Final Fantasy XV is Making Games Feel Good Again

Brandon Bui, Executive Editor at Gamer Professionals expresses his struggle in understanding the current generation of games, and finds an answer in a highly unlikely place. Looking at the recent issues in the gaming industry as a whole and seeing what Final Fantasy XV is doing to change that, it's high time to reconsider joining this generation.

[TheOldSuitedMan]

I've never really played any of the Final Fantasy games, but this one is beginning to spark my interest.

[GamerProfessionals]

Play Final Fantasy VII at least! :)

[joab777]

It's my favorite game of all time, but I am hesitant to recommend it to people under a certain age. They simply havnt played many of the older games and have a hard time.

I did it a couple times and it's hard to hear someone tell me that FF7 is no good. But I understand how someone who played ME2 as their first rpg, may have a difficult time w FF7.

That said, FF15 looks to be a great starting point for FF going forward. We can put the bad taste of FF13 behind us.

Also, as an old school rpg fan, games like Ni No Kuni and Lost Odyssey are great next gen versions of turned based rpgs. NNK2 is coming and here's to hoping we also see a LO2. It would be a dream come true. Seeing that they even ditched turned based in the FF7 remake, I don't think we will see any new rpgs using the old combat mechanics any longer, unless it's an indie or a Persona or NNK.

When FF13 released, I just wanted a better looking old school game, with an over world map etc. NNK did everything I wanted FF13 to do.

[beebap]

Love to see a new lost odyssey! Just looked to see if it was backwards compatabile, disapoointed to see it is not as I never actually finished the game! I still like turned based so dont sure if enjoy the new ff mechanics but seems like kingdom hearts style so sure I will get used to it and love it.

[nix]

FF7 is turned based rpg. So that's keeping me away. I did play Dirge of Cerberus because it was arpg.

I'm interested in ff15. Heck I've been interested since they talked about ffiv versus.

But saying ff15 is making gaming good again is a bit too much. Bloodborne really made me play the game seriously this gen. Now Salt and Sanctuary is keeping me busy. When ff15 comes I'll be the one to buy it but let's give credits to other games as well.

[scark92]

Final Fantasy Tactics!

[Muzikguy]

And 3, 5,9, and 10! Lol

[Muzikguy]

@joab

The turn to ARPG is turning me off to the genre. There's really no reason there can't be both. Persona V is looking good

[DarXyde]

I'm more of a Shin Megami Tensei/Persona fan, but VII is a great game. I agree with joab77 though where it may not have aged well to gamers who started gaming in what's become the contemporary era.

That said, there's an ongoing "feud" between gamers regarding Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX where the community is often divided on which one is the best. Personally, I liked VIII the most, but the PSOne era Final Fantasy games and even the PS2 era games are pretty good.

[Ogygian]

It's too old at this point. Games Final Fantasy 4 and 6 can be played today, as their 2D graphics give them a timeless style, but the early 3D graphics are pretty hideous.

I think if people are going to enjoy that game at this point, they should wait for the remake, lest they be put off forever.

[glassgannon909]

the game without a doubt looks phenomenal if you go in with an open mind.
offcourse there's still a feud going on between the various sides of the fanbase.
but when i think about it, this has been a thing since ff rose to major western popularity starting from 7,different groups of fans have found ways to bash and call every iteration after it not a proper ff game.8 through 15 every single one of them has gone through the same critiscm of not holding on to its roots.
others however are more open to change, for eg 12 is by far my favorite and 15 is by far my most anticipated.and i loved 7 just as much as any of you guys allthe while im looking forward to persona 5 as well.
its awesome to have so many good jrpgs in the pipeline.
all that said, i do believe xv will be the biggest invitation to club FF since ff7.i expect lots of newcomers to the series.

[NukaCola]

If you want to try another series like FF XV, because you don't like Active Time Battle / turn Based, then I would recommend playing Kingdom Hearts. It's one of the best games ever made.

[jeromeface]

DarXyde, The snes era was the best....

[Artemidorus]

You should, they provide the true meaning to gaming.

[Miss_Vixen]

You should really give some of the older Final Fantasy games a try at least. Particularly number 6, 7, and 9. :)

8 and 10 is are also good entries.

[GamerProfessionals]

Man, I feel like everyone just forgot about Final Fantasy IV. :/ IV and V feel quite unappreciated. :(

[donwel]

6 and 8 are best though that's just my opinion, 9 was also quite good. Though I never did get to finish 9 because some dick stolen the last disc, the anger was real on that day.
I never did get around to playing 10 but it is sat on my PS4 hard drive so I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.

[Muzikguy]

The demo that was just released left a bitter taste in my mouth. (Yeah, I ate it.) it actually left me wondering "why am I hyped again? This kind of sucks." I hope the game is much better than that demo because I was not impressed. I did like the areas and camera moving, although turned off by the load times

[showtimefolks]

real time gamelay means i will finally play a FF game

i hope FF7 remake games are also using real time combat instead of turned based

attract new fans to the series

[Melankolis]

I bet you played a lot of action games. Never bother the previous games, they are great, but if you are 20+ years then your taste is probably fixed, it's gonna be hard to love FF/RPG.

FFXV is more action oriented, but it is still an RPG, slow pace scenario happens many times. So if my prediction true it's gonna be 50-50.

[guywazeldatatt]

really excited for this one. I did love the XIII series, but this could bring FF back to the way it's supposed to be.

[GamerProfessionals]

That's the way Tabata's been marketing it, too, apparently.

[ShadowWolf712]

Yeah, a "grounded, modern setting", product placement for cars, every lead character dressed in all black...

TOTES what Final Fantasy is supposed to be! :D

[gamer7804]

agreed, this new iteration looks bland and boring. The new demo i couldn't even finish, it put me to sleep.

[guyman]

Gamer7804

Man Final Fantasy looks fantastic, looks incredibly interesting and fun.

[SoulMikeY]

Gamer7804, maybe you should go back to school and learn how to speak before you play video games...

ShadowWolf712, I know you're being sarcastic, but 7 and 8, the two greatest FF's, are pretty much the same as 15. So yeah, how it SHOULD be.

[DragonDDark]

A decade of waiting should be worth it

[GamerProfessionals]

I hope so too, actually. Considering the game was never really on my personal radar until Wednesday night. :P

[Pullmywaffle]

Worked for duke nukem forever and too human, right?

[DragonDDark]

Negative Nancy! !!

[Godmars290]

Just looks like an amusement/tourist ride to me.

[GamerProfessionals]

Totally respect your opinion, but I think there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

[guywazeldatatt]

honestly I haven't been this excited for a FF game in a reallyyyy long time.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

"more to it than meets the eye"

Judging from the unfavorable reviews and feedback I've seen regarding the demo that just released, I doubt this.

[SoulMikeY]

Garretbobby, where are these "unfavorable" reviews? Oh that's right, they're not real... lol. Try harder dog.

There's like 20 people with 5 accounts each, that just sit there and rag on good s***.

[Metallox]

This. Recent marketing has been insisting on showing the band driving in their car along the highway, as if that was the only thing available in the game.

I would like to see a bit more before biting the hype.

[Godmars290]

By what I've seen there will be Chocobos. And a yacht.

Also at some point - and I doubt I'm giving anything away - the car WILL FLY!

[NorthernFrost]

I do wish they wouldn't abandon turn-based combat, but I guess it's inevitable for Square at this point. I have to say this entry does look promising and ambitious and I'm excited to check it out.

[GamerProfessionals]

The new combat is kinda growing on me, actually! I think turn based combat only worked well on those older games now that I look at it. Final Fantasy IV will still be my number one in the series for that. :P

[Kane22]

trust me, i loved turned based games. but now everything has to be action or have online attached to it...

[FullmetalRoyale]

Part of why I'm so excited for Persona. It'll show again how people still want it. Though I have the fortune of living both action, and turned base.

[OoglyBoogly]

So have games not been good until now? I seem to have had plenty of good times every year I've been gaming for the past 25 years.

[GamerProfessionals]

I think that for me, I just haven't been "wowed" like I was in days past. This generation just kind of felt really underwhelming to me, that's all.

[BitbyDeath]

Did you not play game of the generation Until Dawn?

[Meltic]

yeah right the demo could not even handle 30 fps. It dropped like damn all the time.

[jstark]

final fantasy 15fps

[DiscoKid]

That was actually pretty lolzy. lol

[jaycptza]

Its completely playable. Also please read a book

[Npugz7]

I hate turn based combat so I might actually like this!!

[ShadowWolf712]

I'm sorry, but absolutely nothing about this feels like Final Fantasy to me, and the shoehorned product placement car just cements that. They keep talking how they're "grounding" it, they wanted to take out classic FF elements because it might undercut their "realistic, modern feel", the leads look completely generic all drecked out in all black...

It's like this series has completely lost its soul ever since XIII reared its head.

[GamerProfessionals]

Doing a ton of research over the past couple days on this game, the car placement was Tabata's idea and part of a really big cultural tradition in Japan, where the father passes down a car to his son in a really interesting process. Apparently, in Japan, that part is sort of similar to a coming of age tradition where the son takes his first rides with the father and the father explains and introduces all of the different controls of the car. That logic was something Tabata wanted to capture and introduce to the world in a more prominent light.

[ShadowWolf712]

It kills immersion for me, especially when coupled with... everything else.

It's just not Final Fantasy anymore.

[gamer7804]

its really not much different than in the US passing down a car from father to son. Now passing down a father's sword, or finding your own sword that becomes part of you, thats something treasured in Japan. But a car...

[rhap]

It's the Fabula Nova Crystallis crap all over again with all this forced hype and marketing.

Can't wait to see people disappointed.

[bronkie]

they stated they went away from the "fabula Nova crystallis crap" so don't say something u don't know anything about

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

THe car that you are talking about is from the movie not the game and who cares if it was?. Such a paltry thing to get your panties in a twist over and claim this isn't Final Fantasy just because of it.

[AsheXII]

The car placement is not even in the game, its in the movie. So wth are you talking about?

[averagejoe26]

What are you talking about?

There is no product placement regarding a car in this game.

Wtf?

I swear every time I see someone attempting to bash this game they have no idea what they're even talking about.

[Exvalos]

I like the look of the characters only wish Noctus pants were not cut off at his ankles lol

[DaddyPoppa]

Only the movie has product placement in it not the game...you are terribly misinformed.

[TheColbertinator]

I'm feeling better recently since FFXV was given a release date.

[formanbradley]

Two biggest questions I hope someone can answer for me...
Are there towns?
Is it possible for enemies to hit you mid-attack or is it mash one button to win? I will only play realtime combat if there is a risk of failure even with regular enemies.

[Eiyuuou]

Yes and yes.

[averagejoe26]

Yea, try the demo and good luck avoiding the hits from the iron giant lol

And they've been constantly expressing how immersive they've been making every town. So much care and detail went into each one.

Can't wait!

[scark92]

Iron Giant is tough, takes practice to master.

[warriors_13]

did we play the same demo?

all fights, including the iron giant, were hold O to win.

[Segata]

Giant was easy. Hold circle button. I never had trouble. Dodge a little and hold circle a lot.

[rhap]

All I see is a new Fabula Nova Crystallis bullshit with all this marketing and animes and movies and crap about a game that didn't even release yet.

They are forcing a hype like they always do and people are probably going to be disappointed.

[Ninver]

I found the platinum demo really underwhealming. I guess my expextation were too high concidering how long this game has been in developnt. Wonky controls and stiff animations really killed the experience

[Davi123]

If you had played a FF before, you should know that demo, is probably the beginning of the game. And like other FF game, it always like that, simple and make of to the gamer learn the basic controls. So, that demo was nothing.