The combat system is expanded from 8 with the additions of a class system and class abilities to the weapon skill abilities.
Numb, I'd seriously recommend getting on board with the series. They are stand alones like the FF series, but the game play has a simplicity and unity that is unmatched by any other series. 4,5 have been redone and ported to the DS, and if you can play PS2 games in any manner, 8 is available as well.
Also my brother clocked his first run through at 60 hours, with "still plenty of stuff to do" He also told me that if you do the Internet update (you have to be that far in the game) today, Tsarina Alana from DQ4 shows up and has a special female armor for your party, which of course is similar to hers in appearance.
Also anyone looking into the game in the near future might want to get theirs before the 31st as gamestop will be sponsoring a "tag mode" event. You could pick it up the day of the event, but you have to be a little ways into the game to do tag mode.
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