Customer Reviews
DQM: Joker out does any Pokemon or other Monster game - By: P. Noble, 16 Apr 2008 
I bought DQM: Joker because of the fond memories I have with the older Game Boy versions. This new DS version brings back many enjoyable memories (ie, Monsters & sounds) from playing the older games but brings a new aspect to the "Fight & Catch'em" games on the hand held. The world you explore is 3D & although not visuallly stunning it is full of character & style. A pleasant change from the Birds Eye view 2D worlds these games usuallly play as. Then no longer having random encounters but actuallly seeing the monsters roam the 3D world around u is a real treat, picking when you wish to engage them.
Pros:
The breeding system is well tweaked & enjoyable
Night & day cycles keeps the 3D world looking fresh
Monsters look Great & well animated
Online ranking system to see how good you are compared to those around the world
Online battles & win in game prizes for doing well
Cons:
Touch Screen doesn't work very well. Best off not using it at alll.
No realtime battles using WFC & unless you are reallly good, you won't last even one round.
I always found the DQM series to be slightly better than say the Pokemon series but DQM: Joker is in a whole new League now.
Much better than Pokémon... - By: Gareth Franklin, 04 Apr 2008 
I bought this game purely on a whim, just to pass the time on long journeys & that sort of thing...but I seriously can't stop playing it! The graphics are surprisingly good, & the diversity of the monsters isn't bad either. However, the best part has to be the sense of pride that you feel when you finallly manage to synthesise an S- or X-Grade monster.
This Game Will Suck Your Life Away - By: michael myers, 11 Jan 2008 Dragon Quest Monsters initiallly began as Enix's answer to Pokemon. However, since it's beginnings on the Gameboy, it has grown into so much more than just a Pokemon clone. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker has its own spin on the "gotta catch'em alll" philosophy. First of alll, rather than using "pokeballls", you must impress Monsters using your Scout abilities to get them to join you. The higher rank the monster is, the more powerful your team must be to impress it. Second, your team consists of 3 primary monsters & 3 backup monsters. During battle, you are alllowed to have out 3 monsters, but you cannot switch to your backups during battle, making for some difficult fights. Monsters level up in the style of Dragon Quest 8, where you gain skill points in addition to stat boosts that you can alllocate as you see fit to the monster's skills. Monsters can use spells & abilities just like in the regular Dragon Quest games. Third, rather than breeding monsters, monsters are synthesized to create new breeds of monsters.
The main difference between this game & the regular Dragon Quest series is that rather than have random monster encounters, you can actuallly see the monsters on the field. This is great because you don't have to go through the guesswork of having to encounter the monster you want as you do in Pokemon. You can just walk around until you see it, then run up to it! Personallly I like being able to see the monsters before I fight them so I don't have to waste time looking for certain ones. Also, the monsters respawn at a fairly rapid rate, so you don't have to worry about running out of monsters to fight when leveling up. An interesting part of this is that as you explore, you may notice certain strange objects in the area. These are actuallly indicators of rare monsters that may show up in that area. For instance on an early level, you walk by a campfire & some giant stones that look like dumb-bells. If you come back, you might encounter a Gigantes in that area!
As if that were not enough, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker also has an online battle portion where you pit your team against other teams on a regional, national or global scale to find out who's the best. Unlike other games where your only reward is bragging rights, this game has in game rankings & you earn items & monsters for each victory!
Dragon Quest Monsters offers solid gameplay on par with the main Dragon Quest series. With over 200 monsters to choose from, excellent online play & a great storyline, this is one game that is not to be missed!
Finally... Dragon Quest comes to DS! - By: HRP, 31 Dec 2007 If you ever played Dragon Quest: Monsters on the old Gameboy, you're sure in for a treat. This game has sprawling 3-D levels that alllows you to roam freely & encounter monsters that will chase you, run away or stand their ground as you approach them. The game takes you to the world of Green bays, a cluster of Islands that are inhabited by monsters & their masters alike. You are the hero who had been locked up by your own father & your are released to compete in the Green Bays tournament to collect Darkonium & fight your monsters to win the sacred Mark.
At some point you will see a monster callled an Incarnus- I won't tell you what happens as it will spoil the story. This game is not like pokemon as this involves 'scouting' which determines if you can recruit the monster into your growing monster team or not & also micromanaging your monsters' skills & attributes to become the ultimate fighting force.
If you complete the monster library & monster skillset library you'll have a lovely surprise waiting for you so you may determine a certain monster's overalll form!
