Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

Developer(s) TOSE Publisher(s) Square Enix Designer(s) Yuji Horii Artist(s) Akira Toriyama Composer(s) Kōichi Sugiyama Series Dragon Quest Monsters Platform(s) Nintendo DS Release date(s) ^JP April 28, 2010
^NA August 28, 2011
^EU October 20, 2011
Genre(s) Console role-playing game Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is a Nintendo DS console role-playing game published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and is the fifth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series. It was released in Japan on April 28, 2010. At the E3 2011 conference, it was announced that the game would be released in North America on August 28, 2011.

Joker 2's gameplay follows closely to its predecessor. Players explore sections of an island and tame wild monsters into their party. Monsters fight in turn-based combat and grow stronger. Over 300 monsters from past games appear in Joker 2, with a few new species.

The game was followed by a 2nd edition titled Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional. This improved version was released on March 31, 2011 in Japan and featured 124 new monsters, new 55 skillsets, 33 new abilities, and 50 new traits.

Setting

The game takes places on an island shrouded in mysteries, with the stranded passengers of a wrecked aircraft learning to survive in the relentless wilds. The island is divided into the following areas:

• Albatross
• Treepidation
• Doubtback
• Arena
• Cragravation
• Iceolation
• Unshore
• Bemusoleum
• Necropolis
• Dark World
• Metal menagerie

Characters

• The Scout
• Rex Mayday
• Rory Bellows
• Eugene Poole
• Archie Logg
• Lily Gilder
• Melonie
• Dr. Lump
• Don Mole
• Solitaire

Gameplay

Like the previous Joker before it, the Scout is not only able to tame wild monsters through his professional scouting ability, but he can also synthesize new monsters with the help of Dr. Lump at the monster pen.

New Features & system alterations

• Giant monsters have been added to the game, creatures so titanic that they take up two or even all three party slots by themselves. Several new monsters have been created to enrich this feature, and veteran monsters known for living large have been included in the game's roster. Each region of the island is ruled over by one of these monsters as the apex predator, being the Missing lynx (with Tall Tail), Baby Bjørn, Empyrea, Wormonger, Khalamari (with Tentickles), and Sagittar.
• The the ranks and families of several monsters have been reorganized.
• The hard limit of a given stat is no longer strictly 999, with several monsters boasting over 2,000 max HP or more than 1,000 strength, wisdom, etc.
• Reserve monsters can now be switched into the active party during battle, similar to the wagon system used in the Zenithia Trilogy.
• The Sizz family of spells has been reinstated after the absence in the first Joker.

• The new spell Kasizz was added to the family to bring Sizz in line with the four tiers of power seen in the others.

• The overall strength of healing spells has been weakened for competitive balance, with Omniheal and Kazing no longer restoring a monster to max HP.
• The Zoom spell can now be used in dungeons.
• The Incarni family of monsters so crucial to the plot of the previous game has been abolished and the ??? family has been reinstated.
• A weather system has been included, with the local fauna of a region behaving differently depending on the condition.
• Joker 2 has Wi-Fi support and up to eight players can connect to each other. The game will also keep track of the best players through leaderboards.

Gallery

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  NA box art.

• 

  "Perfect Master Bible".

• 

  The Scout.

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  The Scout in the monster pen.

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  Monster Synthesis.

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  Baby Bjørn Battle.

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  The Scout watching a virtual battle with his team