Do you love the idea of the next Dragon Quest being on the DS? Yeah, me too. Japanese gamers, however, don’t seem all that thrilled by this development. Famitsu recently conducted a survey to see if Japanese gamers welcomed Dragon Quest IX on the the DS. Suprisingly, the response they received wasn’t exactly very positive:
“Do you welcome Dragon Quest IX on Nintendo DS? Does it make you happy? Are you in love with the very idea of it?”
40.3% say “Yes”
46% say “No”
5.2% say “Neither”
8.5% say “I’m not sure yet
However, when the same poll was taken by retailers, the results were very different:
47.5% — Yes
22.5% — Neither yes nor no
10% — Not sure yet
20% — No
Well, at least retailers in Japan know that the best-selling console ever and the best-selling franchise ever belong together. Really, it doesn’t take much thought to figure out why Square shifted the franchise to the DS. Although, I have to admit, I do share the same concerns as the fans who are a little skeptical about the game being an action-RPG.
“Do you like the idea of action-based battles in a Dragon Quest game? Will they change your world for the better?”
6.8% say “Neither yes nor no”
19.9% say “I’m not sure yet”
19.4% say “Yes”
53.9% say “No”
But in all fairness, this is the exact same thing that happened when the DS was first announced. Everyone expected the PSP to kick its ass and spit in the eye of its dead corpse. Fast-forward to the present, and I think it’s safe to say we’re witnessing the exact opposite. Concerns about an FPS on the DS (Metroid Prime Hunters) were also voiced, and that turned out just fine, too. I have yet to see something the DS can’t do.
You can check out more responses to the game at Insert Credit, including some very interesting detailed reader opinions. I can’t say I was surprised by the response. After all, shifting an RPG from a home console to a handheld is a risky move, but it’s the DS, damn it! In all seriousness, guys … I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Square wouldn’t screw up one of their best franchises and Nintendo wouldn’t let them put a shitty game on the DS, so it’s all good.
Many thanks to NamelessTed for the tip. You’re awesome, dude!
P.S: Yes, I know those people are Chinese. I just liked the pic.
