Topic: Final fantasy discussion thread

@Feena: Metacritic kiiiiinda takes that into account anyway because it uses weighted averages rather than standard ones to come up with the Meta-rating.

@Feena: Yeah I just thought it would be more polarising - it's typically games like Uncharted, Last of Us, GTA etc. that score high across the board, and I thought some critics would have a bigger problem with FF15's approach, whether that be because it differs so much from previous instalments or just a general distaste for the idea of sharing a tent with 4 bros when they could be popping off headshots in Battlefield 1.

Has anyone managed to redeem the Legacy weapons from the FFXV's Roadtrip site, yet? The button is still greyed out for me.

@johncalmc: Ha, I didn't know this, it's interesting. @KratosMD: I totally get what you mean and certainly agree but on the other hand we know for a fact some studios will pay for high reviews, others will not give their employees bonuses if the Metacritic score doesn't reach a certain number...so, while reporting all the reviews in the list I think it would be fair game to omit the best one and the worst one in the calculation of the score. This is done fo university exams scores in quite a lot of countries. @kyleforrester87: spot on.

I've done Chapter 1, which wasn't that great for me since I already played that chapter in Japanese over the weekend but it was nice to understand what the characters were saying. I think the voice acting is fine for the main characters. Had to laugh at the reporters accent, though - lets just say the voice didn't match the face!

I can't help but be a bit frustrated with how key parts of the story have played out. It's pretty incoherent. I did watch Kingsglaive, so I understand what is going on, but had I not I know I'd have been asking WTF? I don't see why these parts couldn't have been better explained through a fuller introduction sequence and more cut scenes if needed. Just a bit weird.

Also, the more mundain aspects of the open world gameplay give some cause for concern.. In the first 4 hours of FF7 we blew up a reactor, jumped onto AND off of separate trains, fell off a bridge into a church, went on a date, dressed up as a girl, visited an optional brothel and BDSM dungeon, fell into some sewers, went through a train grave yard, dropped the plate on an entire sector wiping out some key characters, raided the Shinra tower and busted out of Midgar on a motorbike. In FF15 I found some gems for a reporter and rescued Dave (Literally, Dave? Come on Square) from a shack.

I know this comes with the territory but the pacing and variety of the old games was what made them so absorbing. I trust FF15 will grow into itself, but just some initial criticisms.

Overall, I'm loving it. Driving round in the car listening to the Garden soundtrack - mint.

Question: How do you fish in this game?

So I've poured in just over 13 hours (12 on launch day!) & I'm at the start of chapter 3. There was a side quest were I had to catch a fish, but Pronto just did it for me & gave it to me to complete the quest. Did I miss something?

Absolutely loving the game. It's not like Uncharted 4, were within an hour I felt like this game is a 10, it's a solid 8/8.5 so far and that's ok.
Ticks all the boxes for me & then some.

My major takeaways from the first four chapters, and what I'd bring up if it were me reviewing it, are thus:

1. Getting right into the open world is a mistake. A lot of WRPGs do this, and it always irritates me. You're playing Skyrim - BAM DRAGON ATTACK! - and then four minutes later you're helping an old woman find her lost dog. There's no urgency in the main narrative if you go open world right away. Typically, JRPGs funnel you down a set path for a while before opening up. Look at FFVII for example. You're stuck in Midgar, only really one way to progress. It opens up after a few hours, but by then you've learned A LOT, and that keeps the main quest relevant even while you're going off the beaten path.

With FFXV, by the time you hit the first major story revelation you've already been doing a handful of sidequests and got distracted by customizing your car. It should really have more narrative focus in the early going so you know the stakes. After four chapters there's little distinction between how important the main quest is, and how important being a good fisherman is.

2. The game will live and die by its characters. They're constantly there, talking, laughing, joking. It's like taking a road trip, and if you hate the people you're on a trip with you're not going to enjoy it much. For what it's worth, I like them, and I think that while many of the sidequests are samey, and amount to little more than fetch quests, the banter between the gang while travelling to and from the mission marker makes it a lot more entertaining. While I can see them being annoying to some people, what's noticeable is how much we seem to learn about them just while driving around, or walking from place to place. They seem fairly fleshed out.

3. Cindy's outfit is absolutely ridiculous. It's distractingly ridiculous. In a game where the characters - or certainly most of them - out in the wilds look vaguely like actual, real life people, Cindy seems to have walked in from another game. It's weird and unnecessary.

4. Combat system seems fine - much better than in the various demos - but battles basically amount to the same thing over and over again. You hold circle, occasionally hold square, and now and again press triangle. That's basically it. I would much prefer a return to battle systems like in the classic games, but as far as the modern ones go, this is a lot more entertaining than using gambits like in XII, or mashing auto-attack like in XIII. Even if you're doing the same thing over and over, it at least feels like you're in a little more control, and the battles often look fantastic. Perhaps it will become more interesting later once the game - hopefully - becomes more difficult. So far it's very easy.

5. The photo system is brilliant and really adds to the road trip feel of the game.

6. While the game feels very new, it does feel a lot more like Final Fantasy than recent iterations of the series have. It comes with a sense of wonder that was almost entirely absent from XIII, and the cast of characters feel like they have much more purpose than XII. Whether it all falls apart later or not, for now it feels like Final Fantasy should.

7. Dungeon set-up is totally weird, and needs fixing. You can waltz into a dungeon and fight your way through nothing but level 7 goblins and then when you get to the boss of the area it's a level 52 angry thing that kills you all in one whack. That should never, ever happen. It should be instantly apparent whether or not the dungeon is out of your depth, and monsters should be scaled in a way that makes sense.

8. Driving sucks, but fast travel and leaving Ignis to drive while you listen to old Final Fantasy soundtracks are sweet.

9. Trophy list seems incredibly manageable. I've hit something like 30%+ of the trophies already, and I haven't even been trying to. Presumably there'll be some for late-game content that will be difficult, but it could be a fairly easy platinum if Square Enix didn't do their usual OH HEY WHY DON'T YOU SPEND TEN HOURS MAXING OUT THIS SPHERE GRID FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON thing.

10. It feels huge. There's a genuine sense of scale that feels impressive, and just getting from A to B - a chore in a lot of games - feels like a fun journey here. Even early on, the game feels massive, and like it contains more surprises than you could ever possibly hope to uncover without a guide. Seems like there's a lot to do.

11. Art style is weird. It's like being in the real world, only from many different time periods all at the same time. Odd, but interesting.

TLDR; Final Fantasy XV is a weird, messy game, that won't appeal to everyone, but some people will absolutely love. The Metacritic score seems entirely reasonable.

Edit: @Fight_Teza_Fight: You go to a fishing spot and cast off, aiming for an area with fish in it. Move the hook a little going left and right, and using R2 to reel it in. Don't hold R2 for a long time. Just a second here, a second there. Move it into the path of a fish. If a fish doesn't bite, reel it back in and try again. Once you get a bite, just follow the on screen directional prompts while holding R2, releasing R2 when the word 'tension' comes on screen. Keep going till you have it. That's it basically.

@johncalmc: Cindy's outfit is amazing.

@kyleforrester87: I have never seen a mechanic that looks like that. It's like Flashdance all over again.

@johncalmc: Haha, her dad must be so proud.

Well since everyone has said their two cents on FFXV time for mine two cents.SO WORTH THE WAIT.
Everything (expect Cindy) is awesome.
The bros are the best.I see people getting annoyed by them but their fun and have a persona.
The Story is set up perfectly. You could go reclaim your throne or fish for hours.
The gameplay is great.As someone who perfers Action RPGs over the trdational its a breath of fresh air.
Cant wait to see what the rest of the game holds.

@kyleforrester87: Agree completely with your view on the opening, just wtf? They couldve left the fire at the start and the kings farewell right out and be none the worse for it. But an expanded start would have been so much better so yeah terrible start.

@johncalmc: Yay you like it! Good to see you stuck it out dude and bought it.

I like the game, loads of fun and the camaraderie is fantastic. I'm only 2 and a half hours in and am glad I picked it up.

I do like it. I think it's kinda unwieldy and a bit odd and a bit rough round the edges. But then I think every Final Fantasy game has quirks and flaws, whether it's the broken battle system of VIII, the bizarre, contradictory art style of VII, or the being rubbish of XII. They've all got things about them that would turn some gamers off.

XV has some flaws like the rest of the series, but so far, the positives are winning me over. I think I'll be tackling the platinum in it.

@themcnoisy: Yeah.. just seems so dumb! There's a guy selling the FF8 soundtrack in Hammerhead by the way

@TheDoofingCritic: I'm embracing everything Cindy represents. Shes awesome.

If they release DLC where I can buy Cindy some overalls, I'm buying it.

@johncalmc agreed

@johncalmc: Thanks, just got my first fish!

Totally nailed the Chocobo riding. Perfect. They swim too hahah

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kpPKy27pKqI

Too cool 🤗

@kyleforrester87: Which guys selling the tracks?

@johncalmc: She's a bit rubbish yeah...probably my least favourite character so far.
@themcnoisy: it's the guy selling you potion and stuff, if you highlight the car tab he will sell you CDs.

Still enjoying the game a lot...wondering around doing side quests, fishing, hunting, bromancing. I am sure Luna doesn't mind waiting.

I stumbled on a dungeon and got RAPED by level 52 mobs...and played that flipper game and found it kinda of slightly amusing....then it went on for like 30 minutes! Bonkers XD