G-pinions

I've never played Dragon Quest before. But I do know a thing or two about it. First thing: it's a very traditional RPG series. All the fancy innovations we've been seeing in RPGs for the last 20 years have completely passed over by this franchise. There is no ability to choose your own path through the game, no fancy new combat engine, there isn't even a lame Gamecube spin-off that requires several hundred dollars worth of equipment to enjoy. It's just a good ol' fashioned RPG. Second thing I know about Dragon Quest: it meets a basic need for human survival in Japan. The rumor that a national holiday is declared with each new release may not be entirely factual, but the nation does come to a crashing halt when the latest edition hits the stores. It's Halo and Grand Theft Auto rolled into one, with a healthy dash of Madden. It's the desert island game of everyone from Japanese descent. And now, it's coming to the Nintendo DS.

Portable systems have been home to various successful spin-off franchises through the years. Super Mario Land wasn't in the same ballpark as World, but it offered solid jumping entertainment for people waiting for the next "real" Mario game. Grand Theft Auto 4 is coming to next generation systems sometime next year, but GTA: Liberty City Stories has been filling a whore-killing void for gamers with a PSP. Spin-offs on portable systems happen all the time. In fact, the Nintendo DS got a spin-off version of Dragon Quest just a few months ago. But this is different. As of an announcement earlier today, Dragon Quest IX, the next installment in the main series, is headed to the Nintendo DS in just a few months. How crazy is this? I'll tell you.

It costs a ton of money to make games on the PlayStation 3. And, despite its modest specs, it costs a lot of money to make games on the Wii as well. As graphics and technology continue to advance, the margin for mistakes has been cut to the width of a baby's hair. Dragon Quest would not be a risk on any platfrom. Dragon Quest IX could come out exclusively on the Game.com and still sell several million. But the potential for massive profits is greatly increased when you develop for the NDS. There is already a massive installed base out there. Nintendo is selling more than half a million new systems every month. It dwarfs the installed base of all three next generation systems combined. Square Enix is no stranger to making money. So they will spend less money on development costs and sell more copies than if they released it for a real video game console. Seems like a brilliant business move, doesn't it?

But what does this mean for fans of TV games? Why wouldn't every company just shift development to the NDS? Why is Capcom spending a fortune making Devil May Cry 4 for the PS3 when they could just release a quirky action game for the NDS and make even more money? Honestly, I have no idea why. I think the video game landscape is quickly changing. This is a business and it simply is not a sound financial investment to make games for these next generation systems. I hope that developers don't read this column and nod their head in agreement, but I do not understand why anyone would make games for these uber-systems when the NDS is moving into unprecedented waters.

Capcom is leading the way in the console world. With Dead Rising already a huge hit and Lost Planet just a month away, they will have two of the best reviewed and best selling next generation games. And they have a sequel to all their popular franchises already in development. But what if Lost Planet only sells a million copies? What if the installed base for the PS3 isn't large enough when DMC4 comes out for Capcom to make a profit on the game? Will they shift development to the NDS as well?

The next few years are going to be very interesting. Dragon Quest is the only major franchise that has shifted to the handheld side so far. Is it an aberration or is it the start of a horrible trend?