I agree with Flying Arrow that DQVIII is where the medium should be at today. I totally agree with the sentiment that it looks exactly how your imagination would have fully realized the worlds represented by tile sets and sprites on the NES. It was kinda the advent of everything JRPGs could have become with no substantial place to go after that.

I also agree with Wolf that FFXII was the same way. Even on the first playthrough, when I disliked the game, I did at least realize that it showed the direction JRPGs should have headed. The fact that we were wrong is a very lamentable occurrence, but I'm glad some Japanese devs got the message; I love me some White Knight Chronicles

Quote Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno View Post
I don't really agree with this because I feel the transition with set cameras is just as noticeable because you'll be walking around in the dungeon and then suddenly the controller stops responding, so you suddenly realize that you're transitioning and you watch as it pans out.
I doubt you really believe it's "just as noticeable." The absence of the same perspective from gameplay, which is very rarely seamless at that, is an additional factor beyond lack of controller input and presentation of dialogue. It's an additional factor, so it's an obvious logical misstep to claim it's "just as noticeable."

Also, camera control is lost with dramatic set pieces, which is the crown jewel of modern game design, another element introduced by FFVII. The loss of control becomes very noticeable in these very intense scenes, whereas in games with fixed cameras, there is no transition.