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[mutsu]

And we've seen NONE OF IT? I doubt that.
I'd bet design and story writing are done, yes, but without seeing anything visually (which in modern games is the longest part of most game productions), I'd bet we have a chance that it could go to Wii U, IF (and it's still a big if) Nintendo got to the team early enough to offer them the chance to switch platforms.
And the structural differences between a DVD and high-density disc isn't the same as cart to CD was.

It's not like porting a game from SD to HD takes no effort... And it's not like making a Dragon Quest mainline game takes no effort... Given the fact that other big name developers just got their kit not too long ago, I would say it's impossible to port the game over to Wii U.

It will still be on the Wii. DQ does not need to depend on anything. It will sell no matter which platform it is on.

Though I still stand by the fact that if it is a Wii game and it is inside the launch window of Wii U, then it would be a really good positive factor to drive Wii U sales in Japan.

 

[Bel Marduk]

I didn't say they've done NOTHING. I said they hadn't done enough to make scrapping and restarting the visuals no longer an option. Thanks for putting words in my mouth, though.

And no, not on vacation... they've been making DQ Monsters Joker 2 and Professional.

And how long of a wait between from first visuals released to the public to game release have we seen with past mainline DQ games? Gimme a ballpark from past examples.

In the very first post of the thread:

Yuji Horii: All we can say is that development is going well and we're on the last parts of the game.

 

[Terrell]

TOSE makes the Dragon Quest Monsters games.

TOSE CODES the DQ Monsters games. Just like Level 5 did the coding for DQVIII. And Heartbeat did the coding for DQVI/VII. And Chunsoft did the coding for DQV.

... do you see where I'm going with this?

 

[Terrell]

It's not like porting a game from SD to HD takes no effort... And it's not like making a Dragon Quest mainline game takes no effort... Given the fact that other big name developers just got their kit not too long ago, I would say it's impossible to port the game over to Wii U.

It will still be on the Wii. DQ does not need to depend on anything. It will sell no matter which platform it is on.

Though I still stand by the fact that if it is a Wii game and it is inside the launch window of Wii U, then it would be a really good positive factor to drive Wii U sales in Japan.

I didn't suggest it didn't. I'm merely trying to see the logic of people saying "it's almost done" when nothing's been shown of it. At all. Since 2008 when it was announced.

So what, they'll show it at TGS and release it a month later? It's "almost finished", after all.

Seriously, if they're already finished, they could have shown it at last year's TGS. And they didn't. Not a speck of it.

 

[Tron 2.0]

...Though I still stand by the fact that if it is a Wii game and it is inside the launch window of Wii U, then it would be a really good positive factor to drive Wii U sales in Japan.

Won't the majority just play it on the console they already own?

 

[Instro]

Obviously its still a Wii game, they are going to stick with the platform with the largest Japanese userbase. That said it doesn't necessarily rule out some sort of dual release with the WiiU, particularly in the West where it might fair better if it releases on both Wii and WiiU.

 

[Aeana]

TOSE CODES the DQ Monsters games. Just like Level 5 did the coding for DQVIII. And Heartbeat did the coding for DQVI/VII. And Chunsoft did the coding for DQV.

... do you see where I'm going with this?

No. Spinoffs and mainline games are not handled the same way at all in this series. Horii generally has nothing to do with spinoffs with a few exceptions: the very first Dragon Quest Monsters and Dragon Quest Swords.

 

[Terrell]

No. Spinoffs and mainline games are not handled the same way at all in this series. Horii generally has nothing to do with spinoffs with a few exceptions: the very first Dragon Quest Monsters and Dragon Quest Swords.

Horii is listed as lead producer and designer of DQM:Joker. To say Horii or his team are "not involved" when he is credited IN THE GAME ITSELF to the contrary is just.... I don't even know what to say anymore....

 

[Aeana]

Horii is listed as lead producer and designer of DQM:Joker. To say Horii or his team are "not involved" when he is credited IN THE GAME ITSELF to the contrary is just.... I don't even know what to say anymore....

Not involved to the level that he is in a mainline Dragon Quest game. As in, not writing all of the scenario and not designing the gameplay and everything else.

Of course he's in the credits, and of course he oversaw the project. Did you already forget your argument? That Dragon Quest 10 wasn't in development because DQMJ2 was?

 

[Alexios]

I don't even know what to say anymore....

Don't worry, I'm with you, I've already preordered Vita to play DQX on that sweet OLED screen.

 

[Terrell]

Not involved to the level that he is in a mainline Dragon Quest game. As in, not writing all of the scenario and not designing the gameplay and everything else.

Of course he's in the credits, and of course he oversaw the project. Did you already forget your argument? That Dragon Quest 10 wasn't in development because DQMJ2 was?

I DIDN'T SAY IT WASN'T. I HAVE NEVER SAID IT WASN'T. Everyone, stop straw-manning me and go back and read what I said exactly as I said it.

 

[mutsu]

Won't the majority just play it on the console they already own?

I wouldn't bet against the fact that lots of people already sold their Wii... lots of RPG fans just buy and sell to buy one game. Happened to XBOX 360 when Tales of Vesperia was first released.

 

[mutsu]

I didn't suggest it didn't. I'm merely trying to see the logic of people saying "it's almost done" when nothing's been shown of it. At all. Since 2008 when it was announced.

So what, they'll show it at TGS and release it a month later? It's "almost finished", after all.

Seriously, if they're already finished, they could have shown it at last year's TGS. And they didn't. Not a speck of it.

When they say it's "almost finished", for DQ's development lifecycle that probably means it is still 1 year away

 

[Terrell]

When they say it's "almost finished", for DQ's development lifecycle that probably means it is still 1 year away

And even if it was still a year off, we still would have had a screen shot or character design like with the DQIX example you're giving.

 

[Mockingbird]

Why on earth, and when on earth, have they revealed a DQ game at E3?

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. I think it was E3 2006.

 

[mutsu]

And even if it was still a year off, we still would have had a screen shot or character design like with the DQIX example you're giving.

It remember with DQ7 on PS, we literally didn't hear anything about the game and didn't see any screenshot until a few months before the release...

Just chill. We will hear something about the game soon, just not at E3.

 

[Terrell]

It remember with DQ7 on PS, we literally didn't hear anything about the game and didn't see any screenshot until a few months before the release...

Nope. 1998, released in 2000.

http://psx.ign.com/articles/064/064663p1.html

I heart Google.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

What's stopping them from pulling a Twilight Princess with this game? A Wii version is guaranteed, but why not also have a U version that simply runs at a higher resolution with a few other easy to implement features. They don't have to fix the textures or anything work-intensive. If it's like DQ8, the textures won't be all that important anyway. You sell to both audiences, or even the same game twice over time. Everybody wins.

 

[Aeana]

Terrell is right in that the silence is unprecedented. The game was supposed to be revealed in December, but it wasn't. There are myriad possible explanations for that, but changing to an unestablished platform is pretty low on the list. Horii has previously said that he thought Dragon Quest 9 was revealed too early, so it's possible that he wanted to wait until the game was more mature to show it. Of course, that reasoning doesn't fully explain why it missed its chance in December, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

As for TGS, chances are very low that it will be there.

 

[Alexios]

I heart Google.

Yah.

It spent almost three years under utmost secrecy

We've known of DQX for about 32 months I think.

 

[Aeana]

In DQ7's case, it actually did change platforms to PSX early in development. That could account for its initial secrecy.

 

[Alexios]

In DQ7's case, it actually did change platforms to PSX early in development. That could account for its initial secrecy.

Did they hide the change and keep confirming it for the 64DD (!)?

 

[Terrell]

Yah.We've known of DQX for about 32 months I think.

But it's "almost done", apparently.

See, this is my problem... this doesn't add up at all.

With the example you're giving in DQVII, yes, it was not present for 3 years... but then after it was shown, they still took another 2 years to release it, albeit because the size of the team didn't meet with the scope of the game as equally as it should have. So it was hardly "almost done" when they showed it in 1998.

It doesn't compute historically or logically that a game that was at end of cycle, with this much hype behind it, has never been shown. Not just for a DQ game, but ANY game.

I stand by my theory that this quote from Horii was to say that gameplay design and story were almost done, with no mention of where they were with visual assets. And thus moving it to another platform is still in play. I do concede that the likelihood is iffy at this point, but we can't write it off, either. Hence, wait for TGS.

Did they hide the change and keep confirming it for SNES?

(caught yer edit, hehehe...)

No, they switched from one fully-announced platform (N64+64DD) to another fully-announced platform.
Horii confirmed this back in March, before Nintendo was even acknowledging there would be a new console announced this year.

Once again... not the same scenario.

 

[mutsu]

Nope. 1998, released in 2000.

http://psx.ign.com/articles/064/064663p1.html

I heart Google.

Ahhh... now I remember... It was supposed to be released in 1999, but then it got delayed and delayed and delayed, so much so that I think it was Ken Kutaragi was featured in a TV CM of the game praying in a Japanese shrine that it would be released on time

So yeah, combining this fact and what Aeana is saying, they just want to keep it silent to avoid releasing information too early, and avoiding any disappointment in delays, which DQ games are known for...

 

[Alexios]

But it's "almost done", apparently.

See, this is my problem... this doesn't add up at all.

Why doesn't it add up? 3 years or so dev time, whatever it will end up as, sounds about right to me. Maybe the original announcement was earlier than usual just because Nintendo was excited to show it off and hype their platforms. Well, it probably was early since they announced DQIX's release date alongside the sequel.

 

[Aeana]

But it's "almost done", apparently.

See, this is my problem... this doesn't add up at all.

With the example you're giving in DQVII, yes, it was not present for 3 years... but then after it was shown, they still took another 2 years to release it, albeit because the size of the team didn't meet with the scope of the game as equally as it should have. So it was hardly "almost done" when they showed it in 1998.

DQ7 was supposed to release in 1999, and it was delayed. It was very close to completion as of Jump Festa 98 - there was even an interview where he said this, but clearly they ran into some issues since the game was delayed.

 

[Terrell]

Why doesn't it add up? 3 years or so dev time sounds about right to me.

This is supposedly the most anticipated game in Japan for several consecutive months. If it were almost ready to go as everyone is alluding to, they would have shown it off in some fashion. That's where it doesn't add up. They have almost a WHOLE GAME FINISHED, and radio silence? Square Enix would have to be breathing down Horii's neck on a daily basis, begging for media to placate investors in what has not been a great year for them financially. (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/square-enix-braces-investors-for-extraordinary-losses-in-last/)

 

[mutsu]

To me I am actually fine with the silence, because I remember my BURNING DESIRE to play DQ7 and DQ8 STRAIGHT AWAY when the first screenshots were released back then. I don't want to see the game and then have to wait months (or year(s)) to be able to play it.

If they released the screens for it today and released the game tomorrow, that would be the best for me

 

[Terrell]

DQ7 was supposed to release in 1999, and it was delayed. It was very close to completion as of Jump Festa 98 - there was even an interview where he said this, but clearly they ran into some issues since the game was delayed.

So, because we haven't seen any media, doesn't that indicate he's not confident in his own statement due to the historical precedent?
If it were near-finished, just like it was in 1998 when he made similar statements about DQVII apparently, they would be ready to show media and demos now. And they're holding back in one of SQE's worst fiscal years ever and eroding investor confidence because........................... why?

This is what no one has adequately explained to me and why this makes no sense.

 

[Aeana]

So, because we haven't seen any media, doesn't that indicate he's not confident in his own statement due to the historical precedent?
If it were near-finished, just like it was in 1998 when he made similar statements about DQVII apparently, they would be ready to show media and demos now. And they're holding back in one of SQE's worst fiscal years ever and eroding investor confidence because........................... why?

This is what no one has adequately explained to me and why this makes no sense.

Nobody can explain it to you because nobody knows. All I can tell you for absolute certainty is that the game was supposed to be revealed in December, and then it wasn't. Anything else is speculation. However, choosing not to believe the words of the developer himself when he says they are on the last stages of the game, and further reassurance that it's still on Wii by him, and then Sugiyama only one month ago seems silly to me.

 

[Celine]

I just hope one day my Wii can finally play this game.

 

[Terrell]

Nobody can explain it to you because nobody knows. All I can tell you for absolute certainty is that the game was supposed to be revealed in December, and then it wasn't. Anything else is speculation. However, choosing not to believe the words of the developer himself when he says they are on the last stages of the game, and further reassurance that it's still on Wii by him, and then Sugiyama only one month ago seems silly to me.

One word: embargo. Did you really expect Horii or Sugiyama to tell the world that the console actually existed before Nintendo did?
And he wasn't specific on what phase of development was done. And lack of screens indicates that there's reason to re-think the quote.

 

[herzogzwei1989]

Makes zero sense in moving Dragon Quest X to Wii U when Square Enix (and before just Enix) always brings the main series to the console with the highest installed userbase.

So look forward to playing DQX on Wii ^__^

 

[Aeana]

One word: embargo. Did you really expect Horii or Sugiyama to tell the world that the console actually existed before Nintendo did?
And he wasn't specific on what phase of development was done. And lack of screens indicates that there's reason to re-think the quote.

So you're saying he lied when he said it was still on Wii?

 

[Terrell]

So you're saying he lied when he said it was still on Wii?

No, I'm saying he was forced by embargo not to say it changed platforms if that is indeed what's happened. And technically, if it did move to Wii U, he only omitted a letter by not specifying WHICH Wii it would be on.

He was pressed by the media to answer a question, and given the scenario, he had 4 choices:

1) "No comment" it, raise a lot of eyebrows and get in shit with Square Enix upper management
2) Break the embargo and get in shit with Nintendo
3) Say it shifted platforms and get in shit with Nintendo AND Square Enix upper management
4) Bend the truth by not specifying which Wii console it would come to

Not an enviable solution to be in, so he picked the lesser of all evils.

 

[mutsu]

And they're holding back in one of SQE's worst fiscal years ever and eroding investor confidence because........................... why?

Because they don't want to break the financial books even more, because the game is just not ready... the game won't be released until after March 31, 2012 confirmed

Nobody pushes Horii around to finish the game to meet financial results.

 

[Bel Marduk]

No, I'm saying he was forced by embargo not to say it changed platforms if that is indeed what's happened. And technically, if it did move to Wii U, he only omitted a letter by not specifying WHICH Wii it would be on.

He was pressed by the media to answer a question, and given the scenario, he had 4 choices:

1) "No comment" it, raise a lot of eyebrows and get in shit with Square Enix upper management
2) Break the embargo and get in shit with Nintendo
3) Say it shifted platforms and get in shit with Nintendo AND Square Enix upper management
4) Bend the truth by not specifying which Wii console it would come to

Not an enviable solution to be in, so he picked the lesser of all evils.

Is this a joke? When he means the Wii he means the Wii. Wii means nothing else.

 

[duckroll]

Is this a joke? When he means the Wii he means the Wii. Wii means nothing else.

But does he mean Wii for mii? Or for U?

Spoiler

Okay, that was horrible, I'm going to sit in the corner now.

 

[Terrell]

Because they don't want to break the financial books even more, because the game is just not ready... the game won't be released until after March 31, 2012 confirmed

Nobody pushes Horii around to finish the game to meet financial results.

Not ready or almost finished, folks. Pick one, it can't be both simultaneously.

 

[Tenbatsu]

It will be on Wii U too since its backward compatible.

 

[SolidSnakex]

What's stopping them from pulling a Twilight Princess with this game? A Wii version is guaranteed, but why not also have a U version that simply runs at a higher resolution with a few other easy to implement features. They don't have to fix the textures or anything work-intensive. If it's like DQ8, the textures won't be all that important anyway. You sell to both audiences, or even the same game twice over time. Everybody wins.

Why spend the time porting it when anyone that buys a Wii U will be able to play it? It's not like they have any reason to be concerned about sales. DQ7 came out after the PS2 was released and it went on to sell more units (over 4m) than any PSone game in Japan.

 

[mutsu]

Not ready or almost finished, folks. Pick one, it can't be both simultaneously.

Again, as I stated before, in DQ terms, "almost finished" could still be a year away

 

[Steroyd]

Why spend the time porting it when anyone that buys a Wii U will be able to play it? It's not like they have any reason to be concerned about sales. DQ7 came out after the PS2 was released and it went on to sell more units (over 4m) than any PSone game in Japan.

You never know Nintendo might give SE a little... incentive to port it up, but I can only see this benefitting Nintendo more than SE considering the WiiU plays Wii games.

Or they could just pull a Monster Hunter for the PSVita.

 

[Alrus]

You never know Nintendo might give SE a little... incentive to port it up, but I can only see this benefitting Nintendo more than SE considering the WiiU plays Wii games.

There's no amount of money nintendo would be willing to give that would make up for the loss of a big install base.

 

[mclem]

With DQX being a no show, anyone else think it was moved to Wii U?

No, but I wouldn not be surprised if the western release was a 'launch title' - of sorts - for the Wii U; still as a Wii title, but released then to coincide with the new system.

 

[Truth101]

No, but I wouldn not be surprised if the western release was a 'launch title' - of sorts - for the Wii U; still as a Wii title, but released then to coincide with the new system.

Would do nothing for system sales in the west.

 

[Terrell]

There's no amount of money nintendo would be willing to give that would make up for the loss of a big install base.

DQ5 was released without a fully-fleshed out install base on Super Famicom. So this precedent doesn't really work and just shows that there has been at least one instance where DQ was a system-seller rather than being a high-selling game due to the install base.

 

[Snakeyes]

DQ5 was released without a fully-fleshed out install base on Super Famicom. So this precedent doesn't really work and just shows that there has been at least one instance where DQ was a system-seller rather than being a high-selling game due to the install base.

Yes, but that happened because the SNES was a no-brainer option for Enix. The Wii U has a lot of question marks around it at this point.

 

[onipex]

Yes, but that happened because the SNES was a no-brainer option for Enix. The Wii U has a lot of question marks around it at this point.

DQ fans will buy whatever DQ is released on.

 

[Terrell]

Yes, but that happened because the SNES was a no-brainer option for Enix. The Wii U has a lot of question marks around it at this point.

No, I'd say it was a similar situation to now... previous-generation tech with an established install base or a new console that expands upon the base market that was already established and therefore has a certain sales base locked in and guaranteed as long as they don't take too many drastic alienating steps away from their audience.

Say what you want about the Wii U being surrounded by uncertain variables, but the gameplay demos shown are arguably proof in Nintendo's ability to sell the device to people who own and love their Wii, establishing a firm grip on its current install base. Especially since it involves no abandonment of their current hardware accessories, making it an attractive buy at any reasonable price to prior Wii owners. It's definitely not a step away from their current customer base, but an attempt to regain a larger piece of the core audience they know they obviously lost without doing too much damage to their current market.