Final Fantasy XV Review: The Final Fantasy for Fans and First-Timers? [Gadgets 360]

Gadgets 360 says: "Does Final Fantasy XV bring back the series’ former glory, or should you be playing another role-playing game this year? We find out in our review."

[moegooner88]

I thought the music was great. Very well done

[-Foxtrot]

Not surprised. It's done by Yoko Shimomura who did Kingdom Hearts (and a variety of other things)

A much better fit for the franchise then the guy who did FF13. Man the music was pretty bland in that...but it was FF13 so at least it matched up with everything else.

[DarkOcelet]

FF 13 OST was pretty good. Especially the battle theme. For me, its up there with FFVII battle theme.

[-Foxtrot]

Owch...right in the heart

We were such good friends Ocelet. We played in the park, had picnics, braided each others hair and now you say a silly thing like that

That's cold man

:)

[DarkOcelet]

@Foxtrot

Am talking about the soundtrack lol. Guess i have to edit that haha XD

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

Never got the criticisms of Hamauazu's work in Final Fantasy 13, his music always felt like a contemporary Uematsu in some ways but that's just my opinion. It's very hard to dislike Shimomura as well, she created Guile''s theme after all.

[Nitrowolf2]

Ff13 MUSIC was great

[Elda]

We all have opinions but imo out of all FF soundtracks FF-XIII is my favorite,I'm guessing I like it because it has a electronic ambient contemporary vibe,very modern instead of the classical traditional soundtracks. Masahi Hamauzu does a great job with the World of FF soundtrack as well.

[Segata]

She also did Xenoblade (well some of it) and who can forget GUILES THEME!

[indysurfn]

Hey if this rating keeps up above 59 out of 100 it is better than I was hoping for. I know ratings tend to start high at 10 out of 10 and and go down. But for this game staying above 59 is good enough for me.

[Drithe]

Hitoshi Sakimoto greatest game music composer of all time. ( Final fantasy tactics, Odinsphere, Dragon's Crown )

[bouzebbal]

"Final Fantasy XV Review: The Final Fantasy for Fans and First-Timers? "
How can you just answer this question in one article? Expectations are different from everyone of us and by no mean you can allow yourself to speak in anyone's name (apart from yours, obviously).
This is why gaming journalism will never be taken seriously!

Your "review" is a proof that you have a cruel lack of knowledge of the RPG genre. How can you then decide for hardcore fans who have been gaming JRPGs for decades (yes decades).

[_-EDMIX-_]

Glad to hear it.

I really like the main theme to Final Fantasy 15

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Music is one thing you can always count FF to deliver on.

[MAULxx]

Please tell me I don't have to hear Stand By Me.

[Pathogenic]

The music is beautiful. Got the Collectors Edition Guide and Day 1 Edition coming this Tuesday since I already own KingsGlaive. I still can't believe Square-Enix Store didn't notify me that the Collectors Edition was to be paid a month prior. I will just wait for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Collectors Edition to go on sale.

[Sm00thNinja]

Deluxe edition here freaking stoked

[SilverClock]

That's N4G for you, people disagreeing with happiness.
I fully believe people on this site would dislike people adopting kittens.

[DragonDDark]

I got the special edition. Been playing it a lot.

[DarkOcelet]

Unremarkable music?

What? The soundtrack is amazing. I am pretty sure we are not hearing the same soundtrack here because its definitely a highlight of the game.

[Hoffmann]

Since you mentioned you liked the music in FFXIII I can't take this comment from you seriously...

I listened only to some pieces of the FF15 ost yet but damn..its boring in comparison with basically everything from FF 1-12.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Lol what's to take seriously? Everyone's just stating their subjective opinions, it is not something based on objective fact.

No one can be right or wrong in this regard , it just is

[DarkOcelet]

FFXIII music was good in my opinion.

Also we may have different taste in music, what i find good, you might find bad and vice versa. I still think the soundtrack in FFXV is brilliant.

[moegooner88]

Same here it is one of the highlights for me as well. Also, XIII has good music. Not the series best for sure, but good nonetheless.

[Duoma]

Like someone above stated its all subjective to taste but i agree with you @moegooner88. For Me the crown was taken by FFXIV by the stuff Soken has made, he just straight up murdered it. Theres such a variety and depth to alot of whats there. Next would be XIII series, followed by IV, V, VII, X, and the rest

[sdcard4gb]

He must be talking something memorable like any battle theme in any previous FF game... I haven't heard anything memorable from FF XV yet... I dunno, even XIII had a memorable theme with that Blinded by the Light track and that last boss fight track too. And I hate XIII with a passion to pass on. That shitty corridor with pathetic "fill the enemy break gauge up and then mash some more" gameplay is something to kill for.

In other words - master Uematsu is still not beaten by anyone.

[DarkOcelet]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

I think FFXV has some great battle themes but i can understand if some people dont like it. I think Yoko Shimomura's outdid herself with FFXV ost.

[LOL_WUT]

@ Dark This one's pretty cool ;)
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[DarkOcelet]

@LOL_WUT

I love Gratia Mundi so darn much. Its absolutely incredible.

[Elda]

Though I loved the game but I loved FF-XIII soundtrack.The Track "Dust to Dust" I dedicated to my father on my Facebook page,he passed the year FF-XIII came out.

[sdcard4gb]

Lemme think, lemme think... Yoko Shimomura... The same lady who composed the original Parasite Eve soundtrack ? Oh, she is a very good composer, don't get me wrong... But went a bit too much into piano territory... The "Hunt" track gives a feeling of high stackes always rising and rising... But not really rising to anything, sadly... The second one ("Veiled in Black") I have heard through the years and I remember thinking each time that this is so Kingdom Hearts to the point I remembered how samey it is most of the time... The violin, the paino, maybe some choruses...
Her original Parasite Eve soundrtack concentrated much less on epicness and much more on a sinister melody, felt almost as if you are playing a Resident Evil game which is a RPG.
Oh, well, I am not getting XV either way, so I don't really care much... What I DO care about right now is this strange rush I have right now which makes me wanna find and rewatch the original PE intro. "Primal" is just the best thing.

[DarkOcelet]

Primal is amazing yeah.

I still play Parasite Eve 1 and 2 till this day. Also, Parasite Eve was more Survival horror and less RPG at times. I loved how they mixed both genres in one game.

I love Shimomura's style when it comes to soundtrack. Not everyone will love her style but to me, its perfect. I still think to this day that Kingdom Hearts franchise has the best soundtrack i have heard in a game.

[Hoffmann]

Remember how I predicted 7/10 scores and that the game won't be as successful as other FF games before=

See it happening now. I predict at least half of the scores next week will be below 8.

[UCForce]

"Sign" Well, you maybe right about that. But this is people choice. I get it why you disappointed about this.

[Hoffmann]

Maybe I am just "getting old". But this is not the Final Fantasy I learned to love during the nineties up to 2006.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

And XIII was? XIII was god awful
XV will surely be better than that hunk of garbage.

[-Foxtrot]

The problem I have is

I want reviewers to be honest BUUUUUT if they are and the game isn't as good to reach 9s or 10s then it's going to make FF13 look better because reviewers weren't honest then. We all know how well that game was FF wise. Completely awful.

So basically we're in a pickle, do reviewers be honest (IF it isn't as good) resulting in lower scores to an overrated, overmarked FF13 or do they just let it slide so they can obviously paint a picture to say "yeah it's better then the last game".

Pick-Pick-Pickle

[UCForce]

There are criticism and praise, but there are also bias review. Be honest is the good thing, but some people don't want to and sometimes it can gone too far especially some tough situations.

[Hoffmann]

I think reviewers should always be honest.

In the case of games like FF 13 and now 15, I bet the review scores are also different to to the age of the reviewers and their experiences with video games and especially the Final Fantasy series.

I am sure the millennials will rate it highter than the 30+ age old guys among us that grew up with Final Fantasy IV+

[_-EDMIX-_]

But that's based on a subjective view we don't "know" that Final Fantasy XIII is awful we simply think that and that's only a select few.

It is not something that is objective or some sort of absolute fact.

For all you know the people that review Final Fantasy XIII legitimately like it we have many on this site that actually like Final Fantasy XIII.. I personally didn't like the direction the game went in, but clearly others did for the game to even move 8 million units.

[Sm00thNinja]

Half the people that claim ff13 was awful just listened to all those reviews everyone claims aren't honest. FF13 was a solid FF game with memorable characters

[-Foxtrot]

@_-EDMIX-_

Not really when they end up bringing out articles like "Why FF13 was a letdown" or "The Problems With FF13" from some of the same sites which praised it so much.

"but clearly others did for the game to even move 8 million units"

Oh come on, don't play dumb...you know it was brand name and hype which sold that game. Just like how MGS would sell a MGS game or Resident Evil sells a Resident Evil game (look at the sales of RE5/RE6...really well despite being bad RE games).

The hype for FF13 was through the f***** roof. It was the "NEXT GEN FF GAME" and it failed to deliver in almost everyway. Only thing it did better then past FF games was the graphics.

It has a terrible plot, horrible characters, forgettable moments, plot holes, no side quests, towns, world map, airships and so on and on. Yet "10/10...Perfect....Spect acular....GOTY" ¬¬

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It wasn't completely awful.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

Errr, what? You think of the 8 million people who bought the game, everyone enjoyed it? No, people bought the game because it was a new FF game, and all the hype surrounding it. I bought it, beat it, and hated it. Like many others.

[Eiyuuou]

To be fair, us fans don't really rate the games using reviews, do we?

[MRMagoo123]

Hoffman millennial people start at 1982 so they are in their 30s

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Eh the real issue is that people put so much stock in reviews in the first place. People should wait and see on this game like any other.

[kraenk12]

Have we really come so far that old fucks tell us what to think about gaming?! Stay fresh people, that's what they did with the franchise.

[_-EDMIX-_]

When did you see the final sales?
???

So you predicted a website would give it a 7 out of 10? Could I not predict that any game is going to receive a 7 out of 10 by any outlet that exists? Lol

Do you seriously not see how dumb that prediction actually is? I have a YouTube channel where I rate games couldn't give any game that rating?

Sorry but this game by default is likely going to get the number 2 spot of Best Selling Final Fantasy if not the number 1.

Lots of people hated Final Fantasy XIII yet that game still sold 8 million units...

[Hoffmann]

"Sorry but this game by default is likely going to get the number 2 spot of Best Selling Final Fantasy if not the number 1. "

hmm.
First week numbers (left number after each game title) for other mainline FF games
https://twitter.com/Nibelli...

[ILive]

To the people who keeps saying ff13 was awful, stop trying to justify why you thought it was awful just because you didn't like it doesn't make it awful by any means. It was different, but certainly wasn't awful. You all come across like you are the voice of all final fantasy fans. Just say you didn't like it period. 13 was very strategic and the gameplay was excellent in my opinion. It had good graphics; even now it's still a looker. But because it was hated so much it didnt get a nod that year for nominations on the graphics category. The game had more going for it than not.

[UCForce]

Look, it is what is it. Sometimes you can't keep the old forever. Even you have to change, this could affect other like you who love the old one. I'm not saying is a good thing or neither is bad thing, but industry have to change in order to maintain. I'm not saying you have to accept it, but you do need to know that good things can't last forever. It's your choice to move on to find something new.

[sdcard4gb]

It would've been nice. I don't want XV to be sucessful, don't want the entire series to devolve into a action game.

[Lennoxb63]

Square Enix are focused on getting new fans because their old fans can't be satisfied anymore.

[kraenk12]

It was completely necessary to renovate the game and adapt it to modern taste.

[Pathogenic]

Well @Hoffmann I played all the Final Fantasy games since my first one which was Final Fantasy VIII and then VII and then went forward right upto Final Fantasy XIV and soon to be XV. I really enjoyed the turn based style game mode and while I'm disappointed that it's not present, I'm actually happy that they switched battle systems. Again though the best memories to hold onto are the ones that fans like ourselves experienced when those titles released.

No other fans can experience those feelings because they were not there to experience it. That's the strongest bond between past players of the series. Sure one can play it now but it's not the same as back then when we only had PS and PC to play it on with the graphics that blew us away at that present time. Remember without us supporting this series from day one to Final Fantasy IX, there probably would not be another Final Fantasy game made. (Speculation Relax)

It's time to start embracing change and helping new players of the series understand what Final Fantasy is and what it means to play the game. Enjoy the good times and continue to build on a great community.

[RashBandicoot]

Well I hope you're happy?

[Hoffmann]

There is nothing to be happy about. Being right is - sadly - nothing new to me.

[Question_Mark]

@Hoffman
"Being right", huh? You're not paying close enough attention to things in your life, then.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

My guess is no higher than 85 on meta critic, Thats being generous.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

8 is a good score and I easily see most reviews scoring the game in the 8 to 9 range with the odd 10 while finishing in the high 80s on metacritic.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

that says 8/10 so you're already wrong so far. But yeah I wouldn't be surprised, people seem to have a hard on hating this game.

I mean look at your later comment, the reason why you don't like it is because it's different from prior entries. That's a really piss poor argument in an industry where call of duty is the best selling games despite people bitching regularly about it being more of the same.

[Kashima]

ff series lost it charm after ff12.

[_-EDMIX-_]

"charm" ? OH unit of measurement that's immeasurable...

Sorry but that's an extremely subjective view. I didn't play Final Fantasy XIII as I didn't really care for what was being marketed but I can't just say it didn't have charm simply based on me not liking it that is something that's an extremely subjective view.

I mean.. one could argue that Madden 2017 has charm lol

I'm sorry but I just can't decide to play a game based on such a criteria. Good luck waiting for a final fantasy that basically reads your mind because that is something that is going to be different from user to user in regards to how they feel about "charm"

[sdcard4gb]

XII was a massive Star Wars ripoff, but yeah, I know what you are talking about.

[Criti-Choco]

uh hello, FF always had roots in starwars.... or did the biggs and wedge reference never make sense to you?

[kevnb]

Final fantasy 13 was far from abysmal, it was hard to take the review seriously after that. I mean 13 was one of the worst final fantasies and fell far short of expectations, but it was an ok game.

[BlahBlahWhatever]

This FF is simply put an attempt of SE to create an FF attractive to people who never cared to play an FF before, that pretty much, they made this game in order to attract irrelevant people to the series other than core fans like the CoD crowd, they said something like that in an interview after all, this game was never made with old school fans in mind, they also said in an interview that they must bring new blood to the series because veterans are old & might stop playing in the near future, that's why they made so drastic changes & the game doesn't remind at all an FF, as the article's title say this is the FF for first-timers not for old school fans & JRPG veterans, SE stop care about core fans for more than a decade now, now they are chasing randoms because they believe that way they might increase their sales.. it's pathetic if you think about it, it's the same thing CAPCOM did with RE 5 & 6, they transform the series from an atmospheric survival horror game with puzzles to full action bam-boom fiesta ala-Michael-Bay, every company sell out it's fans trying to attract a bigger audience & increase their sales, CAPCOM fail miserable, let's w8 & see if SE's attempt will go better.

[Adrian_v01]

I'm a core fan and I like FF XV. How come?

[Lennoxb63]

SE simply changed because they want to achieve more in game. You can't do the same things in turn based that you can in real time. Turn based is very limited compared to what you can pull off in real time.

[Princess_Pilfer]

No, it isn't. What you can pull off is just limited in different ways.

[indyman7700001]

Now THAT was a backwards statement! Let me see you do a Cosmos spell in a action rpg. The cosmos spell takes 1 minute and 51 seconds from start to finish. Obviously the enemy has to STOP and wait it's turn while the spell is being executed!

[dohji]

I agree with most of this cause it worked. I never cared to play any FF before XV and I can't wait to play this one.

[sdcard4gb]

Not for real fans, I'll tell you that much. I haven't played a good numbered Final Fantasy game since XII (which was a very cool Star Wars ripoff, but was awesome either way).
This "FF XV" game is the same thing for Final Fantasy series (and possibly the entire lineup of turn-based JRPGs at general) what Resident Evil 4 was for Resident Evil series and the entire survival horror genre back in 2004 as in it unknowingly singlehandedly eliminated the entire classic gameplay style...
If you are a real fan of the series then you already love it the way it is (or at least was), otherwise I am not understanding how you can possibly brand yourself a "fan" at all...
FF XV is a casualisation of the franchise, a way to make people who never particularly liked it and people who never heard of it in general to buy it... That is all. It is happening all the time these days - change for the sake of casualisation, of making it more appealing, less old-school, more kids-free. Look at Dead Rising 4, for example - no time limit, no serious story tone, no psychos (just maniacs without their own personalities and intro/outro cutscenes), no escorting survivors...
Casualisation... Don't let them fool you, guys - this bastardization of gaming franchises which eliminates their personality, signature style, pros and cons is not for our enjoyement, it is for one thing only - following trends and getting cash. Nothing more. Your beloved gaming franchises are just free advertisement for them.

[Hoffmann]

Yup, you nailed it. The comparison to Resident Evil 4 is fitting.

[sdcard4gb]

I hate being right sometimes... You know, you just want some things to stay intact sometimes, ye ? You know - the world might change, your own life might change, but you always want something to be there for you. You want it to evolve, but not change. Evolve it's classic original formula, but not just change because of trends, or fashion or anything else.
If SE just came out and told us that this DOESN'T mean that the turn-based combat is only for spin-off titles and so on then I would not have at all panicked... It is so pathetic... To be a 24 year old man and to quench your thirst for a traditional Final Fantasy combat by playing a spin-off title like WoFF (which is a good game, makes me laugh like a baby sometimes) and not a real numbered Final Fantasy game. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around ? I mean, I though all experimental stuff is supposed to be for spin-off games and new IPs, but the numbered games should always be the same kind of experience, but just better. Am I crazy for not understanding how can this be ?! Am I crazy ?

[TheBeguiler]

To be fair the classic Resident Evil games controls were utterly awful and made the game frustrating to play because Jill controlled with the mobility of a damn elephant. The games really didn't change until 5 because 4 kept a lot of the same elements from the previous titles, just decided to not give it fixed camera angles and awful movement lol. I will agree that when 5 rolled in they lost a lot of what made the game's great, but 4 only adjusted the game more visually and less spiritually.

[sdcard4gb]

Yes, tank controls, nobody seems to like them these days... Okay, I get it, I perfectly understand you people, it sometimes hurts your fingers to be constantly holding "up" on d-pad for simple forward movement, yes, and turning is way too slow too. okay. And I have a perfect solution which was introduced back when Silent Hill 2 came out and was perfected by the recent REmake HD and RE0 HD - a optional stick control scheme - much easier, way less problematic for the fingers, problem solved perfectly, eh ? :) I mean, we can still have both, right ? And nobody has to go into rage mode over one-another, am I right ? :)

I do perfectly agree on RE4 being much less changed in spiritual sense - it still had that campy B-movie horror vibe to it, still was gritty and violent... On the other hand the only good and memorable thing about 5 being Albert Wesker.

Although I would say that I would love to travel into the reality where RE4 "fog" or "hook" version was released. A perfect marriage between old style and new style :)

Off-topic, I really hope Mikami will direct a sequel to The Evil Within... I haven't felt this much at home like I did while playing the original... A true Resident Evil 5 in my eyes.

[TheBeguiler]

It's not matter of them hurting my fingers they just never were exceptionally responsive in a game series where dodging enemies was pretty much the gold standard for getting through areas. I agree if they went for a more modern interpretation they wouldn't have been an issue, though I am not against over the shoulder either.

In terms of RE4 the other games were just as campy, that's been one of their main staples for design and aesthetics is the B-Movie vibe. Silent Hill was always the more narratively and thematically darker series, RE was a mix of both and always has been after the original. Some of the dialogue in the early games is hilariously bad, but theres nothing wrong with that.

The problem with RE5 and 6 to me isnt that they decided to try and become an action series its that they werent good action games both mechanically and narratively. I wana be clear Im not attacking you or anyone who wants to and respects the classical structure of the older games (whether it be FF or RE). I fully understand that mentality and it might be because I dont have as strong a connection too FF that would make me upset with these changes. However, I get the idea behind it and don't dismiss it one bit.

Im waiting to see how this game turns out. Im intrigued by the new direction and shift in gameplay style. Doesn't mean its bad just different. Though I do agree I would like to see a Second Evil Within, just if it comes with an option to remove those god awful black bars lol

[Adrian_v01]

@sdcard

If you were a game developer you'd face bankruptcy very fast.

Also, you seem fooled by the demo and trailers of FF XV. If you don't want to play it at least watch or read the story, you'll see that it's more FF than it has been in recent years.

[Nara_shikamaru]

Wait wait wait...you've been here for a long time, only providing us with your negative comments that all goes along the lines of "i dont like ffxv" / "i dont like what SE is doing" "i hope ffxv fails so that things can go back to how they were"..... if thats the case, then things were dissatisfying for you since ffxii... So tell me... Why are you still here??

[joethetimelord]

It really is baffling, isn't it? He'll even resort to sending PMs calling you a horrible person for liking what he doesn't like, then call you a coward for blocking his insults. I haven't been here incredibly long, but it feels like it's his life's mission to dump on this game and its fans at every single opportunity.
It just feels unhealthy, and I kinda feel sorry for the guy.

[RashBandicoot]

As someone who's beat it and still playing it right now this game deserves a minimum 9/10. I honestly consider it a masterpiece from all angles.

[ShadowWolf712]

...that story is straight garbage, dude, and that's WITH a movie and OVA series to aid in exposition.

That alone should bar it from anything higher than a 7, 6 if I wanna be really petty.

[Adrian_v01]

Yeah, your opinion is very objective on this game as can be seen from your comment history.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I'm already ready for FF16...for the fans...yeah right

[PaleMoonDeath]

Don't care at this point, 10 years of waiting.. I'm going to massacre every inch of this thing, Pre-load done, just awaiting the ol' countdown now.

[ShadowWolf712]

Just gimme FFXVI and make it... you know, actually Final Fantasy.

[Nara_shikamaru]

Lol get out of here with your lame jokes man

[Elda]

Just stop.

[kraenk12]

Stop living in the past.

[ShadowWolf712]

lol that's cute

[Gardenia]

I haven't played FF15 yet but as for the music I already know that it won't surpass the music of Nobuo Uematsu. He is simply one of the best gaming musicians ever

[joethetimelord]

Shimomura isn't Uematsu, but all things considered she came closer than anybody else. The music definitely isn't the con this review is making it out to be, and for that very few who don't or won't like it, there are loads of Uematsu tracks from the previous FF games that are available in game.

[joab777]

It is gorgeous on the Pro and music seemed fine. All I care about is progression, combat, difficulty and story. All seem great and I love a sweeping story.

[Movefasta1993]

why the hell are people using a review to determine whether this game isn't greeat?So that's it ,this is proof ff15 didn't live up to the hype?Even though you haven't played it and an 8 is a great score?Bloodborne and w3 got 8s too...

[JoeDG]

8/10 it's ok. 15 h inside the game and zero wtf moments... solid game

[King_Lothric]

If you are going to buy this game, I must recommend you watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV first. It will help you understand the world and the plot as it did for me.

I am a fan of this series and I was waiting for a come back. Looks like this is the one.

[Elda]

All numbered FF games are enjoyable to play though I haven't played the mmo's 11 & 14.Some entries are memorable than others,FFXV...I wouldn't expect anything less...can't wait to play!

[PhoenixUp]

Every mainline FF game is designed to entice newcomers and longtime fans, hence why they are all self contained installments

[feraldrgn]

Been watching since 2006, loved that idea, disliked the changes over the years...
Played the Platinum Demo.
Watched some of the latest gameplay & didn't like the sim aspects, the party, the 1 controllable character, the simple combat (that could be good if you master it, but that goes for anything) with the patented control change for dummies, the open world...

But people kept praising it, which they did with FFXIII so I was very cautious, thinking "should I play the demo, should I?"...
I chose to watch a couple of long playthroughs with the Judgement demo instead & it just did not look fun.

Why talk about changing the control scheme to make it for people who think pressing buttons or choosing strategies is complicated... When you make the world so big and empty, where your car can only stick to the road, so you have to run on foot or chocobo to get anywhere across the large empty spaces of the map?
The map seems like it's big for the sake of it, with lots of time spent doing nothing but running through it.
On one playthrough I watched a guy get a quest, spending an unnecessary amount of time running down a long pier to the quest giver, going out to complete the quest & then running alllll the way back down the long pier to hand the quest in, they couldn't jump into the water to take a shortcut, since the game has invisible walls, so they had to then run all the way back a 3rd time to get to their on rails car.

They attempted to go for realism, but that was spoiled as soon as cars started disappearing right in front of you.

[Mr Marvel]

Holding off on this one. I'm just not sure if I'll like the combat.
If it had the old school turned based combat then I would have bought it day one.

[Pathogenic]

*If it had the old school turned based combat then I would have bought it day one*

I only provided you with a like based on the second statement. You will never know until you try it. Watching people does not solve the problem until you play it. The demo (s) do not provide the actual experience. On release day see if a buddy will Share Play with you for 30 minutes and then make a decision. Never base an opinion off of someone else playing or just viewing it. That's why Sony created Share Play so it gives consumers like you a chance to test it and then buy it.

[Pathogenic]

Some people don't appreciate music for the style of game. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean other people can't like it and enjoy it. If that is going to break the experience for you then return the game and complain and ask for a refund and wait for a Final Fantasy title that will have you're type of preference which will most likely be never.

[vikingland1]

8 is a great score, it always has been.

[jwillj2k4]

Cmon, if you've been working on a game for 10 years for it to get a 8/10 "it's good" something is seriously wrong.

[kraenk12]

This is just one f'in opinion. There's something wrong with you if you take this too serious.

[jwillj2k4]

I really hope this humbles SE and they invest more in 2.5d jrpgs with an epic and hilarious story, rotatable isometric views, a fun battle system,memorable characters and an ending that makes you want to cry.

Sorry I thought it was 1995.

[ONESHOTV2]

Does any one know if this has Japanese audio ? it's not that I need it but I would seriously rather it than that horrid English dub. The only RPG that I have play with a good English dub was person a 4 golden but this doesn't sound as good

[kraenk12]

It has, as far as I know.

[Silber]

It comes with english, japanese, french and german dub in europe.

[ONESHOTV2]

alright good to know thanks

[Antnee534]

In my opinion the last good final fantasy was 9 and then the best final fantasy game not called final Fantasy is bravely default.

In my opinion 13 is better in every way then 10 and it's sequel but that's not saying much both those games are shit.

11 and 14 are not even Real mainline games they are just spinoffs that are labeled wrong lol in my opinion atleast. (Not bad games not my cup of tea is all)

12 I just didn't get into it at all, but will try the remaster. Also 10 and 13 are still the only ff games that can be compared to 9 back.

[Rodney25]

Guys let me just point out that this is the first review out by some random website. Wait a little before reading too much into it.

[ape007]

unremarkable music??? what the actual F***??? the music in the game is absolutely phenomenal, class A+

[joethetimelord]

If the phenomenal soundtrack was one of the only problems, then I made the right decision.

[iraneal]

This game is really very nice to play.

[onl001]

Really wanted to play this game, but the lack of PC release is making this impossible. Such a shame.

[Silber]

Here is my personal Good, Bad and the ugly of the Game, since i coud play it since a week. I made it spoiler free^^ (Sorry iam not a english speaking native)

Good:
I really like the Dungeons. There are dark because of no real light sources. So you need to rely on the Flashlights oft he Characters. That makes a really good atmosphere. And more realistic, because there is no torch burning for centurys^^
Together with the good dungeon music somehow a eerie atmosphere.

The interaction oft he 4 Chars is really good. Nice small talks, animatons and nice Combos in battle. This is real cool.

There a a lot of Skilltrees to choose from. There are all very interesting and effective. So there are no realy useless Skills.

Stat Boosts from Food are REALLY good. Not just silly Gimmick. Complete Immunities, Huge HP Boost etc (Exapmple of +500 HP, where you Char had only 500 HP max.

There is a fast Travel Option for visited places.

Many refferences to other Titles. (Example: Edgars Weapons from Final Fantasy VI – Bio-Blaster, Auto Crossbow, Chainsaw)

Real Good Soundtrack! I love the Tracks. Good Battle Music, nice Dungeon Themes and overall a very plesant experience. Because oft he orchestral Quality of the music, it seems not as memorible that the hard midi tunes from back there. So i think thats the reason for it. Because the music itself is really good. If you are listening to the Radio with older Final Fantasy tunes, you notice a real big difference, and all the classics arent compareable.

The World is a superb designed Element. A lot of great things to see.

Bad:
The stadard sayings oft he Characters are way to often. You hear them nearly every battle:(

Interesting talkings are completly interrupted by standard battle sayings..

Magic is really strong and since then you can use it a lot lesser than in any other Final Fantasy. You need to make you Spells again and again with ressources. It is not that bad but sad.

These are all around some problems open world games from a century before had. I think Square Enix was to experienced for this. It is good, but coud be a lot better.

Not bad per se, but you shoud look Brotherhood and Kingsglaive before playing FF XV. There are so many things that are nice to know in the Conversations.

Ugly:
Side Missions are mostly „Search X in a predefined Radius“. There are often hard to find because oft the huge radius you need to search. And i even think there are some bugs within. Have 2 open searches, where i cannot find anything.

Had some bugs where i teleported with my Weapon into a Wall and where stuck there. Even if you do fast travel from there, the game crashes. (But there are Autosaves. So no big loss of progress)

Overall i woud consider it one of the best Final Fantasy Games. I never played a game so intense since FFVI and VII.

[solideagle]

whats up with reviews saying "FF XV for first timers" as if each FF is a sequel. Another reviewer said "A disappointing experience for a first timer" what a stupid statement. Stop making such remarks, each numbered FF is a stand alone game.

[RaXos]

they're jusy bitching about everything, for example the KH games are amazing, but no matter how outstanding they are, they always are 8's, so don't trust this to buy or not

[joethetimelord]

Doesn't help that he took a whole point off for the soundtrack.
I have no idea how he'd consider that an exceptionally low point; the soundtrack is the best it's been in a long time. Uematsu would be proud.

[brewin]

I was gonna get this day 1, but i got a hella deal on Newegg for $29.99 so i will be waiting a few more days for the shipping. Cannot wait to delve into this after suffering through last gen's final fantasy travesties.

[MilkMan]

I'm going to reiterate here whats I said in the past. Regarding Final Fantasy Square needed to make an impact with this one. This was a tale-tale, a signpost, an early warning system to detect whether or not this series still has legs.
The fact that people are divisive over it tells me that this isn't the return to form what Square-E was hoping for.
In the past S-E president (now retired) stated that when they re-release Final Fantasy 7, this effectively ends Final Fantasy as a series.
Why?
Because they understand a few things. Caving in to fan requests for this game means they have not been able to match FF7 appeal across the follows eight games that followed it. Also, they knew that once FF7 was out in the wild, there would be no need to make more Final Fantasies.
Yes, everyone has "their" Final Fantasy, but nothing comes close 7.
In contrast think of it this way. Say a singer like Beyonce was always asked to sing one particular song although she's been writing songs since that one hit for eight years now. However, she's had mixed results with those other songs, but everyone loves just one particular song. As far as Beyonce career goes, it wouldn't go very far, or she'd never be as successful as she could have been if she was able to crank out hit after hit.
Look at someone like Michael Jackson. Hit after hit. BIG difference. Same is happening here with Square-Enix.
(note: I was just using these artist as an example.)

[tgonzo]

Can't wait to put my hands on th... oh wait, I just own a PC =|

[Tzuno]

I want to try this out but i game only on PC, it's my choice, well i am not gonna buy a console neither for final fantasy or other exclusive games, in time it will come to PC too, good thing it will be fully patched and full dlc by then, well that's it.

[SublimeStylee]

Little off topic but ps4 pro and LG 4k owners rejoice!!! LG updated firmware this morning and hdcp.2.2 working flawlessly. Rejoice and spread the news!!!!! :) :)