Tag Archives: dragon quest
Classic Dragon Quest games come to Nintendo Switch
Dragon Quest became the prototypical JRPG when it launched on the Nintendo Famicom in 1986. Its first two sequels formed the Erdrick Trilogy, cementing Enix as a role-playing powerhouse. All three games will be making their way to the Nintendo Switch...
Dragon Quest XI’s hero comes to ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ this summer
Nintendo's E3 Direct opened up with one of the bigger announcements fans were waiting for: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC. This time around, it's a crossover with Dragon Quest XI, with that game's unnamed main character joining the roster of fighters...
Nintendo Switch To be Great for Final Fantasy
If you can read between the lines and look deeper into comments, Square Enix CEO Yoshihisa Matsuda has said some really interesting things lately. WWG had been digging between the lines and...
NES Retro Subway Maps: DC Metroid
Creative director Matthew Stevenson said that when they were kids, he and his brother were frustrated by the confusing maze that is Metroid. Recently the title’s pun with the DC Metro came to his mind, and with it his childhood frustration. That prompted him to make a map of the game using DC’s subway as a template. He had so much fun that he ended up making a total of six maps based on NES games.
Here’s the DC Metro/Metroid map:
This is the Moscow Transit System/Maniac Mansion map:
This is the Lisbon Subway/Dragon Warrior map:
Here’s the Tokyo Transit System/Zelda II map:
This is the New York Subway/Final Fantasy map:
And finally, the London Underground/The Legend of Zelda map:
The Zelda II and Maniac Mansion maps are my favorite. I know that the New York subway’s layout is a mess, but I’m still surprised at how badly that mashup turned out. Then again, it is better than the game’s actual map. You can order prints of the maps from Matthew’s RedBubble store for $10 to $28 (USD) depending on the size. He also sells the maps’ 300dpi JPEGs and full EPS vector files on his Etsy store for $5 each.
[via Fast Co. Design]
Dragon Quest Game Review
Dragon Quest Floor Mats: Wiper of the Remnant Slimes
Square Enix will be releasing floor mats featuring graphics from the 8-bit Dragon Quest games. The mats are made of acrylic fiber and will come in three variants: journey – i.e. a portal – staircase and poison swamp. Yes kids, this is how swamps looked like back then.
Each mat measures 500mm x 500mm (approx. 20″ x 20″) and has a non-slip bottom.
Each mat will also come with a redeemable code for Dragon Quest X players to adorn their houses with a virtual equivalent of their purchased mat.
Give your browser a puff puff and head to JBOX or AmiAmi to order the floor mats. JOBX sells them for $23 each while AmiAmi has them for ¥1,310 (~$13 USD).
[via Tiny Cartridge via GoNintendo]
Dragon Quest Slime Hourglass: It’s About Time Somebody Made This
Perhaps one of the most iconic creatures in the history of video games is Dragon Quest’s bulbous, smiley-faced Slime. I always thought he looked like a giant blue Hershey’s Kiss, or one half of an hourglass. The latter has just been made into a thing.
The guys at Square Enix have designed this awesome Slime timer which counts down about three minutes – which is just about right for cooking instant noodles. It measures about 4 inches-tall, and will come in either blue slime/sand or metallic slime/sand.
The Slime hourglass sells for ¥2200 (~$22 USD) over at the Square Enix e-STORE, and will ship later this month. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for Slime candies.
[via Toy People]
Dragon Quest Slime Keyboard Has Funnest Function Keys Ever
Fans of the DragonQuest series will immediately recognize the little blue blobs along the top of this keyboard as the game’s iconic Slime. Can you think of a more awesome looking keyboard?
This Slime-topped keyboard is actually designed specifically for playing DragonQuest X when it hits the Nintendo Wii, and has a number of specially marked keys to help you play the game. Plus, the little Slime guys can be popped off the function keys if you so desire. I don’t. I want them to stay right where they are, lest they turn into toys for the cat or choking hazards for children.
It’s made by Hori of Japan, and will sell for ¥3,980 (~$50 USD) when it goes on sale this August. It’s not clear if the keyboard will work with a PC or Mac, though, as I’d happily replace my current computer keyboard with one if it does. I really want a keyboard with a smiling Space Bar and Enter key.
[via Tiny Cartridge]
Google Maps 8-Bit Comes to the NES
While we’re reasonably certain that the pranksters at Google have jumped the gun with one of their big April Fools pranks, we’re still the slightest bit hopeful that Google Maps for the Nintendo Entertainment System is a real thing. It’s almost surely not, but I still like the idea of bringing today’s software and websites to old school consoles.
According to Google, the new Google Maps for NES will ship on a cartridge, offering internet access directly from your old 8-bit console. A gigantic farm of computers in the cloud are said to transform the regular Google Maps experience into a version usable on the NES.
Here, let’s let Google Product Management Director Ken Tokusei explain it for you…
You gotta love the part where you blow into the cartridge “to fix bugs.” For now, you can play around with the 8-bit style Google Maps over at maps.google.com, then clicking on the “Quest” button in the upper right-hand corner, or by simply clicking this link. Be sure to check out Street View for more pixelated fun.