Final Fantasy VS. Dragon Quest

[Spooniest]

It's interesting to note how the two series evolved alongside each other. Dragon Quest hasn't had as many sequels, but all the same, the two are like brother and sister series, in a way.

Have you played the two series? How do they compare, in your eyes?

Do you have a favorite pairing of numbered entries? I personally think both of the 8 entries (Final Fantasy VIII and Journey of the Cursed King) go together well.

"Take care and tempt not the fates."

"Let's go!"

[Ayen]

I haven't played any of the Dragon Quest games. Only Square games I played outside of Final Fantasy were Kingdom Hearts, Xenogears, Infinite Undiscovery Super Mario RPG, Bushido Blade and Brave Fencer Musashi.

[Spuuky]

I like Dragon Quest more than Final Fantasy. I guess my favorite "pairings" of games are the 1st games, and the 4th games, even though my individual favorites in each series are DQ5 and FF6.

[I Took the Red Pill]

I have only played Dragon Quest VIII, but I will say that I had more fun with that game than any modern Final Fantasy game. The art style, the dialogue, the combat...everything just seemed so crisp and fresh. Unfortunately I never finished it because I let it sit for like a year and then came back to it and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I think I was about 2/3 of the way through the game.

[Shlup]

I moved this thread since both games are Square Enix games apparently. And the Gen SE forum needs more attention anyway.

I haven't actually played a Dragon Quest game though, unfortunately. I keep seeing that little blobby guy everywhere though, which makes me feel like I should.

[Del Murder]

Dragon Quest hasn't really changed all that much over time, but that is probably by design as it is a very traditional series. Final Fantasy on the other hand changes almost too much. It seems like they are trying to reinvent the wheel with each installment these days. I do feel the older games had just the right amount of change.

For pairings, VI definitely. My favorite DQ is VIII though.

[Ayen]

Dragon Quest hasn't really changed all that much over time, but that is probably by design as it is a very traditional series. Final Fantasy on the other hand changes almost too much. It seems like they are trying to reinvent the wheel with each installment these days. I do feel the older games had just the right amount of change.

For pairings, VI definitely. My favorite DQ is VIII though.

I feel the same way on the Final Fantasy front. I get wanting to stay fresh and relevant but vast changes in that short amount of time can really alienate your fanbase. This is why I'm a fan of gradual change.

[KentaRawr!]

I feel like I'd really enjoy the Dragon Quest series if I'd just give it a shot. The only one I've played all the way through was the first game, but I played bits and pieces of 3, and the beginning of 9. Both of them seemed really great, but I just didn't have time to finish them all the way through. One day, though.

I've only beaten Final Fantasies I through VI, barring V. I'm not sure why I haven't beaten V; I've tried to pick it up a few times, and I got especially far in a couple of playthroughs, but I just never finished it. One day, though.

The only fair comparison would be between DQI and FFI since I've only beaten DQI, in which case I prefer FFI by quite a bit. But I have a feeling that once I beat DQIII, I'll like it more than the original version of FFIII.

[maybee]

Final Fantasy

Only enjoyed DQ IX the rest felt really draggy and dry and dislike the battle system too.

[Bolivar]

DQ is more about good RPG design, interesting dungeon layouts, novel puzzles, balanced classes and enemies, and a challenge that scales with the story. FF is all about presentation, challenging how games can tell stories and establish gameplay in new and interesting ways. You can see this in FFI which by comparison had flashy battle animations for its time but mechanics and design wise was a mess. FF's best forays into mechanics were V and VI which had some insane dungeons and very deep customization but they were easier to break and the classes not as balanced as DQ. On the other hand DQ5 branched into Square's territory, messing with a lot of narrative techniques and some big shocker moments. DQVIII is the game I recommend people play first because it's so big and beautiful and it's nice to see what your characters are doing in battle, something that superficially kept me away for a while.

I like both series, they have a lot of my favorite games but I've played more DQ as an adult because it has more "steak" behind the sizzle.

[Bright Shield]

Dragon Quest by far. I love all the games. DQVIII is my second favorite game ever.

FF started off decent with I-III, then it got really good with IV-IX. I wasn't a big X fan(battle system saved it), and I absolutely despise XI-XIV(most likely XV as well).

[Mercen-X]

I have only played Dragon Quest VIII, but I will say that I had more fun with that game than any modern Final Fantasy game. Unfortunately I never finished it because I let it sit for like a year and then came back to it and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I think I was about 2/3 of the way through the game.

Ditto all that's not stricken. When I returned to the game, I started to realize it was feeling pretty bland near the end (I may have been brainwashed by a review I read). The art style made me wish there would be Nameks in the game (the main character practically goes super-Saiyan). I've read synopses and reviews of nearly every DQ and it makes me think they're all pretty much the same. I don't see any of them ever trying something noticeably different and the art style usually seems the same as well.

As for FF, I haven't been able to complete any of the older titles and I've never played III. VII biased me against the 8bit gen and I haven't grown past my crush on the PS gen characters (I do like a couple of characters from X and XII). Until XIII, I had never allowed myself to be swayed by mass opinion, but I don't think I'll be purchasing it. I still plan to play XV and Type-0 (if that's ever released stateside).

[The Man]

my individual favorites in each series are DQ5 and FF6.

Nice taste; those are my favourites as well.

I still need to play a bunch of the Dragon Quest games, but then there are a bunch of Final Fantasy games I still haven't played too so the odds don't look very good for me playing any of them anytime soon.

I'm not sure if I have a favourite pairing. The only pairing in which I've even completed both games is V, so that doesn't help.

[Spuuky]

my individual favorites in each series are DQ5 and FF6.

Nice taste; those are my favourites as well.

I still need to play a bunch of the Dragon Quest games, but then there are a bunch of Final Fantasy games I still haven't played too so the odds don't look very good for me playing any of them anytime soon.

I'm not sure if I have a favourite pairing. The only pairing in which I've even completed both games is V, so that doesn't help.

Considering your taste, the DQ games you really should play if you haven't are 3, 4, and 5.

[The Man]

Haven't played III and IV, but those will be my next games in the series, I guess. I also started but didn't finish VI and VIII. I enjoyed both but real life got in the way.

Thanks for the recommendations btw.