We're all making similar points but I think DQ series and its older games don't get enough credit. Whereas Final Fantasy has used tools from other media such as 'the stage' (FFVI) or 'the camera' (FFVII) to tell a story, DQ has been about showing what this medium can do, a kind of "games for games' sake."

There's no better example of this than DQIV: Chapters of the Chosen. You actually play a segment as a dude where you wake up every day and go to work at a weapon shop. People come in to buy some things, some come in to sell some things and at the end of the day you go home to your wife, wanting more out of life. The other chapters aren't as unexpected as that, but playing as dancing sisters on the run, a princess who sneaks into a tournament, and an old knight in a JRPG version of a detective story were all good for their time as well.

I'm playing DQV right now and some of the things that happen in this game are absolutely epic, like we're talking Chrono Trigger epic and then much, much more. I'm finally seeing why so many people on here cite this game as the best in the series. There's a lot of times where I just have to put my DS down because it's hard to go back to fighting Slimes after some of the stuff that happens in this game. I played an SNES fanslation before the DS version and I have to say this was a game that was way, way ahead of its time.

That brings me to the idea that the protagonists before DQVIII were the "blank slate" model. Sure, DQIV's Hero isn't too involved, but there's tons of scenes about how he's been prepared for this his whole life, and heading to Zenithia was a mind trip all its own, especially when the stuff comes up about (SPOILER)your mother. And DQV? Hoo, boy... The things that happen around the main character and the way his life is shaped are really, really, insane. I honestly feel like the silent protagonist method doesn't necessarily diminish the potential for character reaction, because YOU'RE going through the emotions of these things yourself. And even then, you still get some choice, such as (SPOILER)who to marry, and how incredible the build up to that is in itself.

The other characters don't seem short on reactions, either. I don't remember with the original version, but in the DS version, you always have the ability to talk with your party and I've been surprised to find that they have something new to say on almost every screen transition. So I can't verify if DQVIII was the first, but there's been plenty of story involvement and character reaction in the previous games.

And this may not have to due with story, but we may as well talk about the one way in which Dragon Quest has ALWAYS trumped Final Fantasy: Balance. Now, FFV might be the exception to this. But in almost every FF the battles hardly matter at all, it's just spamming the A (or X or O) button and then using potions after battle, which become ridiculously inexpensive because of the horribly overstated amounts of gil you're amassing. In DQ the dungeon crawls have their own mechanics to them and you sometimes have to think when is a good time to stop and head back. Because the medical items lose potency once you're a good chunk into the game, you really have to think about MP conservation and how you're going to heal your teammates. Especially considering MP becomes crucial for figuring out how to suppress larger groups of enemies or different group combinations. When you level in DQ, you notice your party getting stronger, the enemies getting a little easier, and you definitely feel that sense of real accomplishment that you're getting somewhere in that game's world.

Compare this to FFVI with Edgar's machine bow spamming countless hordes of enemies, screaming like Rambo as he's mowing down line after line of foes like this was FFVI: Vietnam! Sure, the game looked pretty for its time and it has some awesome "moments," but where's the GAME? Dragon Quest V has the "moments" and the game to back it up, so where do we get the notion that Dragon Quest has always "lagged behind" Final Fantasy?

That said, I'll always be an FF guy, and I'll probably always love those PSOne FFs a little more, but I just don't think Dragon Quest gets the recognition it deserves, because there's some seriously smurfing ridiculous things that happened in those games.