Dragon Quest VIII

Final completion time 63:18.

And I know there was a whole sub-game I missed out.

Ending left one or two things dangling, but was nevertheless most excellent. A real, proper ending to the adventure.

Moments of frustration, yes. But in the end no boss actually took me more than two tries, as far as I remember. (I think looking for boss tips in the FAQ was a bad thing, given that I finished below the recommended level and without any of the uber-powerful items and weapons it said I should have with me.)

So apart from odd difficulty spikes and having one boss at the end of a long dungeon, it was all very well put together. Great stuff overall... as long as you're willing to push on when it threatens to become overwhelmingly frustrating.