Fifteen years ago, Nintendo released Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie to the Japanese market for the Super Famicom. Within a very short amount of time, it became the top-selling game in that region for 1995, in spite of the fact that it cost nearly 12,000¥ ($100 in the US). There had been plans at that time to port the game to the equivalent North American system, the Super Nintendo, but those plans were ultimately abandoned. Then, at the beginning of this year, Japanese gamers were once again given an opportunity to play DQ6, this time on the DS. Once again, the game sold like gangbusters, moving nearly a million units in its first week. Today, Nintendo has announced that North America will finally get a chance to play it, ending a fifteen year drought.

If you're looking for a good idea for your beloved RPG fan for this coming Valentine's Day, perhaps Dragon Quest VI would be a fitting gift. Yes, that's right, the game will release for North American markets on February 14th of 2011, just in time to replace that box of chocolates you were thinking about buying. The game brings more than 15 character classes for players to choose from, meaning a wide variety of gameplay options for every skill level. There are a few differences between the Super Famicom and DS versions, including:

It's been a hell of a long wait for North American gamers to get their hands on DQ6, but it is nice to know that Nintendo eventually gets around to milking just about every franchise they own. Watch the above trailer and try to tell me that it doesn't look like a lot of fun. I'm pretty excited to try this one out.