Editor's note: It's extremely hard to keep up with the rush of games. It feels even harder to do so this year, with so many games pushed from the recent holiday season. Antonio finds it difficult, too, and he uses what I think is a clever gaming analogy to convey this idea. -Jason
Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King for the PlayStation 2 introduced me to the Dragon Quest series. Since then I've learned more one of Japan's most beloved role-playing franchises, immersing myself in Dragon Quest 4 and Dragon Quest 5. And I love them both. They don't have the polished look of the upcoming Final Fantasy 13 or the dynamic environments of Dragon Age: Origins, but Dragon Quest is something more, something no other RPG has pulled off before: Dragon Quest is me.
The relationship isn't too complicated. It's similar to some of Microsoft's latest advertisements. These ads attempt to blur the line between the PC and its user; they suggest people should form their identities based on the products they use. Each Windows ad ends with a simple statement: "Hi, I'm Matt, and I'm a PC." In the same manner, I say: "Hi, I'm Antonio, and I'm a Dragon Quest."
While its rival Final Fantasy continues to shake up their franchise with each new installment (much to the disappointment of some gamers), Dragon Quest sticks with the same formula since its conception in the late 1980s: until Dragon Quest 9 the series has consistently maintained its turn-based combat and random enemy encounters. The franchise is the woman who doesn't change her style because Fashion magazine tells her to do so. She changes on her terms: One day she slips on a bracelet to see how it feels, then lets her hair down, and then wears jeans instead of a dress. That's also how I am as a gamer.
Ever since this generation of consoles started, I've felt like I've been behind. I don't read previews and reviews of the biggest games as much as I used to three years ago. Now, I read about games that interest me, regardless of how little video-game journalists talk about them or how current they are. While gamers are screaming about Bayonetta, BioShock 2, Mass Effect 2, and Dante's Inferno, I'm still living in 2009, thinking about playing Scribblenauts. The World Ends with You came out in the spring of 2008; I bought and finished it the following year. Gamers love the new version of Xbox Live with its Netflix and Facebook accounts added to it. I keep telling people that I plan on jumping on the bandwagon; instead, I spend my money on Nintendo DS games that have been out for awhile. I take my time getting to the latest video games.
I'm sometimes perturbed by how quickly the media eats through each release of major video games. 1UP raved about Mass Effect 2 this week, and then they'll move on to BioShock 2 or Dante's Inferno. These games won't be entirely pushed to the back after their release; they'll appear in SuperGuides from MyCheats, and gamers will talk about them in their blogs and on message boards. But everything comes so quickly that it's hard to keep up. And with the release of so many games, one after the other, gamers had better have a lot of cash in their checking account and the time to play them. More than likely, gamers who are excited about this year's opening big hits will complain a few months later about their backlogs and make a point to clean it out.
Dragon Quest fights against the tide of changing quickly: Yes, Square Enix is doing a lot with Final Fantasy. Yes, a lot of big games are coming out with great visuals and stories. Project Natal will probably change interactive entertainment. But Dragon Quest 9 is only now taking advantage of trends that have been around for years: action role-playing and online multiplayer. Some might ask "What took so long?" The answer is "Nothing. We just like to move at our own pace."
I move at my own pace. I'll concentrate on the games I like (BioShock 2 and Final Fantasy 13), but I'll take my time getting to them. I probably won't buy them until this summer when used copies are available on Amazon, but that's fine; those games aren't going anywhere any time soon. I'll continue playing last year's big titles and squeeze them into my schedule between the stories I have to read and the papers I have to write for college.
Some gamers are Final Fantasy: They buy Mass Effect 2, even though they haven't finished Bayonetta; they buy BioShock 2 while they're in the middle of playing Final Fantasy 13. It's too much change at a rapid pace. Some gamers can handle this lifestyle. I can not, which is why I proudly introduce myself by saying, "Hi, I'm Antonio, and I'm a Dragon Quest."
What are you?
