SPOnG has unfortunately not been able to make it along to London’s swanky Oxford Street today, to celebrate the launch of the hugely popular, PS2-exclusive Japanese RPG Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King with our mates at Square Enix.
This is a shame, as they were promising us free lager and - amongst other things - young, good-looking Japanese girls dressed as cheerleaders, as we reported earlier in the week.
Depending on what time you're reading this, or if you happen to be wandering around the West End with nothing much better to do today, then we urge you to get down to HMV pretty sharpish to see the Dragon Quest Puff-Puff Girls – young Japanese models who are "...kind of like the game’s cheerleaders – all very cute Japanese girls", according to Square Enix.
Dragon Quest is a true phenomenon in Japan, as SPOnG reported back in February, with a full history of this groundbreaking series right here.
Not only are Square Enix taking over HMV’s flagship store for the day, they’ve also sent us this rather bizarre viral ad/game, which features “Nobu, the world’s biggest Dragon Quest fan”.
All Nobu wants to do is play Dragon Quest, but it’s your job in this strange little game, to tear his eyes off the game by distracting him. And when you are successful at this he goes off like a right mentalist. Give it a go. It’s fun. For at least 30 seconds.
SPOnG just got off the phone to Alex Huhtala, Square Enix’s esteemed UK PR Manager, who sounded somewhat harried – being slap-bang in the middle of the HMV launch event.
“More than anything, we are hoping that we can really tap into the appeal of the game in Japan, using and stressing the popularity in Japan in our European marketing,” Alex told us.
SPOnG asked if Dragon Quest might make non-traditional RPG gamers change their minds about the oft-derided genre.
“Hopefully yes, we’re not using the conventions of targeting only the core market with the usual RPG messages and all of our European marketing has the same objective – to take this game to a mainstream audience.”
Well, from what we’ve seen and played of the game so far, it deserves to sell by the bucket-load. Happy Easter, Square Enix. SPOnG's fingers are collectively crossed in the hope that next week’s chart news is swayed heavily in your favour.
This is a shame, as they were promising us free lager and - amongst other things - young, good-looking Japanese girls dressed as cheerleaders, as we reported earlier in the week.
Depending on what time you're reading this, or if you happen to be wandering around the West End with nothing much better to do today, then we urge you to get down to HMV pretty sharpish to see the Dragon Quest Puff-Puff Girls – young Japanese models who are "...kind of like the game’s cheerleaders – all very cute Japanese girls", according to Square Enix.
Dragon Quest is a true phenomenon in Japan, as SPOnG reported back in February, with a full history of this groundbreaking series right here.
Not only are Square Enix taking over HMV’s flagship store for the day, they’ve also sent us this rather bizarre viral ad/game, which features “Nobu, the world’s biggest Dragon Quest fan”.
All Nobu wants to do is play Dragon Quest, but it’s your job in this strange little game, to tear his eyes off the game by distracting him. And when you are successful at this he goes off like a right mentalist. Give it a go. It’s fun. For at least 30 seconds.
SPOnG just got off the phone to Alex Huhtala, Square Enix’s esteemed UK PR Manager, who sounded somewhat harried – being slap-bang in the middle of the HMV launch event.
“More than anything, we are hoping that we can really tap into the appeal of the game in Japan, using and stressing the popularity in Japan in our European marketing,” Alex told us.
SPOnG asked if Dragon Quest might make non-traditional RPG gamers change their minds about the oft-derided genre.
“Hopefully yes, we’re not using the conventions of targeting only the core market with the usual RPG messages and all of our European marketing has the same objective – to take this game to a mainstream audience.”
Well, from what we’ve seen and played of the game so far, it deserves to sell by the bucket-load. Happy Easter, Square Enix. SPOnG's fingers are collectively crossed in the hope that next week’s chart news is swayed heavily in your favour.
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Comments
kid_77 13 Apr 2006 14:11
1/2
Alex Huhtala? Ex-C&VG Alex Huhtala?
I remember going into the EMAP offices about 7 years ago, to help him out with a Ridge Racer feature.
It was the day my naive belief that games magazine staff lived in a perpetual, games-playing fantasy-world was obliterated. Paul Davies was a miserable sod :(
I remember going into the EMAP offices about 7 years ago, to help him out with a Ridge Racer feature.
It was the day my naive belief that games magazine staff lived in a perpetual, games-playing fantasy-world was obliterated. Paul Davies was a miserable sod :(
OptimusP 13 Apr 2006 17:42
2/2
i love the character models of this game!!! So cartoony, so fun, so natural, i suddenly have this urge to play the wind waker again... Nintendo better make the next Zelda cel-shaded again (but not with with a big-head Link, a more mature-manga looking cel-shading style would be so cool).
Too bad they choose to make the trees and grass look realistic... now they just look butt-ugly compared to the characters.
Too bad they choose to make the trees and grass look realistic... now they just look butt-ugly compared to the characters.