It took me a while but I finally found my way to the latest Dragon Quest and man this game has restored my faith in the RPG. It’s an amazing ride. Simple, expansive, and gorgeous. I just hit the 50 hour mark and, having procured the godbird, think I only have a bit to go. Action is turn-based and simple, but fun — the key point to all of this. There are sidequests, item fusion, and hidden monsters for those of us who love to power level. The last time I spent this long on an RPG was Makai Kingdom, a noticeably lower grade title, but one that I loved and played for more than 100 hours (so I could beat that huge battleship hidden boss).

I’m taking my time with this one as all I have really to look forward to next is Disgaea 2 in Aug. and a couple RPGs in the fall. Speaking of Disgaea 2, I sat down for a bit with the Japanese version and despite the language issues, I was pleased with the interface. It’s typical NIS goodness. I’m excited to see how they will expand the dark senate and what some of the dialogue will be like (the ridiculous accents and dialogue are a key for enjoying NIS games!). Plus, the attack animations are freaking insane. Overall, I have to say that Disgaea 2 is my top “must-have” for 2006.

Web site: http://www.nisamerica.com/games/d2/

Also youtube has some boss fights and other videos of D2 is action.