Final Fantasy XV

I enjoyed FF15. Its no Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, or FF6 but the potential WAS there. Sadly, they choose to keep too much from the first half of development (basically everything that was on rails) in order to save time and actually ship the game.

I wish I could say I have hope for the FF7 Remake but with Nomura at the helm coupled in with a different engine (Unreal) its going to be another linear mess like the 2nd half of FF15.
 
Well OK then, 32 hours deep I finally got back to the main plot line.


Half hour later it's hitting the fan and I'm parrying feet the size of skyscrapers like it ain't no thing. Mix in a dash of bromance, a pinch of guy that's suspicious as fuck and may as well just be named "Ulterior Motive, Esq." and we've now decided it's time to go curb stomp some deities like LOL NP SHOULD BE EZ.

Did I not just change the God damn world by telling a God he's a pussy little bitch and cock slapping his arm to shreds because we're the fucking fantastic four with more fighting power than a small army?

I mean, is this not kind of a big deal that something that's holding up what I assume is one of the most important things in history is dead as fuck now? Nobody seems to give too much of a shit and even the cutscene after seemed to make light of it.

Oh yeah the Archaeon decided to be a shithead so we sent in our gang busters brigade to roll up on him and deliver a swift Rock Bottom on his craggy ass. It totally wasn't the dorky looking bunch who has been taking the countryside by storm by driving into town on the wrong side of the road in the world's most unfathomably ugly jalopy before purging the entire bounty board in a day or two then subsequently vanishing without a trace after eating nary but a plate of French fries.

I'm enjoying it but uhhh, the plot feels kinda thin. Like things are just happening and I'm kinda just there, but never really in the moment.
 
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Also yes I have a side quest problem.

Had.

I think I finished nearly everything possible.
 
I got on a sidequest binge in ch3. Next thing I know I'm 32 hrs in and level 55 and still on ch3.
 
Most of the pre-postgame quests can be accomplished in Chapter 3. From Chapter 6+, it's fairly linear with no side quests. Chapters 7-12+14 & 15 are super short. Chapter 13 is very long, but still no side quests.
 
I liked it and agree with a lot of the complaints here. The story just fell flat to me. I hate how a great deal of things important events happened off screen and never were explained. I got about 55 hours in before I got my fill and put down the controller. Hopefully all the holes left will be filled in when they finish the game with the free patch updates in the future the promised.
 
I finished chapter 13 last night; probably the least fun I've had with the game, but I'm debating whether or not it was bad; I definitely felt as frustrated as Noct was in that situation, and when:

you reunite with the bros

I felt a similar sense of relief. I thought the story pay off for the chapter was good enough for me.
 
I finished chapter 13 last night; probably the least fun I've had with the game, but I'm debating whether or not it was bad; I definitely felt as frustrated as Noct was in that situation, and when:

The only thing that really bugged me was the constant badgering over the loudspeaker by a certain individual. I was half expecting a Joker or Kefka type laughter from that person after awhile because of how zany the dialog was during that part.
 
Just finished it. Have to say that ending was pretty rough like in a 13-2 kinda way or the Aerith bit. Also the payoff for ch 13 was worth all the hassle. I was definitely feeling the frustration like Noctis was. I think if you got frustrated and pissed and whatever goes along with long confusing mazes with no end then you definitely empathized with the main character.
 
This game is not good. Not good.

I can't ever trust a game review again, they were all paid by square. I'm rating this maybe a 5/10.
 
This game is not good. Not good.

I can't ever trust a game review again, they were all paid by square. I'm rating this maybe a 5/10.
That is fine that you don't like it but don't go around assuming all reviews are paid off. The game has been generally well received by most people.
 
That is fine that you don't like it but don't go around assuming all reviews are paid off. The game has been generally well received by most people.

The story is a steaming hot mess. This is getting praise purely on nostalgia.
 
That is fine that you don't like it but don't go around assuming all reviews are paid off. The game has been generally well received by most people.
Well we do have at least one instance where the publishing company has blocked one of their affiliates from releasing reviews of any future Square Enix games on release day based on their "bad" review of FFXV. The reviewers gave it a 75/100.

Area Jugones vs. Koch Media (https://areajugones.es/2016/11/30/vetados-la-verdad-sobre-el-analisis-de-final-fantasy-xv/).

Pero, como bien decía, hoy siento un vacío importante dentro de mí por lo que vamos a relatar. Koch Media nos ha vetado hoy la posibilidad de lanzar las reviews de sus futuros juegos en fecha de embargo por no estar de acuerdo con la puntuación que hemos otorgado a Final Fantasy XV. Sí, has leído bien, nuestra independencia como medio choca con los intereses económicos de dicha empresa y es ahí donde salimos perdiendo. Siempre hemos considerado que hacemos un trabajo independiente. Sin lugar a duda hay análisis mejores y otros peores, algunos que deberían haber tenido más nota o menos, al final siempre es algo complicado cuadrar los números y no nos creemos con la verdad absoluta. Pero con el corazón en la mano os aseguro que siempre hemos sido sinceros. En esta ocasión ser sinceros nos cuesta esta penalización por parte de la compañía, que hará que nuestro trabajo quede escondido a un segundo plano para los usuarios lectores de análisis, pues esta empresa no cree que nuestros análisis tengan que influir en la media de Metacritic los primeros días que el juego esté a la venta. Ya me entendéis, ¿no?

Butchered translation by myself with some help from Google.
But, as I said, today I feel a significant void inside me for what we are going to report. Today, Koch Media has vetoed the possibility of launching the reviews of its future games on the embargo date for not agreeing with the score we have awarded to Final Fantasy XV. Yes, you read well: our independence as a medium collides with the economic interests of said company and that's where we lose. We have always thought that we do an independent job. Without a doubt, there are better reviews and some worse, some that should have had a higher or lower score, but in the end it is always something complicated to finalize the numbers and we do not believe there is an absolute truth. But with my heart in hand I assure you that we have always been sincere. In all honesty, this time cost us a penalty from the company, which will make our work hidden in the background for our review readers because this company does not believe that our reviews should influence the average Metacritic score during the first days the game is on sale. You understand me, do you not?
 
This game is not good. Not good.

I can't ever trust a game review again, they were all paid by square. I'm rating this maybe a 5/10.

Ok then...well I personally think the game is fun, and a solid way to spend time gaming. Which games do you like, so I can tell you how shit they are?
 
Ok then...well I personally think the game is fun, and a solid way to spend time gaming. Which games do you like, so I can tell you how shit they are?

You simply cannot try to tell me the plot isn't a disjointed mess.

You cannot do it. It makes less sense than a transformers movie.
 
You simply cannot try to tell me the plot isn't a disjointed mess.

You cannot do it. It makes less sense than a transformers movie.

It definitely feels rushed, for sure, but in its entirety, it's a basic Final Fantasy story of shit going wrong, and now you do something about it. Is it the greatest story ever? Hell no. But it's a game with solid combat, great visuals/sounds and set pieces.
 
Final Fantasy story of shit going wrong, and now you do something about it. Is it the greatest story ever.

I don't even think that's what the story is supposed to be about lol. Now can you agree its bad?

1/10 awful
5/10 average
10:10 perfection

This thing is getting 8s and 9s???? It's average.
 
I don't even think that's what the story is supposed to be about lol. Now can you agree its bad?

1/10 awful
5/10 average
10:10 perfection

This thing is getting 8s and 9s???? It's average.

I'd say it's about a 6'ish, maybe a 7 if I'm feeling generous. It's nowhere near the realm of "bad" though, and I don't agree to it at all. I don't go by what reviewers think any way, I'd prefer to create my own reaction.
 
You simply cannot try to tell me the plot isn't a disjointed mess.

You cannot do it. It makes less sense than a transformers movie.

You must be new to FF series.

I do recommend checking out the anime "Brotherhood", free on Youtube, and the movie "Kingsglaive". It gives a clearer picture going in.
 
You must be new to FF series.

I do recommend checking out the anime "Brotherhood", free on Youtube, and the movie "Kingsglaive". It gives a clearer picture going in.

I have seen Kingsglaive. That does little to fix the flaws in this thing. Have you played it? Every hour I play contains at least 4 epic WTF moments of stupidity. What was square doing for 9 years?
 
You must be new to FF series.

I think this is why I prefer Dragon Quest to Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest doesn't pretend to be a deep story. The princess has been kidnapped! An evil bad guy is trying to take over the world! Be it Dragon Quest 1 or Dragon Quest 9, it's just a game, and the plot is an addition rather than a game tacked onto a story such as with Final Fantasy. Not every genre of game appeals to every person, just as not every genre of story appeals to every person. But now when you have two separate aspects which could be unappealing to the audience, you're only asking for trouble.
 
I think this is why I prefer Dragon Quest to Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest doesn't pretend to be a deep story. The princess has been kidnapped! An evil bad guy is trying to take over the world! Be it Dragon Quest 1 or Dragon Quest 9, it's just a game, and the plot is an addition rather than a game tacked onto a story such as with Final Fantasy. Not every genre of game appeals to every person, just as not every genre of story appeals to every person. But now when you have two separate aspects which could be unappealing to the audience, you're only asking for trouble.

FFXV isn't a deep story at all, though. Its fairly basic and about an hour into the game you pretty much know where the last fight is going to be held and who you will be fighting. The enemy was always the enemy and the only thing that changed was your understanding of why things happened the way they did. Everything else story-wise between then and the end was character building for the finale. You can play the game for over 60 hours like I did and barely advance the story, the rest was pretty much sidequests, fetchquests, hunts, dungeons, and exploration. Gameplay.
 
FFXV isn't a deep story at all, though. Its fairly basic and about an hour into the game you pretty much know where the last fight is going to be held and who you will be fighting. The enemy was always the enemy and the only thing that changed was your understanding of why things happened the way they did. Everything else story-wise between then and the end was character building for the finale. You can play the game for over 60 hours like I did and barely advance the story, the rest was pretty much sidequests, fetchquests, hunts, dungeons, and exploration. Gameplay.

This x1000. The story may not be the deepest we've ever seen, but the rest is fantastic (if you're into this sort of style of game). If you're not, I doubt this will do much to change your stance, but then again, the combat is pretty great.
 
The problem here is I never found any of the Final Fantasies to have good stories. Yet I'll see the fan boys devoted to something like VII or X as if it's a deeply complex political and philosophical masterpiece. Final Fantasy sold on graphics and massive advertising. Before VII, the game sold maybe a few hundred thousand copies outside of Japan (where RPGs could sell millions). And it was part of the proof Nintendo used when they stated Americans just don't like JRPGs. Sony puts up a huge budget though on VII where they just show FMV. And the game was advertised like crazy. And it sold well. But people act as if it was such a huge and monumental leap in innovation with JRPGs when it really wasn't. It was just the first JRPG most people played, and really the last JRPG that most people played.
 
The problem here is I never found any of the Final Fantasies to have good stories. Yet I'll see the fan boys devoted to something like VII or X as if it's a deeply complex political and philosophical masterpiece. Final Fantasy sold on graphics and massive advertising. Before VII, the game sold maybe a few hundred thousand copies outside of Japan (where RPGs could sell millions). And it was part of the proof Nintendo used when they stated Americans just don't like JRPGs. Sony puts up a huge budget though on VII where they just show FMV. And the game was advertised like crazy. And it sold well. But people act as if it was such a huge and monumental leap in innovation with JRPGs when it really wasn't. It was just the first JRPG most people played, and really the last JRPG that most people played.

You admire the Dragon Quest series for having a simple story yet admonish the Final Fantasy series because its stories are not complex enough. You admire Dragon Quest's simplistic combat that as changed very little over the years yet admonish Final Fantasy games because they did not innovate enough.

Is that the gist of it?
 
You admire the Dragon Quest series for having a simple story yet admonish the Final Fantasy series because its stories are not complex enough. You admire Dragon Quest's simplistic combat that as changed very little over the years yet admonish Final Fantasy games because they did not innovate enough.

Is that the gist of it?

No. I admire Dragon Quest because it is a game first. The story exists to drive the game, Final Fantasy on the other hand I see as them trying to make it the story first, with the game trying to drive the story. Also, I think Final Fantasy tends to be overly complex (starting from VII onwards), rather than not complex enough.

As far as game mechanics, I think something similar. Not every game needs to be complex. Tetris is a good game, and is a simple game. Gameplay wise, up until seven was fine. Eight they started introducing unskippable battle scenes which turned me off from the series.

And innovation has it's limits. I don't mind a game innovating, but a game can only evolve so much before it's not really part of the series anymore. Final Fantasy XV is nothing like FFX or earlier. It's a different genre. I think the same with the Fallout series. Fallout 3 is really more Elder Scrolls with guns than it is Fallout. It's more of a hijacking of a series than it is an evolution of a series. If the next Doom came out, but was a music video game, a fan of the previous games would be in his or her right do be upset at the direction of the series. It's newest iteration might be a good game though, and it could sell extremely well, but it still would be a disappointment.
 
No. I admire Dragon Quest because it is a game first. The story exists to drive the game, Final Fantasy on the other hand I see as them trying to make it the story first, with the game trying to drive the story. Also, I think Final Fantasy tends to be overly complex (starting from VII onwards), rather than not complex enough.

As far as game mechanics, I think something similar. Not every game needs to be complex. Tetris is a good game, and is a simple game. Gameplay wise, up until seven was fine. Eight they started introducing unskippable battle scenes which turned me off from the series.

And innovation has it's limits. I don't mind a game innovating, but a game can only evolve so much before it's not really part of the series anymore. Final Fantasy XV is nothing like FFX or earlier. It's a different genre. I think the same with the Fallout series. Fallout 3 is really more Elder Scrolls with guns than it is Fallout. It's more of a hijacking of a series than it is an evolution of a series. If the next Doom came out, but was a music video game, a fan of the previous games would be in his or her right do be upset at the direction of the series. It's newest iteration might be a good game though, and it could sell extremely well, but it still would be a disappointment.

The main line games sticking within the 'traditional JRPG genre' ship sailed with FFXI though. You could make the DOOM argument against the FFVII Remake (which I'd support) but every main game since XI has changed from the previous one drastically for better or worse. However, they are still RPGs in the end (JRPG, MMORPG, ARPG, etc.) that still stay within the Final Fantasy franchise universe in one way or another. The JRPG genre is almost always on the verge of becoming stale now that there are so many games in the genre to choose from that I welcome a change of pace now and again. If devs only wanted their game series to stick strictly within origins we would never get something like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Galaxy.

I've been playing JRPGs since Dragon Warrior 1 on NES released so I understand where you are coming from. FFXV did a lot of things wrong but, in my opinion, is still a great game and worthy of being a main line Final Fantasy game.
 
The problem here is I never found any of the Final Fantasies to have good stories. Yet I'll see the fan boys devoted to something like VII or X as if it's a deeply complex political and philosophical masterpiece. Final Fantasy sold on graphics and massive advertising. Before VII, the game sold maybe a few hundred thousand copies outside of Japan (where RPGs could sell millions). And it was part of the proof Nintendo used when they stated Americans just don't like JRPGs. Sony puts up a huge budget though on VII where they just show FMV. And the game was advertised like crazy. And it sold well. But people act as if it was such a huge and monumental leap in innovation with JRPGs when it really wasn't. It was just the first JRPG most people played, and really the last JRPG that most people played.

How could you possibly know this?
 
Has anyone calculated how much a tank of gas gets you in this game. It's like 5 maybe 6 miles. WTF SQUARE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!
 
Has anyone calculated how much a tank of gas gets you in this game. It's like 5 maybe 6 miles. WTF SQUARE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!

I'm assuming you don't fast travel? I've never run out of gas throughout the game. And once you get the Regalia F, or the upgrades for unlimited gas, it's not too big of a deal.
 
I am so overleveled for the actual plot. I guess don't do like every sidequest is a pretty good tip for enjoying the game.

My Noctis is practically unkillable to most things. I'm on Ch8 and I'm lucky if anything even hits me for 100 damage during story missions... out of my 6000 health pool.

Also the plot feels so disjointed, it really doesn't flow smoothly at all.

We're driving for like literally 2 minutes. HEY YOU WANNA TAKE A BREAK IRIS???

Oh wait, a giant fucking empire jet flies over and we all decide we're gonna go fuck that shit up. Dump Iris at town, mosey on over to the military fortress. Apparently everyone is blind and just lets a group of 4 literally walk in completely uncontested.

Ok, we're going to capture a commander. That's cool. I knock him out, Ignis runs off with him.
Noctis: "HEH TIME TO CUT LOOSE"
Fight like 5 soldiers then a big robot which my other 2 dimwits are standing right next to for some reason.

Ignis shows up again. Uh, I handed him over to the Hunters but he already ran away.

is this game fucking serious
 
I am liking the game (20 hours in IIRC). The story is alright so far though nothing amazing.

The only real issues I have with it is why the hell do most console games only have fixed game type controllers instead of fully customizable layouts? I like the default layout Type A but I need the Square and Circle to be swapped. It drives me a bit nuts every time I start battle that muscle memory is pressing square to attack and circle to dodge from other games but in this one I am constantly doing the wrong thing for the first several moves till I realize I am hitting the wrong buttons. Similarly why not make things consistent across the control types. Person mode jump is X but chocobo mode it is circle. Another glaring deficiency is no fast wait mode. Some missions need to be done at night, but there is no way to pass time quickly. If you go camp/go to a hotel, you are always up in the morning. It's nice to have the time of day change in a game, but if it's part of the game mechanic there needs to be a way to fast forward to the appropriate time of day if missions depend on it.
 
I'm assuming you don't fast travel? I've never run out of gas throughout the game. And once you get the Regalia F, or the upgrades for unlimited gas, it's not too big of a deal.


You can't fast travel to new destinations, there's no option. You have to sit there and wait, and watch your gas drain 50% on a 1.8 mile journey. Why was this ever included in the game, it serves no purpose!!!!
 
I am liking the game (20 hours in IIRC). The story is alright so far though nothing amazing.

The only real issues I have with it is why the hell do most console games only have fixed game type controllers instead of fully customizable layouts? I like the default layout Type A but I need the Square and Circle to be swapped. It drives me a bit nuts every time I start battle that muscle memory is pressing square to attack and circle to dodge from other games but in this one I am constantly doing the wrong thing for the first several moves till I realize I am hitting the wrong buttons. Similarly why not make things consistent across the control types. Person mode jump is X but chocobo mode it is circle. Another glaring deficiency is no fast wait mode. Some missions need to be done at night, but there is no way to pass time quickly. If you go camp/go to a hotel, you are always up in the morning. It's nice to have the time of day change in a game, but if it's part of the game mechanic there needs to be a way to fast forward to the appropriate time of day if missions depend on it.
Both PS4 and XBONE let you universally remap buttons, now. The latter used to only be allowed for the Elite controller, but you can now do it with every controller.
 
Both PS4 and XBONE let you universally remap buttons, now. The latter used to only be allowed for the Elite controller, but you can now do it with every controller.
Hmm, I haven't checked the PS4 menus in a long time. I think I only ever use the power -> suspend mode option lol. I'll have to look up how to access that feature. Thanks.
 
I have no idea how/why this game snuck up on me, but I didn't know it was out. I think I might have just tuned myself to ignore FF info because I assumed it was related to that lame MMO.
So this actually looks really, really cool.
Gameplay looks a bit like Dragon Age Inquisition. Is that accurate or does that not really tell the whole story?
 
I have no idea how/why this game snuck up on me, but I didn't know it was out. I think I might have just tuned myself to ignore FF info because I assumed it was related to that lame MMO.
So this actually looks really, really cool.
Gameplay looks a bit like Dragon Age Inquisition. Is that accurate or does that not really tell the whole story?

Not sure, haven't played DA. For me I quit playing FF after FFVII as it was just getting repetitive and it was harder and harder to follow the storylines or give a shit about any of the characters. This one has been a welcome change. The Story is straight forward and similar to FFVI and VII. The Empire has won and is slowly taking complete control of the nations. You're the escaped prince of the last defeated nation on the run with your 3 handlers/bodyguards and you're putting together a rebellion.

Aside from the more traditional story I think the gameplay itself is a solid improvement. The RPG elements are stripped down a bit. You just manage a few slots of weapons and gear of your 4 characters. Combat is fast and fluid. The closest thing I can compare it to is Devil May Cry. It's all realtime and the goal is to be as fancy and fast as possible with your combos and moves.

I think its a welcome change of direction for Square. That said there was this big huppla about how Square announced they were redoing the second half of the game with an update to fix complaints about the story. I'm not sure if that has or hasnt happened so I took a break.


You must be new to FF series.

I do recommend checking out the anime "Brotherhood", free on Youtube, and the movie "Kingsglaive". It gives a clearer picture going in.

I really think anybody who wants to play this should watch Brotherhood. It really helps you get adjusted to the main cast several of whom I wouldn't like had I not watched it first. Kingsglaive was visually impressive but imo added to much FF nonsensical junk story to FFXV.
 
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