As much as I love DQVIII, I will admit that the combat system in FFXII has permanently spoiled me. RPG's that still use random battles are getting tougher for me to stick with.
DQVIII was the ultimate old-school RPG. A fitting end to the "random battle" system of old. Now let's move on. The latest generation of consoles doesn't need separation between the overworld and the battle segments. It should be one seemless shift from walking around to fighting enemies.