Nintendo dates Dragon Quest IX for July 11 @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on May 19, 2010

News: After a year after the Japanese release.

Nintendo has announced Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies will be released on July 11 in North America and on July 23 in Europe. Developed by Square Enix, the game will be the first original Dragon Quest game released on the DS. Originally released in Japan last July, Dragon Quest IX has already sold 4.2 million copies in its native country.

Dragon Quest IX will bring a variety of firsts to the long-running RPG series. Players will be able to customize the look of their character like never before. In all, the game will offer over 1,000 pieces of clothing, armor, weapons and other items so players can save the world in style. A four-player co-op multiplayer mode also makes this the first Dragon Quest game to give more than one player a chance to battle Slimes. Players can also interact with each by trading personalized messages with each other in their daily lives if they carry their DS with them in the game's Tag Mode.

"Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is one of the biggest games ever to hit Nintendo DS, with an incredible amount of content for every kind of player to enjoy," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "This new game has all of the elements of an instant classic: customization options, a great story, and the ability to share a nearly limitless experience with friends."

Nintendo also plans to offer additional downloadable quests after Dragon Quest IX's release. These free downloads will either continue the main storyline of the game or feature standalone missions.

We'll have more soon.