It lives

#1 I don't remember playing Dragon Quest but I have a great respect for Japanese entertainment (at least the good stuff they produce). My kids and I are always comparing western animation films and video games to the Japanese equivalent and their's always comes out on top. Attention to detail and remaining true to the project concept, even if that project is older than most of the people viewing it, is usually what sells me.

#2 It was fun, though I had a number of translation issues with the vernacular of the Japanese version I bought last November/December. The voice acting is better than most localizations, though some of the characters still annoy the hell out of me. But the gameplay is solid (though with much more of an in-game movie influence than previous DQ titles). I still think that I prefer DQ7 for gameplay, though. The story in this one is much larger and has more impact.