The ways of playing games are multiplying

With the release in July 2009 of the latest installment in the series, Dragon Quest IX, some exciting new features have been introduced to add to the fun. One of these is the multiple player feature. This allows players to cooperate via wireless communications, exploring and battling alongside friends. Another feature, the “chance encounter,” enables players to make wireless exchanges of messages, items, and treasure maps leading to monster-filled caverns.

Japanese video games are already renowned throughout the world for their unmatched quality and excitement. But as these developments show, they are rapidly getting better. And yet better. This is due to relentless improvement in software technologies in response to user needs. They are a very fast-evolving art form.

In Dragon Quest IX, the story begins in a celestial city inhabited by beings called guardians. Players assume the role of a guardian and engage in a fantastic adventure.

Characters from Dragon Quest IX. All characters were designed by Akira Toriyama, creator of the hugely popular Dragon Ball animated cartoon series, which generated a much-discussed live-action Hollywood film.

(Updated in December 2009)

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