Finally! Here it is - my retrospective review of Dragon Quest II. Hope you enjoy, and let me know what your thoughts are about this classic game. (This video would have been out two months earlier if it hadn't been for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lol.) As always, thanks so much for supporting me! 😍
I'm still butthurt that the wii collection that had the OG famicom versions was not released in NA at all..... Would have loved to legit play DQ2 on a concole in the O format and difficulty. Had to settle for DQ11 with all those disabilities activated for a challenge mode.
Looking back at DQII it's crazy to think that the game was made in less than 8 months from the first game! That isn't something you really see nowadays since games have only gotten bigger and longer to make, but back in the 1980's and 90's it was still possible to make game follow-ups in only just a single year or 2 while still being an improvement or even better than the previous game. And while DQII has it's fair share of issues I still liked the game and how it was even the first game to introduce the concept of gaining party members throughout the game which is among my favorite aspects of JRPGs in games like Suikoden. Thanks for continuing this series and I'm really looking forward to your review of Dragon Quest III and how it concludes the Loto / Erdrick Trilogy!
Nice to see you Gavin :) Yeah, I think this game deserves a lot of credit for what it meant at the time! I'm near the end of DQ3 right now. It'll be a while before I can get the video out but it'll come sooner or later!
@@AltercateTV After hearing your struggles and frustrations with the game it must have been incredibly relieving to play Dragon Quest III after the 2nd game, that certainly was the case for me back when I played these back-to-back for the first time.
@@gavinlucas9761 Haha yeah. DQ3 still has an insane amounts of random encounters, but the game feels SO much more fair... And the game actually gets easier if you spend a little time leveling up this time!
I think that also includes modern amenities like being able to increase UI size and other accessibility options. Not all games today are 3D or use the latest technology. Many 2D games are successful and are pushed our fairly quickly. With AI things are going even faster. We may one day see even the most advanced games pushed out quickly. Personally, I don't need the latest tech. I just need to enjoy the game. Sometimes a simple game that is fun is better than a complex game that is not.
@@crpggamer That's what I've been saying for years! I don't need my games to be super long, massive or have the latest graphics I just want a good game with a satisfying length and a good art style to match the aesthetic.
This game will always hold a special place in my heart because I remember the excitement I felt when I got it as my Christmas gift the year it came out. It was a hot seller and not a cheap game. My parents knew how much I loved DW1 and made sure I got DW2. It couldn't have been easy for them to get, but they did. The game didn't disappoint either. Thanks bro for this great and honest review of a game I truly love.
Hey bro! Thanks for sharing, love hearing these old memories of childhood gaming joys! I'll bet it must have been a blast back then. And glad to see you around as always :)
@@AltercateTVI also noticed when you had the menu open which shows the crests you’ve collected you had only the moon crest, so when combined with the colon it made the smiley emoticon :)
This game proved your mettle like few others... 1991, 12-year-old me limping into the Rhone sanctuary with a dead Prince of Midenhall, dead prince of Cannock, and a barely-alive Princess of Moonbrooke... finding out it was instant revival, healing, and save point led to an unbelievable whoop of accomplishment from me & my best friend 😂 Still feels like one my greatest-ever feelings from gaming!
@AltercateTV I had the fold-out posters that had the cave maps, bestiary, and spell lists and would spread them out at the school cafeteria tables, studying them, planning out how to navigate the Sea Cave and Cave to Rhone with my friends. Man, that was the best. I don't recall where the posters came from (maybe Nintendo Power?), but I definitely still have them!
This was an excellent and even-handed review of this game. This game is imperfect but a true challenge if the highest order. Beating this game, even with a guide taking you where to go (assuming you're working out your own strategies in battles), is a legitimate accomplishment. I think this game is wonderful and it's annoying seeing people taking shots at it in recent years. I love how you think you're over-leveled and yet you're still scared as hell taking into that lighthouse knowing 5 dragonflies are going to come in, get the first attack, and all breathe fire on the whole party. This is the only rpg I've ever played where you have to anticipate destruction and plan to heal characters that have full health because you know they're gonna take damage the next turn.
I remember farming Metal Babbles (Liquid Metal Slimes) for the Dragon potion -- thinking I could have a save file right before Hargon, in order to avoid making the trek through Rhone each time I wanted to beat the game. Eventually I got the Dragon potion but it only recorded exp and gold, and started you back at the last save location (in my case Monolith of Rhone).
What a great video ☺️ DQII always seems to get forgotten being between I and III fantastic to see such a well produced piece of work celebrating the game.
This one was a ball buster. I think the combat difficulty would have been a lot better if the random battles were less. I'd rather have a couple difficult fights then the "battle every 3 steps" feel of NES rpgs. I had to use gameshark codes to turn off encounters in more than a few dungeons in DQ4.
Leaving a comment, as requested. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for DQ2, despite its balancing issues. I'm even a bit of a contrarian in that it's my favorite of the original 3. Can't wait to see how they tweak the game in the upcoming HD2D remake.
I have a feeling they're going to go all out on that DQ2 in particular. With the reputation DQ2 has, and the fact it's gonna close out the narrative of the Erdrick Trilogy, it kinda has to be as thrilling a conclusion as DQ3 was back in the day.
Really glad to see these high quality retrospectives before the DQ3 remake releases in a few months. I haven’t had the chance to play the NES era DQ games so this part of its history has been mostly unknown to me.
I never finished DQ2. I was too young and impatient when it came out. My dad beat it though and I watched him play, it is some of the strongest nostalgia I have.
I never beat this as a child - the crest search defeated me, so I never even got to Rhone (I've gone back since). But it was such a huge step up from DW1! You can see the growth that led to the masterpieces that would be DW 3&4.
Getting rhe Princess was a confounding process for me. I thought I needed the Dog out of town to get the treasure and I ended up grinding through the Tower of Wind and getting blocked from further progress. I also never got a chance to play DQ2 until much later, and having already played multiple sequels, a lot of items that are late-game in the future you nab really early. Also, the Crests were superior unfair and I absolutely appreciate the Orbs from 3, making the change into "at least they're actually in a chest" as opposed to "just keep using search until rng let's you find the item"
Haha, that's awesome. I can see how you'd think you're supposed to bring the dog out there somehow. Funny how puzzles can totally stump you if you draw the wrong conclusions!
I want to put the some effort on the comment because you certainly put A LOT of effort in those Dragon Quest reviews and, although I can't pay you to create content, I want you to see that your efforts are not in vain. As I said on your Dragon Quest I review, there aren't many lenghty youtube review/essays about the series, so it's very importabt what you are doing. Please, keep up with these high quality in depth videos, they're amazing and they're only bound to get better as the series only gets better after each and every release. I bet you'll have a wonderful review of DQIII, since it's considered one of the best games of all time. But, most of all, I really hope you're having fun and getting that rewarding feeling after finishing each game and each video because that's what's really important. I also loved that you touched on a subject that I personally feel, but I don't see much on the DQ forums and communities: you'll rarely 'get good' in these games. You mostly get lucky or you get bad luck doesn't matter how much you leveled or what you've equipped. I love the games, but you can't just overlevel and button mash you're way through. DQ will always keep ypu on your toes by throwing you some bad RNG and you'll have to adjust course on the fly. To this day I don't know how I feel about it, what I do know is that the fairytale-like stories and the colorful characters in towns justaposed by the evil villains make this series kne of my all time favourites! Thanks for your video!
Hey Rodrigo! Nice to see you again. Thank you so much for the very thoughtful and supportive comment. It's hearing things like this that gives me the motivation to keep doing what I do. This channel is passion project, and I greatly enjoy the process of making these videos, but it's also a TON of work, so I don't think I would be able to keep going if I thought no one cared. I really appreciate it. I'm near the end of DQIII now and it's been a blast. Looking forward to putting the video out sometime in the (hopefully not too distant) future! Thanks again, and take care.
After a decade and a half of contempt for Akira Toriyama's work, triggered by my watching of early Dragon Ball (up to before Piccolo) when I was a little kid much more impressed by the likes of Saint Seiya, Yu Yu Hakusho and Magic Knight Rayearth, my first few anime back then, I decided to play some DBZ games, namely Dragon Ball Z Legends for the PS1 and Tenkaichi Budokai 2 for the PS2. Slowly it began to grow on me. At first I thought (yes, as a little kid) that the transformation into a giant monkey was absurd (I still do, stuff like Attack on Titan has no chance with me), and that the much too simple way they used Ki was boring (like all being energy waves, some shot from their mouths). Remember, I didn't know DBZ back then. When I played Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Kuririn and Freeza instantly became my favorite characters because of the Kienzan and Freeza's similar technique. Then I got to know Yamcha's Soukidan and the brilliance that is the Kaioh Ken, and things began to change. Anyway, this is about Dragon Quest and not Dragon Ball. Anyway, the contempt spread to everything Toriyama, and so I never played Dragon Quest even at the height of my search for new JRPGs. Even if Chrono Trigger instantly became and continues to be my favorite game. But, like I said, in time I became much more acceptable to Toriyama's style and then I decided to play Dragon Quest I for the SNES. I had a blast, even if I felt quite "naked" not having a party. Only other turn-based game without a party I ever played was RPG Maker's Zu, which is also awesome (I loved the "endure at 0 HP" spell and it's application). I planned to play DQII right after that, but life got in the way. Then a few months ago I decided to play it again in the Android version, and to read Dragon Ball in it's completion. And then the guy went and passed away. I got really emotional, nostalgic for something I never lived. I finished Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest with new interest and now I'm kind of a fan myself. And this time I DID play DQII. I had another blast! Yes, it's a really simple game, a product of it's time. But so are Final Fantasy I and II which I love (III or even IV, not so much). Even if the cousins of the main character provide next to nothing when it comes to personality and story, the strategy that came with their presence, status and magic made de experience that much more interesting. Also, man, I loved exploring this world on foot. I almost came to hate whenever I had to get somewhere by ship, because the trek was so much better walking. Though the ship enabled my favorite part, when you have to journey to Slewse and then the Moon Tower. All the while I was thinking: do people really think this is the hardest game in the series? Well I'll cakewalk the rest then! And then I got to the final moments and felt the hit. And again, I played the Android version. I abused the quick save. It's an easier game overall. I really don't know how people made it in the original version. Though I myself beat FFIII in the SNES so I kind of understand. Malroth killed me dead so many times, not to mention that at least five times I didn't make it into the castle, only to die in that snow field. But in the end the overall experience was great, and I will definitely keep going through all the games in the series (except for DQX). I'm REALLY excited to play DQXI.
Great retrospective on Dragon Quest II! Despite it's reputation DQ2 is still a very important title in not only the Dragon Quest series, but RPGs in general. It showed that Dragon Quest wasn't just a one hit wonder and was a evolving, quality franchise worth playing. It experimented with multiple party members, multiple ways of traversal, enemy types, world map size, even the multiple overworld themes can be seen as progressive. Maybe today it's rough around the edges, and maybe some games from that era have aged better (like DQ3 and 4, Phantasy Star 1 and 2) but its still a great game worth playing. I played DQ2 a few years back with the Super Famicom remake, and I had a great time. Admittedly I used a guide shortly after getting the ship but that made the experience better overall. I didn't need to worry about getting lost and was always making progress in some way, and because of that I was able to beat it over a couple days, it was a surprising relaxing experience. Glad to see you continue with the Dragon Quest series! It keeps getting better and better from here on. I hope you enjoy going through Dragon Quest III. 😄
And it is worth noting that DQ was not a hit at all until DQ 2 came out. DQ sold okay in Japan, but it was not the succes they expected or desired. It wasn't until DQ 2 that the series exploded in popularity!
I love DQ 2 a lot. It has that kind of innocent adventure vibe that not many other games do. I think a big part of it for me is the party. Youre playing as a family; three cousins who don't really know each other well at first. This is actually the first jRPG where the cast is entirely made up of children. Maybe you could call them teenagers, but only if youre looking at the SNES art. The GBC illustrations made it clear again that these guys are young and imexperienced. The world they lived in up until the attack on Moonbrooke was one of peace; a peace of 100 years established by their ancestor. I could gush about the story and characters for a good while. Mother (Earthbound) was directly based off of DQ 2, but DQ did the party of kids first! It also has some of my favorite music in the series. Later games (3 and 4 for me) are smoother and feel better to play, but DQ 2 still holds up and absolutely has merit on its own. 😊
Well said! I'm playing DQ3 right now and while I do share the majority view that the game is a significant improvement over the second game in many ways, the sheer sense of adventure I got from DQ2 was actually stronger. The game frustrated me a lot, but it was also a truly unique experience.
Anytime I hear about how awful the development of this game was, I get queasy. I just can't imagine how stressful it was. Despite this games difficulty I have a soft spot for it. I am looking forward to 1, 2, and 3's remakes that are coming out soon! Great video!
You did a great job with this review. You look at it from every angle. I especially like the idea of "We need to pay attention to when games were released". This was also the case with the original Legend of Zelda, word of mouth to discover secrets and the hopes to build community through those shared adventures. Using the term "It doesn't hold up" is a sad statement, I find and is a cop-out. What was the reason why people back then could have not just enjoyed, but been enthralled by a highly acclaimed game? I played DWII on NES, SFC(thank you translations), and Switch most recently. Yes, each version got easier in its own way, but they each show an iteration of an idea and I do agree that the potential is fully there but isn't quite reached. I was hoping to hear your ideas for the remake, any thoughts on what they could do to spruce up an old classic without ripping its soul out?
Hey, nice to see you again! 😀 Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your thoughts. Regarding the HD-2D remake, I think it’s inevitable that the new version will be a very different experience from the original or even the SFC Remake. What I’m hoping for (probably in vain) is that they DON’T include a quick save/auto-save feature like in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters. I think it honestly breaks the spirit of the game to never have to worry about getting wiped out in a dungeon. Instead, what I’d personally want is for them to remake the dungeons, embellishing them with a bit more detail, variety, and maybe some puzzles, while cutting down on the amount of random encounters. They could take a cue from DQ3 here which already has some basic puzzle elements even in the Famicom version. I’d also enjoy a larger variety of equipment, so you get more meaningful treasure in dungeons and have something to save up for to buy in towns. This is the kind of stuff that makes even the most primitive old school RPG addictive imo. And maybe they could add a bit of dialogue and cut scenes to some of the key moments in the adventure. I feel that changes like these, while altering details of the original experience, would still retain the overall spirit of the original game!
@@AltercateTV Well said! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I largely agree with all of those ideas as well. Equipment is sparse in that game, and I would have liked if the Princess could equip Erdrick's Sword as well, that way it sees use in the hands of each of the three. I do think more cutscenes and characterizations would have helped, the event in that city closest to Rhone that causes the Prince to require a Yggdrasill Leaf is a really nice touch, but that was all they really added in terms of new story content in any version. I would have liked something like that for each location, or maybe even a character chat function like every DQ game has had since DQ5 if I recall, so that you get a clearer idea of the kind of people the characters are.
I just realized that this video dropped recently. Just beat DQ1 (SFC Remake) last week and started DQ2. Decided to stop and grind levels and gold right after I got access to the ship. I’m taking my time as I’m looking forward to going into DQ3 for the first time ever when the HD2D remake drops.
At least you should not have to deal with the monster medel fiasco of the GBC port. Only did the silver metals to unlock grand dragon and beat it in less than 25 turns.
Dragon Warrior II was the first JRPG I ever played and it put me off so much I actually refused the elusive and excellent 4th release at bargain price when I was 11. Later I got a copy in my 30s and have actually beaten it twice. It takes a special kind of patience to survive and thrive in Rhone. Im doing a lets play of it on my youtube channel and im up to 44 parts now of 30 minute episodes due to me showing my work and not editing out the grinding.
@@AltercateTV Lol, funny you just commented, just beat it. My ending video comes out in October (I'm making some Tandy 1000A PC game vids for #SepTandy - always kinda' wished there was a port of Dragon Quest for DOS.)
Leaving my comment for engagement, already hit the like button. Your videos are really well researched and insightful and I hope you continue to make more! Especially on the Dragon Quest series in particular, I just finished my first playthrough of DQ2 and I'd love to hear your thoughts on part 3 after I finish it next
I'm trying it right now. This is the best way I can explain it. I couldn't continue playing DQ1 it was just one character and fighting one monster. It was beyond generic it was too two dimensional. There is of course some strat to what spells you used against said enemy but that was about it. Defending in that game was pointless since there wasn't someone to heal you while you were defending. DQ2 on the other hand is a massive improvement and actually started what made turn based RPGs so great. You get 3 characters, each being different from the other 2, combining their various specialties to making great team work fights. You got the hero who can equip the best gear and weapons in the game but he can't use magic at all having virtually no MP, has the highest HP, defense and hits the hardest with basic attack, many times obliterating enemies with one hit. The Prince of Cannock can equip some of the good gear the hero can use and has a decent attack power - hits enemies pretty hard just not as hard as the hero but he can use magic, has MP, seems to have a lot of niche abilities like escaping dungeons and returning to last save point as well as a way to protect you from damage from certain tiles. He kind of feels like a cleric but has some attack magic as well. The Princess of Moonbrook seems to start out like support but she has a lot of debuffs she can put on the enemies as well as attack magic, she's heavily focused on magic with high MP but she levels very poorly and can equip the least gear and weapons. They all come together with their strengths to cover each other's weaknesses. The way the map is laid out. Unlike other RPGs that are straight forward theme park rides, this was kind of gives you an open world to explore. In the beginning there are set motives then after a while you have to talk to NPCs to figure out where to go. Up until finding the prince and princess the challenge to find out where you're supposed to go is at an intermediate level but once you get them you have no idea what you should do. You have to explore the whole world to eventually find portals, a ship and then a NPC to advise you to find the crests. You do know you have to find this guy named Hargon and defeat him but that's it. The other things take a lot of wandering to figure out. There is no time limit but the encounter rate is a bit brutal making exploring kind of annoying. That is the only complaint I have. The Repel spell does help a bit but it only works outside of dungeons. Fair enough. This was at the time of "figure it out." I do think I got a World Map but I think I got it near the end of the game so kind of pointless. The game rewards you for exploring and that's something missing in nowadays RPGs.
49:35 trying to introduce modern JRPG ideas that makes the difficulty less difficult is so not like Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest is like an adventure and like real life adventures, it’s supposed to be more difficult and dangerous if you’re going in a grand adventure and trying to minimize it makes it less so.
Finally! Here it is - my retrospective review of Dragon Quest II. Hope you enjoy, and let me know what your thoughts are about this classic game.
(This video would have been out two months earlier if it hadn't been for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lol.)
As always, thanks so much for supporting me! 😍
I'm still butthurt that the wii collection that had the OG famicom versions was not released in NA at all..... Would have loved to legit play DQ2 on a concole in the O format and difficulty. Had to settle for DQ11 with all those disabilities activated for a challenge mode.
31:24 HCBailly I believe ran into a group of green dragons, barely got away, then ran into another group almost immediately.
That one is absolutely brutal 😂
I was let's playing this last month bum rushing the cave to Rhone exit.....same spot as HCbailey praying to myself "no green dragons", lol
It was the first JRPG that has a party system way before FF1 came out in December 1987.
Stop everything you’re doing guys, a new AltercateTV Dragon Quest retrospective dropped!
❤
Watching this while playing FF7 rebirth.
Looking back at DQII it's crazy to think that the game was made in less than 8 months from the first game!
That isn't something you really see nowadays since games have only gotten bigger and longer to make, but back in the 1980's and 90's it was still possible to make game follow-ups in only just a single year or 2 while still being an improvement or even better than the previous game. And while DQII has it's fair share of issues I still liked the game and how it was even the first game to introduce the concept of gaining party members throughout the game which is among my favorite aspects of JRPGs in games like Suikoden.
Thanks for continuing this series and I'm really looking forward to your review of Dragon Quest III and how it concludes the Loto / Erdrick Trilogy!
Nice to see you Gavin :) Yeah, I think this game deserves a lot of credit for what it meant at the time! I'm near the end of DQ3 right now. It'll be a while before I can get the video out but it'll come sooner or later!
@@AltercateTV After hearing your struggles and frustrations with the game it must have been incredibly relieving to play Dragon Quest III after the 2nd game, that certainly was the case for me back when I played these back-to-back for the first time.
@@gavinlucas9761 Haha yeah. DQ3 still has an insane amounts of random encounters, but the game feels SO much more fair... And the game actually gets easier if you spend a little time leveling up this time!
I think that also includes modern amenities like being able to increase UI size and other accessibility options. Not all games today are 3D or use the latest technology. Many 2D games are successful and are pushed our fairly quickly. With AI things are going even faster. We may one day see even the most advanced games pushed out quickly. Personally, I don't need the latest tech. I just need to enjoy the game. Sometimes a simple game that is fun is better than a complex game that is not.
@@crpggamer That's what I've been saying for years! I don't need my games to be super long, massive or have the latest graphics I just want a good game with a satisfying length and a good art style to match the aesthetic.
Thank you so much for this upload!
Glad you liked it! :)
This game will always hold a special place in my heart because I remember the excitement I felt when I got it as my Christmas gift the year it came out. It was a hot seller and not a cheap game. My parents knew how much I loved DW1 and made sure I got DW2. It couldn't have been easy for them to get, but they did. The game didn't disappoint either. Thanks bro for this great and honest review of a game I truly love.
Hey bro! Thanks for sharing, love hearing these old memories of childhood gaming joys! I'll bet it must have been a blast back then. And glad to see you around as always :)
I had to pretend to be surprised because I knew where my parents hid gifts and I was so excited I couldn’t help but peek lol😂
@@CatVisionTM I know that feeling! 😂
@@AltercateTVI also noticed when you had the menu open which shows the crests you’ve collected you had only the moon crest, so when combined with the colon it made the smiley emoticon :)
@@CatVisionTM Lol, I didn't think of that! :)
This game proved your mettle like few others... 1991, 12-year-old me limping into the Rhone sanctuary with a dead Prince of Midenhall, dead prince of Cannock, and a barely-alive Princess of Moonbrooke... finding out it was instant revival, healing, and save point led to an unbelievable whoop of accomplishment from me & my best friend 😂 Still feels like one my greatest-ever feelings from gaming!
I can totally see that! Arriving safely at the shrine in Rhone is an amazing feeling after finally getting through the horror of the Cave to Rhone 😂
@AltercateTV I had the fold-out posters that had the cave maps, bestiary, and spell lists and would spread them out at the school cafeteria tables, studying them, planning out how to navigate the Sea Cave and Cave to Rhone with my friends. Man, that was the best. I don't recall where the posters came from (maybe Nintendo Power?), but I definitely still have them!
@@nathanlenneman2805 Thanks for sharing, sounds like awesome memories :)
This was an excellent and even-handed review of this game. This game is imperfect but a true challenge if the highest order. Beating this game, even with a guide taking you where to go (assuming you're working out your own strategies in battles), is a legitimate accomplishment. I think this game is wonderful and it's annoying seeing people taking shots at it in recent years. I love how you think you're over-leveled and yet you're still scared as hell taking into that lighthouse knowing 5 dragonflies are going to come in, get the first attack, and all breathe fire on the whole party. This is the only rpg I've ever played where you have to anticipate destruction and plan to heal characters that have full health because you know they're gonna take damage the next turn.
Yep, it's a unique experience for sure! Thank you for the kind words. :)
Love the channel! Excited to watch
Thank you!
I remember farming Metal Babbles (Liquid Metal Slimes) for the Dragon potion -- thinking I could have a save file right before Hargon, in order to avoid making the trek through Rhone each time I wanted to beat the game. Eventually I got the Dragon potion but it only recorded exp and gold, and started you back at the last save location (in my case Monolith of Rhone).
Just watching these DQ retrospecs is getting me so impatiently hyped for the dq3 hd2d remake and the follow-up dq1-2 hd2d remakes coming
Definitely looking forward to it!
As a newcomer to the DQ series I see alot of people write this game off, much respect for looking at the game from a perspective of when it released!
Thank you!
What a great video ☺️ DQII always seems to get forgotten being between I and III fantastic to see such a well produced piece of work celebrating the game.
Thank you so much! That's very nice to hear 😀
This one was a ball buster. I think the combat difficulty would have been a lot better if the random battles were less. I'd rather have a couple difficult fights then the "battle every 3 steps" feel of NES rpgs. I had to use gameshark codes to turn off encounters in more than a few dungeons in DQ4.
For sure! The worst part of the game is when the random encounters come too close together...
DW 1 had to crawl so DW 2 could walk so DW 3 could SOAR
Thanks for these. Scratches the itch to replay some classic DQ when I don't have the time.
Hey, glad you liked them! :)
Leaving a comment, as requested. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for DQ2, despite its balancing issues. I'm even a bit of a contrarian in that it's my favorite of the original 3. Can't wait to see how they tweak the game in the upcoming HD2D remake.
Same! I'm very interested to see what they're going to change (and what they're NOT)!
@@AltercateTV Too bad the HD2D would not have an unlock of the OG titles or something.
I have a feeling they're going to go all out on that DQ2 in particular. With the reputation DQ2 has, and the fact it's gonna close out the narrative of the Erdrick Trilogy, it kinda has to be as thrilling a conclusion as DQ3 was back in the day.
Really glad to see these high quality retrospectives before the DQ3 remake releases in a few months. I haven’t had the chance to play the NES era DQ games so this part of its history has been mostly unknown to me.
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! :)
I never finished DQ2. I was too young and impatient when it came out. My dad beat it though and I watched him play, it is some of the strongest nostalgia I have.
It's definitely a game that demands patience lol
Really Nice Video.
I have finished this game, The Nes, Snes And the Gameboy Color Version as well
Can't Wait For DQIII✌️
Thank you! :)
I never beat this as a child - the crest search defeated me, so I never even got to Rhone (I've gone back since). But it was such a huge step up from DW1! You can see the growth that led to the masterpieces that would be DW 3&4.
For sure! DQ2 was a big step up for the series, even if it didn't do everything right.
Awesome video, I hope you can continue to make more, especially about Dragon Quest.
Getting rhe Princess was a confounding process for me. I thought I needed the Dog out of town to get the treasure and I ended up grinding through the Tower of Wind and getting blocked from further progress. I also never got a chance to play DQ2 until much later, and having already played multiple sequels, a lot of items that are late-game in the future you nab really early. Also, the Crests were superior unfair and I absolutely appreciate the Orbs from 3, making the change into "at least they're actually in a chest" as opposed to "just keep using search until rng let's you find the item"
Haha, that's awesome. I can see how you'd think you're supposed to bring the dog out there somehow. Funny how puzzles can totally stump you if you draw the wrong conclusions!
I love these kinds of videos. I hope you go through the whole series!
I want to put the some effort on the comment because you certainly put A LOT of effort in those Dragon Quest reviews and, although I can't pay you to create content, I want you to see that your efforts are not in vain. As I said on your Dragon Quest I review, there aren't many lenghty youtube review/essays about the series, so it's very importabt what you are doing. Please, keep up with these high quality in depth videos, they're amazing and they're only bound to get better as the series only gets better after each and every release. I bet you'll have a wonderful review of DQIII, since it's considered one of the best games of all time. But, most of all, I really hope you're having fun and getting that rewarding feeling after finishing each game and each video because that's what's really important.
I also loved that you touched on a subject that I personally feel, but I don't see much on the DQ forums and communities: you'll rarely 'get good' in these games. You mostly get lucky or you get bad luck doesn't matter how much you leveled or what you've equipped. I love the games, but you can't just overlevel and button mash you're way through. DQ will always keep ypu on your toes by throwing you some bad RNG and you'll have to adjust course on the fly. To this day I don't know how I feel about it, what I do know is that the fairytale-like stories and the colorful characters in towns justaposed by the evil villains make this series kne of my all time favourites! Thanks for your video!
Hey Rodrigo! Nice to see you again. Thank you so much for the very thoughtful and supportive comment. It's hearing things like this that gives me the motivation to keep doing what I do. This channel is passion project, and I greatly enjoy the process of making these videos, but it's also a TON of work, so I don't think I would be able to keep going if I thought no one cared. I really appreciate it.
I'm near the end of DQIII now and it's been a blast. Looking forward to putting the video out sometime in the (hopefully not too distant) future! Thanks again, and take care.
Thank you very much for the incredible effort that has gone into this. It is a wonderful view into the early days of JRPGs.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Great video. I never beat this game but watching this video makes me want to try again
Thank you! Good luck if you decide to give it a shot :)
After a decade and a half of contempt for Akira Toriyama's work, triggered by my watching of early Dragon Ball (up to before Piccolo) when I was a little kid much more impressed by the likes of Saint Seiya, Yu Yu Hakusho and Magic Knight Rayearth, my first few anime back then, I decided to play some DBZ games, namely Dragon Ball Z Legends for the PS1 and Tenkaichi Budokai 2 for the PS2. Slowly it began to grow on me. At first I thought (yes, as a little kid) that the transformation into a giant monkey was absurd (I still do, stuff like Attack on Titan has no chance with me), and that the much too simple way they used Ki was boring (like all being energy waves, some shot from their mouths). Remember, I didn't know DBZ back then. When I played Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Kuririn and Freeza instantly became my favorite characters because of the Kienzan and Freeza's similar technique. Then I got to know Yamcha's Soukidan and the brilliance that is the Kaioh Ken, and things began to change. Anyway, this is about Dragon Quest and not Dragon Ball.
Anyway, the contempt spread to everything Toriyama, and so I never played Dragon Quest even at the height of my search for new JRPGs. Even if Chrono Trigger instantly became and continues to be my favorite game. But, like I said, in time I became much more acceptable to Toriyama's style and then I decided to play Dragon Quest I for the SNES. I had a blast, even if I felt quite "naked" not having a party. Only other turn-based game without a party I ever played was RPG Maker's Zu, which is also awesome (I loved the "endure at 0 HP" spell and it's application). I planned to play DQII right after that, but life got in the way. Then a few months ago I decided to play it again in the Android version, and to read Dragon Ball in it's completion. And then the guy went and passed away. I got really emotional, nostalgic for something I never lived. I finished Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest with new interest and now I'm kind of a fan myself. And this time I DID play DQII. I had another blast!
Yes, it's a really simple game, a product of it's time. But so are Final Fantasy I and II which I love (III or even IV, not so much). Even if the cousins of the main character provide next to nothing when it comes to personality and story, the strategy that came with their presence, status and magic made de experience that much more interesting. Also, man, I loved exploring this world on foot. I almost came to hate whenever I had to get somewhere by ship, because the trek was so much better walking. Though the ship enabled my favorite part, when you have to journey to Slewse and then the Moon Tower. All the while I was thinking: do people really think this is the hardest game in the series? Well I'll cakewalk the rest then! And then I got to the final moments and felt the hit. And again, I played the Android version. I abused the quick save. It's an easier game overall. I really don't know how people made it in the original version. Though I myself beat FFIII in the SNES so I kind of understand. Malroth killed me dead so many times, not to mention that at least five times I didn't make it into the castle, only to die in that snow field.
But in the end the overall experience was great, and I will definitely keep going through all the games in the series (except for DQX). I'm REALLY excited to play DQXI.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Good luck with the games and have fun :)
Your retrospective was fantastic. Well done.
Thank you! :)
So much fun, but now we have to wait for the third video on the trilogy!
Thank you! I'll do my best to make the wait shorter 😂
Never played the game, still found the video great, great video!
Thank you my friend :)
Great retrospective on Dragon Quest II!
Despite it's reputation DQ2 is still a very important title in not only the Dragon Quest series, but RPGs in general. It showed that Dragon Quest wasn't just a one hit wonder and was a evolving, quality franchise worth playing. It experimented with multiple party members, multiple ways of traversal, enemy types, world map size, even the multiple overworld themes can be seen as progressive. Maybe today it's rough around the edges, and maybe some games from that era have aged better (like DQ3 and 4, Phantasy Star 1 and 2) but its still a great game worth playing.
I played DQ2 a few years back with the Super Famicom remake, and I had a great time. Admittedly I used a guide shortly after getting the ship but that made the experience better overall. I didn't need to worry about getting lost and was always making progress in some way, and because of that I was able to beat it over a couple days, it was a surprising relaxing experience.
Glad to see you continue with the Dragon Quest series! It keeps getting better and better from here on. I hope you enjoy going through Dragon Quest III. 😄
And it is worth noting that DQ was not a hit at all until DQ 2 came out. DQ sold okay in Japan, but it was not the succes they expected or desired. It wasn't until DQ 2 that the series exploded in popularity!
Thank you for the kinds words! I'm near the end of DQ3 and it's been a lot of fun. :)
Woohoo!! Quality work as always bro! Well done!
Thanks bro, much love!
I love DQ 2 a lot. It has that kind of innocent adventure vibe that not many other games do.
I think a big part of it for me is the party. Youre playing as a family; three cousins who don't really know each other well at first.
This is actually the first jRPG where the cast is entirely made up of children. Maybe you could call them teenagers, but only if youre looking at the SNES art. The GBC illustrations made it clear again that these guys are young and imexperienced. The world they lived in up until the attack on Moonbrooke was one of peace; a peace of 100 years established by their ancestor.
I could gush about the story and characters for a good while.
Mother (Earthbound) was directly based off of DQ 2, but DQ did the party of kids first!
It also has some of my favorite music in the series.
Later games (3 and 4 for me) are smoother and feel better to play, but DQ 2 still holds up and absolutely has merit on its own.
😊
Well said! I'm playing DQ3 right now and while I do share the majority view that the game is a significant improvement over the second game in many ways, the sheer sense of adventure I got from DQ2 was actually stronger. The game frustrated me a lot, but it was also a truly unique experience.
I am currently playing VII remake for 3DS and It's my 1st DQ. Really enjoying your reviews!
Thanks! Glad to hear that :)
Anytime I hear about how awful the development of this game was, I get queasy. I just can't imagine how stressful it was. Despite this games difficulty I have a soft spot for it. I am looking forward to 1, 2, and 3's remakes that are coming out soon! Great video!
Thank you so much! :)
You did a great job with this review. You look at it from every angle. I especially like the idea of "We need to pay attention to when games were released". This was also the case with the original Legend of Zelda, word of mouth to discover secrets and the hopes to build community through those shared adventures. Using the term "It doesn't hold up" is a sad statement, I find and is a cop-out. What was the reason why people back then could have not just enjoyed, but been enthralled by a highly acclaimed game?
I played DWII on NES, SFC(thank you translations), and Switch most recently. Yes, each version got easier in its own way, but they each show an iteration of an idea and I do agree that the potential is fully there but isn't quite reached.
I was hoping to hear your ideas for the remake, any thoughts on what they could do to spruce up an old classic without ripping its soul out?
Hey, nice to see you again! 😀 Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your thoughts.
Regarding the HD-2D remake, I think it’s inevitable that the new version will be a very different experience from the original or even the SFC Remake. What I’m hoping for (probably in vain) is that they DON’T include a quick save/auto-save feature like in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters. I think it honestly breaks the spirit of the game to never have to worry about getting wiped out in a dungeon.
Instead, what I’d personally want is for them to remake the dungeons, embellishing them with a bit more detail, variety, and maybe some puzzles, while cutting down on the amount of random encounters. They could take a cue from DQ3 here which already has some basic puzzle elements even in the Famicom version.
I’d also enjoy a larger variety of equipment, so you get more meaningful treasure in dungeons and have something to save up for to buy in towns. This is the kind of stuff that makes even the most primitive old school RPG addictive imo. And maybe they could add a bit of dialogue and cut scenes to some of the key moments in the adventure.
I feel that changes like these, while altering details of the original experience, would still retain the overall spirit of the original game!
@@AltercateTV Well said! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I largely agree with all of those ideas as well. Equipment is sparse in that game, and I would have liked if the Princess could equip Erdrick's Sword as well, that way it sees use in the hands of each of the three. I do think more cutscenes and characterizations would have helped, the event in that city closest to Rhone that causes the Prince to require a Yggdrasill Leaf is a really nice touch, but that was all they really added in terms of new story content in any version. I would have liked something like that for each location, or maybe even a character chat function like every DQ game has had since DQ5 if I recall, so that you get a clearer idea of the kind of people the characters are.
I just realized that this video dropped recently. Just beat DQ1 (SFC Remake) last week and started DQ2. Decided to stop and grind levels and gold right after I got access to the ship. I’m taking my time as I’m looking forward to going into DQ3 for the first time ever when the HD2D remake drops.
At least you should not have to deal with the monster medel fiasco of the GBC port. Only did the silver metals to unlock grand dragon and beat it in less than 25 turns.
The SFC version is a lot of fun! Glad to hear you're enjoying your time with it :)
Dragon Warrior II was the first JRPG I ever played and it put me off so much I actually refused the elusive and excellent 4th release at bargain price when I was 11.
Later I got a copy in my 30s and have actually beaten it twice. It takes a special kind of patience to survive and thrive in Rhone. Im doing a lets play of it on my youtube channel and im up to 44 parts now of 30 minute episodes due to me showing my work and not editing out the grinding.
Thanks for sharing! Good luck with the endgame lol
@@AltercateTV Lol, funny you just commented, just beat it. My ending video comes out in October (I'm making some Tandy 1000A PC game vids for #SepTandy - always kinda' wished there was a port of Dragon Quest for DOS.)
amazing!! great videos man.
Thank you!
Leaving my comment for engagement, already hit the like button. Your videos are really well researched and insightful and I hope you continue to make more! Especially on the Dragon Quest series in particular, I just finished my first playthrough of DQ2 and I'd love to hear your thoughts on part 3 after I finish it next
Thank you for your kind words! I'm planning to cover all over the Dragon Quest games eventually :)
I'm trying it right now. This is the best way I can explain it.
I couldn't continue playing DQ1 it was just one character and fighting one monster. It was beyond generic it was too two dimensional. There is of course some strat to what spells you used against said enemy but that was about it. Defending in that game was pointless since there wasn't someone to heal you while you were defending. DQ2 on the other hand is a massive improvement and actually started what made turn based RPGs so great. You get 3 characters, each being different from the other 2, combining their various specialties to making great team work fights. You got the hero who can equip the best gear and weapons in the game but he can't use magic at all having virtually no MP, has the highest HP, defense and hits the hardest with basic attack, many times obliterating enemies with one hit. The Prince of Cannock can equip some of the good gear the hero can use and has a decent attack power - hits enemies pretty hard just not as hard as the hero but he can use magic, has MP, seems to have a lot of niche abilities like escaping dungeons and returning to last save point as well as a way to protect you from damage from certain tiles. He kind of feels like a cleric but has some attack magic as well. The Princess of Moonbrook seems to start out like support but she has a lot of debuffs she can put on the enemies as well as attack magic, she's heavily focused on magic with high MP but she levels very poorly and can equip the least gear and weapons. They all come together with their strengths to cover each other's weaknesses.
The way the map is laid out. Unlike other RPGs that are straight forward theme park rides, this was kind of gives you an open world to explore. In the beginning there are set motives then after a while you have to talk to NPCs to figure out where to go. Up until finding the prince and princess the challenge to find out where you're supposed to go is at an intermediate level but once you get them you have no idea what you should do. You have to explore the whole world to eventually find portals, a ship and then a NPC to advise you to find the crests. You do know you have to find this guy named Hargon and defeat him but that's it. The other things take a lot of wandering to figure out. There is no time limit but the encounter rate is a bit brutal making exploring kind of annoying. That is the only complaint I have. The Repel spell does help a bit but it only works outside of dungeons. Fair enough. This was at the time of "figure it out." I do think I got a World Map but I think I got it near the end of the game so kind of pointless. The game rewards you for exploring and that's something missing in nowadays RPGs.
Great review!
Thanks! :)
49:35 trying to introduce modern JRPG ideas that makes the difficulty less difficult is so not like Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest is like an adventure and like real life adventures, it’s supposed to be more difficult and dangerous if you’re going in a grand adventure and trying to minimize it makes it less so.
FFX as the top 1? These fans are crazy 🤣
😂
I'll not buy DQ III HD-2D, i will buy DQ I e II HD-2D though
Any reasons you’re not getting DQ III HD-2D as well?