Technologies

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Brought Me Back to When RPGs First Felt Magical

Take a trip back to the ’90s to learn where JRPGs started.

A professor once told me that one of the defining moments of becoming your own person is when you find music that isn’t what your parents listened to and make it your own. I’ve always felt the same applies to video games, once you find the one that defines your favorite genre. For me, that was the roleplaying game Dragon Warrior on the NES, now known as Dragon Quest I, and I’ve found myself back in that world with the new Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake.

This marks the second remake of the older Dragon Quest games from Square Enix, following last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Like the previous game, players experience a modern retelling of the first two titles in the iconic Dragon Quest franchise that helped create the Japanese RPG subgenre. While I didn’t play enough of both games to give a full review, diving back in brought back a flood of memories of my first time experiencing an RPG, and falling in love with the genre.

Like many kids back in the NES era, I played Dragon Warrior thanks to a free copy sent to Nintendo Power subscribers, though I didn’t have a subscription. A friend of mine, one of the few kids I knew with an NES, got it and showed it to me one Saturday. It blew our minds because it wasn’t simple action gameplay like Super Mario Bros., where you run and jump, or The Legend of Zelda, where Link slashes enemies. Instead, we read what was happening as the game’s story unfolded. I was hooked.

This time around, there’s still plenty of reading, but the remake updates the experience in countless ways. Both games have the same HD-2D visual style seen in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. The characters and enemies retain designs by legendary artist Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z), but now include richer detail in their 2D sprites, set against lushly animated 3D environments.

There’s also voice acting for many of the characters and enemies, and as you’d expect from an RPG set in a medieval world, everyone speaks with a British accent. Seeing the updated visuals and hearing the voices brought me back to how amazed I was as a kid, when enemy sprites on the NES looked incredibly detailed, and reading the dialogue aloud practically required talking like the king in Disney’s Robin Hood.

Square Enix didn’t add full cinematics but instead uses character sprites to create dynamic scenes. In Dragon Quest I, the descendant of the legendary hero Erdrick (whom I remembered calling «Edrick») is tasked by King Lorik to rescue his daughter and defeat the villainous Dragonlord, who has stolen the Ball of Light that had kept the forces of evil at bay. These story beats were told through text on the NES, but the remake visualizes them in a way that was once only imaginable.

Dragon Quest II does the same, showing the attack on the tranquil castle of Moonbrooke with far more action and drama than the short action sequence of the original.

One thing I appreciate about this remake is the added story context. In Dragon Quest II, the descendants of the hero from the first game must unite to face a new evil. The player begins as the Prince of Midenhall, setting off to find his cousins, starting with the Prince of Cannock. In the original, players simply learned that the prince had left for Wellspring and found him resting in a town along the way. The remake includes a short sequence where his sister joins you on the journey — a small but meaningful touch that gives a bit more depth to the simple story.

Another pleasant surprise is the addition of abilities. In the original games, characters could only use regular attacks or magic. The new abilities add offensive options, such as striking all enemies at once or reflecting damage at the cost of magic points — skills familiar to players of the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. These abilities really shine in Dragon Quest II, where the Prince of Midenhall can’t use magic but can rely on these techniques, adding strategic variety to battles.

As expected from an HD remake, there are numerous «quality of life» improvements. Players can speed up battles, warp between cities and dungeons, and benefit from autosaves. The ability to run, though simple, is a huge improvement. Today’s gamers have no idea how tedious it was to move one step at a time on the NES.

Of all the improvements, the visuals struck me most, especially the world design. The Dragon Quest world remains in 2D, but terrain like forests and mountains now feels layered and immersive. On the NES, these were blocky squares; in the remake, your character weaves through trees and climbs hills. It feels like seeing what my 11-year-old imagination once filled in. I still remember every inch of that map, burned into memory after endless hours of play.

One brilliant design choice from the original remains: The final boss’s castle sits just a short distance from where you start, though you don’t realize its significance until much later. In the remake, the Dragonlord’s lair now looms behind walls, giving it an even more ominous presence. I wanted to explore every corner again, but the rising enemy difficulty quickly stopped that plan.

There’s no question that this is the best way to play the original Dragon Quest 1 & 2 games, but even with their beautifully reimagined graphics, they’re still older games. This is still a turn-based RPG that has no flashy actions or award-winning story. It’s clear that Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is for players like me who grew up with these adventures. Those curious about the roots of the JRPG genre can also find enjoyment here, much like cinephiles who buy Blu-rays of silent films. For everyone else, there’s little reason to jump in immediately, but this faithful remake might be worth a look when it inevitably goes on sale.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will be released on Oct. 30 for $60 on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X and S consoles.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 7, #972

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 7 #972

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is super-tricky. You’ll need to know your symbols to match them up accordingly. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Roll those bones.

Green group hint: Math time.

Blue group hint: A comma is one.

Purple group hint: Not uppercase.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Pips on a die.

Green group: Symbols used in arithmetic.

Blue group: Punctuation marks.

Purple group: Lowercase letters.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

First, here’s that grid full of symbols again.

And here are the answers, sorted into groups.

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is pips on a die. The four answers are five, four, three and two.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is symbols used in arithmetic. The four answers are divided by, equals, minus and plus.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is punctuation marks. The four answers are colon, ellipsis, period and quotation mark.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is lowercase letters. The four answers are I, L, T and X.

Technologies

Black Ops 7 Double XP Weekend and Free Trial Are Live Now

Whether you already own Black Ops 7 or you’re taking advantage of the free weekend, level up your account twice as fast during this double XP weekend.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 developer Treyarch is letting new players try the game for free this weekend with a new multiplayer free trial. Even if you haven’t bought Black Ops 7, you can try out the game’s Zombies and Multiplayer modes during this time. If you’re already knee-deep in the latest Call of Duty game, there’s still something to get excited over — a double XP weekend is running in tandem with the free weekend, letting you level up twice as fast as you cut down new and returning players.

The latest double XP weekend is live now, featuring a sole double account level XP boost this time around. This double XP weekend runs from Thursday, Feb. 5, to Monday, Feb. 9. Anyone playing Black Ops 7 during the event period has a universal double account XP earn rate applied to their account. If you log in now, you can hop into battle and reap the rewards of this double XP weekend right away.

Unlike other double XP weekends, this event doesn’t feature the Quad Feed boost. That means players won’t be able to benefit from all four customary double XP weekend boosts at the same time. Your double XP tokens will also be locked for the duration of the event.

Here’s everything you need to know about this double XP weekend. If you’re looking for something else to play, see our recommendations for the best game subscription services.

When does the double XP weekend start in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

This double XP weekend kicked off Thursday at 1 p.m. ET and is live now.

Not sure when the double XP weekend went live for you? Here’s when the event started in your time zone:

ET: Feb. 5 at 1 p.m.
CT: Feb. 5 at noon.
MT: Feb. 5 at 11 a.m.
PT: Feb. 5 at 10 a.m.

It’s always worth starting your game before your gaming session, if possible. As with every Black Ops 7 patch, the update will require you to download new content and restart the application.

When does the double XP weekend end in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

Some double XP «weekends» are much longer events, lasting five to seven days. The current double XP weekend isn’t nearly that long. This double XP weekend will end on Monday. Your double XP tokens will once again unlock after this time.

Here’s when the double XP weekend will end in your time zone:

ET: Feb. 9 at 1 p.m.
CT: Feb. 9 at noon.
MT: Feb. 9 at 11 a.m.
PT: Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.

Does Call of Duty Warzone have double XP this weekend?

Call of Duty Warzone has a double XP weekend running in tandem with Black Ops 7. That means Warzone players will also be able to benefit from this boost by leveling up their accounts, weapons and battle passes at twice the normal speed.

New players have a chance to level up the weapons they unlock from the new and improved Warzone Armory, and returning players can continue unlocking new attachments for the suite of Black Ops 7 weaponry added to Warzone.

Black Ops 7 double XP FAQ

Technologies

Trump Phone Looks Different, Costs More and Won’t Be Made in the US, Report Shows

The T1 looks different (again), and its specs and pricing have changed, according to a model handset shown in a video call to The Verge.

Trump Mobile executives have shown off a handset they say is a near-production model of the T1 phone to The Verge, according to a report Friday afternoon. Among other appearance changes, the smartphone appears to have a completely different camera array design than the one still shown on the T1 purchase page.

The Verge says it spoke with two Trump Mobile executives over a video call, where they held up the phone so it could be seen. The interview follows doubts about whether the phone will ever be released, after its second advertised launch date of the end of 2025 came and went without any status updates.

As of Feb. 6, the phone’s webpage still lists it as being released «later this year,» which is the same thing it said last year.

Trump Mobile launched in June last year with a $47.45-a-month mobile phone plan, and currently sells refurbished Apple and Samsung phones ranging from $369 to $629 while the wait for the T1 phone continues.

The Trump phone, initially announced to be made in the US, was supposed to launch in August 2025. But when it became clear that domestic large-scale smartphone manufacturing would not be possible, Trump Mobile dropped the «made in the US» claim.

Now, the site simply calls the phone «Proudly American» without specifying what that means for a device manufactured overseas.

The site is still accepting $100 deposits on the phone. The website claims it will have a 6.25-inch punch-hole AMOLED screen, a 50MP main rear camera with two 2MP lenses, a 16MP front-facing camera, a 5,000-mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor, face unlock and 256GB of expandable storage.

According to the model that The Verge saw on its video call this week, however, the screen looks a little larger and has a waterfall display with curved edges, as well as a vertical camera array. That one will reportedly run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7-series processor, feature 512GB of storage, and include a 50MP front-facing camera. According to the report, the T1 logo will also disappear before launch, though the phone will keep the American flag imagery.

It’ll also now cost more, according to the report. Those who have already put down a $100 deposit are locked into the $499 total price, but everyone else who wants this golden Trump phone will pay an unknown amount more. It will be under $1,000, the report says.

According to the executives speaking to The Verge, the phone has been delayed because the company decided to take its time and «skip our first initial entry-level phone that we were going to kind of introduce and be quick to the market.» They told The Verge it’s being made in a «favored nation» with «final assembly» in Florida. It’s unclear what qualifies another nation as «favored» to handle most of the assembly of the T1 phone.

There’s no word yet on the T1 phone’s launch date, but its sellers are reportedly eyeing a March release window.

You can read the full report on The Verge, including photos of the phone as it currently looks. Trump Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment.