Saturday, December 22, 2012

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Dragon Quest Monsters (GameBoy Color)

I know what at least a few of you are thinking right now: "Wait a second ... you bought a copy of Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland even though you don't understand Japanese?"

Yes, I did. There's more to the story, though, than me stupidly spending money on a game that's surely going to force me to consult a guide or an FAQ should I want to get through it.


You see, I came across this particular copy--and its wonderfully colorful cover art--of the original Dragon Quest Monsters while perusing eBay on a quiet Sunday morning this past May.

(OK, so I don't remember if it was a Sunday morning or if it even happened in May, but it did happen sometime early this year.)


Anyway, it caught my attention because it was selling for just one cent (plus a few bucks for shipping). "That's interesting," I thought. So, I placed a bid for, you guessed it, a single cent--with no expectation that I'd actually "win" the auction at that price (or at any price, to tell you the truth).

Of course I did win it, although I'm not exactly sure what to do with it now that I own it. Oh, well, the cover art isn't nice, don't you think? Also, its instruction manual may be a good candidate for a future installment of "Manual Stimulation."


One last thing before I hit "publish": Two additional (and more intriguing, if you ask me) photos of this acquisition can be found on my Flickr photostream, should any of you be interested in such things.

See also: Previous '12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now' posts

16 comments:

retr0gamer said...

I picked up the English versions of 1 and 2. Can't wait to play them.

thegaygamer.com said...

I've played a bit of the first one via emulation, retr0gamer, and quite liked it. Kind of a Pokemon-esque RPG, although battles are more straightforwardly RPG-ish than Pokemon (if that makes sense). Anyway, I look forward to you playing them at some point and then sharing your thoughts!

* said...

The second Dragon Quest Monsters was one of the first games I ever played (the localized edition of course), and I thought it was amazing at the time. The church and monster breeding just seemed so...mature to eight year-old me, and when I played the mainline Dragon Quest games for the first time, that small bit of nostalgia buried in the back of my brain went a long way.


Dragon Quest is so cool.

thegaygamer.com said...

Hey there, lunch! What a nice story :) And it sounds like your experience with the second Dragon Quest Monsters turned you into a fan of the main series, too? If so, great!


As for me, I skipped these games back when they were new, for some reason. I think it's because I wasn't a huge Dragon Quest fan at the time (I'd played the first NES game, but that's it) and also because these games were kind of derided as being Pokemon rip-offs, if I'm remembering correctly.


It's too bad, though, as I'm pretty sure I would have become obsessed with them had I given them a chance. Oh, well, at least I can still enjoy them today :)

* said...

I ended up playing DQM before I received Pokemon later that same year, so they didn't seem derivative at the time, but I can certainly understand the criticism.

I'm a decent fan of the main series now. V was the first mainline Dragon Quest I played, and it's easily my Favorite Game of All Time. I played half of VIII before selling my PS2 and I finished IX, and I still have IV, VI, and Rocket Slime on my shelf waiting to be played. I'm not a fan of how DS games look on the 3DS though, which is mostly what's holding me back.

I would've killed for the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest Monsters to get a North American release. I feel like it'd do decently in North America considering there isn't a Pokemon game on 3DS outside of Rumble Blast and the upcoming Mystery Dungeon game, but alas, it seems that most of my favorite franchises are going to stay in Japan.



Thanks for posting this and reminding me about the 3DS remake. :(

thegaygamer.com said...

I'm going to have to play V sometime soon, lunch. I've heard great things about it, but just haven't gotten around to it yet for whatever reason.


I'd actually like to play IV and VI at some point, too, but that may not happen for a long, long time.


I also think the 3DS remake of DQM would do well in NA, BTW, and I'm not at all sure why SE decided to pass on it.


If decide to pass on the DQVII remake, I ... I don't know what I'd do :(


And of course you know DQ XI is going to be released for 3DS. You and I are quite a way from playing it, though, I think :|

* said...

I hope you write some posts about it when you do. It's probably my favorite example of storytelling in games, and it's amazing that twenty years later, games (even within the DQ franchise) haven't learned from Dragon Quest V. Man, I love the game.


If they decide to pass on the DQVII remake, I'll be the first person to send angry, threatening letters. I'm already prepping letters in case Yakuza 5 doesn't get an English release, so between Dragon Quest VII, Yakuza 5, the Trails in the Sky series and every Shiren game, my business letter writing skills will become amazing by the end of next year.


Don't say that. I'm hoping for DQXI on Vita.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, I'm sure I'll write about DQV whenever I finally get around to it, no worries there :)


As for your angry, threatening letter-writing campaign: I may have to join you! I'll probably switch Bravely Default for Yakuza 5, though, as I (gasp!) have no experience with the Yakuza series.


As for DQXI coming to the Vita: Woof, you're a real dreamer, aren't you? ;)

Espiga said...

Good find on the DQM for a penny. I've had similar eBay experiences, myself. A couple months back, I got a copy of Super Puyo Puyo for a penny + shipping. Best penny I've spent in a long time!

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that's great, Espiga! I think I'd be even happier with getting Super Puyo Puyo for a penny, actually, as it's a game you can play and enjoy no matter the language. Which system was it for, by the way?

Espiga said...

It was the Super Famicom version. If I recall correctly, The Super Famicom Puyo Puyo releases were the only ones to carry "Super" in the name, despite the fact they were actually less "super" than the ones on PC Engine CD.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, I should have known. Still, very cool! I love the ol' Super Famicom, so I'm sure the Super Puyo Puyo games are well worth owning even if they aren't as super as the PCE CD version :)

Justin Difazzio said...

Wow! That's a pretty great deal in any language!

thegaygamer.com said...

Right? Really, how could I pass it up? Actually, I probably would have passed it up if I didn't like the cover art, but that thankfully wasn't the case.

Espiga said...

I agree, especially at a price like what I got it for!

thegaygamer.com said...

Someone needs to start a blog that's dedicated to games that have been picked up via eBay for a penny :)