Image from IGN.com

Next in our entry regarding Wii RPGs in 2008 is an another off the wall attempt (that's coming out very soon), but this time with a time honored game franchise. Dragon Quest swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is actually modeled after a plug and play Japanese game. Yet it is also based on Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior to you NES fans), a major RPG IP, especially to the Japanese. In America, it has always played second fiddle to Final Fantasy in the JRPG spectrum.

The name of the game here is simplified controls- you just use the Wii remote (I find that games that utilize just the Wii Remote are some of the most fun on the system). And yes, this game has its own take on the eternal conundrum of sword play on Wii. It uses a different type of system, where you use the pointer to select a spot, then slash with the Wii remote to do the strike.

As you might imagine, this concentration on sword fighting action has some sites, including big ones like IGN.com, sticking DQS in the "action" category. Yet it still seems to be an RPG: it has a party system, shops to buy better stuff, and leveling. It's just very simplified.

This game has always been in my "really want to check out" category. But make no mistake, DQS has an uphill battle with the Western gaming press. It already sports a 65 metacritic rating (the release date is February 19th, right around the corner!), but I deeply suspect that the simplified nature of the controls are going to cause some of the more ridiculous magazines to give the game low ratings.

Read IGN.com's fairly positive preview article here.