WHY I ADORE THE DRAGON QUEST SERIES 35 YEARS LATER THIS IS MY JOURNEY - Happy Console Gamer

[@felipe.quaglietta]

There's just something about your channel that's different. The gaming community nowadays is just so toxic and whiny about graphics and gameplay and all that. But not you. You're here for the fun, for the passion of it all. For simply liking games and being happy about it. It's just so very engaging. Keep It up, Johnny. Yours is the kind of content the internet needs today.

[@nicolopez9494]

Amen

[@Cat_Wonderland]

Completely agree man! Love this channel ❤

[@codyketron3242]

Man Johnny this video i had to come back to and watch again.I just turned 38 on the 20th of this month and listening to you talk about your childhood neighborhood&your best friends and the games you played really made me think back about my old neighborhood&my childhood friends and the games we played.It kinda hurts how fast the time actually went by and how the world is the way it is today with all these digital releases and how nobody can have an opinion about a game without a hundred people leaving the most stupid comments because you think differently.I tell my kids that it sucks you will never experience riding your bikes with close friends up to the video store with your mom's rental card and renting a good game and beating it before it's due and really having no clue as to how good it is until you play it.Anyways what a great video Johnny another banger like always!

[@foolio1990]

Stuff like this is why I love your channel. We share the same deep nostalgia for our childhood gaming memories.

[@bizarro_raven]

@foolio1990 Same here, Johnny is easily the most relatable console gamer on all of KZbin for me.

[@Nev182mang]

My mom passed away 9 years ago today. She gave me a childhood where I was allowed to skateboard, play games, and use my imagination. Thank you for sharing friend! This made today easier.

[@jmatt781]

Us that grew up as kids through the 80's and 90's were truly lucky to experience those times. We couldn't wait to get out, hit the neighborhood and find our friends every day, and the excitement with each new step in video game, movie and media technology was so incredible to live through.

[@HollowRick]

Even me being born in the early 90s it was the same for me and my friends in the late 90s and early 2000s as I remember time without phones that could do everything and social media I miss those days

[@milklordnomadic]

You're probably my favorite KZbinr and I've been here since the very beginning, to say I appreciate these recent videos would be an understatement. Better than ever, man! Takes me back to skating and gaming in the little town I grew up in, where I first saw your videos long ago!

[@alec187]

I swear you make this video every year and I’m here for it every time 😂😂😂

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

Akin to a Tim Rogers video; the way he often quite literally walks down memory lane, even to the point of scheduling visits to his old schools. Very nice John, very nice

[@NickBergOne]

Johnny is one of those rare people that inspire creativity and a sense of appreciation for things from the past and linking them to the present. Thank you man! I have been going through games from my childhood and I'm having such a wonderful time with it. I'm also discovering games from that time that i didn't have a chance to play back then, and it feels like I'm stepping into a time machine. I feel like the older I get, the sweeter my childhood feels to me. I'm very very lucky though, for having a loving family that gave a shit and growing up with awesome friends that i still have to this day.

[@tbnwontpop8857]

It's crazy that you're 50 years old and you're still rocking life like a young person. Skateboarding, hiking, gaming. It's inspirational man, I hope I can continue to be young forever like you.

[@ahoha.]

If I'm emotional over this video right now, I can only imagine what your little one will experience when she watches this one day. Thank you for the beautiful video man

[@TheGamingShelf]

This is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen from you Johnny. It really brings me back to the early days of discovering RPGs and a lot of those special memories with them. Thank you!

[@astralmass]

It often blows my mind how good of a memory you have. Love all your content, but these personal touches are truly special. Happy Sunday!

[@ty_sylicus]

You're an inspiration to us all Johnny. I have plans to visit my home town and state is just 4 years. I can't wait to feel that nostalgia again!

[@fancyjoey9102]

It’s so refreshing to hear Johnny talk about his childhood memories and his humbleness and appreciation for the life his parents gave him to be able to enjoy these things. The cherry on the cake was Johnny literally taking us with with him down memory lane and his old neighborhood . Awesome episode today big guy!

[@GTSJoeG]

I really love these episodes, Johnny, where you go out and share your world, like the barber shop episode, the game store episode and the neighborhood episodes. It's a nice way to mix it up. Being a parent myself of a couple of toddlers, the ending to this episode was really heartfelt. Great stuff, thank you HCG! 🙏🏼

[@lefrancjm3778]

One of the best episodes of the channel. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful memories, Johnnie.

[@godstsunami6842]

How Johnny doesn't have at least a million subscribers I'll never know, wonderfully nostalgic to the point where it makes me nostalgic for a time I didn't even live through. Commentary that I could listen to all day. Thanks for sharing Johnny and cheers to you

[@Tyler16bit]

My grandma and I watched this, and this is exactly what KZbin was made for!

[@andrewtrushinski3848]

That's a beautiful neighborhood. What an amazing place and time to grow up in.

[@erick4923]

I've never played Dragon Warrior, but this is my favorite episode you have ever done. Thank you so much for sharing your memories and passion. Seems like you had an amazing childhood, parents, and friends!

[@NicoleLynnYt]

I really enjoyed this video. I'm 49, and with all the things you go through in life it's so easy to forget the past and remember all the things, places and people that meant so much to you. This video makes me want to think about all those things again. Thank you Johnny.

[@RomanJr316]

Brother, I’ve been watching you for a decade .. this has to be my favorite episode or one of my favorites like the ones where you and Rob talk about the past. Thank you for sparking my memory of the past. I’ve said it in several comments but you’re exactly ten years older than me so I love listening to your stories which then makes me think of my past and experiences . You were 15 when you played Dragon Warrior (I know it’s Dragon Quest) and it reminded me of the game I played when I was 14/15 that made me love a series too and that game was Final Fantasy 7.

[@bizarro_raven]

I'm with you Johnny, playing Golvellius back in my old neighbourhood. Great memories!

[@humblemudgames]

I've been in a little bit of a funk, then you come around with a modern classic Happy Console Gamer video and I feel a lot better watching this through to the end. Incredible callback to the first time you walked through the neighborhood. What a beautiful area, too!

[@Damnmusician]

well you did it again Johnny! Got me crying with that beautiful video. Thank you for these wonderful memories!

[@ChrisMeadows92]

I've been with this channel since 2012 and your 'Skipping School and Gaming' video was the first one I watched. It was surprisingly touching to see you basically make the same video, but through the lens of being a middle-aged man and a father. Thanks for letting us into your world over the years, the unique perspective you bring to this channel is what keeps us coming back.

[@cesars7591]

oh man, im sorry for your loss, they are not gone forever, we will see our loved ones again. i been watching your videos for more than a decade and i thank you for making them.

[@CaptAwesumNo1Zone]

Johnny I just came back from visiting my childhood neighborhood last weekend in Saskatchewan too, OH MY GOD THE MEMORIES!!!!❤❤❤😭

[@timwasylyszyn9838]

Great video Johnny! Thanks for taking us back to some of your childhood experiences. Being in my late 40’s I often think back to my awesome childhood too. So happy I grew up during that amazing time.

[@paulo4034]

Unbelivably cool video Johny. Im just 31, but even we (of the same age) still grew up without much technology and experienced the neighborhood part of life, we used to create games to play among each other, play a custom handball/hide and seek type of game, play cards, tell stories.... I actually still live very closeby and many saturday mornings I have a walk there and reminish... not only about friends but family too, my old house... its so powerful, the memories... i cant even explain the feeling well, words cannot justify it.... Can only imagine when im 50... I totally understand everything you mean. I love this channel man! For sure taught me a lot, on creating visual/video memories too. Cheers!!

[@danielepedrali7681]

thank you for this really beautiful journey!!! Memories are our timeless treasures

[@wolfpacsyxx]

This is one of the best episodes you have done, reminds me of your gaming memories episodes but with the actual areas. It’s great, made my day

[@KingSilverGhost]

I love these kinda videos! Thank you for the years of awesome content, I'm always looking forward to more.

[@YureruKareru]

Mr. Millennium going on location is one of my favorite styles of video from this Channel! The cuts of you going down the stairs, into the field all mic’d up is such a fun, literal walk down memory lane that you allowed us to join. Thank you!

[@ElComanche]

I loved this video. Made me think of my childhood. I’m gonna do the same thing now with my best friends who I’m still near Johnny. Thank you.

[@rodrigolinq1536]

I really love this kind of videos, it takes me back to my childhood in such a beautiful way I just can't explain it. Thanks a lot for this man!

[@Darko1226]

What an awesome video! I’m glad you were able to visit your childhood neighborhood and share this with us.

[@djninjaturtle]

Love and miss this style of nostalgic video from you! When I first subbed they were kind of your main focus, being from the other side of the country and a decade under you, I find your experience fascinating. It's similar to mine but your proximity to the US and the pacific ocean put you more in the path of these things that my friends and I on the east coast could only guess about!

[@Norbiej]

The production quality of your videos and the diverse settings and shots the past few months have been amazing, very nice, thanks.

[@Chris-oj6be]

These types of videos you make are my absolute favorite. Truly happy moments these games can create and looking back on my memories and yours is amazing! Thanks for sharing

[@True-Faux]

Your reflection and gratitude for your childhood elevates this episode well beyond gaming nostalgia.

[@lunixgaming7804]

Hey Johnny, I am a 17 year old fan of you and I just want to thank you so much for showing us how life and gaming was like back then. I really enjoy watching your video and I love to watch this video! My favourite Dragon Quest games are 8 and 11, but I also really like 5. I want to play all of the other Dragon Quest games as well, which is why I am really thankfull for the Dragon Quest I, II and III remakes!

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

Hey awesome thank you! Enjoy your DQ Journey!

[@karluspupus]

I'm fond of those vidéos in which you talk about you memories, probably because I feel so much nostalgia about my own past, I spent so many good times with my friends playing multiplayer games, discovering wonderful stories and experiences.

[@Skyshadow733]

awesome video I only live about 10 min from north delta and I grew up around the same kind of paths and nature. Love the nostalgia trips

[@AlohaGamester]

I have been waiting for someone to say they live(d) by where some of the events in his stories have taken place. It's such a beautiful part of the world. I grew up about 30 min away from Vancouver in Bellingham WA. I miss it greatly.

[@vt6122]

@HappyConsoleGamer And this is exactly why i follow your channel for years. These kind of videos are so enjoyable to watch. To see your nostalgia and happy memories. Im 38, almost 40 and these vids and stories, always makes me nostalgic and makes me think about my childhood memories of my friends and all the kids in the neighborhood. All the fun times, adventures and gaming pleasures we had. The good times, the bad times, all of it, its so meaningfull and important to hold dear to those memories! Never stop telling stories about "back in the day" John! Love your vids! Thnx for all your hard work over the years 🙏🏽 Greetings from the Netherlands🤓

[@DreamyDawnMusic]

This video made me emotional! Love videos like these you´re doing Johnny! Certainly made me remember my childhood and the games i played way back then almost 25 years ago! Please keep doing these!

[@w1lbadog]

I've been watching your channel for years and I just wanna say your videos have got me through so many difficult times in my life. The way you tell stories from your past is so engaging and helps me take my mind off of things. So I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the amazing videos over the years and for providing a positive space to share experiences playing games.

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

Thank you!❤

[@SlickSniper3]

Great trip down memory lane. Whenever I visit my hometown, I always think about the good times in my youth.

[@_inamorata_]

I have you to thank Johnny for getting me into Dragon Quest! I watched your 2 part videos on the history of Dragon Quest all those years ago and I have been a diehard Dragon Quest fan ever since. Thank you Johnny for both making me a fan and constantly preaching the series to the masses. I cannot wait to play the Dragon Quest 3 remake in November.

[@84pulp]

Always a good day with a new HappyConsoleGamer episode! Just a small thank you for all your efforts in running the channel. Best wishes from Australia.

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@femtrooper]

John, this is one of your best videos! I absolutely loved this as a DQ fan, but also the element of nostalgia here is pure awesome. So much heart in this video - you nailed it when you talked about that feeling you get walking around your old neighborhood. I get the same and sometimes I like to just drive around the streets near my old house I grew up in because I can remember all the adventures I had and the games I was playing / Pokemon cards I was trading, etc! Kudos to this!

[@EdwinStreet]

Thanks, Johnny. This was one of my favourite episodes. Made me reminisce about my own childhood playing video games with friends in the neighbourhood. I'm a long time watcher, first time commenter.

[@TheSomberGamer]

You were the reason I got into Dragon Quest when I discovered your channel back when I was in my teenage years, Im 32 now and currently going through Dragon Quest XI and having the time of my life. Thank you for getting me into this series.

[@ducky920567]

I got Dragon Warrior for my birthday in October 1989. When I saw the screenshots, it looked really interesting and like nothing I ever played. It started my addiction to RPGs. I had a C64 and then picked up Bards Tale and some AD&D games.

[@johnnyzee9618]

You brought me back to some of my good ol' times with this vid. I feel so lucky to have grown up in this era of 80's and 90's as you did. Thanks for sharing this.

[@starwarstimeline]

This was an absolutely fantastic story John! Reminds me of my early gaming on Dendy console in Soviet Russia and moving to NYC in 1995 playing my first year on PS1 with my local friends. Seeing FFVII for the first time was absolute magic and I was hooked to RPGs ever since.

[@courtneyjensen]

My favorite game series of all time (II and IV my favorite games of all time)..... and this was my favorite video of yours... displacing the Christmas episodes. I live 600 miles from my childhood home, but every time I go back, I do the same nostalgic walkabout, pointing at houses where strangers now live. I haven't been able to return in a while, so I appreciate you sharing yours. It worked as a perfect surrogate.

[@diegoreynoso4188]

What a great video seeing the place you grew up in. You are one of the biggest reasons I got into Dragon Quest seeing your Dragon Quest 4 ds review back in 2015. I moved 2 years ago but I still remember playing all the Dragon Quest games in my old room good times!

[@jamestoney6599]

Love this series and RIP to Akira Toriyama. What a legacy.

[@natural8677]

This is a must watch HCG video. loved visiting all the locations. makes me feel many things

[@SinisterSixx]

It’s funny how i get nostalgic for Dragon Warrior even though i was 4 years old when it came out, love these videos Johnny, keep em coming!

[@ActionButton]

finally watched this and . . . . . . yeah, dude. impressed that you developed your own western prototype of the japanese phenomenon of deciding to stay home and play dragon quest, lol. i didn't make that decision To Stay Home And Play Dragon Quest myself until i was 40 (when i quit my job to start a youtube channel, lmao), at which point i'd been Following The Rules for so long that i had to turn staying at home to play dragon quest into a full career also i was about to ask what camera you were using for the walking around shots. i was gonna be like "is that an osmo pocket 3?" and then in the wide shots at the end, i saw it. heck of a gadget, ain't it? maybe top ten gadgets i ever bought tbh

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

Thanks for showing up! And yeah the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 made this possible, for us in the 80's and 90's we used a potato...

[@themailman3331]

My favorite KZbin channel talking about my favorite video game series. Dragon Quest is such a big part of my childhood as well. And I think they are the most charming games ever made. I’m so happy to have played them, and I’m so happy that I own physical copies of every Dragon Warrior/Quest game.

[@Omnislashcloud]

This was a really beautiful video Johnny. Absolutely loved every second of it 😊

[@pcm2fchris]

what a rad video. watched it with my HCG t shirt on, after wearing it all day. till next time, johnny!

[@seoulcoffee1977]

This is seriously the best video you've done. Fantastic work. It's amazing how similar our experiences are.

[@badboy-gn8fu]

God bless you bro! i'll be 50 in 7 yrs...2031...it's just around the corner. im already thinking of something special to do when i turn half a century old...maybe reflect on my life and even visit all the places where i have grown up like you did here in this video...like you japanese games have been central in my life. i grew up w/video games esp japanese games...they are memories i will treasure forever.

[@saynotop2w]

It's very sentimental to get to visit your old neighborhood. Sometimes I wish my family never moved, and I envy those who lived in the same house all their lives.

[@VatoLoco91]

I grew up a little more in the rough side, can't remember living in one place than maybe 3 years. However I have 2 buddies who still live in their childhood homes 2 states away. So many memories. I think it's hard for them to understand when I mention the pressure of the memories whenever I visit. It is in fact intoxication. Like I'm reliving the past for a second. Thanks for the video Johnny. One last note. Your skipping school episode is my favorite of all time and I occasionally go back to it over the years. That video somehow warps me back to when I was still living with my parents unable to find a job and struggling to pay for college, that said I had an unbelievable amount of free time to explore games, movies, and how I first found your channel.

[@hiphopdan]

Yo, soooo cool to see your old hood. looks amazing. love these types of vids too.

[@AlohaGamester]

When I hear you referencing returning to your old neighborhood and how hypnotic the memories are of when you grew up, it reminds me of my own childhood growing up Bellingham, WA. Just 30 min away. In the 90's and 2000's going to Bellis Fair Mall was an adventure for me. I bought many of my video games and Starwars toys between there, Toys•R•Us, and other local Gamestops. The area between where you and I grew up is so simular that lIstening to you talk your childhood brings on a wave of emotion, especially as I get older.

[@entretantosmundosgaming4974]

Great video, John. Very cheerful and inspiring.

[@Huntsmaestro]

What a heartwarming video! Certainly jogged some old memories ❤ I love your channel, man and I genuinely look forward to tuning in each Sunday evening. Thanks for everything you share!

[@yochrisnelson]

This brought me so much joy. Your Dragon Warrior II video gives me chills, it brings me back to that time where the world was a kid’s oyster. Also you’re an incredible storyteller as always.

[@devinwalker1231]

I love that this video is a callback to some of your old videos made me nostalgic about watching them for the first time

[@pierrotcristian]

What a beautiful video you made Johnny, thank you!

[@artsmockmusic]

Thank you Johnny! 🙏🏼

[@matheusgoncalvessilva2447]

I really love the passionate way you feel and show for those games and memories! That's what made all those things special! Thank you as always, Johnny! Greetings from Brazil!

[@CompleteProducer84]

These are my favorite videos! A few months ago, I bought my childhood home and I am living in the memories every time I take a walk. Sadly, a lot of my friends' houses are now housing for college students. But some great neighbors remain!

[@feiwong3634]

Thank you Johnny for sharing your memories, as a fellow old fart rpg fan for life this resonates so much.

[@Chefticles]

Approaching 50 myself now. I've been gaming since the 2600 era, though in the UK for us it was the boom of the home computer. My happiest memories from 35 years ago was bunking off school with my best Friend Ian and playing co-op games on the Amiga. JRPG's were considered a non genre in Europe by Japanese publishers so we got very few. They really didn't start arriving on our shores until the PS1 era with Suikoden and the success of FFVII. Great video dude, my 9 year old son loves your content!

[@Chefticles]

BTW we're currently playing through Dragon Quest XI together on PC

[@joeyf150blacksunshine7]

Same age as you Johnny. And like you I have some great memories snuggled up at home playing ikari warriors and many other great games. Man I miss the eighties.

[@spidervike189]

What a cool video, have no nostalgia for the series but the entire concept and your love/passion almost got me a bit misty eyed. Keep doing your thing, only found you about a year ago but love your content

[@bradtuttle2674]

I love when you take us on these nostalgic journeys through your past and tell us these stories. They're so relatable as so many of us share these great memories of our youth and the role videogames and friends played in it.

[@LuisSantos-xj3rg]

One of the best episooodes ever, Johnny never disappoints and the channel gets better and better every year.

[@andrewprice4148]

Now that, is the reason why I'm a subscriber. What a superb video and account of your long term love of this series Not really a fan of the game, but your passion for the series is a passion we all feel for a certain series or genre in our video gaming lives Keep up the fantastic, emotional and inspiring work you do. This recent switch in style of content really works for me, and i hope it does with all your viewers

[@Ty-douken]

Love the story about taking 2 weeks off school to just game, definatley did my share of similar things when in high school. Though for me it was signing myself out & going home to play more Diablo 2, Counter-Strike & SimCity 3000 at the time, or just to practice guitar with no one home. I lived relatively close so the walk was nice & this was during my last year so I was 18 & there was nothing they could do about it, still handed in my assignments & showed up for tests to pass classes. I wish it was more common practice for us Canadians to have more vacation time so even as adults we could take time when we need it, regardless of if it's for gaming or just spending time relaxing. As it stands all my vacation is spent fixing things around the house that I haven't had time to do on a normal working week.

[@robbiestroud2858]

Thank you for sharing your memories and making new ones each Sunday. We all relate. We all appreciate your take on this slice of life. Grateful for your thoughts on your family, school, street, childhood, and Andrew. Any story with Andrew is a good one. Those stairs and pathway(what a great story).

[@cacophonic7]

Being close to your age, watching you go on a nostalgia trip instantly brings me along too. I remember getting Dragon Warrior 2 for my birthday the summer it came out. I was about to go into my freshman year of high school, and my life would be changing enormously, but Dragon Warrior was always there with me.

[@apanjafar13]

"Battle music will drive people to insanity" hahaha that is so true thanks for sharing your memories I love dragon quest too and I even found your channel 10 years ago when i looked for a dragon quest series review.

[@cody8538]

I live literally across the back alley of my old neighborhood I grew up in, but even just a quick walk across the way and I’m flooded with all sorts of memories, not just of video games, but of friendships and family. I absolutely get what you mean by feeling the pressure of those memories, nostalgia is a hell of a feeling it’s no wonder we’re constantly chasing it!

[@jasonpalmer1552]

I have so many memories of Dragon Warrior IV. My best friend Josh and I played it countless times. My favorite memory is him and I getting chicken pox together and we spent two weeks at home just playing this game. Almost an entire day as Taloon just making enough money to buy an early Sword of Malice. Best time of my life looking back now as a 40 year old man.

[@courtneyjensen]

I share everything about this story but the chicken pox. Although it was my brother that I spent those weeks with. But me too. About the best time in my life. And, obviously, the Sword of Malice. I never left that chapter without it.

[@timezones88]

I loved this video. Thank you!

[@nicholasosborne1356]

Got dragon warrior with nintendo power. First console rpg i was like 8.. I loved it. In fact my entire family would watch and help me get through the game during my 1 hour i was allowed to play a day on the 10000 lbs family tv.. My mom especially. Shes in her late 60s now and she still likes to come over and watch and play along when a new dragon quest comes out. Its magical.

[@jordanb7789]

Thanks so much for sharing Johnny. I also grew up in Surrey and had a very similar experience walking through the woods everyday to school. I was sick for a week also when Zelda Ocarina of Time came out haha

[@jat2319]

Love how your videos are like the old weekly TV shows, excited for the weekly show as always. Many thanks.

[@metawanderer]

Nostalgia is powerful. I would love to visit my old childhood homes and neighborhoods someday

[@careyyoung7291]

awesome sunday video man! i just bought a beautiful copy of dragon quest 8 for ps2 and I have NEVER played any of the games. Watching this with my coffee before i boot up. Thank you bro!

[@jockmattock9239]

"the battle music will drive you to insanity but i didn't care" LMFAO!

[@fabionunes7081]

what an amazing video. it makes me emotional too. its because of videos like this that i love you and your channel