2 million people pre-ordered Dragon Quest IX

by David Hinkle { Jul 9th 2009 at 9:00PM }

Square Enix is set to unload Dragon Quest IX onto the Japanese populace this week and it's apparently a big deal over there. A report (via Inside Games) shows the title has over two million pre-orders across various retailers in the country. It just blows our minds, because Japan has never been that fond of the Dragon Quest franchise.

So, for those of you keeping score on your Craz-o-meters, this is basically Gary Busey-level stuff we're talking about here. It's like running around in the street with no pants on, screaming that you're the person responsible for velcro technology and the Aurora Borealis.

[Via Kotaku]

Tags: dragon-quest-ix, japan, pre-order, preorder, square-enix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Strike Man @ Jul 9th 2009 9:04PM

"It just blows our minds, because Japan has never been that fond of the Dragon Quest franchise."

Um...

mr nimblewick @ Jul 9th 2009 9:25PM

Yeah, the sentence really needs something to indicate that its sarcasm. Some well-placed italics.

emperorzeroxx @ Jul 9th 2009 9:26PM

I think they were joking, because last time I checked dragon quest was like UBER popular in japan.....

DBuck_Eye @ Jul 9th 2009 9:28PM

It's amazing how true Poe's Law remains.

Wiizer (Michael Pachter MUST DIE.. Professionally) @ Jul 9th 2009 9:32PM

Does utilizing sarcasm mean that others have to get it?

If so, I'm in trouble, too...

mr nimblewick @ Jul 9th 2009 9:34PM

"the unit of poetry must be fixed by the reader's capacity of attention, and ... the limits of a poem must accord with the limits of a single movement of intellectual apprehension and emotional exaltation"

Are you trying to say he is too stupid to appreciate long epic poems?

DBuck_Eye @ Jul 9th 2009 10:18PM

Wait a minute... if that's Poe's Law, then what the hell is the law that says unless indicated, a sarcastic internet post will inevitably be taken as serious?

Bluebreaker @ Jul 9th 2009 11:24PM

No guys, I don't think it's sarcastic.

Yes, Dragon Quest has always been a premiere selling franchise in Japan and has raked in the dough but the 2 million on just *preorders* is genuinely an entirely different scale than what has been brought before.

This could be the best selling DQ game in its entire run, and possibly best DS game too.

Old_Snake @ Jul 10th 2009 10:07AM

I'm pretty that Poe's Law is this:

"Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing"

CrusaderStrike @ Jul 10th 2009 7:16PM

Dragon Quest is so big in Japan that the goverment asks Publisher to release the game on weekend instead of weekday. Previous releases has seen students cutting classes, workers calling in sick and few small business closing for it.

Can't remember where I've seen it but I will post again when I see the article.

manuel @ Jul 9th 2009 9:11PM

I'm one of those 2 million.
I hope to get it tomorrow.

Mohsin @ Jul 9th 2009 9:13PM

David Hinkle's gotta do more research. It was always huge in Japan, it's not that big here in North America.

Foetoid @ Jul 9th 2009 9:45PM

Anyone who knows anything about gaming, knows this already, hence why it was obviously sarcasm.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 9th 2009 9:13PM

Have you heard of this Dragon Quest game? well apparently in Japan is a big deal,so big they are realising the ninth sequel,9 huh? are they ever going to find the damn Dragon or what?

*rim shot

Thank,thank you try the veil.

Goodnight!

[Applause]

Ranus Studios @ Jul 9th 2009 9:16PM

Protip: Mr. Hinkle was being ironic. Sarcastic, even!

Y'know, before people start flipping out.

Deterrence @ Jul 9th 2009 9:17PM

I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm...

Phizzy @ Jul 9th 2009 9:25PM

Two million in Japan? For serious?

Saihna @ Jul 9th 2009 9:37PM

I've never played one, can someone fill me in on the craze?

Rob @ Jul 9th 2009 9:41PM

Dragon quest is an RPG much like the early Final Fantasy's, and it is done in the art style of Dragon Ball. I'm not sure why it is popular but it is.

ArchiGamer @ Jul 9th 2009 9:42PM

Here's at least a simile:

Its like explaining the popularity of Final Fantasy; its hard to explain it in.

ArchiGamer @ Jul 9th 2009 9:48PM

I take that back, that is not a simile. More of a comparison.

korwyn @ Jul 10th 2009 4:30AM

I've been playing Dragon Quest since DQ3 20 years ago in Japanese. I still don't understand either why I am into it so much. I don't understand a dorn word in Japanese, though I can read names. But anyhow, I think it's the best series ever.

Oh and no, I'm not Japanese (duh!), but yes I'm an Asian.

Zerokku @ Jul 10th 2009 1:07AM

It's essentially an old-school rpg (even to this day) that maintains charming/interesting worlds, with fun characters and interesting plots. All without being ridiculously over-dramatic and pretentious, like so many JRPG's tend to be any more.

Essentially, it's a good, clean, classic JRPG.

Anyways, I hope this comes out here. DQ has never been very popular here in the states, but I love the series, and I hope they don't decide to not bring it over =/

Strike Man @ Jul 9th 2009 10:06PM

(Seems like my response didn't show up for some reason)

DBuck_Eye, I personally felt that the quoted sentence _lacked_ the sarcasm or comedic tone of the rest of the post, based on how it was worded. I could easily be alone in that interpretation, but that is why I questioned that line in particular.

Either way, the Dragon Quest "craze" in Japan is fairly normal and expected, hardly the stuff that makes the purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork do a raw blink.

Mohsin @ Jul 9th 2009 10:26PM

^ I agree.

MRLN @ Jul 9th 2009 10:33PM

It comes out tomorrow? I didn't know, I was too busy perfecting my Aurora Borealis!

Matthew @ Jul 9th 2009 10:33PM

This is the game where bobbleheads fight that kid from Dragon Ball, right?

I kid, I kid. :)

http://www.gameinmind.com

korwyn @ Jul 10th 2009 4:30AM

Ok, it's 2 million +1. I just ordered. ;-)

Dragon Quest!!!

Azariel_z @ Jul 10th 2009 2:40AM

I just dont like the battle system, is a bit....Boring... :-( I am done with turn based systems.., and Dragon quest still keeps pushing it on its roots ... The "awe" factor on DQ is the storyline, different from FF it has some continuity, with some jumps... a wide cast of characters, etc...

Oh yeah, and the "pafu, pafu " girls.. You get all the trouble jsut to get to the pafu pafu girls... pafu pafu pafu...

Captain Planet @ Jul 10th 2009 10:45AM

Everyone fucking knows Captain Planet created the Aurora Borealis after a horrible experience with Indian food.

kaiswil2 @ Jul 10th 2009 12:08PM

Dragon Quest is Epic over there considering the fact that the Government asks that this be released on the weekend so that the 2 million buyers don't call in and stay home from work.

" There were even complaints that Dragon Quest slowed the country's productivity which resulted in a DQ game only to be released on a weekend or holiday."

http://www.dqshrine.com/dq/

Michiko @ Jul 11th 2009 11:48PM

Ha ha ha, gosh, 2 million pre-orders, man... Also, yes, I ALSO thought Mr. Hinkle was being serious, because he didn't indicate sarcasm - as is usually how sarcasm is used in speech or writing - but he DID provide a Wikipedia link, which clearly states under the series' Reception:

"Dragon Quest is one of the most popular video game series in Japan."

So I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic. But yeah, with anything, it's hard to tell unless someone somehow indicates it, otherwise you cannot blame people for not "getting" it. Part of "getting" the joke is understanding how to tell it, after all.