart that mixed DQVII’s monster hearts with the DQM formula, Joker tried something new, but in a similar direction of the GBC classics. In this game, the young monster scout must get stronger to become a master monster scout and also unfold the mystery of the Incarnus, a singular monster.

Versions and features:

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker for DS (EFIGS)

Monster from DQI-VIII, or new.

3 vs 3 battles.

New and updated mechanics (the skill system is inspired by VIII’s).

Local and Wifi multiplayer (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

My recommendation: There is only the one version of this game.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

Info: Carries over many mechanics from Joker, but improves them. The biggest improvement is in the UI, which later became the base for all the 3DS DQM games and remakes. The story follows a young monster scout whose airship crushes into a mysterious island and how he and his team of monsters unfolds the mystery of the island to get back to civilization.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Joker 2 Professional (DS), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for this title.]

- Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 for DS (EFIGS)

Over 300 monster, mostly from DQI-IX, or new.

3 vs 3 battles.

DQMJ’s mechanics and UI updated and vastly improved.

Local and Wifi multiplayer (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

(Local) Connectivity with DQVI and IX for DS for special monsters from those games.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There’s a third Joker game for 3DS, called “Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3” in Japan, released in April 2016. Said game got a “Professional” version with various enhancements and new monsters in early February 2017. As of March 2017, none of the 3DS DQM games has been announced for the West.

Dragon Quest: Torneko no Daibouken 2

Info: Second DQ Mystery Dungeon game, and as the first one (which only released in Japan), it follows the famous merchant from DQIV: Torneko Taloon.

In this title, players must outthink enemies who are often faster or stronger than them, efficiently using weapons and magic when the odds are against them. What's more, in order to succeed they will also test the limits of Torneko's insatiable appetite.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest: Torneko no Daibouken 2 (GBA), 2001.

- World of Dragon Warrior: Torneko: The Last Hope for PS1 (E)

Play as Torneko.

It is the only Mystery Dungeon game set in the DQ universe we got.

This game uses randomly-generated dungeons.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There were two other games of this series available in Japan: one for SFC (which was the first DQ spinoff and the first Mystery Dungeon game ever created) and another for PS2 and GBA. There is a fourth DQ Mystery Dungeon game, which doesn’t focus on Torneko anymore, but on the childhood of DQVIII’s Yangus and Red. This is Japan-only too.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

Info: This is the second entry of the “Slime MoriMori” series. It got its American release in 2005. There are tank battles aside from the regular “slime vs the world” fights. This was the last DQ game to get released in America but not in Europe.

It is an action game in which we control a Slime called Rocket, who has to fight the Plattypunks to save the slime town of Boingburg.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for DS (E) [Trailer]

Play as a slime (named Rocket)!

Tank Battles.

Lots of puns.

My recommendation: There is only the one version.

The other games in this subseries are Japan-only, as well as its manga. The first game (GBA) doesn’t have tank battles, and the third one (3DS) replaces them with ship battles.

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors

Info: First person on-rails action game. The Wii’s nunchuck works as your shield and the Wiimote acts as your Sword. All the major characters are named after swords, like Claymore or Fleurette. In this game, you have to save the kingdom of Avalonia from an evil demon named Xiphos.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Swords for Wii (EFIGS) [Trailer]

On rails.

Use the Wiimote as your sword and the Nunchuk as your shield.

Likeable support cast.

My recommendation: There is only a version of this game.

Dragon Quest Wars

Info: A small turn-based strategy game for DSi. Think of it as a light mix of chess and Fire Emblem (not really, but its not 100% chess either).

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Wars for DSi (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Multiplayer: Up to 4 players.

Use some DQ monsters as your units.

My recommendation: There is only one version of this game. As the DS servers got shut down in 2014, so the only way to get it nowadays is using a 3DS.

Honestly? I wouldn’t recommend spending a cent on this.

Fortune Street / Boom Street

Info: First “Itadaki Street” game to release outside Japan. This is the second game in the Itadaki Street series to mix Dragon Quest with Super Mario Bros. The gameplay is a bit of a mix of Mario Party, DQ’s Treasures n' Trapdoors (T’n’T) and the classic boardgame Monopoly.

Versions and features:

- Fortune Street / Boom Street for Wii (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Play as characters from the main series like Slime, Dragonlord, Alena or Patty; and characters from the Super Mario Bros universe such as Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong or Waluigi.

Multiplayer up to 4 players.

Wifi modes. (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

My recommendation: There is only the one version.

Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below

Info: First entry in the action-based Heroes subseries. It is a collaboration with Dynasty Warriors creator Tecmo Koei. This was also the first DQ for a gaming device to come West between 2011 and 2015, quite an honor! In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: You can choose between Luceus and Aurora, but the one you don’t choose is still playable, the one you choose will be always in your party).

It a mix of Dragon Quest mechanics with Dynasty Warrior mechanics: parties of 4 characters, MP, tension, tons of enemies, just a handful of attacks per character... Story-wise is a quite simple light vs darkness story.

Monsters who were peaceful have started attacking humans. The player, the captain of the kingdom’s army have to find out why, battling hordes of monsters in the way.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Heroes (PS3), 2015.

- Dragon Quest Heroes for PS4 (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Stable framerate.

Can’t get all the preorder bonuses.

- Dragon Quest Heroes for PC (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Better settings.

Unstable framerate.

My recommendation: The PS4 version. Why?: It was made with the PS4 in mind and has stable framerate. Also, Tecmo Koei’s PC ports are rather infamous...

Dragon Quest Heroes II

Info: Second entry in the action-based Heroes subseries. Doesn’t have any connection with the first one, and fixes or adds what the people wanted in the first game, like a worldmap, (online) multiplayer, or less tower-defense missions.

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End (PS3, PSV), 2016.

Confirmed versions for the West:

- Dragon Quest Heroes II for PS4 and Steam (EFIGS) [Trailer] (Note: Western release dates: PS4: April 25th in NA and April 28th in EU; Steam: April 22nd in both.)

My recommendation: Still not out in the West, but the PS4 version. Why?: Firstly, Tecmo Koei PC ports are infamous for a reason; secondly, the PS4 version was the main version in Japan (and the one i have already played and enjoyed); and thirdly, because its the only one that has a physical release and that reversible cover is rather cool.

In May 2016, Square Enix released a sequel in Japan called “Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twins Kings and Ending of the Prophecy” for PS3, PS4 and PSV. It includes some upgrades from the feedback they got from the first game, including: having a world map, having multiplayer and being able to have more than four skills per character. On the 1st December 2016, Best Buy leaked its localization. On the 8th of the same month, Square Enix announced the western release dates for the PS4 version: April 25th (NA), and April 28th (EU). A Steam version is also releasing on April 25h (both NA & EU) Square Enix announced on February 22nd 2017. [The Vita version isn’t profitable for SQEX, so they will skip localizing it.] (x). The games’s director hinted to a third game on the PlayStation Awards 2016. (x)

Dragon Quest Builders

Info: “What if you mixed Dragon Quest and Minecraft and got a legit good game?”. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: you can change it and any character customization option anytime you want from the setting accessed from the main menu)

At the last part of DQ1 the player is given a choice. One option lets you continue and the other gives you a game over. DQB explores that option, the story in which the Dragonlord won. You, a builder chosen by the goddess Rubiss, must rebuild the land of Alefgard.

Versions available and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Builders: Revive Alefgard (PS3), 2016.

- Dragon Quest Builders for PS4 (EFIGS) [Trailer]

High quality graphics.

Better draw distance.

Better share options (can make videos and up to 4 image in tweets).

- Dragon Quest Builders for PSV (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Digital only (it is only about 270mb, though. The Asian physical release includes English.).

Portability.

Poor sharing options (screenshots with Start + PS Button. If you share it with the twitter app, you can only choose 1 image. If you want to share more than 1 at a time, you have to transfer your screenshots to your computer).

- Dragon Quest Builders for Switch (EFIGS) (*Releases in Spring 2018)

Its more akin to the PS4 version than the PSV version.

Has some exclusive content, like the DQ1 cartdrige work table and the Sabercub mount.

Portable.

My recommendation: Depends on your tastes. Why?: One is great for its portability (Vita) and the other looks way better and has better sharing methods (PS4).

On August 2016, Square Enix stated there were possibilities of this game getting a Nintendo Switch version. (x). (They announced it officially on the 14th of September of 2017. Will release next spring in all regions.) On September of the same year, they said a sequel was being considered. (x). Later, in the PlayStation Awards, they hinted to a sequel again. (x)

Dragon Quest Builders 2 was announced for Switch and PS4 on the 6th of August of 2017, with no release window announced so far.

Definitive version of each game (TL;DR)

Summarizing, this is the list of definitive versions of each DQ game -that got official western releases- again, in my opinions:

Main series:

Dragon Quest I: Mobile

Dragon Quest II: Mobile

Dragon Quest III: GBC OR Mobile (more content vs newer translation)

Dragon Quest IV: DS OR Mobile (more languages vs english party chat)

Dragon Quest V: DS OR Mobile (they have different prices and buttons)

Dragon Quest VI: DS OR Mobile (they have different prices and buttons)

Dragon Quest VII: 3DS

Dragon Quest VIII: 3DS

Dragon Quest IX: DS

Spinoffs:

Dragon Warrior Monsters: GBC

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: GBC (Any version)

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker: DS

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2: DS

Torneko: The Last Hope: PS1

Rocket Slime: DS (This one didn’t release in EU)

Dragon Quest Swords: Wii

Fortune Street / Boom Street: Wii

Dragon Quest Wars: 3DS (DSi can’t access the internet any more)

Dragon Quest Heroes: PS4

Dragon Quest Builders: PS4 or PSV (higher resolution vs portability)

Dragon Quest Heroes 2: PS4 or Steam (unless the PC port is a bad port)

Soooooo, where should i start? (TL;DR 2)

Choose one of these, but i highly recommend VIII on 3DS.

Dragon Quest IV: DS OR Mobile (more languages vs english party chat)

Dragon Quest VIII: 3DS

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2: DS

Dragon Quest Builders: PS4 or PSV (higher resolution vs portability)

Special thanks

Thanks to my SO (♥︎), @imperial-scrolls-of-honor, @hawelo92, @imutone and @moguel for their help / corrections / suggestions.

Thanks to Yuji Horii, Koichi Sugiyama, Akira Toriyama, Koichi Nakamura, Noriyoshi Fujimoto, and all the staff that has worked or works in this marvelous series. And also thanks to Nintendo and Square Enix, who worked hard to bring these games to the West.

#dragon quest #square enix #dq #masterpost #now i only have that dq10 and that all-dq-releases-so-far posts in my drafts #hopefully i'll finish the dq10 one soon; so many other people can join the campaign #i've had this post in the drafts for what? 5 months now? editing it every few weeks #but now its posted #for real #:D #hope y'all like it #and if not... well it says clearly this is my opinion; make your own if you think differently :p #long post

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sensespike3-blog · 6 years

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Derek Feldman Is Disrupting The Japanese Food Scene

Derek Feldman is the restaurateur behind Sushi On Jones, Uchu and the new Don Wagyu.

When Derek Feldman sits down next to me on a yellow wire stool at Sushi On Jones, his 6-seat outdoor omakase spot in the Bowery Market in Manhattan, I notice a tattoo of a hand holding chopsticks on his forearm, peeking out from under his t-shirt sleeve. It’s playful, unexpected—not totally in character with New York City’s hardest-driving restaurateur of the moment, but at the same time perfectly on message.

Feldman’s spree includes Sushi On Jones, which he opened in summer 2016 with the idea of giving New Yorkers a true omakase experience—chef’s choice, high-grade sushi—with the unthinkable price of $58 for 12 pieces (in about 30 minutes); Uchu, a fine dining, 10-seat omakase counter run by sushi chef Eiji Ichimura and in the next room, an 8-seat kaiseki counter run by chef Samuel Clonts; a second Sushi on Jones in the West Village with 10 seats; and the recently opened Don Wagyu, a fast-casual concept that sells sandwiches made from ultra-exclusive Japanese beef at prices aimed at the nearby Wall Street crowd.

Oh, and there’s something I didn’t mention about Feldman. He’s 29. And he had no prior experience in the restaurant business.

So how did this hard-charging upstart get so far so fast, and does he have plans beyond this two-year rampage through Manhattan’s Japanese dining scene? Read on and find out. (This interview has been edited and condensed.)

How’d you get into the restaurant business? I graduated college and I got a job at a sports agency. I studied sports management. I love the business of sports. I wanted to get in the agency world. Within two weeks of my first job out of college I had stomach pains, went to the hospital and spent most of the next two years there. I got out of the hospital and tried to figure out what I wanted to do but I couldn’t, so I put a backpack on and traveled around Southeast Asia for a couple of months. Came back, still didn’t know what I wanted to do, put the backpack on and went back to Southeast Asia and then decided that I wanted to be in hospitality. I didn’t know if I wanted to do hotels or restaurants, but I knew I wanted to get into hospitality.

But your first business idea was a furniture company making chairs for the elderly called AWEchair, right? Yes, we we just went into production. It will launch early next year. While that went on, it was moving very slow and I was like, this is not taking up enough of my time. I became friends with a chef and convinced him to open a restaurant with me. [The chef was David Bouhadana; more on that later.] So we were building Uchu and I took a trip to Japan and while I’m there I’m eating exactly what we’re eating at Sushi on Jones—great fast-casual sushi, omakase, chef selection. It doesn’t matter if it was 11 in the morning, 3 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon—anywhere you walk in, you’re getting great sushi. So in my head I’m saying, why can’t we get great omakase sushi at a reasonable price in New York? Why does it have to be a $200 or $300 price point?

What’s the answer that you found? The fish is expensive—you can’t get this fish and charge $50 for it because it’s too expensive. In my head, I’m like, if you’re going through the amount of volume you need to go through you can get the price down. So I built Sushi On Jones as a test run, as an experiment. I got introduced to the owner of the Bowery Market. I told him what I was doing at Uchu (which wouldn’t open until almost a year after Sushi On Jones) and that I’d love to open an omakase bar here and he thought I was nuts. I was like, what’s cooler than having an omakase outside on the street on Great Jones and Bowery? So we opened it up and the first two weeks were difficult and then word got out. It just took off. It’s a great model that can work anywhere so I’m working on expanding this exact concept.

OK, let’s back up to the illness and hospital stay. Were you ever diagnosed? I have Celiac Disease, so I’m gluten free. I had seven or eight surgeries on my stomach; I had my gall bladder removed. I had stents constantly put in and taken out. I had pancreatitis four or five times. I had massive tumors in my stomach which turned out to be from Celiac Disease. They removed one tumor, but once I went on a gluten free diet, they all shrank within three or four months.

So it’s practical with Japanese food? It’s so easy. All I’m changing is the gluten-free soy sauce.

The wagyu katsu sando from Don Wagyu, a sandwich made with wagyu beef imported from Japan.

What about at Don Wagyu? We have a dedicated gluten-free fryer, so we do fresh gluten-free panko crust. The meat is the same and we use gluten-free bread. All our sandwiches are available gluten-free, which you cannot get in Japan.

Back to the narrative of your restaurants. You were originally slated to open Uchu with the sushi chef David Bouhadana, who also worked at Sushi On Jones when you opened. What happened? It didn’t work out. We were not like-minded people at all. It’s a shame. He was talented but it was very scary for me. I saw what happened here and how out of control things got. I put my heart and my soul into it and to think it could be torn down because of the chef that I picked killed me. I gave him chance after chance after chance.

But then you got lucky with a replacement, right? I ended up with Ichimura, who holds a very, very special place in my heart for a million reasons, but he is by far the most talented sushi chef in the city and is doing sushi the way it was meant to be done, the way it was done years back before millions of sushi restaurants opened up.

And before you landed Ichimura, you had kaiseke with Samuel Clonts? I wanted to do food at the liquor bar [inside Uchu]. I didn’t know I wanted to do a tasting menu, but I got connected to Sam, who went to culinary school with one of my best friends. We changed the entire kitchen for him. We brought in all new equipment and wound up doing the kaiseke tasting menu and then Ichamura fell into my hands from the sushi gods.

A selection from the Sushi On Jones omakase. (Photo: Daniel Krieger)

But you didn’t take a step back at that point. You decided to open Don Wagyu. Yes. Don Wagyu is something that’s so popular in Japan that hasn’t really been done in America yet. For a lot of reasons—it’s really difficult getting this beef from Japan. It’s really expensive and it’s really hard trying to break into the vault of Japan where people will trust you with such fine products and ingredients.

What was the inspiration for it? Me and chef Sam sat down, and I know that Sam’s always wanted to do a fast casual spot. We had a couple of ideas, and then wagyu katsu sando came up, and we immediately snapped our fingers and said that’s what we’re gonna do. So we wanted start with a little takeout restaurant like we started Sushi on Jones, see how it goes, how it works. So far the response has been great. If that works out I’ll expand to a much bigger footprint next. We’re talking about a Japanese steakhouse in Midtown that has a little to-go shop where we’re going to sell the sandwiches, but I wanted to get my feet wet.

There’s been a lot of sniping in the media about the prices, which range from $25 for an American-Japanese hybrid wagyu to the A5 Ozaki wagyu, which can cost $185. How do you explain the pricing? Our beef is really expensive. Our lowest margins are on our highest grade beef. That’s the price. We’re working with a single farmer in Japan who does everything himself. He can only kill 20 cows per month. That’s all he’s capable of and that’s his price.

How did you settle on Japanese cuisine to begin with? What are some of the things about Japanese culture that attracted you? Every place I went in Southeast Asia, I was so fascinated by the food, the culture, the people. Until I went to Japan. It’s a completely different level. Anything the Japanese do is done to perfection. And the food is by far my favorite food. It’s so delicious.

Was there one meal in Japan that particularly inspired you? It wasn’t one meal, it was every meal. It’s amazing. You walk into a 20-story building and each floor has a different bar or a different restaurant. You walk in and it’s all Michelin-graded food.

What happened when you wanted to bring the idea to New York? Did you fear that you needed a niche? I wanted to do something that doesn’t exist, which is really hard to find in New York. An outdoor omikase didn’t exist and an omikase at this price point didn’t exist. I think there are 75,000 restaurants in NYC, so it’s difficult to find something.

Like a katsu sando— Something dedicated. There are a couple of restaurants that have them but nobody has a dedicated restaurant doing wagyu sandos with the type of beef we’re getting.

Are there specialty shops in Japan? There are a few that do it. Some are steakhouses that also sell the sandwich and some just have the sandwich, strictly to-go.

Now that you have three brands, will they take on further life? Uchu is kind of its own animal and obviously hard to recreate because it’s chef-driven and staff-driven. If I wanted to do that in Macau or Hong Kong, it’s really difficult to find that level of help. The wagyu restaurant is still very new. I do have a 5-year plan for it, but I just have to wait and see how the first one goes. Step 2 will definitely be a Japanese steakhouse in Midtown. And I have been focusing on Sushi On Jones. It’s a very easy model. I can take a space anywhere in the world. As long as they have direct flights to Tokyo I can get the fish there, whether it’s once a week or twice a week. I’m doing a pop-up in LA from September-December for Sushi On Jones, building out a shipping container that’ll have 12 seats and a takeout section. And I’m looking to expand to London too.

What do people say to you that they like about Sushi on Jones? They love the quality—that they can get the sushi for the price they’re getting. They love the experience—it’s fun, it’s 30 minutes. You’re not going to sit somewhere and having this ambiance, waiting for a list to pick your sake. No, there are no choices. You come, you sit down, you get fed and you leave. People love the quality, love the food and they love the price point.

What was the inspiration behind the wagyu with uni sushi? [The butcher shop] Japan Premium Beef is across the street. And I had wagyu sushi in Japan. And I’m like, I want wagyu sushi. It’s funny because every sushi chef doesn’t like to do wagyu on their sushi because there’s no skill involved. You cut the beef, you sear it and you put it on; there’s no preparation needed. It’s almost like a cheat. But I want to give people what they want.

Source: http://www.foodrepublic.com/2018/08/17/derek-feldman-is-disrupting-japanese-food/

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