Dragon Warrior VII
Dragon Warrior VIIby Enix America Corp.
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: Teen
ASIN: B00005OLWB
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Features:
• A fantasy-adventure game of epic proportions
• Travel back in time and discover lost continents
• Solve mysteries of the past to save the future
• 3-D rendered backgrounds and fluid combat animation
• An engrossing RPG experience true to the Dragon Warrior series
Amazon.com: The top-selling PlayStation game in Japanese history makes its way to the U.S. in Dragon Warrior VII. Its creators include a trio of Japanese role-playing-game legends--game designer Yuji Horii, music composer Koichi Sugiyama, and character designer Akira Toriyama (who also created the popular Dragonball and Dragonball Z cartoons and comics). At its heart, Dragon Warrior VII is an old-school RPG that eschews flashy graphics and sound effects in favor of a good story and dozens of gameplay hours. In some cases it succeeds in capturing the nostalgia of old NES and SNES RPGs, but in others it hangs on too dearly to obsolete conventions. Still, this is one of the most value-packed games on the market, as it easily offers more than 100 hours of gameplay.
Graphically, Dragon Warrior VII will not impress anyone. Even compared to first-generation PlayStation games this one comes off as ugly. The sound is a mix of nostalgic MIDI bits from previous Dragon Warrior games and beautiful new compositions by Sugiyama. The story progresses in a linear fashion, as the main character discovers new lands, each with its own mysteries, characters, and adventures. The job system adds immense depth to character progression, as players can learn skills from more than 50 classes, including warriors, clerics, jesters, rangers, dragoons, teen idols, and more.
As deep as the job system is, progress is hindered by laborious combat and inventory-management systems. It would have been nice if the development team tried to implement modern gameplay mechanics with the rich Dragon Warrior universe. Because of its archaic aspects, the game will scare off those that aren't familiar with older RPGs. However, persevering gamers and longtime fans will enjoy one of the deepest adventures on the market. --Raymond M. Padilla
Pros:
More than 100 hours of gameplay
Extremely deep job system
Memorable characters
Cons:
Horrible graphics
Poor interface
Dull combat
Amazon.com Product Description: An fantasy adventure game of epic proportions, Dragon Warrior VII follows the adventures of the hero, his mischievous friend Prince Kiefer, and the feisty Maribel. The trio learns that the peace and tranquility of their island home is soon to be disrupted. Solving time-traveling puzzles transports them back in time, where they discover lost continents. Once in the past, they must solve the mysteries of the continents in order to save the future. If they accomplish this task, the world will be complete; if they fail, the lost lands and their inhabitants will be forever doomed. Dragon Warrior VII features 3-D rendered backgrounds and fluid combat animation, as well as depth of story and character true to this beloved series.
Customer Reviews:
What...the hell?, November 29, 2002
Reviewer: Jacob from my house
By the title, you think I'm dissing the game, no? Actually, I think you guys seriously need help. Well duh, it's graphics don't match other games....here, read this.
Storyline - 5+++++++++++++++ out of 5
Right when I got DW7, I was a major fan. I've played 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the NES and 1&2, 3 on Gameboy color. Plus I've played english translations of DQ5 and DQ6(Roms). But when I got this game, I was like, "Sweet". I saw the graphics and junk and I loved them. You say they're [bad]? Dragon Warrior/Quest is supposed to be like that! Sure FF changed from SNES-like to super 3D but...who really cares? I love good graphics and all but DW/Q isn't supposed to have FFX graphics! Anyone, you start off as a Fishermen's Son and you and your friend Prince Keifer(Beer drinkin', Girl Lovin' troublemaker) find an ancient ruin. After the story, it gets sad. One of your friends leave you. ...I don't wanna ruin the story but he/she was the strongest of my group. In a FF story, you would'nt really care as much but in DW/Q7, I was all sad. I loved the guy/girl. Anyway, you find out about God and the Demon Lord's ancient battle, ...god. I can't ruin it. I LOVE this story. Get it NOW.
Graphics: 5 out of 5.
You think I'm insane. Read the storyline part above. It's advanced DW/Q goodness. Get the other games before this for you actually judge the graphics. Plus you rotate the camera so...sweet. =D
Battle System: 4.5 out of 5.
Same old DW/Q goodness. But I'll admit, it can get annoying. I don't mean annoying annoying, I mean you get into a battle and put on rapid fire and hold triangle and .... Good 3D monsters though!
Music: 5 out of 5.
I loved the music!!! It's great!!!!!!! Heh, seriously. It's not as bad as you think.
How to like the game:
First you must play the previous games (1,2,3,4(and 5 and 6 if you can.).), then you ...should be Christin/Cathloic/Jewish. This game is for you then. This game believes in god and there even is a ....... I don't wanna spoil the game!!!
Overall: 1000 out of 1
I LOVE THIS GAME. You may think I'm insane but I love RPGs, not just graphics. Hell, if this game had NES graphics and no great characters I'd still buy it. I never knew this game would have such a affect on me.
BUY IT NOW YOU CRAZY FOOL!!!!!!
If you don't sleep or eat...., October 16, 2002
Reviewer: James Griffin from FPO, AP United States
If you don't sleep or eat, if you like defeating impossibly unapporachable enemies, saving people out of impossible situations, and changing the fabric of time and space, this is for you!!! I stayed up for eleven hours each night for a month straight and I still have not gotten everything!!! You start off from the small village of Fishbel on the only continent on the whole planet, but the world is not what it seems. You discover a secret ruin where legends and enemies of old are revealed, and a great evil is released upon the world as the great battle between God and the Demon Lord is waged. Ugly graphics, but great game!!!
A gamers paradise, September 7, 2002
Reviewer: alice carlson from Mayfield, Ky USA
If you have been playing all the American versions of the Dragon Warrior series then you have found the perfect continuance to it. It is long and has plenty of side quests to keep you happy for months and months. This is not a game that can be won in a days play, but rather is a great start for those looking to get involved in rp games. Picking up a walk through before game play starts wouldn't hurt.
Dragon Quest (Japan) or Dragon Warrior ( US), August 25, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from okinawa japan
i have played this game in the japanese format known as dragon quest and it is an exellent game.
A truly great game, August 13, 2002
Reviewer: flamecalanthe from Sacramento, CA USA
Well, to start off this review, may I say that I have played Dragon Warrior I,II,and III on my Gameboy Color. Comparatively, the graphics are suberb.Also, unlike Final Fantasy X, with its near invincible bosses( try Seymour when he comes back to life for the third time!), Dragon Warrior VII can be beaten by average humans without use of the Gameshark. Not to say it isn't a hard game, though, because this game actually has you using your brain a bit! Personally, I actually like talking to the townspeople and learning about them. What better character developement than that?? The battle style can get a little boring, granted, but turn based is my fav for the sole reason that, as your character makes his or her move, you can just about see yourself hacking and slashing right along with them. If you liked FFX, you'll love this game because it has heart.
Old School greatness!!, July 5, 2002
Reviewer: shadowninjaassassin from Port Richey, Florida United States
Gameplay-(10/10) This is what matters the most, and this is what Dragon Warrior VII does best! The game is anywhere from 80 hours in length to 200...depending on what you do. One of the things that will be done is the Job system, it's a system so your characters can learn new abilitys by selecting a class and fighting in battles to learn the abilities from that class. One other great thing is that this game is actually challenging unlike most RPG's out there today...it's not so hard that you'll want to quit but its not too easy either. This thing is full of sidequests too, you can play at a casino, try collecting all the gold medals, collect the worlds monsters and put them in a monster park plus make your own encyclopedia of all the monsters you encounter, or you can also even create your own town...if that's not enough sidequest fun then I don't know what is! The only downside in this part of the game is the character development, the problem is that there really isn't any...I don't think it detracts from the game too much but it would have been nice to get to know the characters better.
Story-(10/10) The story is exellent! You're a boy who lives in Fishbel, a small village on the only Island in the world. You're supposed to become your dad's fishing partner, but one day you and your good friend Keifer stumble onto an amazing discovery that sends you on a huge adventure discovering new lands.
Graphics-(5/10) The world's surroundings(villages, castles, ect.) are in full 3D, but aren't anything spectacular, and it uses sprite characters that would look bad even on the SNES. This is the least important part of the game, I will warn you though. If you HAVE to have a game with great graphics to be able to play it...then pass on this one.
Sound-(7/10) The sound is good...that's all I can say. It's nothing great like the Final Fantasy's but its also not bad either. They do re-use some of the music throughout the game, but there's nothing wrong with that. The sound effects on the other hand sound like they were ripped right from a SNES game...but still it in NO WAY takes away from this great game.
Replayability- You'll play through this one once, and maybe a year or two later you'll play through again...it all depends on how much you love the game.
To buy or rent?- This one is DEFINITLY a must buy for any RPG fan! If your one of those people who rent games and try to beat them you probably wont get very far...however if you still are in doubt whether you would like this game or not then rent it.
Great Game, June 22, 2002
Reviewer: chibicid7 from Ocean Springs, MS United States
Wow! I haven't even finished it yet and it has already blown me away. It has a minimum gameplay of 100 hours, so if you're like me and like doing everything in a game, you can have endless opportunity of playtime!! For those of you that played the NES versions of Dragon Warrior, you'll love DW VII. It puts everything in 3D and leaves most of the same spells, etc. intact. I love every moment of the game and can't wait to finish it. I recommend it to all of you that love a great RPG.
This game is great!!!, June 21, 2002
Reviewer: Tim from Mystic, CT USA
I have had this game seince the day it came out and it is great. I have 140 hours of plaing time on it and i still haven't beat it. I highly suggust buying this game!
Enix pleases me with this excellent addition to the series, June 21, 2002
Reviewer: nick from United States
Despite the poor graphics and sound effects, DWVII is one of the best RPGs to get for the playstation. It has a huge character class system, a monster park to build, a town to build and hundreds of tiny medals to collect. If you want to completely finish the game, it can take up to 180 hours. If you really hate bad graphics, back off this one.