"You'll either love it or you'll hate it. Probably."

First of all, let me be honest with you in saying that most people will probably find this game incredibly boring and pointless. But let me also tell you that there are those who will love this game more than they could ever love their own child. I for one purchased this game and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on the same day, and played this game for a week solid before I was even able to load another game. Then I tried FFXII, played it for a couple of hours, and popped this game back in. I have logged over 40 hours in the game, and that's just what my saved game says. That doesn't include the resets and the time I've spent browsing the message boards. It's just one of those games. The 5/10 score I've given is a little deceptive because it's been a great game for me, but I couldn't recommend it to my friends.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Dragon Warrior Monsters series (also known as Dragon Quest Monsters), they're monster-raising RPGs like Pokemon or Digimon. In my opinion, however, DWM is far superior due to its complex and versatile breeding system. In Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, the breeding system allows you to combine the strengths and skills of any two creatures, and to choose one of several monster types for them to create as offspring. Actually, the system is called synthesizing in this particular installment, but it functions similarly enough to the breeding system of the previous games. At any rate, the gameplay consists of recruiting monsters by impressing them in battle, then using them to fight your turn-based, RPG-style battles for you. As they grow stronger, they can be bred with other monsters to produce more powerful types. By the end of the game your measly blue gumdrop or ugly bat may be a mighty dragon or a horrific demon with the power to destroy worlds. The rewards of breeding are very immediate, and may keep your attention focused for long periods of time.

As far as presentation goes, the game is beautiful. It really plays to the strengths of the DS with its cartoon-like 3D characters. There are hundreds of monsters, and though many graphics are re-used with just a different color set, the majority of monsters still have their own unique appearance. They are fully animated in battle and really bring the world of Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest) to life. Sound effects and music are nothing too special, except that they're largely based on the sound and music from the original games on the 8-bit NES. So while they're nothing new, they're great for nostalgia for some of us. The story, dialogue and so forth are also surprising; whereas the majority of DS games are written with 6-year-olds in mind, this game is written with 9 or 10-year-olds in mind. So while it's still kid-friendly, it's not as painful to read as Pokemon, Digimon, or Custom Robo Arena.

Now remember, I love this game. However, I don't think I could actually say to anybody with a straight face that it's a -GOOD- game. It's got that cool monster breeding, snazzy graphics, good nostalgia value… but once you take the game engine out of the picture there really isn't anything left. The story is over almost before it starts, and there are really only a few hours of core gameplay there if your objective is just to play from the beginning of the game to the end, after which there isn't really much to do. Even for a regular player, 80% of your time will likely be spent leveling up. This game is actually designed for those who will spend more than 99% of their time leveling up. If grinding isn't for you, then neither is this game. Wi-Fi is also pretty poor; you can register your team online and battle the most powerful players on the internet in an attempt to reach #1 in the rankings, but there's no option to fight in a lower ranking against weaker players and the ones you have to fight on Wi-Fi mostly have maxxed out stats, which will take many many hours to attain. The game also suffers from the worst camera control ever. Anytime there is an imperfection in the ground underneath you, or a slope, the camera will point straight down towards the ground and you will be unable to see anything around you. This is exceptionally frustrating and sloppy and should have been sorted out in play testing.

If you've played the older Dragon Warrior Monsters games, you'll be very upset to find that this game is so tiny and has so little variety. If you're expecting random worlds to explore outside of the main storyline, you won't find them here. While there are wandering scouts during a large portion of the game, there are no wandering bards or priests. This game is incredibly basic compared to the older games, aside from its graphics.

So there you have it. I've gotten more bang for my buck from this game than I have from any other game in a long time. A lot of people love it to death. But again, if I told you that this is a good game I would feel like a liar. In fact, I feel like I'm lying a little even by referring to it as a game. It's more like an idea for a game which never actually materialized. However, if you love raising monsters and don't mind grinding, then you should check this game out.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/07

Game Release: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (US, 11/06/07)