Dragon Quest IX is almost done

Dragon Quest IX is just one of those titles that had major hype back at its announcement with a plethora of media hype throughout its announcement but has lately seemed to fade when it comes to anything new. If you're one of the many who've showed interest in the game since its announcement and can already look past the fact that its for the DS, then perhaps you'd like to know that Dragon Quest IX is almost done.

In an interview with Bloomberg Japan, Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada said that Dragon Quest IX is near completion and the team is now focusing on the balance between single player and multiplayer because balance alone is important. No set date has been mentioned for the game's release; but considering just how close Dragon Quest V DS is to release (Spring 2008) and Dragon Quest VI DS not too far behind I'm sure, Dragon Quest IX might end up seeing a release in Japan sometime this year. Perhaps during the holidays where it'll sell by the loads?

Also worth noting from this interview is Wada has shown greater interest in developing software for the Wii and has grown to appreciate Nintendo's download model a lot more. I don't know if he's referring to the Virtual Console or Wii Ware, but this could possibly mean good things down the road from Square-Enix. What do you think it means?