What is the general consensus of best Dragon Quest games? I haven't played any of them and want to dive into the series

I've been a lifelong Final Fantasy fan (specifically FF4-FFX) and recently replayed through all of them. There is something about that era of Final Fantasy that gives such a fulfilling gameplay experience compared to modern releases. I've always been aware of Dragon Quest, but have not played any of them and now that my replay through the FF series has concluded it seems like a good time to jump into the series.

I'm curious what the general consensus of the best entries in the series? Or what you would recommend to someone who is fond of the Final Fantasy series?

The artstyle of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake looks gorgeous so I am considering buying that, but wanted to see what the community would recommend.

EDIT: Thanks for all the perspective and sharing your thoughts on the series. I'm going to buy the new DQ3 remake since the graphics look good and it seems to be a quality entry in the series and from there move onto 8 and 11. Looking forward to the next game on my winter hibernation video game line up!