Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2

Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2
Japanese boxart
Publisher(s)	Enix
Designer(s)	Yuji Horii
Composer(s)	Koichi Sugiyama
Series	Dragon Quest Monsters
Platform(s)	PlayStation
Release date(s)	JP May 30, 2002
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media/distribution	CD-ROM

Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 (ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ1・2 星降りの勇者と牧場の仲間たち, Doragon Kuesuto Monsutāzu Wan Tsū: Hoshi Furi no Yūsha to Bokujō no Nakamatachi^?, lit. "Dragon Quest Monsters 1 2: The Hero From the Stars and the Rancher Friends") is an enhanced remake of two Game Boy Color games, Dragon Quest Monsters and Dragon Quest Monsters 2, for the PlayStation.^[1] It was released only in Japan. The graphics have been updated and both versions of Dragon Quest Monsters 2 are included.

Besides the graphics, other changes include animated monsters, a new expanded item bag, a new slightly different interface from the other Dragon Quest games, and a life bar that features green/yellow/red for each monster.^[2] The game also comes compatible with the PlayStation's i-mode adaptor, allowing players to upload monsters from the game onto the mobile phone version of Dragon Quest Monsters.^[3]

Gameplay

Wandering around the desert

The gameplay for both games are fairly consistent and similar to the original versions. The player controls a human character who controls a team of monsters. By using the monsters in battle against other monsters, the players' team is awarded experience points and eventually will level up. Upon leveling up, a monster's stats will increase and it may learn skills or spells.

The player can catch wild monsters and add them to the team. By feeding a wild monster meat, the chances of a monster joining the party after the battle rises greatly. Monsters can also be bred to create new, stronger monsters. The parent monsters disappear afterwards, but the offspring learns the skills of both parents.

There are a few differences in the gameplay in Dragon Quest Monsters 2 compared to the Game Boy Color version. The Tiny Medal system is different and the wandering trainers are much harder to encounter.^[2]

Story

In Dragon Quest Monsters, the player follows the adventures of Terry as he's transported to the kingdom of Taiju to become a Master Monster Trainer, win the Starry Night Tournament, and rescue his sister Mileyu.

In Dragon Quest Monsters 2, the player takes on the role of either Ruka or Iru as they travel to the island of Marta to open a monster farm with their parents. They will have to train their monster teams to acquire magic keys that unlock portals to other worlds. There they will gather items to plug Marta's hole and stop it from sinking into the sea.

Fan Translation

A hacker and translator going by the names of Kingcom and TranslatorTom are currently working on a complete English translation patch for the game. The patch will be available upon completion on their website.^[4]

Reception

Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 received a 33 out of 40 by Famitsu magazine. The game was the 38th best-selling game of 2002 with 292,275 copies.^[5]

References

1. ^ "DQM I & II". 2002. http://www.rpgfan.com/previews/dqm12.html. Retrieved October 5, 2007. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Dustin Hubbard and Dwaine Bullock (2002). "Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2". http://www.dqshrine.com/dq/dqm1-2/. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
3. ^ Henninger, Michael (2002-01-19). "Enix to Port Dragon Quest Monsters Collection to PSone". RPGamer.com. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2002/011902a.html. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
4. ^ "The Romhacking Aerie". kaioshin.romhacking.net. http://kaioshin.romhacking.net/?p=92. Retrieved 2010-8-27. 
5. ^ "2002 Top 50 Japanese Console Game Chart". The-MagicBox.com. http://the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2002.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-15.