Before limit breaks, materia, junctions and all that mess that the Final Fantasy series has given us, there used to be four options in most RPGs. Fight, run, spell, item. Dragon Quest (released as Dragon Warrior in the USA on the NES) was a pioneer in the console RPG genre. Dragon Quest also gave hope to the multitudes of children such as myself that loved video games, yet may not have had the eye hand coordination or dexterity required to beat the Contra 3s or Devil May Cry’s of the gaming world. Recently, SquareEnix has given me a time machine back to my childhood, in the form of Dragon Quest VIII, for the Playstation 2.

If you are reading this, you have probably already read many reviews of Dragon Quest VIII. You probably already know about the stellar graphics, impressive (though a bit repetitive) musical score, the take it or leave it voice acting, and the plot that tips its hat to the classic days of RPGs. I'm not going to go over that again. What I would like to convey is how this title proves that you do not need new combat systems, ridiculously complex plots, or nuns in S&M outfits to produce a wonderfully immersive and addictive RPG experience.

Why are we not seeing more of this from developers? It seems that as the cost of developing a blockbuster title has increased over the years, game publishers want RPGs that attempt to appease to a wider audience than just the hardcore RPGer. Hence the advent of the action RPG, the off the wall combat systems in other games and over the top graphics all around. This has alienated the original target audience that just wanted some simple gameplay and a great story.

The return of old school RPGs is dependant on the success of Dragon Quest VIII. If the gaming community turns out to support titles like this with both their praise and their dollar, then maybe we will see the return of great stories and exploration to the American shores, instead of the interactive movies that have dominated the market as of late. Personally, I would prefer to fight, run, spell and item my way through one well done game such as DQ8, than junction my materia into a guardian force through several of the 'interactive movies' the mainstream is demanding. Or maybe both types of RPGs can live in harmony. Only time will tell.