robotnikthedrak

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Dragon's Den, and may you lower your unearthly blade upon the cruel fiend who would steal the light of hope from Alefgard! ^_^

Well, well; I'm currently replaying Mazes of Fate for the Gameboy advance, a wonderfully lesser known title which is a unique combination of 1st person dungeon crawling and dungeons and dragons-esque roleplaying mechanics! It's also unique in that it was developed by an Argentinian game studio. ^_^

Hmm~ veeeeeery interesting! I'm ever so curious as to how it may turn out... exciting!!! That's the word! A blank slate of an adventure is like a shopping spree of the creative mind! Yours truly is always brewing up new concepts as I struggle through the creation of my own magnum opus: a fantasy manga, and I'd be more than happy to contribute ideas and concepts which may aid in your endeavors, should you will it so, Sword of Dusk! ^_^

Welcome! My best advice is to push for equal representation of both the male and female Loto's, for despite both being *technically* present since the original nes installment, female Loto has been unfairly ignored in wiki's, faq's and official texts, depictions, and product endorsements since the game was originally released. SACRELIGE!!! So, please mind those pronouns, my good Marandahir! ^_^

And remember; falling isn't nearly as painful as surviving the fall! An angel once taught me that... ^_^

Dead? "Hope never dies!" That's what my Captain Brenner always used to say! ^_^ If anyone is interested, Ruin Explorers is my favorite fantasy anime of all time, and a few other excellent fantasy titles that were not mentioned previously are: Phantom Quest Corp. Master of Mosquiton Weathering Continent Tweeny Witches Maze Devil Hunter Yohko Princess Minerva Spectral Force Now and Then, Here and There Battle Royal Highschool All very different tastes, all rare gems. Some of those titles are for older teens and above only, mind.

I can't really speak for Symphonic Suites, but Dragon Quest V, despite being only my 6th favorite main series title as of right now, has always had the best overall soundtrack in my opinion. It's a relatively small soundtrack, compared to say IV, VI, VII, IX or X, but each tune (with the exception of Nizmo's battle music) is pleasing to me- and that is a rare feet, considering that I normally find some songs great in an ost, and some not so. Take Dragon Quest II; I like the prologue, castle theme, town theme, lonely youth overworld, dungeon song, shrine, sailing theme, and sorrow theme. I dislike, however, the battle theme, the tower theme, Sidoh's theme, and that annoying overworld tune that you are forced into having assembled 3 characters together. Compared to V? I dislike only the fairy world theme, Nizmo's battle music, and perhaps the underworld theme. Particularly the ratio between dungeon song/tower song, as far as quality. Only Dragon Quests V and VII manage to have both a dungeon theme and a tower theme that I enjoy both of (since they tend to be so alien from one another sound-wise). You know what else bothers me? When a Dragon Quest has an excellent overworld piece that I love (like all of them, actually), yet the song is hardly even used in the game! This phenomenon is rare, and occurs only in Dragon Quests II and IV in large part, thankfully (there are multiple overworld themes in III, V, VI, and VII, aslo, though they give at least equal time to the main themes). In dragon quest II, the moving "Lonely Youth" plays only until you assemble all three party members, at which time it is replaced by that quaint, vaguely grating happy traveling theme... even if multiple characters are killed in battle! Even when you are marching in the frozen wastelands of Rhone, doorstep to the evil lord! The only time it switches back (Alefgard theme notwithstanding), briefly, is when the Prince of Cannock is removed from your group by the vile Hargon's curse. Short, but sweet, I'd say. "Lonely Youth", despite it's name, should have stayed the definitive theme for the entirety of the game. Dragon Quest IV? My third favorite Dragon Quest, with a large, marvelous soundtrack. With more overworld themes than any other titles, each belonging to a separate set of lead characters, one would think you's find one you liked enough to keep that character in the lead once all of the characters have assembled. My favorite was the Protagonist's, called "Homeland", which is often considered to be the central theme. Tragically, however, while the other 8 characters all retain possession of their themes while in the lead, my protagonist (who is always in the lead anyway), with my favorite theme, get's their theme replaced by that awful Wagon's-Wheel-march or whatever-it-is; there's just no excuse for that! Especially when you consider that it is the default theme for the underworld, DESPITE which ever character leads! Luckily however, unlike II, Homeland can again be heard... if the only current character in your party is Mr. or Ms. Protagonist! Total hogwash, I say. Luckily, Dragon Quest V retain's it's main theme for much of the game, understandably changing only when you proceed to another world altogether. Oh, but I do go on; sorry about the ranting. :3 It is great fun do discuss the magnificent tunes crafted by Master Sugiyama in all of their facets, I must say!!! ^_^

Between Dragon Quest I through IX, Dragon Quest V is roughly my 6th favorite of 9, so while I love it greatly, it's a far cry from my ideal. Still, none the less (in my humble opinion) Dragon Quest V has the best "overall" soundtrack of any main dragon quest title (in gross; all Dragon Quests possess excellent music), just barely beating out IV and VII in the sound department. It most certainly has ONE of the best overall story lines of any of the main series titles (only VII easily surpasses it in my eyes), rivaling III, IV, VIII, and IX, which also possess tales much to my liking. There's just something incredibly endearing about a family's three generation struggle against evil! Also, monster selection is fairly good (and very creative), failing only to top VII and VIII, and easily matching up to II and III. As far as evil doers are concerned, though while Mirudraas was a fab final boss, falling only to Deathmore, Zoma, and Pizzaro in my eyes, Ladja and his henchmen easily stole the show as the benchmark villains that made the nefarious acts of Nizmo's plans shine so darkly! The characters and side quests, on the other hand (While I did like them, mind), were some of my least favorite, beating out only II and IX in character quality (to me, at least). Growing up, getting married, fighting alongside your father and children... Dragon Quest V a truly magical experience that few other rpgs could ever hope to be compared to, and despite it appearing so low on my list of favorites, I firmly believe that it remains truly the most unique Dragon Quest to date!

I love so many of the dragon quest beasties, that it's truly hard to choose only one or two. I love Slimes, with Metal slimes being my absolute favorite sub category of monsters. My top 5 slimes are: 1. Metal King 2. Metabble 3. Metaly 4. CureKing 5. GoldSlime Material monsters, however, tend to be my favorite family in general, with my top 5 being: 1. Revirock (DQVII) 2. Bombcrag 3. MadPot (DQVII) 4. EvilPot 5. Goldman I also love the major boss monsters (or demon lords, as it were), and my top 5 are: 1. Deathmore (final form) 2. Zoma 3. Pizzaro 4. Baramos 5. Mirudraas (Transformed) However, if I had to pick only ONE, it would be Witch from dragon quest VIII... you see, I simply can't help myself! ^_^

At long last, quest fans; I have returned. 10,000 pardons to all 18 of the contestants who participated in the "Ultimate Dragon's Den Giveaway" who were expecting the results to have been announced so long ago on May the 1st, 2014; those who had poured their hearts and souls into expressing, rather movingly, their love for this our most venerated of fantasy franchises. 10,000 pardons to Chichi and Koko, who's grand legacy I have no doubt tainted ever so slightly through this misdemeanor of wasted years, and 10,000 pardons to the great Woodus, and his magnificent Dragon's Den, which I did little justice in my failed endeavors to honor the contest percipients. The reasons for my long absence are grievous and many; tis' a tale of sorrow, shame, and despond; alas, though, for I will not burden my den fellows with my discord. Lest you wish to acquire said knowledge (and considering my three year disappearance, it is well within your rights to do so! ^_^ ), I will gladly deliver a personal correspondence to you with all of the unpleasant details! Now then, on with the results! I thank all 18 of the participants with every ounce of my spirit; each of your entries touched me deeply. In truth, it would have been easier to have just disappeared for good; the coward's way is a great temptation indeed. However, remembering always to your earnest efforts, inspired by your personal accounts and dedication to the quest comradery, I had always vowed to come back, both out of my inexorable love for Dragon Quest and my personal responsibility to fulfill my debts to Chichi, Woodus, and all of you! SO, here are the results: 11 winners in honor of Dragon Quest XI's impending arrival! 1ST PLACE: King Zenith!!!! You win the Grand Prize, in addition to one of 3 Top Prizes, and a specially crafted lot of 60 dragon quest ccg cards! 2ND PLACE: Mattcraft!!! You win one of three Top Prizes, and a specially crafted lot of 45 dragon quest ccg cards! 3RD PLACE: Flute_Warrior!! You win one of three Top Prizes, and a specially crafted lot of 45 dragon quest cards! RUNNERS UP: Plattym3, Soera, Dragonmist19, KnightTeen87, speedracer216, Kalmana, YangustheLegendaryBandit, and Nat: You each will be receiving a reasonably crafted lot of 15 dragon quest ccg cards! Congratulations to you all! ^_^ I'll be personally contacting you, each and every, for postal information, and will be periodically mailing out the prizes in the next week or so. Again, my sincerest apologies to all who were disappointed by my untimely remise, and please feel free to post any questions, comments, or otherwise below, and as always, I thank you for frequenting the Dragon's Den, as well as visiting Chichi and Koko's Dragon Quest CCG website. Huzzah!!!

Mmm.... in hindsight, perhaps the word "giveaway" was a poor choice on mine own verbosity. Ahem! Such is life, I suppose. Never the less, the important idea to convey is that anyone who entered CAN win, even if judging entries... is the general procedure.

Actually, it is a contest; but it's also a giveaway, because... the prizes are without cost... and contests can in theory have no judgmental criteria . Eh... that is to say, each entry will be judged, but there will still be... a random element to the selection process. Hmm.... today would appear to be May 1st! Today is... the contest/giveaway deadline, so one has until midnight tonight to post. ^_^ There have already been so many wonderful thoughts shared by our fellow den brothers and sisters, and it would be nice to give something to everyone... but such an idea is unfeasible. It is therefore optional to the 6 or so winners, who feel compelled to do so, to share their prizes with other contestants. Such a thing is unlikely, but still possible. The judging by chichi and myself shall begin tonight, and the winners shall henceforth be revealed slowly, but surely.

Any soul found who has the intestinal fortitude NOT to cast a vote for she our Tsarevna, can expect a nasty talking-to from her wizard and bodyguard. No BUTTS about it, good sirs. :3

Everyone who has already entered, my good bloke, is eligible for any of the aforementioned prizes from previous updates, as well as these 2 prizes, as well. It just took so bloody long to acquire a few of these cards, that I decided to extend the deadline... because a contest's grand prize should be made known prior to it's closure...