Man I'm surprised by how much I have to give it to DQ here, I never wanted to be one of those posters who moves beyond the series but there it is.

FFIII vs. DQIV is interesting because of how they both integrated gameplay into the story but FFIII just can't measure up to how far DQIV innovated on this front (and others).

FFV is just an all around solid game with amazing music but DQV is one of the pinnacle achievements of the JRPG genre.

FFVI is all over the place with its story and relies too much on cheap thrills. DQVI's story is far more cohesive. If I played them as an impressionable youngster, FFVI would've blown me away but, alas, I played both as a young adult, changing my priorities for what I look for in a story. The gameplay is not even a contest. While FFVI has incredible dungeon design and character customization, it's a game that is broken on its own accord from the start. Conversely, Dragon Quest has always prided itself on perfect game balance along with novel dungeon design and puzzles.

FFXII is the only one I'm willing to maybe give the nod to but it's close given just how good DQVIII is. Both are incredible, open-world JRPGs with capital-E Epic stories. I guess I just give it to XII right now because it cleared a new path forward for the genre rather than perfect what it's already done. Although my mind might change on any given day.