Dragon Warrior (NES, 1989)

The Dragon Warrior series (Dragon Quest in Japan) is one of my favorite RPG franchises. While it lacks the fanfare of Final Fantasy, these games tend to be less linear and more about character-building than melodramatic plots.

This is a game that I've played a few times in the distant past. This time around I'm going to try something new: A Tool-Assisted Asskicking. It's like a tool-assisted speedrun, except with excessive 'sploiting of states and luck. I plowed through the whole game in one morning. And here... is the story.

Highlander: The Series 2x01 - The Watchers

JOE DAWSON~!! has arrived.

Romancing SaGa III Finale - Pagoda of Fire

 Time for the exciting conclusion.

Romancing SaGa III #12 - Ocean Palace

As this game grinds to a close, here's a look at the packaging. Gotta say, Super Famicom games win out over Super NES games on packaging. Too bad we didn't get this kind of artistic box-art here in the states.

Romancing SaGa III #11 - The Greatest Show

HARID... in Everquest Paladin form! The desert hound is equally noble in three dimensions.

Romancing SaGa III #10 - Reach Out And Touch Faith

Harid has a brief mental conversation with God.

Who is God?

You, the one holding the controller.

Maybe there's a God holding all of our controllers.

Romancing SaGa III #9 - Vanguard

 Harid: "Do as I say, harem girl!"

Romancing SaGa III #8 - Harem Ladies of El Nool

Next up, Harid takes time out of his busy schedule of being a bodyguard/lover for Khaleesi so that he can get the True Kamsheen. This is one of two weapons he can equip in the whole game (the other being the starting Kamsheen) which makes it a must-have. Khaleesi's quivering loins can wait.

Romancing SaGa III #7 - Abyssal

Harid stands atop the mountain as the wondrous beef curtains of the cosmos cascade upon him. The game with zero romance, Romancing SaGa III, rolls on.

Romancing SaGa III #6 - Sandstorm

After a significant break from the game, I fire it back up... I need to figure where I am and what's going on, as our hero roams the desert and talks to trees. No idea how he got from Lance to here; it's been a little while. I think our hero dropped some Ex. Hopefully Princess Jasmine was around to reap the benefits. El Nool is a WHIRLWIND.

Highlander: The Series 1x22 - The Hunters

The finale of season one is here. TAKE ME TO THE FUTURE OF YOUR WORLD!

This is a particularly good episode, steeped in real-world feelings and featuring the debut of one of the show's most memorable immortals.

Highlander. Drink responsibly.

Highlander: The Series 1x21 - Nowhere to Run

It's Superbowl Sunday, but unfortunately for the NFL's ratings, I've got a new Highlander post for three people all of America to enjoy. Season One is just about done. Let's wrap this up.

And remember, always wrap your penii. Otherwise, you may end up with Nowhere to Run.

Highlander: The Series 1x20 - Avenging Angel

A sweet-looking abbey kicks us off today. This is going to be a shorter than usual review, simply because this episode doesn't have a whole lot to it. Gonna get Season 1 over with.

Highlander: The Series 1x19 - Eye of the Beholder

 Today on Highlander: BIG HOUSE RICHIE. "Here in the slammer, if you wanna last, you gotta take out the biggest dog in the yard."

Dude, it's the town jail, and you've been in there for like five minutes. 

Highlander: The Series 1x18 - The Lady and the Tiger

Today on Highlander: BOOBS.

Romancing SaGa III #5 - Dissolved Girl

 

Behold... the impossibly hot female version of Ezio. And God Willing, just as horny.

She has nothing to do with this game. I just want to note that I would play the living hell out of an AC game with a protagonist who looks like this.

Romancing SaGa III #4 - Stage Dive

::Harid walks towards the camera in slow-mo::

Previously on Romancing SaGa III... Harid had sex. He boned EVERYBODY.

Romancing SaGa III #3 - Morocco

 

MORGAN FREEMAN IS...

Romancing SaGa III #2 - I Can't Stand The Rain

I choose Sara next; a meek, unappealing 16 year old who doesn't talk to people. The intros for the Monster Hunter Brigade are so similar because they all start in the same spot, talking about the thunderstorm and how it makes their jobs easier when the monsters all hide. Time for another leap back into the game that has nothing to do with romance, Romancing Saga III.

Romancing SaGa III #1 - Ringwraith Avenue

Romancing SaGa is a venerable series in Japan, brought to us by Squaresoft. For the most part, it hasn't fared too well outside of Japan; in the U.S., the portable entries were renamed to become the Final Fantasy Legend trilogy, the Super NES trilogy wasn't even released, and we didn't really get an  unchanged SaGa game until 1998's SaGa Frontier.

Out of the three Super NES installments, Romancing SaGa III is the best... and, to my knowledge, the only one to get a full English translation at this point in time.