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Penny Arcade - PATV - First 15 – Dragon Quest Heroes
Dog
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Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
Penny Arcade - PATV - First 15 – Dragon Quest Heroes
Gabe and Tycho play a game for 15 minutes and then judge it accordingly. This week they play Dragon Quest Heroes. You can watch the full length version of this episode here.
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It's not just 'filler', it's actually very well done for those of us that like Dragon Quest games, and get's legitimately hard later on.
Sorry, but it's just not possible to judge a game based on a huge RPG franchise, in 15 minutes.
That's like trying to judge Skyrim based just on the opening cart ride and character creation, without ever getting to the dragon attack.
The tutorial intro does drag on though, and if you're not already engaged with the concept (dynasty warriors meets dragon quest), that dragging can be a real drag.
As to the art style, I'm used to it, having grown up with Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Dragonball (never got into Z and onwards, but the first was cute). One of the Dragon Quest games that let you make a hero really did emphasize "Wow, Toriyama can only draw one female face, can't he?"
At this point, a DQ game with a different character design style would be met by torches and pitchforks.
It's excusable in the tutorial since they're trying to teach you all the game has to offer, but apart from that? Less is more.
Also, the slime speech? It's called charm. And puns. Sure, it's groan-inducing at times, but it's not nearly as bad as Luceus' overexplaination of everything, which they thankfully immediately reference. Sadly, it's also an ongoing joke right up to the very end of the game. It's a horrible character trait.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
As for the slime speech, it's a translation thing. A lot of Japanese speech patterns and puns don't translate well, if at all. So for the english translation to read well, they have to adapt to a different pun system.
The same thing was done with the English translation for Persona 4. Teddy's speech pattern would make absolutely no sense in English. So they change it to him making bad bear puns. It gave the character the same personality, while making it relatable to English speaking audiences. (Btw, Persona 4 is one of the best translations in video game history)
Wrong game, lol.
I get that the entertainment of a first 15 is just watching them do whatever and then react. Their reactions are the entertainment.
But I feel like on this one they lacked a lot of context for the game. I personally really enjoyed DQH, but that's because I enjoy all of Dragon Quest. And the punny-ness of the series is part of the charm.
Of course, I also agree that the tutorial was very heavy handed and their constantly babbling by the main character was way overdone, even if that was supposed to be his character.
I played ONE dragon quest game EVER. It was on the DS and it was the one where you collect stuff to shoot out of your slime tank at other tanks.
I enjoyed the hell out of that game. I would play another of that game. It was the mechanic I enjoyed, however. The charm and art style were not something I actively seek.
To me, this game looks like hot garbage but that's one man's opinion.
As for Jerry, apparently he didn't even know the difference between DQ Heroes and DQ Builders? He comes off like Conan O'Brien in those Clueless Gamer segments, except those are actually funny while this was not. It's the difference between being good-naturedly clueless and assholishly clueless.
- Albert Einstein
You're thinking of Rocket Slime, and I agree it's a fantastic game.
Which is why I was very surprised to learn that there's actually two sequels made for it but they're in Japan only.
Yes it's an entertainment thing, but some games just don't fit the format, this is one of them.
You just cannot judge a massive game based on it's simple introduction. They literally got to NOTHING the game offers, like interesting boss fights, or even having the full 4 character party and needing to actively switch between them (in real time), in order to use all their skills effectively.
At first, the game really does seem shallow, I'll give them that, but after about 2 hours in? It explodes and becomes really amazing for those that like Dragon Quest style stories and extras, with Dynasty Warrior style combat .
And no I don't think 2 hours is too much time. Every RPG takes at least that long to fully open up. This is the same formula, just attached to a different combat style.
Well, that goes right ahead and figures. That game was so cool
http://media.bigshinyrobot.com/uploads/2015/10/21413851074_558fe73a55_b_big.jpg
The only reason a game wouldn't fit the format is if you were expecting an objective review of the game that takes into consideration all it's merits. I would argue that this is a silly expectation to have. The number of games that can be accurately reviewed based on the first 15 minutes of game play is probably pretty small.
Basically there are only a couple of things you can reasonably gain from this series, beyond entertainment value. Does the game have a good hook? And does it have an aesthetic style you will enjoy?
The fact that this particular game appears to be bad at the beginning is a flaw. Often times it's a fatal flaw if the player doesn't have the tolerance to "push through" to better content/gameplay. DQH might be a stellar game on the whole, but it does itself a huge disservice with the introduction seen here.
I found this video hilarious.
Mike just comes off as a clueless dick in this video. The stuff he says is exactly the kind of stuff some brainless schoolyard bully says about "nerdy stuff": the kind of thing both of these guys have said they experienced and hated as kids. "Is this game for babies?" What the fuck, dude.
Also, his response when people criticize his art is usually to reference how popular the strip is, but apparently that doesn't go both ways with regard to Akira Toriyama.
You said it yourself: You'd feel the same if it was a game you liked.
- Albert Einstein
no masters
While I'm sure their is a bit of that, Mike and Jerry didn't really give this one a fair shake.(They gave that clunky, ugly space shooter more respect) I personally have never played a DQ game, and I realize this isn't indicative of the series proper, but what I know of them tells me that fifteen minutes isn't enough to really grasp the game's concept. Though long hand-holdy tutorials are the worst thing.
I wonder if the art has kept Mike from playing Chrono Trigger? I really don't get the hate, but I like Toriyama. And like I have said before, he seems to be closing himself off from some really cool stuff. But such is life, to each their own.
Add me to the ones who found it hilarious.
Of course, I'm just biased because I hate the pinchyface art style, too. Was why I haven't ever been able to get into anything that uses it.
Eh, I love the Toriyama style (though I know it's not for everyone), and I had good times with the original Dragon Quest (back in our days it was called Dragon Warrior), but this First 15 was still hilarious.
One thing I love about even the newest DQ games is that some of the sound effects and jingles are still the same from the very first game, and they kept them across all the franchise. I dunno. It's a neat little touch that I appreciate.
For one thing- most games do not have a great opening 15 minutes. You know what you get in the first 15 minutes? Tutorials. Exposition. Really basic game mechanics, so you can learn more complicated ones after playing a bit.
90% of First 15 involves the guys bumbling around, figuring out what the buttons do, and maybe using a couple of very basic attacks or abilities.
It's just kind of depressing- I really enjoyed the AC4 streaming. A beautiful, more complicated game, that they knew how to play, and obviously enjoyed.
This is, in fact, something Jerry specifically mentions in the next video after this one (which was filmed on the same day, based on their clothes). He says, "Now it could be a situation like [...] Undertale, where it's just not a good match for the 15 minute format."
https://youtu.be/C1jlAlBHohQ?t=13m10s
It's also worth pointing out that they make it pretty clear that Jerry and Mike don't in any way pick the games. They often express confusion as to why whoever it was (Josh at least some of the times) picked that game.