gebuhrsan: "If this game didnt have plastered FF XV on it would be valued much lower by every game critic which is kinda hypocrithal"
I don't agree with you on that. Final Fantasy XIII had the same name plastered on it and still did horrible in reviews. While you cannot guarantee that every review is unbiased, you shouldn't doubt it right away either.
FFXIII did just as well as FFXV did when it comes to reviews. FFXIII has an aggregate review score of 83% while FFXV has an aggregate review score of 84%
The only main, numbered Final Fantasy to get mediocre reviews was FFXIII Lightning Returns with an aggregate score of 66%
Personally, I do not enjoy JRPG's, and specifically Final Fantasy, anymore. The storytelling and character development makes me cringe. I can't relate to a group of young adults who look like they drove their spiffy car through the nearest Hot Topic. I enjoy more adult storytelling and characters like Witcher 3.
Having said that, I've been a fan since the very first Final Fantasy, and nostalgia for the franchise will eventually cause me to go buy it, and then endlessly bitch about how I don't like it. Such is the life of a closeted fanboy.
For giving the game a 9, this review is awfully back and forth. A 9 is something you're supposed to (IMHO) give games that you're SURE are awesome. I kinda think the 9 was given just because it's Final Fantasy and doesn't seem to reflect the actual "uncertainty" of the review's words itself. When like, nearly every opinion sentence in the review is either "Well, this part is good, but this part is bad" or a sentence about it being good followed by a sentence about it being bad, it's really not very reflective of a 9, I think.
"I still find the responsiveness of the controls in combat at times a bit sluggish but overall I’m still impressed."
"Sure it’s not the turn based combat I grew up on but change is good. I do hope they go back to a turn based style in a future entry though."
"I never thought I’d find myself caring about a boy band before but by the time this story reached its end I was truly touched by the outcome. The story was shorter than what most have come to expect from a Final Fantasy game."
"I don’t feel the need for a game to have an overly complex and lengthy story to be a great game. I would have liked for Square Enix to spend more time developing some of the secondary characters though."
"I’ve seen Kingsglaive and between that movie and the game I had no idea why Ravus took the path that he did. What he did in the game seemed almost the exact opposite of who he was in the movie. I do feel the main narrative was developed enough though I understood why the main characters made the decisions they did and understood why the game resolved the way it did."
"The world of Eos is huge and beautiful and full of things to do. What the game is lacking in a main story it feels the developers tried to compensate with other things to fill the void."
"There is a ton crammed into the world. A lot of it feels like it was made to be completed after you finish the main story"
"For the first 8 chapters you can roam the world and do pretty much whatever you can get away with depending on what level you are. Towards the end you start getting funneled towards the final climax and once you jump orn the track you are uniformly pushed forward towards your goal."
"While I found a lot of the hunts rather mundane, and a lot of quests seem like glorified fetch, or FedEx quests, some of the hunts are spectacular."
"Final Fantasy XV is by no means a perfect game. There is a lot of potential and some of it does feel squandered but even with it’s shortcomings I truly enjoyed the adventure."
"The developers took risks and some of them paid off while others feel a little flat."
I mean, I guess the final paragraph finally starts to sound something like what someone rating the game a 9 would say, but otherwise, this review is probably the most topsy-turvy review I've ever seen. Granted, that's likely more due to the game than the reviewer considering that the fanbase itself is going topsy turvy over this one due to it's obvious polarizing nature.
I try to be balanced pointing out the good and the bad. Overall I think it's a great game.
This is one of the few reviews on this site I strongly disagree with. The game is kind of fun but its not a classic or a "must buy". If this is a 9/10 games like Skyrim, Witcher 3, Dragons Dogma, Dragon Age Origins etc are 25/10.
I'll just comment on a few points:
The strong points of the game are the size of some enemies and chocobos. The fishing mini game is also the best I've played in an rpg/mmo. That's really it though.
Combat is ok against one big enemy, but tedious and frustrating against multiple mobs. At any rate its nowhere near as good as say Dragon's Dogma combat. The "open world" is not actually open and is full off invisible walls- not to mention the world itself makes no sense, has no internal consistency.
The npcs just stand in one spot repeating the same comment over and over. You can't interact with the world like you can in say Skyrim- it feels like a painting you move around in rather than a living breathing world. In fact, basically you can't interact with anything.
You will spend much time in loading screens and watching your car drive to the next quest hub. It has a "dangerous" night, but where is the realism? When it is night or in a cave Noctus emits this big light in front of him- he is not holding a torch or anything, its just weird. And you can just easily run away from monsters anyway: talking of which the mobs are on a ridiculously short leash- if you move away a few meters to reposition the end of combat "results" screen pops up.
And talking of mobs- they spawn almost like in an mmo: you know just standing around in an area for no reason waiting to get slaughtered by a passing adventurer? In good open world games like Skyrim, Witcher 3, Dragons Dogma etc you get some sense of reason behind why a mob exists: also in good games the mobs have intelligence far beyond just rotating through attack patterns.
There is so much more that is basically just mediocre about this game: from the mindbogglingly boring start, the party mechanics, almost total lack of visual character customization (weapons, armor etc), the terrible music particularly in the early zones, the lackluster magic system, uninspired quests, lack of meaningful choices, it goes on and on.
And probably the most damning issue is that it lacks a sense of "fantasy". The game is so terribly mundane and it feels like monsters have been just randomly tossed into the mix and for the most part don't seem to mesh.
Everything works "ok" and there are some memorable moments so if you are a fan of final fantasy and rpgs its worth a buy, but there is nothing exceptional or brilliant about it that could classify it as a classic.
I did score the Witcher 3 and all it's DLC higher.
/shrug I think its entirely deserving of its score. Just because there are flaws to something doesn't mean they detract greatly from the overall experience. The overall experience in Final Fantasy 15 was pretty stellar, the only thing that really turned me off was the sluggishness of combat in multi-enemy fights, but the rest of the experience was phenomenal. It grabbed me from the get go, and didn't let go until 75 hours in when I finally beat it. Having played most of the Final Fantasies (skipped 12 and 13), I definitely rank this one up there near the best. I remember Ramza's story, I remember Cecil's story, I remember Tera's story, I remember Cloud's story, and I'll remember Noctis's story.
Square-Enix has always been exceptionally good at implementing the little things that make their artistry (and I don't just mean visuals) pop and that really pushes a lot of the flaws I experienced down in magnitude. The side quests weren't there to develop exposition. Their sole purpose was to get you out and explore the gorgeously detailed world, which they did very well. The car afforded a unique version of fast travel that fit within the theme of the game. And, my god, was the setting amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the Modern-esque setting juxtaposed with the fantasy elements. It created a unique and surreal experience that I've not seen any other game approach. The character development was fairly decent as well. Noctis was a very weak character, and that was intentional. However, near the end of the game, he was quite different, as were his companions.
You don't have to (in fact, you shouldn't) answer all the questions when telling a story. You need to keep the mystery and suspense intact, and oftentimes that means not specifically showing motivations of antagonists, but leaving that to the reader to infer or determine (Correctly or no). In this regard, I don't think Raevus's actions were outside the motivation I inferred.
I also don't think that just because a certain high rated game has a mechanic, means you need to copy that mechanic when making a game. You need to choose mechanics that fit with the flow and theme of the story you're telling. Along this regard, I don't understand this whole fascination with the turn based combat of the older games. I never felt the ATB was a deep system. 9 times out of 10 you held down the OK button to spam attack, unless fighting a boss. Upon which you'd burn your resources THEN hold down attack, occasionally breaking it up with a curative. FF tactics had a great system ripe with potential, but that was an entirely different type of game that wouldn't have fit with the theme they wanted to project in Eos.
/shrug I think its entirely deserving of its score. Just because there are flaws to something doesn't mean they detract greatly from the overall experience.
If it was just some flaws of course that would be fine. Witcher 3, Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma, and many other classics all had their flaws and quirks. But parts of this game and its overall design are so bad its almost laughable.
The whole first area (basically the only "open world" area, if you can even call it that) is irrelevant. I spent about 40 hours there, and then once I left it, I was amused to find that the whole time there was pretty much pointless. Its almost like they made this semi-open world bit and then tacked that onto a more traditional FF style game progression in the second half: but really only the second half has any story!
Then there are the ace game design choices like taking away all your abilities and team, which you had spent the whole game building up, and giving you a magic item that can one shot all monsters nearby. Making you run around like that for a few hours picking up keys to unlock doors- and in the most amateurish way, I mean it really is almost funny: You enter a room and there are three doors. Two of them are locked. OK lets start the key hunt! Then do it again for the second door, then do it again for the third door (with none of your powers so its not even fun battling mobs).
Or how about this for a fun idea. Major boss. Fucking huge. Encounter has been built up for 30 mins or so and at last you get to face the beast. I'm all nervous. How do I fight this thing?!! Game says press the "O" button. Thats it folks you just spam "O". Don't even have to dodge or move, hilarious.
Again the above is only the tip of the ice-berg, half the time the game makes me wonder what the devs were even thinking when they made this.
For FF fans though, I will say that the second half of the game (once you leave the "open-world" area) felt a lot more like a FF game and had some great cut scenes. It actually had a sense of fantasy and wonder, and the things you did felt more like an rpg than an mmo.
After about 25 hours of play I would give it a 7.5.
The game is full of great ideas poorly executed.
As someone who prefers turnbased, I was surprised that I enjoyed the combat mechanics as much as I have...BUT the camera is atrocious and doesnt mesh well with them at all
The world is beautiful and turning FF into a more open world based franchise is a good thing, but the open world content is just awful and not very rewarding. This is partly because the itemization is terrible: the spell craft system is pretty cool, but individual items themselves are pretty meaningless for it, you want bulk. And the weapon upgrade system is bare bones and awkardly paced.
There are some really great touches though, from big ones like the dungeons to small ones like watching the behavior of some of the animals roaming around. This counteracted with some awfulness like Ignis's dialog every time I want to drive at night. Or some unforgivably awkward controls with the recognition of gathering items or chocobo mounting. Seriously why do the stars have to aligned so perfectly for me to hop on the damn thing, shouldnt just being next to it and looking in its general direction be enough?
I know I havent gotten through the main story, so Im holding off on judgment of the characters themselves and the overall story. But my complaints so far are things i dont see changing and even if the story ends up bowing me away I cant see it ever elevating the game past an 8.
/shrug I think its entirely deserving of its score. Just because there are flaws to something doesn't mean they detract greatly from the overall experience.
The whole first area (basically the only "open world" area, if you can even call it that) is irrelevant. I spent about 40 hours there, and then once I left it, I was amused to find that the whole time there was pretty much pointless. Its almost like they made this semi-open world bit and then tacked that onto a more traditional FF style game progression in the second half: but really only the second half has any story!
Its a double edged sword. Square-Enix are story tellers first, and they went with the linear "Story Portion" of the game so they could control the pacing. As much as I loved Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind and Witcher 3 (Thousands of hours in each TES Game but only 65 in Witcher 3), I was never able to complete any of their main stories despite the huge amount of hours I put into each game. By trying to incorporate it all into an open world, they lost any and all control of the pacing of that story. Witcher 3 was the worst offender to me. I had just completed exploring the Novagrad area, and moved on to the story at Skellige, but I was too far removed from the story and it just lost its hold on me. While I enjoyed the exploration part of the game, it completely lost its hold on me because it couldn't control the pacing required to keep me invested in what was going on. This could be entirely based on my playstyle (I'm a very exploration/adventure focused player who loves to pick up lore, and a good bit of a completionist). But that same reason would be why I think FF15 gave a phenomenal experience.
Now don't get me wrong, SE did make some questionable decisions in the game (notably the Garlea area, but none of it was substantial enough to hinder the overall experience the game gave me.
I think you guys just sound like over excited kids this game sucks and in few months time this final fantasy will be considered the worst in the series , I went to second hand shop today to trade some games , guess what there's was a shit ton of final fantasy xv on the shelves I asked the lady about it and she said they have been getting them all week , that says it all really , I returned mine after 2 days
1. It was made by Square Enix.
2. It is a new unique world just like every game in the series before it.
3. It has a plethora of references to older Final Fantasy games.
It's a Final Fantasy game.
It's funny how you anti-fanbois always show your faces whenever a new Final Fantasy comes out, spouting all these crappy reasons not to even try to be objective.
1. Yeah thats why the best final fantasys was better when it was "square" soon as enix joined it went downhill<br
2. New unique world , yeah but wheres the fantasy part? mages with the point hats , wheres the beast races and other races you usually get in final fantasy games, it just doesnt seem like final fantasy to me its too much realistic and not enough fantasy.
3. plethora of references? why would a final fantasy game need to reference older final fantasy games in order to be one ? it should be like it all on its own and what are these references you speak off?
so your saying everything is "new new new " and that final fantasy has never been set to a specific standard? was you born last week? up until now they have all been pretty much the same its a genre onto itself tbh , this final fantasy xv is the first in teh series to have such a dramatic change, imagine the opposite was true and you took a game like witcher and made it turned based , thats what they have done, its not even in the same ball park.
but w/e if people enjoy it then good for them if they want another game like all the rest then you go play them games.
i just wish lost odyssey and games like that were being made still that was probably closest we will get to a true final fantasy game and it wasnt even made by square/square enix ..
meh final fantasy 7 remake will probably have the same shit battle system as 15 , totally ignored teh fans that wanted a remake for so many years to cater to the " i want it ez mode" fktards of today, ff7 will be the deciding factor on wether or not i will ever by a square enix game again..
ps. im replying to the guy who quoted me i tried to quote him but it all went pete tong
It seems to me like you're one of those guys that likes to hate on the newer games despite their success. If you really think about it, final fantasy 7 wasn't anything special. Sure, materia was cool (And it kept on being used in multiple other final fantasies with different alterations) and all, but besides that what? The main character is a whiny puppet that acts like a bitch and the villain is a cry baby.
I think you guys just sound like over excited kids this game sucks and in few months time this final fantasy will be considered the worst in the series , I went to second hand shop today to trade some games , guess what there's was a shit ton of final fantasy xv on the shelves I asked the lady about it and she said they have been getting them all week , that says it all really , I returned mine after 2 days
I would have done the same if I hadn't of went digital.
It seems to me like you're one of those guys that likes to hate on the newer games despite their success. If you really think about it, final fantasy 7 wasn't anything special. Sure, materia was cool (And it kept on being used in multiple other final fantasies with different alterations) and all, but besides that what? The main character is a whiny puppet that acts like a bitch and the villain is a cry baby.
This game is amazing, loving it! The characters are awesome, the environment design is gorgeous, combat is strange at first, but very fun and fluid after you get used to it, so many little details that makes the world more interesting and wow that Adamantoise! I'm having lots of fun with this game. It's not perfect, far from it, but all great games that I've played were far from perfect too.
Most people complaining are people blind with nostalgia (they think FF needs to be turn based forever), well known "grumpy" MMO players that can't appreciate anything, they will die in gaming forums complaining that they don't have anything to play and only old games are good, kek.
Tyranny is amazing for a more "classic" RPG approach and XV is an amazing AAA modern RPG, november was a good month for RPGs.
/shrug I think its entirely deserving of its score. Just because there are flaws to something doesn't mean they detract greatly from the overall experience.
The whole first area (basically the only "open world" area, if you can even call it that) is irrelevant. I spent about 40 hours there, and then once I left it, I was amused to find that the whole time there was pretty much pointless. Its almost like they made this semi-open world bit and then tacked that onto a more traditional FF style game progression in the second half: but really only the second half has any story!
Its a double edged sword. Square-Enix are story tellers first, and they went with the linear "Story Portion" of the game so they could control the pacing. As much as I loved Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind and Witcher 3 (Thousands of hours in each TES Game but only 65 in Witcher 3), I was never able to complete any of their main stories despite the huge amount of hours I put into each game. By trying to incorporate it all into an open world, they lost any and all control of the pacing of that story. Witcher 3 was the worst offender to me. I had just completed exploring the Novagrad area, and moved on to the story at Skellige, but I was too far removed from the story and it just lost its hold on me. While I enjoyed the exploration part of the game, it completely lost its hold on me because it couldn't control the pacing required to keep me invested in what was going on. This could be entirely based on my playstyle (I'm a very exploration/adventure focused player who loves to pick up lore, and a good bit of a completionist). But that same reason would be why I think FF15 gave a phenomenal experience.
Now don't get me wrong, SE did make some questionable decisions in the game (notably the Garlea area, but none of it was substantial enough to hinder the overall experience the game gave me.
I agree with the issues games face in terms of open world and the pace of story progression, but how FF15 handles this is actually one of the main disappointments. It basically makes what the player does in the first half (open world) of the game irrelevant. In addition, the story telling is terrible compared to previous FF games, even though it packages basically all of the story in the "second half" (non-open world) segment. And like you, I think FF games are traditionally all about the story, so the garbled mess of a story presented here was a huge dissapointment.
Chapter 13 was an abomination. Most of the background of the story is given in this long and tedious chapter as a voice over while we are searching for keys to unlock some doors. We go from chapters 10-13 so quickly that I actually did an online search to make sure I didn't somehow skip them - and then its the end of the game?!
This game is a massive let down compared to say FF10, which had great story, solid gameplay, relatable and well fleshed out characters, cool summons (that you can actually use), and a sense of fantasy and scale.
This is why I cannot understand 9/10: how can it receive such a rating when on nearly every level it disappoints or underperforms? Story is mundane at best, combat ranges from ok to terrible at times, open world is poorly implemented and almost irrelevant to the main story, pacing is all over the place.
Sure the fishing mini-game is amazing and the graphics are very pretty, but strip that away and the underlying game is a 6/10, with the polish perhaps lifting it to 7/10 being generous.
Its just not a classic. Its something that fans of previous FF games will probably remember as that game they preordered and was a disappointing and confusing mess, with the ace fishing mini-game and the weird emo boy band. Not sure how people new to the series will perceive it.
"A review copy of Final Fantasy XV was provided by Square Enix's North American PR team"
i hope they filled your pocket because last time i read of a site badmouthing ff15, they got permabanned from squreenix marketing. Give it a real score like 7.5 of 10- and it would been the last time u ever recived support from that company.
The problem is not the score itself, the game isnt bad, but its certainly not a final fantasy. So i think as somehting ells it might have a score of 9.0, but as a final fantasy game 7.5 is more realistic. Seems like they tried to copy to much of Witcher 3.
Well for me the game is 9/10 so I am taking his opinion seriously. (and maybe worth noting that i played ff from 4 to 15, and 15 for me is in the same level as how 7 8 9 were for me.
52hrs just reached chapter 10 and i'm still enjoying the game so much. The world is so beautiful and so detailed that you can almost live in it like a real world. The immersion is incredible. Strolling around at Altissia makes me want to go on a sightseeing tour trip in real life.
Sure the game is not perfect. Generic sidequests, very situational summons, simple magic system, some targeting issue and first half of the game can feel abit dull and slow pace. But the overall feel when playing, FFXV is really still a very good game. Its still Final Fantasy. If you dont like it, its fine there are plenty more who love it.
On the other hand, i dont understand why every pokemon game can score 9+ when its the same turn based rpg formula everytime. Meh.
i agree is far from 9/10 .....for me 7.5/10 around 30h played and just finished chapter 13
i miss the old FF battle....it would have been awesome as battle turn game , letting the 4 chars change jobs like FFX-2 , with a fun and depth system like materia or something ....
no jobs , no crystals , no strat battles ....FF where?
I think it's a good game but I feel like they missed the mark on too many things. I don't find the characters interesting, the story isn't that exciting (I'm still early in the game but the story should hook you from the start), and the combat is just...odd, it's not bad but it feels limited.
My brother loves it for all the wrong reasons (something even he acknowledges). He just spends most of his time driving around in the car or wandering around the beautiful world because he finds it relaxing. Typically when it comes to FF games he loves the story and characters and combat but apparently for FFXV, those things are so forgettable that instead he just loves the game for looking around the pretty world.
Don't get me wrong..
I love Final Fantasy and I grew up with it.
They had so much time to do something spectacular and given the development time frame for this titles, I felt that they didn't do as much as they could have potentially done. I like that the series does try to reinvent itself...
...but this is the very first time that I felt I was playing another game while playing this game. Such memories broke the immersion considering the game is pretty and graphics are good.... considering Square-Enix has its own style of recognizable graphics to its game.
As far as the story itself goes...
Playing this game proves that they should have broken down this game into separate titles and keep adding on to the story for the sake of quality control. Some parts felt rushed. Other parts felt like they didn't belong there.
In fact this was the first FF game where I saw a scene and scratched my head wondering if it belongs in this game.
The game is still worth giving it a run through, but its not worth its price tag and its one of those games that its best picked up in the bargain bin. Thank God I have friends who learned the value of sharing, it keeps the tradition of putting a console in a backpack and sharing video games with one another alive and well.
I haven't lost faith in Square-Enix since they have a lot on their plate, but I have lost faith in the rapid entertainment media manipulation that goes on in Japan where a lot of titles are given a 10 when not even the opinions of their population (have read jpn forums as I can understand the language) do not support a 10 (or even a 9) rating.
Comments
FFXIII did just as well as FFXV did when it comes to reviews. FFXIII has an aggregate review score of 83% while FFXV has an aggregate review score of 84%
The only main, numbered Final Fantasy to get mediocre reviews was FFXIII Lightning Returns with an aggregate score of 66%
Personally, I do not enjoy JRPG's, and specifically Final Fantasy, anymore. The storytelling and character development makes me cringe. I can't relate to a group of young adults who look like they drove their spiffy car through the nearest Hot Topic. I enjoy more adult storytelling and characters like Witcher 3.
Having said that, I've been a fan since the very first Final Fantasy, and nostalgia for the franchise will eventually cause me to go buy it, and then endlessly bitch about how I don't like it. Such is the life of a closeted fanboy.
I try to be balanced pointing out the good and the bad. Overall I think it's a great game.
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I did score the Witcher 3 and all it's DLC higher.
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Square-Enix has always been exceptionally good at implementing the little things that make their artistry (and I don't just mean visuals) pop and that really pushes a lot of the flaws I experienced down in magnitude. The side quests weren't there to develop exposition. Their sole purpose was to get you out and explore the gorgeously detailed world, which they did very well. The car afforded a unique version of fast travel that fit within the theme of the game. And, my god, was the setting amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the Modern-esque setting juxtaposed with the fantasy elements. It created a unique and surreal experience that I've not seen any other game approach. The character development was fairly decent as well. Noctis was a very weak character, and that was intentional. However, near the end of the game, he was quite different, as were his companions.
You don't have to (in fact, you shouldn't) answer all the questions when telling a story. You need to keep the mystery and suspense intact, and oftentimes that means not specifically showing motivations of antagonists, but leaving that to the reader to infer or determine (Correctly or no). In this regard, I don't think Raevus's actions were outside the motivation I inferred.
I also don't think that just because a certain high rated game has a mechanic, means you need to copy that mechanic when making a game. You need to choose mechanics that fit with the flow and theme of the story you're telling. Along this regard, I don't understand this whole fascination with the turn based combat of the older games. I never felt the ATB was a deep system. 9 times out of 10 you held down the OK button to spam attack, unless fighting a boss. Upon which you'd burn your resources THEN hold down attack, occasionally breaking it up with a curative. FF tactics had a great system ripe with potential, but that was an entirely different type of game that wouldn't have fit with the theme they wanted to project in Eos.
The whole first area (basically the only "open world" area, if you can even call it that) is irrelevant. I spent about 40 hours there, and then once I left it, I was amused to find that the whole time there was pretty much pointless. Its almost like they made this semi-open world bit and then tacked that onto a more traditional FF style game progression in the second half: but really only the second half has any story!
Then there are the ace game design choices like taking away all your abilities and team, which you had spent the whole game building up, and giving you a magic item that can one shot all monsters nearby. Making you run around like that for a few hours picking up keys to unlock doors- and in the most amateurish way, I mean it really is almost funny: You enter a room and there are three doors. Two of them are locked. OK lets start the key hunt! Then do it again for the second door, then do it again for the third door (with none of your powers so its not even fun battling mobs).
Or how about this for a fun idea. Major boss. Fucking huge. Encounter has been built up for 30 mins or so and at last you get to face the beast. I'm all nervous. How do I fight this thing?!! Game says press the "O" button. Thats it folks you just spam "O". Don't even have to dodge or move, hilarious.
Again the above is only the tip of the ice-berg, half the time the game makes me wonder what the devs were even thinking when they made this.
For FF fans though, I will say that the second half of the game (once you leave the "open-world" area) felt a lot more like a FF game and had some great cut scenes. It actually had a sense of fantasy and wonder, and the things you did felt more like an rpg than an mmo.
The game is full of great ideas poorly executed.
As someone who prefers turnbased, I was surprised that I enjoyed the combat mechanics as much as I have...BUT the camera is atrocious and doesnt mesh well with them at all
The world is beautiful and turning FF into a more open world based franchise is a good thing, but the open world content is just awful and not very rewarding. This is partly because the itemization is terrible: the spell craft system is pretty cool, but individual items themselves are pretty meaningless for it, you want bulk. And the weapon upgrade system is bare bones and awkardly paced.
There are some really great touches though, from big ones like the dungeons to small ones like watching the behavior of some of the animals roaming around. This counteracted with some awfulness like Ignis's dialog every time I want to drive at night. Or some unforgivably awkward controls with the recognition of gathering items or chocobo mounting. Seriously why do the stars have to aligned so perfectly for me to hop on the damn thing, shouldnt just being next to it and looking in its general direction be enough?
I know I havent gotten through the main story, so Im holding off on judgment of the characters themselves and the overall story. But my complaints so far are things i dont see changing and even if the story ends up bowing me away I cant see it ever elevating the game past an 8.
Now don't get me wrong, SE did make some questionable decisions in the game (notably the Garlea area, but none of it was substantial enough to hinder the overall experience the game gave me.
Go replay it and tell me how hard it is.
I would have done the same if I hadn't of went digital.
NO.
Most people complaining are people blind with nostalgia (they think FF needs to be turn based forever), well known "grumpy" MMO players that can't appreciate anything, they will die in gaming forums complaining that they don't have anything to play and only old games are good, kek.
Tyranny is amazing for a more "classic" RPG approach and XV is an amazing AAA modern RPG, november was a good month for RPGs.
Chapter 13 was an abomination. Most of the background of the story is given in this long and tedious chapter as a voice over while we are searching for keys to unlock some doors. We go from chapters 10-13 so quickly that I actually did an online search to make sure I didn't somehow skip them - and then its the end of the game?!
This game is a massive let down compared to say FF10, which had great story, solid gameplay, relatable and well fleshed out characters, cool summons (that you can actually use), and a sense of fantasy and scale.
This is why I cannot understand 9/10: how can it receive such a rating when on nearly every level it disappoints or underperforms? Story is mundane at best, combat ranges from ok to terrible at times, open world is poorly implemented and almost irrelevant to the main story, pacing is all over the place.
Sure the fishing mini-game is amazing and the graphics are very pretty, but strip that away and the underlying game is a 6/10, with the polish perhaps lifting it to 7/10 being generous.
Its just not a classic. Its something that fans of previous FF games will probably remember as that game they preordered and was a disappointing and confusing mess, with the ace fishing mini-game and the weird emo boy band. Not sure how people new to the series will perceive it.
Well for me the game is 9/10 so I am taking his opinion seriously. (and maybe worth noting that i played ff from 4 to 15, and 15 for me is in the same level as how 7 8 9 were for me.
Yeah, exactly what I thought too.
Sure the game is not perfect. Generic sidequests, very situational summons, simple magic system, some targeting issue and first half of the game can feel abit dull and slow pace. But the overall feel when playing, FFXV is really still a very good game. Its still Final Fantasy. If you dont like it, its fine there are plenty more who love it.
On the other hand, i dont understand why every pokemon game can score 9+ when its the same turn based rpg formula everytime. Meh.
they must have give you big money, why this game deserve a 9 ?? 7 max
i miss the old FF battle....it would have been awesome as battle turn game , letting the 4 chars change jobs like FFX-2 , with a fun and depth system like materia or something ....
no jobs , no crystals , no strat battles ....FF where?
This is why I am passing on the game. Will probably pic it up one day if I can find it dirt cheap.
Don't get me wrong..
I love Final Fantasy and I grew up with it.
They had so much time to do something spectacular and given the development time frame for this titles, I felt that they didn't do as much as they could have potentially done. I like that the series does try to reinvent itself...
...but this is the very first time that I felt I was playing another game while playing this game. Such memories broke the immersion considering the game is pretty and graphics are good.... considering Square-Enix has its own style of recognizable graphics to its game.
As far as the story itself goes...
Playing this game proves that they should have broken down this game into separate titles and keep adding on to the story for the sake of quality control. Some parts felt rushed. Other parts felt like they didn't belong there.
In fact this was the first FF game where I saw a scene and scratched my head wondering if it belongs in this game.
The game is still worth giving it a run through, but its not worth its price tag and its one of those games that its best picked up in the bargain bin. Thank God I have friends who learned the value of sharing, it keeps the tradition of putting a console in a backpack and sharing video games with one another alive and well.
I haven't lost faith in Square-Enix since they have a lot on their plate, but I have lost faith in the rapid entertainment media manipulation that goes on in Japan where a lot of titles are given a 10 when not even the opinions of their population (have read jpn forums as I can understand the language) do not support a 10 (or even a 9) rating.