Customer Reviews

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dragon Quest Monsters initially began as Enix's answer to Pokemon. However, since it's beginnings on the Gameboy, it has grown into so much more than just a Pokemon clone. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker has its own spin on the "gotta catch'em all" philosophy. First of all, rather than using "pokeballs", you must impress Monsters using your Scout abilities to get them to join you. The higher rank the monster is, the more powerful your team must be to impress it. Second, your team consists of 3 primary monsters and 3 backup monsters. During battle, you are allowed to have out 3 monsters, but you cannot switch to your backups during battle, making for some difficult fights. Monsters level up in the style of Dragon Quest 8, where you gain skill points in addition to stat boosts that you can allocate as you see fit to the monster's skills. Monsters can use spells and abilities just like in the regular Dragon Quest games. Third, rather than breeding monsters, monsters are synthesized to create new breeds of monsters.

The main difference between this game and the regular Dragon Quest series is that rather than have random monster encounters, you can actually see the monsters on the field. This is great because you don't have to go through the guesswork of having to encounter the monster you want as you do in Pokemon. You can just walk around until you see it, then run up to it! Personally I like being able to see the monsters before I fight them so I don't have to waste time looking for certain ones. Also, the monsters respawn at a fairly rapid rate, so you don't have to worry about running out of monsters to fight when leveling up. An interesting part of this is that as you explore, you may notice certain strange objects in the area. These are actually indicators of rare monsters that may show up in that area. For instance on an early level, you walk by a campfire and some giant stones that look like dumb-bells. If you come back, you might encounter a Gigantes in that area!

As if that were not enough, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker also has an online battle portion where you pit your team against other teams on a regional, national or global scale to find out who's the best. Unlike other games where your only reward is bragging rights, this game has in game rankings and you earn items and monsters for each victory!

Dragon Quest Monsters offers solid gameplay on par with the main Dragon Quest series. With over 200 monsters to choose from, excellent online play and a great storyline, this is one game that is not to be missed!

What can I say, DQMJ offers some of the most unique and interesting ideas into what appears to be a Pokemon clone. Even though the DQM series was inspired by Pokemon, the game and the series in and of itself offers inovative ideas to the "catch em all" formula. So let's begin. What sets this game apart from Pokemon?

-you can have 3 monsters in battle at once
-none of the monsters are rip offs of Pokemon monsters, they all appear in past DQ games
-monsters have skill sets which harbor a decent number of skills and each monsters can have up to 3 skill sets, offering a large number of skills on one monsters( lot more than Pokemon's 4)
-the breeding *Ahem* the synthesising system( it really is breeding but probably some people thought they didn't want their children to know that male and female = baby) is much deeper than Pokemon's breeding system
-ultimate monsters are created through repeated synthesising, which means if you like grinding to get higher numbers(ex. Disgaea) this game is for you
-in many ways the game is superior to Pokemon, although Pokemon offers better story and a more interesting catching system

Whew. Ok. So whats the goods right? If you like numbers, if you like struggling to make a monster better then you will love this game. The story is decent, but that is not where this game shines. Everything revolves around making bettter monsters and if you have wifi you will find that you will have to create some of the best monsters the game offers in order to have a chance at online play. A lot of hours will be spent on getting prepared to be a fair contender online(is Pokemon for Wii any different?). if you hate grinding, stay away form this game. This game is for grinding lovers, nough said. It's a great game, but it is NOT for everybody. Don't look at this as a role playing game because it's really not. It's a "catch em all" game. I really believe "catch em all" should be an actual game genre, because none of the the "catch em all" games feel like true RPGs. So if you are looking for some great epic story with many loveable characters, again, stay away. If you liked Pokemon you will likely fall in love with this game. It is a must buy for such players!

I was a little worried when I first thought about getting this game; I knew it had the Dragon Quest name on it, so I thought it should be good. But, from game play descriptions (and my own imagination), I was a little worried I might be buying a slightly more "mature" pokemon game. Thankfully, I was wrong, and what I ended up with is one of the most-addictive, fun, and time consuming games that I've played for the DS. For those of you who've played Dragon Quest 8 for the Playstation 2, the game plays much like DQ8 does if you have a monster party fight for you. And of course there's scouting to allow you to get new monsters; you must impress the "wild" enemies by a show of force from your current monsters (basically a regular attack that does no damage). Other than that it's a fairly typical RPG, but instead of just leveling up your monsters, you can also combine ("synthesize") monsters to create new, more powerful ones. The story is a little weak, but the fantastic game play more than makes up for it. Plus you can battle over wi-fi against your friends' monster teams to see how you both stack up. Overall a very solid game; DQ fans should definitely pick it up, and so should most fans of RPGs.

I picked up Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker because I remembered playing the original Dragon Quest Monsters when it came out (I was in middle school at the time) and enjoyed the game.

I have to say, the series is still really fun. I'm about halfway through now and haven't been able to put it down. Since it's a monster battling game, it's tempting to compare it to Pokemon, but they're two entirely different games. DQMJ offers a lot of customization in terms of monsters and skill sets, which is what makes the game so much fun. Gameplay is excellent.

On the downside, the story isn't really that strong and there is a lot of grinding required. Which is good when I have time to kill on the bus, but it tends to make the game drag a bit. In addition, the story isn't very strong and there's no real connection with the main character-or any of the characters.

Unlike a lot of other reviewers, this is my first in the DQM series, although after reading about the earlier ones, I want to play them. :)

I'm an avid gamer, and DQM has to go in my top ten list of all-time favourite games. I love a game with depth and extendability and this has both. As one other reviewer so aptly stated, "This game is easy to pick up and hard to put down". I have about 350 hours of gameplay in DQM, and still going strong.

I have only one issue and it's not with the game. Square Enix does not police the online tournaments for hackers anywhere near as much as they should, and yet they give a big warning at the beginning of every online game about hackers being disqualified.

Other than that, I have only wonderful things to say about DQM. If you don't have it .. do yourself a big favor. :)

I've never been much of a Pokemon fan. Given, the gameplay is quite addictive and I've played a few of the games but the monsters you collect are just too cutesy for me. Which is why I've been a fan of the Dragon Quest Monsters series and the Shin Megami Tensei series. I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "Well, the monsters in those games are kinda cutesy too..". Well, the difference with the two as opposed to Pokemon is, in DQM, you can fuse monsters together to make a more powerful monsters and, with Shin Megami Tensei, you deal with more mature subject matter(even Revelations: The Demon Slayer & Demikids were more that way). Anyhow, that brings me to my review of Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker tells the story of a young boy who's locked in prison by his father(who's head of a secret organization called CELL). Released under orders to enter the Monster Scout Challenge, he embarks on a journey starting with a single monster and a scout ring yet he's unaware of the dark intentions that surround the challenge.

Rather than have random monster encounters; you can see, ahead of time, what monster you'll face(if you face him/her at all) in DQM. That's quite a departure from the Pokemon series and for me that's a plus.

In my opinion, DQM: Joker is far more impressive than Pokemon for one reason. That reason is that it's properly brought monster hunting/battling into 3D environments. That's something that Pokemon has been slow in doing.

DQM Joker is an excellent take on monster RPGs. I'm not a big fan of the traditional random encounter battles that so many other games have implemented, so I appreciated the fact that this game let you actually go out and be the hunter.

The story is fine, and the characters are amusing; but the real meat of this game is in the monster synthesizing. It's always exciting to acquire a new monster, experiment, and figure out who you can merge it with to ultimately create a new powerful creature. This element adds a level of owner's pride when it comes to your monsters; and you can spend many hours trying different combinations to strengthen your team. In my opinion, this more than compensates for the moderately short story mode.

I highly reccommend this game to any fan of RPGs or Pokemon-style games, or anyone looking for a fun, addictive addition to their DS library.

I'll start by saying, I'm a huge fan of Dragon Warrior/Quest as a series, however I am not a fan of the Monsters series. Having partially played the previous installments with a steaming pile of dislike, I came into DQM Joker with low expectations only to be suprised at how great of a game this is.
I mean it, this game ranks among my favorite Dragon Quest/Warrior titles ever. DQM Joker is a perfect companion to Dragon Quest 8, and runs on a similar game engine to boot. Where the previous Monsters games felt more like Pokemon rip-offs, Joker distances itself almost completely. Aside from the fact that you're collecting monsters to battle, there is no Pokemon likeness in Joker at all. It truly feels like a Dragon Quest game of its own.
I recommend this title to anyone who enjoyed DQ8 but haven't experienced any other DQ/DW games, and I HIGHLY recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the non-Monsters series of Dragon Quest.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is the third entry in the Dragon Quest/Warrior Monsters (DQM) series in the U.S. The DQM series is based on the Dragon Quest/Warrior RPG series but focuses on collecting and training the series many monsters in a style similar to Pokemon. It should have appeal for both fans of Dragon Quest and those of monster collecting games.

Joker is one of the few fully 3D games for the Nintendo DS. The graphics style is taken from Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2 and most of the monsters should be familiar to fans of that game. The animations are fairly fluid and the monster designs colorful and detailed.

Players take control of a Monster Scout to form teams of three monsters. The game features over 200 monsters total broken into several families. Pairs of monsters can be synthesized to form new, stronger monsters whose level 1 states and skill levels are calculated from the parents' stats allowing stronger and stronger monsters to be made with each generation. Skill points are earned every few levels and can be applied to skills, allowing the player to customize the abilities and stat bonuses of each monster. Each monster can also equip a variety of weapons with various effects.

Joker does fall short on a few points. The game is on the short side and raising powerful monsters requires a fair amount of grinding. Some of the more powerful monsters must be synthesized from specific monsters and so the player will almost certainly have to consult a guide to figure out how to unlock some of the creatures. An online battling system is available, however trading can only be done locally. Travel between the games islands can also be frustrating since a roundabout path is sometimes the only way to get from one island to another, even later in the game. Fans of earlier DQM series should also note that the leap to 3D has mean not all monsters from the previous games make an appearance in this one.

All in all the game is a good one. Fans of Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Monsters, or monster collecting games will certainly want to try this one out. Anyone looking for a light RPG or just a change of pace for the DS should also consider checking out this game.

I played both dragon warrior monsters on gameboy color and dragon warrior monsters 2: tara's adventure on GBC (or was it GBA... i dont even remember) and spent probably close to 200 combined hours on those two games.

This game, like those two, probably has about 30 hours worth of time youll spend in the story mode, doing the typical pokemon-style "start with 1 and end up the best trainer in the world" schtick. However, there are two things that set this game apart from pokemon games for me:

1) The monsters are from the dragon quest games. I have played through dragon warrior I-IV on the NES (and GB/DS), V/VI on the DS, VIII on PS2, and IX on DS (never got to play 7...). I love this series and the monsters are so iconic to me. In pokemon, they create a new 100-150 every 3 or four years to keep people interested, but in DQM series, they just update the bosses from the newest console games and keep everything steady. I feel like this is a plus because you already know that Cureslimes are going to get Fullheal and that metal slimes are going to have 999 defense. It's easier to jump into this game than a new Pokemon game that has all new things to catch.

2) You can see the monsters on the worldmap. This is a huge improvement from random battles that occur in most RPG games. If you're at a higher level than the monsters on the map, they actually run away from you! This saves you time later in the game if you have to go back to first island to catch a monster you missed. You can head straight towards it, avoiding everything else in your path, and you know your first fight is going to be against the monster of your choice.

Overall, I gave this game a 4-star rating because there really isn't that much to do post-game. Nintendo stopped supporting the online battle system so there is only one NPC worth battling post-main quest. This gets kinda lame because this character sports the same three monsters which never get stronger or change movesets from the first time you fight them.

Anyway, fun game!