After a 16 year delay, Dragon Quest VI has finally made its way to North America. When this RPG first debuted in Japan in 1995, it was a ¥11,970 (~$140) SNES game and still managed to become one of the best selling games at the time. Now that Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation is on the DS and more widely available, it is easy to see its charm and allure. Though it relies heavily on JRPG stereotypes, it’s a fantastic, turn-based RPG with lots of depth.

I guess Nintendo’s taking responsibility for the Dragon Quest DS games now. First, it brings Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies to North America, and now it’s picked up Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation. That’s right, all those people who were worried about Dragon Quest VI receiving a North American release date since Square Enix hasn’t talked about it can allay their fears. Nintendo has stepped up and will be releasing it on February 14, 2011. No word yet on a price, but $34.99 is a safe bet since that’s what Dragon Quest IX cost…

If I had known of Opoona’s existence earlier, it would have been enough to convince me to instantly purchase a Wii.

That wasn’t how I encountered ArtePiazza and Koei’s novel RPG.

Instead, I happened on the game by chance. I was wandering through a local GameStop, checking the Game Days ’09 sale table one last time and searching for a Mothers’ Day present when the strange box caught my eye. I picked up Opoona and was intrigued by a sentence that declared, “Make friends with citizens from other planets to unlock new jobs and adventures.” I hadn’t heard anything about the game. There were no raving quotes from video game publications plastered across the box to proclaim its greatness. There was, however, a $14.99 “New” price tag across the front. I decided to take the plunge.

I never thought that I would be purchasing my new favorite Wii game…

I know I should be thinking of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride as a remake, but it’s impossible. The original game was never released outside of Japan, and neither was the PS2 remake. So instead of feeling like some rehash, it comes across as an entirely new, and wonderful, property.

The most striking part of Dragon Quest V is how realistic it is. Well, you know, for a fantasy game set in a medieval world populated with monsters and other mystical creatures. Instead of having some young kid set out to save the world in one grand adventure, you’re instead looking at the life of a warrior over a substantial period of time. You grow attached to your character, his family and their struggles – a rarity in games.

Players begin Dragon Quest V as…