The name Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior, for that matter) may not mean much in the US, but it's still proving to have blockbuster status like nothing else in Japan. Dragon Quest V, a PS2 remake of the SNES game of the same name, has sold over a million units in just 2 days. Dragon Quest V is, unfortunately, unlikely to be released outside of Japan.

The release of a Dragon Quest game is somewhat akin to a national holiday in Japan. No doubt adding to the celebration of consumption was the inclusion of a preview disc of Dragon Quest VIII, which looked very nearly completed. Its release date remains unannounced, but if rumors prove true, it could be in Japanese gamers' hot little hands by the end of this summer.

Dragon Quest VII went on to sell more copies than any other PSOne game in Japan ever. By contrast, Dragon Warrior VII, and the Dragon Warrior series, has never attained more than a small but loyal cult following in the US. Enix aligned itself with Square partially out of the hope that it might better market its various games outside of Japan (something Square has always been stronger at than Enix). Perhaps the upcoming Level 5 developed Dragon Warrior VIII (which looks absolutely fantastic in motion) will be just the title to launch the Dragon Warrior franchise into the big time internationally.