Top 50 Video Games: Number 8

#8: Dragon Warrior III
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Publisher: Enix Corporation
Released: 1991
Players: 1


This was my introduction to the world of roleplaying.


Most people who consider themselves gamers will play pretty much anything so long as it's fun. We also have our favorite genres however. For me, roleplaying games are my overall favorites across all platforms. Like many American gamers, I got my introduction to the world of RPGs with Dragon Warrior. I had never seen anything like it with it's turn based combat, its experience points, spellcasting and equipment upgrades. I started the game off killing smiling little puddles of slime with a bamboo pole and wound up slaying mighty dragons with a sword. The game rewarded exploration and every new town was an exciting discovery for me. I loved it. It all sounds very stereotypical, doesn't it? Even the name "Dragon Warrior" sounds like a standard, run-of-the-mill RPG. The reason is that this series was the first pure console RPG, inspiring its more well known brethren such as Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star. For many of us, Dragon Warrior was our first shot at slaying the dragon, rescuing the princess and saving the kingdom from evil.


Tim vs Marauders and Lionheads.


Dragon Warrior III was the peak of the series for me. This time, rather than travelling out on your own, you get 3 companions. You get to choose a profession for each of them between Soldier, Pilgrim, Wizard, Merchant, Fighter, Goof-Off and eventually Sage (that last one is sort of like a prestige class for all you D&D players out there.) You'll need those companions because this time you fight multiple enemies at once. The game is huge in scope compared to the prior DW games, featuring a very large overworld, an underworld and day/night cycles. I remember having to haul ass back to the nearest town when night would begin to fall because much stronger enemies would come out at night.

Dragon Warrior IV improved upon the third game in some ways, but made one critical flaw in my eyes: your party members were AI-controlled. This meant that, while you could set general rules for how they behave, you had no actual control over your party members' actions. DW4 was awesome other than that. The game is set up in five chapters and you control different characters in each one. In the fifth chapter you meet up with the characters you controlled in the previous four chapters to form a party, which is a very nice touch. Beyond that, DW4 is simply more Dragon Warrior gaming goodness. More experience points, more epic story, more battles to fought and worlds to be saved.


Dragon Warrior III: Shitty graphics (even at the time) but terrific gameplay.


The Dragon Warrior series is, for me, the very definition of an 'old school' RPG. No fluff, nothing flashy, just good solid gameplay. The Dragon Warrior games are slow, meticulous, deep and fun. There's something rewarding about finishing a game that you've played over the course of several weeks or months. Your party began as weaklings and you've made them a powerful, experienced, battle-hardened band of adventurers. Dragon Warrior turned me into a lifelong RPG fan and, in part, started me towards tabletop roleplaying such as Dungeons and Dragons and Planescape. God bless you, Dragon Warrior!