Even if they didn't entirely succeed for various reasons, there where some pretty interesting concepts in Odin Sphere (fruit farming is awesome). If anything, it wasn't ENOUGH like a 2D side scroller, since the format for the environments was boring as all hell. Hopefully this new game will do more to make them a little more interactive by adding a few platforming elements.
The amount of hype in Japan each time a new Dragon Quest game comes out is unbelievable. I don't really care too much for the series myself but there is definitely still a market for ridiculously traditional JRPGs.