Robot
05-27-2010, 01:40 AM
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3813579&type=lgYou know what they say about first impressions. When they take hold, they're difficult to dislodge. The Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest series is a good example of how a first impression can cement your perception of a series for a decade and a half.
I took the Dragon Warrior games for the NES very seriously. Obviously, they deserved reverence: Dragon Warrior (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131002) helped define a genre, Dragon Warrior III (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131004) gave us the responsibility of picking and changing job classes, and Dragon Warrior IV (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131005) wove separate story threads into one epic tale. Dragon Warrior II (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131003)--well, uh, we love that little guy.
I appreciate the Dragon Warrior titles for simply existing outside of Japan. It was no small trick for Nintendo and Enix to localize and market those titles so close to the end of the NES's life. But the games' Olde English text and Americanized character art had me believing for years that the Dragon Warrior series was as solemn as the Final Fantasy games. I finally realized the truth when Square-Enix re-acquired the English rights to the Dragon Quest name and uncaged manga-ka Akira Toriyama. The Dragon Quest series is packed with humor, and always has been.
That's not to say the Dragon Quest games don't address serious themes, nor does it mean the Dragon Warrior games were wholly humorless. Dragon Quest V is downright heart-rendering at times, but that comes naturally for any piece of writing that spans the birth and death of generations. Dragon Warrior II is pretty wry, though its instances of humor are subtle. If you refuse to pay for detoxification, resurrection, or any of the other services at the House of Healing, the priest will lecture you about how leeches don't grow on trees. He'll also inform you that has a wife, a kid, a house, and a "brand new cow" to make payments on.
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3813581&type=lgBut as a whole, Dragon Warrior carried a more serious tone than Dragon Quest thanks in part to its medieval-style translation. The "Thee's" and "Thou's" were probably put in place to match the average North American idea of old timey dragon-slaying adventures in the spirit of King Arthur and trashy romance novels. The legendary hero Loto became the grand Erdrick; Princess Laura became the flowery Princess Gwaelin; King Dragon became The Dragonlord. All that was missing was metaphors involving chiseled warriors with certain body parts that resembled rearing stallions.
None of this is to suggest that the early Dragon Warrior games had bad localization. Though the lay of the land was undeniably shifted in the English versions of the game, Enix America put a lot of care into its work. For instance, though all traces of Akira Toriyama's work was wiped from the first installments of the Dragon Warrior saga, competently-drawn Americanized replacements were crafted. The job classes in the Dragon Warrior III manual weren't rendered in Toriyama's style, but the costumes, weapons, and armor were. The box art for Dragon Warrior IV bears the original design for the Zenithian Sword. Even Loto/Erdrick's bird crest features prominently in the character art for Dragon Warrior I through III.
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3813578&type=lgThough the North American artwork was carefully done, it was also a large part of the reason I thought Dragon Warrior was a stone-serious series. Akira Toriyama is the definitive shonen manga-ka. He can design heroes whose strength and cunning transcend generations (Goku from Dragon Ball, Crono from Chrono Trigger), but he's also famous for his compellingly silly monsters. The character art in the Dragon Quest instruction booklets also had a tendency to lapse into a chibi style to illustrate spells and attacks. The characters in the North American instruction booklets actually adapted many of the same poses as their Japanese counterparts, but remained grown-up and serious-looking.
My journey to fully understand Dragon Quest has been a slow one, but admittedly pleasant (it's no chore to play Dragon Quest titles). It began with the excellent Dragon Warrior III remake for the Game Boy Color, which had three noteworthy features: Akira Toriyama's artwork, a translation that was truer to its source material, and animated monsters. Skeleton dragons are scary. Skeleton dragons that dislodge their heads and throw them at you are still kind of creepy, but also goofy and fun.
But Dragon Quest's true nature finally shone down on me when I played Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2006324). Is there a Final Fantasy game in existence that would grant a nose-picking standstill animation to a (squat, homely) key character? Is there a Final Fantasy game in existence with a special skill called the Underpants Dance?
Dearest Dragon Quest, I have learned much about perception from you over the years, and I believe you have so much more to offer me. I hope we can continue our journey of enlightenment. Together.
(Pictures courtesy of Classic Gaming (http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=223) and the Dragon Quest Shrine (http://www.dqshrine.com))
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9031782
I took the Dragon Warrior games for the NES very seriously. Obviously, they deserved reverence: Dragon Warrior (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131002) helped define a genre, Dragon Warrior III (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131004) gave us the responsibility of picking and changing job classes, and Dragon Warrior IV (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131005) wove separate story threads into one epic tale. Dragon Warrior II (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3131003)--well, uh, we love that little guy.
I appreciate the Dragon Warrior titles for simply existing outside of Japan. It was no small trick for Nintendo and Enix to localize and market those titles so close to the end of the NES's life. But the games' Olde English text and Americanized character art had me believing for years that the Dragon Warrior series was as solemn as the Final Fantasy games. I finally realized the truth when Square-Enix re-acquired the English rights to the Dragon Quest name and uncaged manga-ka Akira Toriyama. The Dragon Quest series is packed with humor, and always has been.
That's not to say the Dragon Quest games don't address serious themes, nor does it mean the Dragon Warrior games were wholly humorless. Dragon Quest V is downright heart-rendering at times, but that comes naturally for any piece of writing that spans the birth and death of generations. Dragon Warrior II is pretty wry, though its instances of humor are subtle. If you refuse to pay for detoxification, resurrection, or any of the other services at the House of Healing, the priest will lecture you about how leeches don't grow on trees. He'll also inform you that has a wife, a kid, a house, and a "brand new cow" to make payments on.
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3813581&type=lgBut as a whole, Dragon Warrior carried a more serious tone than Dragon Quest thanks in part to its medieval-style translation. The "Thee's" and "Thou's" were probably put in place to match the average North American idea of old timey dragon-slaying adventures in the spirit of King Arthur and trashy romance novels. The legendary hero Loto became the grand Erdrick; Princess Laura became the flowery Princess Gwaelin; King Dragon became The Dragonlord. All that was missing was metaphors involving chiseled warriors with certain body parts that resembled rearing stallions.
None of this is to suggest that the early Dragon Warrior games had bad localization. Though the lay of the land was undeniably shifted in the English versions of the game, Enix America put a lot of care into its work. For instance, though all traces of Akira Toriyama's work was wiped from the first installments of the Dragon Warrior saga, competently-drawn Americanized replacements were crafted. The job classes in the Dragon Warrior III manual weren't rendered in Toriyama's style, but the costumes, weapons, and armor were. The box art for Dragon Warrior IV bears the original design for the Zenithian Sword. Even Loto/Erdrick's bird crest features prominently in the character art for Dragon Warrior I through III.
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3813578&type=lgThough the North American artwork was carefully done, it was also a large part of the reason I thought Dragon Warrior was a stone-serious series. Akira Toriyama is the definitive shonen manga-ka. He can design heroes whose strength and cunning transcend generations (Goku from Dragon Ball, Crono from Chrono Trigger), but he's also famous for his compellingly silly monsters. The character art in the Dragon Quest instruction booklets also had a tendency to lapse into a chibi style to illustrate spells and attacks. The characters in the North American instruction booklets actually adapted many of the same poses as their Japanese counterparts, but remained grown-up and serious-looking.
My journey to fully understand Dragon Quest has been a slow one, but admittedly pleasant (it's no chore to play Dragon Quest titles). It began with the excellent Dragon Warrior III remake for the Game Boy Color, which had three noteworthy features: Akira Toriyama's artwork, a translation that was truer to its source material, and animated monsters. Skeleton dragons are scary. Skeleton dragons that dislodge their heads and throw them at you are still kind of creepy, but also goofy and fun.
But Dragon Quest's true nature finally shone down on me when I played Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2006324). Is there a Final Fantasy game in existence that would grant a nose-picking standstill animation to a (squat, homely) key character? Is there a Final Fantasy game in existence with a special skill called the Underpants Dance?
Dearest Dragon Quest, I have learned much about perception from you over the years, and I believe you have so much more to offer me. I hope we can continue our journey of enlightenment. Together.
(Pictures courtesy of Classic Gaming (http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=223) and the Dragon Quest Shrine (http://www.dqshrine.com))
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9031782