TALK ABOUT A MEGATON


http://www.famitsu.com/blog/express/2006/12/ixds.html

http://www.cubed3.com/news/6441/1/Dragon_Quest_IX_DS_Confirmed!

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/square+enix/dragon-quest-ix-coming-to-nintendo-ds-221070.php

http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2006/12/12-21

http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2006/121106a.html

http://www.n-sider.com/newsview.php?type=story&storyid=2555

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=7333

http://ds.ign.com/articles/750/750590p1.html


Dragon Quest 9 Set for DS
Square Enix brings Japan's favorite series to Japan's favorite system.
by Anoop Gantayat

December 11, 2006 - Square Enix held a press conference in Tokyo today
to announce the next entry in the main Dragon Quest series. In a
surprise move, Japan's most popular series will continue not on the PS3
or the Wii, as many had expected. Instead, Square Enix will be bringing
the game to the DS.

The full name of Dragon Quest 9 is Dragon Quest 9: Hoshizora no
Mamoribito. The surname can be translated to "Protectors of the sky."

Level 5 will be handling development on the game. The hot-shot
development studio headed up development on Dragon Quest 8, before
turning to a couple of projects for Sony. On the DS, the studio is
currently working on Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village, to be
self-published early next year.

Development staff on Level 5's end is the same as from Dragon Quest 8,
right down to company president Akihiro Hino, who's serving as
producer. Other staff members should come as no surprise. Series father
Yuji Horii, heading up the project once again, was in attendance at the
press conference, and said, "The DS version is not a side-story, but a
true part of the series." Kouichi Sugiyama will be lending his talents
to the game's soundtrack. And all future Dragon Quest soundtracks, it
seems, as he took the stage today to say "I will continue making Dragon
Quest music until I die."

Development seems to be quite far along. The online arms of magazines
Famitsu and Gemaga, report that a demo was held at the press
conference, with Horii and other guests playing the game live. Dragon
Quest 9 features an action-oriented battle system playable
cooperatively by up to four players via Wi-Fi. This is the first
network-based Dragon Quest, Horii noted. The DS's dual screen setup is
also put to use, with the top screen showing a map and the bottom
screen housing all the action.

Horii is aiming for a Japanese release some time in 2007. With Dragon
Quest 8 pulling in favorable sales internationally, expect a release
outside of Japan to follow.