Although the series is extremely popular in Japan, the success in Japan was not transferred to North America until the 2005 release of "Dragon Quest VIII". Despite the first four games to be released in America generally receiving good reviews, Nintendo had to give away copies of "Dragon Warrior". However, those four games have been among the most sought-after titles for the NES, especially "Dragon Warrior III" and "IV". It was not until "Dragon Warrior VII" was released that "Dragon Quest" became critically acclaimed in North America, although reception was still mixed. The series gained more universal praise with "Dragon Quest VIII", and began to sell better outside Japan and "Dragon Quest IX" sold over 1 million copies outside Japan.