Rate this game in the DL: DQ8 and DDS.

[superaielman]

We've had various incarnations of this topic over the years, measuring how much you like a game's cast/what'd you rank from the game/how much you respect the duellers, etc. Well, we haven't had one of these in a while so I figured I'd restart the topic to give us something to talk about during the downtime.

The first game up! Dragon Quest VIII. A new game with a fair bit of DL history and a lot of fan pull. Plus Angelo. Angelo is awesome. Digital Devil Saga's also one of the most recent ranks, and has certainly made an impact so far.

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller:
Least favorite dueller:

Strongest dueller:
Weakest dueller:

Favorite moment in the DL with this game:
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game:

A character you'd like to see added to the game:
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game:

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller:
Least favorite dueller:

Strongest dueller:
Weakest dueller:

Favorite moment in the DL with this game:
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game:

A character you'd like to see added to the game:
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game:


Any other notes/thoughts about the game?

---

Also, suggest ideas for what to use in the next round.

[superaielman]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Angelo. Is pretty awesome, even if he's not as good a Heavy as I thought at first.  Needs more.. something, be it status or buffing or damage. The entire package ends up as meh when he could be a borderline godlike with a little more power.
Least favorite dueller: Yangus. Boring. I don't mind any of the bosses.

Strongest dueller:  Empyrea.
Weakest dueller: Yangus, pretty clearly.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Jessica beating Celes. Awesome.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Either Leopold losing to Harken or Angelo drawing Claude and rightly getting pounded into dog food. Bad luck there.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: NA. We ranked this game perfectly as far as I'm concerned.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: See above.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?

It's been an ideal rank. Lots of strong duellers and drawing, and it's certainly interesting. My only real complaint about the game is how poorly the Godlike bosses have faired. I expect Leopold to do well the next time he gets in, but I don't think Birdlike/Dhoulmagus/Rhapthorne are ever going to amount to anything but cannon fodder.

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Serph. He's hilarious in his failure and is an interesting light. Those don't come along every day.
Least favorite dueller: Heat. Ended up voting against him every time he came up in his run. Oh well.

Strongest dueller: Jenna.
Weakest dueller: Serph. He's pathetic. Delightfully so, but still.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Watching the game's bosses.. draw okay and have fairly strong fan pull. Both Heat and Jenna beat some very tough competition in Godlike in their runs and proved that while the game's not a top tier, it's not going to completely stink up the joint. That was a very valid concern going in and while the game's drawing needs to get better, I don't think you can doubt the successes it's had in terms of holding it's own on site.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game:  Cielo/Vesper being a dud as a draw. Gale's run is pretty iffy as well.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Varin. I like Varin and I have no objective reason why.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: BAT. Just to counter the RANK BAT hype I know's coming.


Any other notes/thoughts about the game? See above. If nothing else it hasn't pulled a BG, and I'm very happy for that. Plus Jenna is cool.

[Shale]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Probably Angelo. Lots of variety in a cast that has a lot of variety already.
Least favorite dueller: Jessica.

Strongest dueller: Rhapthorne.
Weakest dueller: Yangus, duh.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Don't really have one so far.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Ditto.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: RANK DON MOLE.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: None.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game? Play it!

[Cmdr_King]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Mmm.  Yeah, Angelo, although Guv is quirky enough to be neat.
Least favorite dueller: Leopold.  More boring than the other bosses and lacks Yangus' personality.

Strongest dueller: Empyrea
Weakest dueller: Yangus

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Skipping these.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: See Above.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: CHAM-LAY!  *shot*
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Good rank all around.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game? Angelo needs a Heavy championship

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Jenna I think?  High Godlikes are cool for some undefinable reason.
Least favorite dueller: Roland.  Meh.

Strongest dueller: Jenna
Weakest dueller: Serph.  Sadness.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Heat's run I think.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Nothing springs to mind.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: None.  Good rank.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Also good.  We avoided even the madness that is Sera, which I approve of.


Any other notes/thoughts about the game? None at this time.

[Monkeyfinger]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Guv
Least favorite dueller: Rhapthorne

Strongest dueller: Hmmmm... would have said Guv early in the game's DL tenure, but seeing both him and Empyrea in action convinces me that Empyrea's better.
Weakest dueller: Yangus.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Well a recurring one. Rhapthorne keeps picking fights with Godlike's best and getting creamed.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Hmm... nothing DQ8 has done really makes me mad. I'll go with semifinalist Jessica. That's just not right.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: GEMON? Nah.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Can't think of one.

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Heat
Least favorite dueller: Roland, because I can never remember what he has.

Strongest dueller: Heat
Weakest dueller: Argilla. Overrated and shitty. You can't rely on status immunity and full healing when you're average speed and paper frail.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Jenna champing godlike
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Gale going on a rampage after opening the season with a rob

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Varin
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Again, can't think of one

[Dark Holy Elf]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Angelo? Yeah, that works. I do like the swiss army knife types.
Least favorite dueller: Dhoulmagus, 'cuz he sucks. Rhapthorne's also pretty annoying.

Strongest dueller: Empyrea or Guv, the two are incredibly hard to compare.
Weakest dueller: Yangus, obviously.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Unsure. The characters I like most haven't accomplished much. Leo making the semis was pretty cool, though.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Guv beating Royce. I... eh. Really did not think he deserved that one.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Charmles! Yeah, think he'd be a good draw as a silly joke Puny.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: They're all pretty cool.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game: Strongest. PC cast. Ever. That's pretty neat in and of itself, even if I find Guv a bit too random and one-dimensional in his randomness. Bosses on the other hand... inflated, since I found most of them really bad in-game (Marcy/Rhap in particular, but none are great) but three of them being cool characters makes up for this.



Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Heat. Yay nifty boss.
Least favorite dueller: Gale. His DDS2 form gets hype for things he may or may not actually have (fuck DDS2 PCs in the DL) and I found DDS ID to be trash. Weird, since Gale's my favourite character.

Strongest dueller: Jenna. Kaboom, Godlike champ.
Weakest dueller: I'm actually thinking Roland may be worse than Serph. Serph's easily spoilable but Roland just kinda sucks. Of course I don't hold Serph to average stats, which would make him easily take this category.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Heat vs. Melfice was a match I really got into, so that.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Nothing overly bothersome. Maybe Gale beating TONY, but it's Tony so yeah, I'm not going to lose any sleep over him being maybe-robbed.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Maaaybe Sera, but I'm inclined to say nobody. Pretty strongly against any more bosses.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: None, they're all solid picks.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game: As mentioned, I really hate some of the interps people take for DDS2 PCs. Starting with healing should not give you every healing spell any more than we scale up other starting spells, etc. At least DDS1 has clear paths a la FFX. Bit of a shame since the DDS2 system was definitely preferable in-game.

[Lance]

Dragon Quest 8

Favorite dueler: Jessica.  Angelo is a close second.
Least favorite dueler: Leopold.  Maybe I just got lucky when I fought him, but I remember him using physical attacks and nothing else.  Boring.

Strongest dueler: Empyrea
Weakest dueler: Yangus

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Guv and Jessica both making it to the Semis in the same season.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Angelo losing to Claude.  What a crappy draw.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Don Mole, maybe?
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: They're all fine.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game: Very interesting cast of characters.  Everyone has their own quirks, which makes for good matches in the DL.

[BaconForTheSoul]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller:  Jessica, basically tied with Angelo, but he had more votes
Least favorite dueller:  Dhoulmagus, too much like the other bosses, but weaker

Strongest dueller:  Rhap,  I have a LOT more HP respect for him than most since I missed a few key things that to me seemed easy to miss.  (Tendrils being a biggun)
Weakest dueller:  Yangus, wimpy

Favorite moment in the DL with this game:  Low Godlike Jessica winning matches, fun to see weaker fighters with tricks beating the overkill damage/hp/ID characters
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game:  Lack of overall boss HP respect I guess.  Marcello/Leopold/Rhap losses... although I think Rhap ran into badass fighters regardless.

A character you'd like to see added to the game:  Don Mole?!?
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game:  It's fine

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?  Bosses kinda get repitive in DL.  They all double act I think and have similar skillsets.  Still, they all deserve to be in and each have their own quirks (Def/HP/Etc.)

[074]

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Tossup between Heat and Jenna.
Least favorite dueller: Not too fond of Roland, if you've heard me before.

Strongest dueller: Jenna.  Godlike champ, natch.
Weakest dueller: I'd still have to say Roland.  Serph may be Ramzalike Fail here, but Roland is a character with a heavy physical statspread and a mage skillset.  He's going to get abused.  I know it.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Jenna champing.  Against ZOPHAR.  Or Heat beating Elc Hype.  Take your pick.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Cielo's first match.  Bad draw there.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Varin.  I still say Varin would be a desirable rank.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Well, I did give Bat a big fat DNR...


Any other notes/thoughts about the game?  Not much.  People trying to rank Bat will make me kick puppies.

[OblivionKnight]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Marcello.  Love the character.  He's also overall pretty good in all regards as a fighter (has magic and physical damage, HEALING HYPE!, speed, decent enough durability, etc.).  Just overall tough, and really rides the border.  Neat guy.
Least favorite dueller: Leopold.  Just...horrible, horrible fight in-game.  Was not threatening to me, and is generally not that interesting to me, overall.  Just...bad respect for him compared to his in-game vs. DL worth.

Strongest dueller: Rhapthorne.  Just overall has lots of damage, some support effects, good durability, not total fail speed, etc.  Keeps running into some nasty fighters, but he's the toughest boss out of the group overall, I feel.
Weakest dueller: Yangus.  And he's still not horrid.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Leopold getting raped.  It's nice to see that, for once, I might actually have something in common with most people!
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Marcello getting raped.  See above, but sadder ;_;

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Mmm...realistically, we have the most important ones.  Seeing Khalamari and/or Geyzer and/or DON MOLE and/or Ruin and/or Captain Crow and/or etc. would be neat, but I'm in no hurry.  I think we did good.  Charmles would be awesome though.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: N/A.  

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?
Overall good.  I like the game a lot, as it brings lots to the League.  Neat stuff, and I generally like everyone a lot.  Just pretty awesome.  10/10

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Mmm...Heat. It's great to see him getting lots of boss respect, as well as being very versatile no matter the form.  Pretty cool overall.
Least favorite dueller: Uh...Serph.  Average stats all around makes him...bleh.  Thankful I ignore the press turns in the DL, at least!

Strongest dueller: Heat and Jenna are really, really close.  I'm not sure which I see as stronger.  Probably Jenna, with better durability and a form-chain.  
Weakest dueller: Serph.  See above.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Godlike fun with Jenna and Heat.  Just badass to see them get lots of respect and kick some ass.  
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Uh...none I can really think of.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Sera and the other tribal leaders definitely.  Seraph I could do without, but Sera...plot importance with a rankable form...just not something I can see skipping.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Eh...none, really.  

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?
Another game I love.  9.5/10, loses half a point for Super.

I'd suggest we do...well, are we up for doing stuff that's been done already?  If we are then I would suggest Xenosaga I/II and Fire Emblem 7.

I'd also think adding a bonus category, like "What WILL you think of this game in the DL?"  More of a, "what do you think will happen when (if) the game gets ranked?"  Kind of like a NR thing.  Categories like strongest/weakest dueler, who would be ranked, etc.  Most of the same stuff can work.  Extra categories could be ranking thoughts, etc.  Would be neat.  I'd like to see WA5 in that case.

[Meeplelard]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Angelo. Yeah, well rounded skill set and lots of tricks while not being annoyingly offensive about it at the same time.
Least favorite dueller: Hmm...probably the bosses.  They're kind of bland double acting whores with Dispel, outside of Leopold.

Strongest dueller: Rhapthorne is my kneejerk though.
Weakest dueller: Yangus. No real argument here.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: None offhand.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Ditto.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: None; the game was well ranked, and frankly, stuff like RANK DON MOLE is just silly and best left alone.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: See above.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?

This game feels like a text book example of what to rank and not rank; the PCs and plot important bosses all got ranked, while idiotic fan favorites like Don Mole (who admittedly is freaking awesome, don't get me wrong) weren't ranked.

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: I guess Roland, just cause he's the coolest character in both games?  Dunno, no one really stands out for duel merits.
Least favorite dueller: Gale, I guess.  I like him as a character, but he gets stupid lucky in the DL to the point where its annoying.

Strongest dueller: Jenna.  This is assuming Hhairava is what its been hyped.
Weakest dueller: Serph. Um, yeah, totally screwed in the DL its not even funny.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Don't have one.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Probably Jenna getting as far as she did based on a move I never saw in game, as in champing? Yes, call it a silly reason, but it struck me the wrong way >_>

A character you'd like to see added to the game: I...guess Varin?  Sort the closest thing DDS1 has to a main villain, and not really offensive one way or another.  I'd have said Sera but that's just a headache in and of itself.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Even though he's not ranked, FUCK BAT.

[Luther Lansfeld]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Angelo.
Least favorite dueller: Dhoulmagus, Rhapthorne, is there really a difference?

Strongest dueller: The guv'ner.
Weakest dueller: Yangus. Doesn't seem too arguable.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Anytime Celes LOSES HORRIBLY is a good time in my book.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Oh god. As much as Leopold and Marcello have had terrible DL luck, CLAUDE VS. ANGELO is worse.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: DON MOLE AW YEAH.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: No one.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game? It is hawt.

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Um... I guess Serph.
Least favorite dueller: Cielo.

Strongest dueller: Jenna.
Weakest dueller: Roland, I think. I'm generous to Serph.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Heat vs. Melfice, bitches.
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Nothing sticks out.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: None.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Roland.

[Dhyerwolf]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Jessica. Cool Godlike with lots of tricks, but kind of weakish for the division.
Least favorite dueller: Rhapthorne. Because he sucks.

Strongest dueller: Guv, I think.
Weakest dueller: Yangus.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Uh...
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: When the Godlike bosses get in and fall on their face.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: No one else could even remotely be ranked.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Perfect as is.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game?
Casuals really don't respect the bosses!

Digital Devil Saga:

Favorite dueller: Argilla. Coolish Middle.
Least favorite dueller: Roland. Go away.

Strongest dueller: Jenna.
Weakest dueller: Serph or Roland.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Good Godlike runs!
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Nothing yet really.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: Varin! Godlike, plot important!
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Roland. DDS 2 PC issues are not good+no solid stat notes.

[superaielman]

Any suggestions on what to use next? Thinking WA5 and a strong ranked game.

[Lady Ashe]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Guv. Call Team is fun and there are some interesting team combinations out there.
Least favorite dueller: Leopold. The plot bosses are all pretty similar, so he's basically a less powerful version of the others.

Strongest dueller: Mm. Rhapthorne.
Weakest dueller: Yangus.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Guv getting smashed by Yuna this week. He may be my favourite dueler from this game but he's not Yuna. ^_^
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Guv getting unlucky and drawing Yuna. Oops.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: CHARMLES
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: It's fine.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game? Awesome game. Can't put my finger on exactly why, but I love it.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Dragon Quest 8:

Favorite dueller: Guv, which is weird, because I normally hate silent mains and I despite anything that Toriyama draws (especially when they go super-saiyajin). Despite his character flaws, he's a really fun duelist.
Least favorite dueller: Jessica? Don't know why.

Strongest dueller: Guv perhaps?
Weakest dueller: Yangus, sorry man.

Favorite moment in the DL with this game: Actually, since I started playing DQ8, I'd been wanting a Yuna/Guv summoners' match. And this week, I got one. Cool~
Least favorite moment in the DL with this game: Leopold's run not ending in championship.

A character you'd like to see added to the game: None, perfectly ranked.
A character you wouldn't have ranked from this game: Dittio.

Any other notes/thoughts about the game? Toriyama art is awful, but the translation's good enough to make the game and its characters enjoyable despite the offending art. Its worth in the DL really helped push me into playing this title despite my intense disdain for the artist. (Yay, a happy ending!)

Next week: WA5 sounds interesting. Pair with Golden Sun? I'm curious to know what everyone thinks of that game...

-Djinn