DS Critic Reviews

What Monsters Joker 2 really does best is to create a bright, vibrant world that does a great job of paying homage to the Dragon Quest franchise while also giving it a different spin. It's a bit slow to start -- monster synthesis takes a bit to unlock -- but it's an overall rewarding experience and one of the best Nintendo DS games to be released this year.

With an almost limitless number of monster and skill variations, you'll find plenty to do even after the credits roll.

Square Enix and development team TOSE have delivered yet another superb entry into the series that may not challenge Pokémon in terms of worldwide sales, but certainly does match it in many ways in the quality stakes.

The graphics, the style, especially Toriyama's work, the gameplay and the barely quantifiable amount of stuff to accomplish come together to make Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 one of the last, best Nintendo DS games and the second greatest monster hunting RPG on the system.

Joker 2 has its frustrations, like the level-grinding it sometimes demands and the offense that some monsters take when you try to recruit them. But that monster synthesis system is pure, addictive fun.

Lacks the scale or drama of your average Dragon Quest, but does offer compulsive monster raising. [Oct 2011, p.60]

Overall this title offers a lot in single player and multi-player area and does the RPG dynasty justice keeping fans happy and busy until a new Dragon Quest title comes along.

Fans of DQIX's story may feel short-changed, but any annoyances are minimised by Joker 2's streamlining. [Dec 2011, p.96]

Playing with Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is a satisfying experience with some seldom frustrating situations derived from choices in the design of the capture system. Combat are intense, fun and attractive, but the real focus is in the monster synthesizer, which shines.

A quite interesting traditional RPG with pokémonesque collection elements. Too bad the story is just a cheap excuse for level-grinding. [Nov 2011]