There's a reason why Final Fantasy outsells Dragon Quest worldwide so consistently - Japan loves by-the-numbers dungeon crawling, everyone else doesn't. DQ is an acquired taste to be sure, but if someone likes it, they don't just like it, they love it and will defend it to the hilt in a FF Vs. DQ debate. So what reviews you read will be done within this mindset.

Saying that it's not like the series hasn't changed since it first came out. Go try playing the monstrocity of a game that is DQ1 with it's over-complex menu system, hours of boring level grinding and lacklustre story and dialogue. It has evolved, but arguably FF has evolved moreso.