I'm going to have to side with Bolivar and Del on this one. DQVIII brought not only a greater emphasis on graphics and character models (a common trait of the FF series) but it also brought a heavier emphasis on character interaction and reaction. While I generally enjoy DQ plots, its a muted experience compared to more story telling based JRPGs. Your main character is always a blank slate, and even your other party members tend to go completely silent after they join you. Much of the story is often told through NPCs, which FF hasn't really done since FFIII. DQVIII changed that by having more cutscenes and dealing more with your party's feelings about the circumstances that come about. For instance, the little bratty prince you have to help get his rite of manhood for. In DQVIII you know pretty damn well how your party feels about this, and part of the drama and amusement of this story segment is watching your party keep Jessica from killing him. Whereas in DQIV or DQVII, when your party is introduced to story events like liberating the Tsarian Princess' kingdom or the events of Dharma Temple in VII, your party is mostly silent about it, except maybe one or two lines. In the old games, the reactions to the story and events is suppose to be the players reaction whereas the FF model that DQVIII follows is actually about watching the strong characters react to it, cause its a more cinematic experience. The ability to see character models react also greatly helps cause even FFIV's sprites had more expression than DQVII's models do. Once again, this is not a bad thing nor does it mean the story is any worse or better for it, cause the DQ games have tried to stay in a traditional RP mode of play for decades whereas FF went the route being more like watching films. Both have their flaws and merits and it just comes down to personal preference.