REVIEWERS NOTE: Throughout this review the product is referred to as Dragon Quest VII and not Dragon Warrior VII.  They're both the same game, but the truth is: the series is called Dragon Quest.  So don't get confused.  I also refer to the other games in the series as Dragon Quest and not Dragon Warrior.

Dragon Quest is huge in Japan.  The games actually have to be release on Sundays or Holidays because of how big they are.  The Dragon Quest games are not nearly as big in America.  The other Dragon Quest games are actually a real treat--particularly the SNES games that never made it to the states.  Dragon Quest VII does not hit the height of the NES and SNES games in any way shape or form, mainly because this game in particularly, does nothing to actually make the Dragon Quest games mature, and that's really sad.  It's great that they got it together for Dragon Quest VIII, but it can't stop the seventh in the series from being the black sheep of them all.

It's really sad to because of all the Dragon Quest games, the seventh installment is one of the only ones to have a satisfying storyline where things actually progress and you don't spend a lot of time running around so lost you don't know what to do.  It's not a deep story by any means, but it does have more focus here than other Dragon Quest games.  Because of the structure of the story, there's not too much you can explore from the get go, and thus you're limited.

The first thing about Dragon Quest VII that people will note is that the game looks absolutely horrible.  For a late generation PSX game going up against the likes of Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy IX at the time, this game looks like a rejected Super Nintendo game, and it may be because it was originally in development for that particularly system.  The towns look really bad, the textures are mostly pixelated, the character sprites look horrendous.  Simply put, this is just a terrible looking game.  The sound effects are even worse.  You'll dread each time you have to pick up a barrel and toss it.  You'll dread opening a door.  The games framerate isn't even steady.  The only thing to the games graphical credit is that some of the enemies don't look so bad, and that it's colorful.  Still, even for those who don't base their judgment of a game on graphics will have to take a moment to get used to just how terrible they really are.

The second annoying thing is the menu system.  It's the exact same one that was used in Dragon Quest VI, and it's just a pain to navigate.  In a world where games like Final Fantasy VII made navigating the menu as easy chewing food, Dragon Quest VII makes it a tedious task.  Characters are limited to what they can hold and I don't want to go into the nightmare of equipping and re-equipping characters over and over again.  The menu interface is absolutely horrible.  It seems like such a dumb thing to complain about, but in an RPG released on the Playstation, inventory management shouldn't be so difficult, nor should I have to spend more time in the menu than actually exploring a dungeon.

Combat is also a big problem.  It's not that battling isn't fun.  Firstly, you don't get into a battle for quite some time.  In fact, you'll spend the first couple of hours of the game roaming around not battling anything.  It'll be a miracle if some gamers can even hold out that long.  Especially because it's an RPG with little story exposition in the beginning.  When you do make it to that point though, you'll be met with mixed feelings.  For some odd reason battling is fun, but again, the graphics really make you wonder sometimes.  The battle system is essentially the same as it was on the NES and SNES.  The problem here is simple: This isn't either of the two systems.  I don't mind the combat being menu based, but the fact that you don't see your characters and that they don't physically go up and strike the enemy makes battling feel a little... empty and uninspired.  Some of the enemies actually look pretty good, but I'm bothered that the battle engine is exactly the same as Dragon Quest I from way back when.  Dragon Quest VIII certainly did a far better job in at least making their battles look good.  Here, you just feel as if you're not involved enough.  It's simple, and it is fun because the combat is surprisingly deep and strategic.  Even better the game is a challenge.  But all the while you can't help but thinking you're playing an NES game on a system that is capable of so much more.

They say it'll take you about 100 hours to plow through Dragon Quest VII.  The game is, in fact, huge.  There's tons of sidequests, and just when you think the game is getting stale, they do manage to throw something else at you that gets a little more involved in the gameplay.  The job system, for instance, comes along hours after you've begun your quest, but it adds a lot of variety when it's finally added in there.  Enough to keep you busy for hours.  What a lot of people don't mention about Dragon Quest VII, however, is that a lot of those 100 hours are spent on heavily raising your party to getting better levels and stats.  Dragon Quest is known for making gamers work, and Dragon Quest VII actually does that.  For example, the game will not let you overpower your characters job classes.  There's a point where they do cut you off and you have to advance forward.  However, you've still go to worry about their normal levels, and you don't gain a whole lot of experience or gold from these monsters.  Thus, of the 100 spent to plow through the game, you'll more than likely spend more than 50 hours just leveling up to take on the next challenge.  And Dragon Quest VII is not an easy game.

While the sound effects are bad, the music of the game itself is quite good.  Dragon Quest has always had good music and Dragon Quest VII is no exception.  The game falls short in almost every category except music.  Here's where the game truly shines, and not only that but Dragon Quest fans will recognize some fantastic tunes from other games.

The bottom line is simple.  Is Dragon Quest VII a good game?  The answer is surprisingly, yes.  You just have to really be able to get passed the fact that you're playing an NES game on a system capable of so much more.  Simplicity has kept the series alive at least, but the game seriously looks like a rejected SNES title that they felt they needed to dress up in tattered clothes and shove onto the Playstation.  The game isn't bad, it's just that by the time Dragon Quest reached the seventh installment, one has to wonder why the developers didn't actually make it look or play like a Playstation RPG.

If you can look past the NES appeal, Dragon Quest VII is a great game.  It's fun to battle in (despite it's graphics).  There are tons of mini-games and sidequests to do, and there's so much variety that you'll want to play just for the sheer fact that you KNOW you haven't uncovered anything.  Still, the old school nature of this game is going to be hard to swallow, even for old school gamers.  The game is slow, the menu system is horrible, the graphics are subpar, the battles feel like you're doing nothing.  With these kinds of cons taunting the game, it's hard to recommend it even to die hard Dragon Quest fans.  Fun to play, but it's asking a lot gamers to look past its glaring shortcomings.
REVIEWERS NOTE: Throughout this review the product is referred to as Dragon Quest VII and not Dragon Warrior VII. They're both the same game, but the truth is: the series is called Dragon Quest. So don't get confused. I also refer to the other games in the series as Dragon Quest and not Dragon Warrior. Dragon Quest is huge in Japan. The games actually have to be release on Sundays or Holidays because of how big they are. The Dragon Quest games are not nearly as big in America. The other Dragon Quest games are actually a real treat--particularly the SNES games that never made it to the states. Dragon Quest VII does not hit the height of the NES and SNES games in any way shape or form, mainly because this game in particularly, does nothing to actually make the Dragon Quest games mature, and that's really sad. It's great that they got it together for Dragon Quest VIII, but it can't stop the seventh in the series from being the black sheep of them all. It's really sad to because of all the Dragon Quest games, the seventh installment is one of the only ones to have a satisfying storyline where things actually progress and you don't spend a lot of time running around so lost you don't know what to do. It's not a deep story by any means, but it does have more focus here than other Dragon Quest games. Because of the structure of the story, there's not too much you can explore from the get go, and thus you're limited. The first thing about Dragon Quest VII that people will note is that the game looks absolutely horrible. For a late generation PSX game going up against the likes of Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy IX at the time, this game looks like a rejected Super Nintendo game, and it may be because it was originally in development for that particularly system. The towns look really bad, the textures are mostly pixelated, the character sprites look horrendous. Simply put, this is just a terrible looking game. The sound effects are even worse. You'll dread each time you have to pick up a barrel and toss it. You'll dread opening a door. The games framerate isn't even steady. The only thing to the games graphical credit is that some of the enemies don't look so bad, and that it's colorful. Still, even for those who don't base their judgment of a game on graphics will have to take a moment to get used to just how terrible they really are. The second annoying thing is the menu system. It's the exact same one that was used in Dragon Quest VI, and it's just a pain to navigate. In a world where games like Final Fantasy VII made navigating the menu as easy chewing food, Dragon Quest VII makes it a tedious task. Characters are limited to what they can hold and I don't want to go into the nightmare of equipping and re-equipping characters over and over again. The menu interface is absolutely horrible. It seems like such a dumb thing to complain about, but in an RPG released on the Playstation, inventory management shouldn't be so difficult, nor should I have to spend more time in the menu than actually exploring a dungeon. Combat is also a big problem. It's not that battling isn't fun. Firstly, you don't get into a battle for quite some time. In fact, you'll spend the first couple of hours of the game roaming around not battling anything. It'll be a miracle if some gamers can even hold out that long. Especially because it's an RPG with little story exposition in the beginning. When you do make it to that point though, you'll be met with mixed feelings. For some odd reason battling is fun, but again, the graphics really make you wonder sometimes. The battle system is essentially the same as it was on the NES and SNES. The problem here is simple: This isn't either of the two systems. I don't mind the combat being menu based, but the fact that you don't see your characters and that they don't physically go up and strike the enemy makes battling feel a little... empty and uninspired. Some of the enemies actually look pretty good, but I'm bothered that the battle engine is exactly the same as Dragon Quest I from way back when. Dragon Quest VIII certainly did a far better job in at least making their battles look good. Here, you just feel as if you're not involved enough. It's simple, and it is fun because the combat is surprisingly deep and strategic. Even better the game is a challenge. But all the while you can't help but thinking you're playing an NES game on a system that is capable of so much more. They say it'll take you about 100 hours to plow through Dragon Quest VII. The game is, in fact, huge. There's tons of sidequests, and just when you think the game is getting stale, they do manage to throw something else at you that gets a little more involved in the gameplay. The job system, for instance, comes along hours after you've begun your quest, but it adds a lot of variety when it's finally added in there. Enough to keep you busy for hours. What a lot of people don't mention about Dragon Quest VII, however, is that a lot of those 100 hours are spent on heavily raising your party to getting better levels and stats. Dragon Quest is known for making gamers work, and Dragon Quest VII actually does that. For example, the game will not let you overpower your characters job classes. There's a point where they do cut you off and you have to advance forward. However, you've still go to worry about their normal levels, and you don't gain a whole lot of experience or gold from these monsters. Thus, of the 100 spent to plow through the game, you'll more than likely spend more than 50 hours just leveling up to take on the next challenge. And Dragon Quest VII is not an easy game. While the sound effects are bad, the music of the game itself is quite good. Dragon Quest has always had good music and Dragon Quest VII is no exception. The game falls short in almost every category except music. Here's where the game truly shines, and not only that but Dragon Quest fans will recognize some fantastic tunes from other games. The bottom line is simple. Is Dragon Quest VII a good game? The answer is surprisingly, yes. You just have to really be able to get passed the fact that you're playing an NES game on a system capable of so much more. Simplicity has kept the series alive at least, but the game seriously looks like a rejected SNES title that they felt they needed to dress up in tattered clothes and shove onto the Playstation. The game isn't bad, it's just that by the time Dragon Quest reached the seventh installment, one has to wonder why the developers didn't actually make it look or play like a Playstation RPG. If you can look past the NES appeal, Dragon Quest VII is a great game. It's fun to battle in (despite it's graphics). There are tons of mini-games and sidequests to do, and there's so much variety that you'll want to play just for the sheer fact that you KNOW you haven't uncovered anything. Still, the old school nature of this game is going to be hard to swallow, even for old school gamers. The game is slow, the menu system is horrible, the graphics are subpar, the battles feel like you're doing nothing. With these kinds of cons taunting the game, it's hard to recommend it even to die hard Dragon Quest fans. Fun to play, but it's asking a lot gamers to look past its glaring shortcomings.