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[icespide]

Uh... most FF stories were never exactly what I call great. I guess, perhaps, "videogame great" or maybe "console RPG great", and even then, maybe 1 or 2 out of all the releases. That's not to say that I didn't love them, but it was more about the entire package and my love for the RPG genre itself.

I also think the age someone was when they played some of these older FF games factors into how much they think the story was "good" now when they reflect on it.

Like I got choked up at the end of FFX back when I was 15, but if 30 year old me played it for the first time today I may have just rolled my eyes

 

[Ishida]

You're being technically correct - the worst kind of correct.

The volcano is basically a dungeon and 'forests and rivers' was already covered by the 'green' part; you're left with Desert Area and Episode Duscae Area.

What the poster was probably asking is if the other environments shown in the trailers - of which there are many - are explorable areas. And the answer is no. The trailers make you think there's an ice area, some post-apocalyptic red area, the place Luna is from, etc, etc, and those are not open world and explorable.

Spoiler

The volcano itself is a dungeon, but the area around it has a volcanic look to it, with ashy g round and rocks. You know, like volcanoes do.

And "green" is being incredibly reductionist, though. You can throw a ton of environments into "green".

This is kind of like asking "Is there more to the GTAV open world than arid and green?"

 

[Spazgadget]

To the OP:

Definitely yes.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

You can probably get it for $10, and at that price it's worth it just to mess around in even if you don't like it. You could sell it later for a full refund or more.

Just got it for $10 for minimal effort.

1) https://www.groupon.com/deals/audible-174-174 … Sign in and claim this for free.
2) http://www.audible.com/at/redeem Redeem here on your Amazon account.

Give it about 5 or 10 minutes to show up. Gives you a $25 credit for free.

Edit: Only works for new Audible members.

 

[Neiteio]

As someone playing FFVII for the first time this year, it's an enjoyable yarn but I don't see how it's "better" than FFXV's story. I might create a thread going into detail on that, but it would be rife with spoilers. FFVII has the opposite issue of FFXV, in that it over-explains things (and yet they still make little sense). A poor localization, perhaps, but it is what it is. That being said, I do like how FFVII is tightly paced up until the absurd difficulty spike at Bizarro Sephiroth, which is where I'm currently stuck.

 

[N° 2048]

GAF makes it seem bad at times but it's not at all. It's super fun and you get lost in the world. Lots of fun side quests and nods to the FF series for long time fans.

My girlfriend is obsessed with it and this is her first Final Fantasy game. If that means anything to anyone, but it does to me.

The game is absolutely worth it even with its flaws.

I've personally spent 40~ hours doing nothing but sidequests, hunts, and exploration. I'm only on chapter 5. I'm having fun so far and will appreciate the game even if story does end up shitting the bed later on, as i've heard.

Not everyone will agree with me, but there's fun to be had there.

Yeah.

I actually forgot about the story since I was so into doing sidequests and hunts

It's gameplay is really fun, sometimes it's grindy and the story is boring, but for $35 bucks you can't go wrong with FFXV.

Yes. It's $35. Worth it at this price.

This.

Don't get caught up in the crazy over analyzing that goes on here sometimes...and remember games are well, games. I'm sure you'll have fun.

 

[Raziel]

As someone playing FFVII for the first time this year, it's an enjoyable yarn but I don't see how it's "better" than FFXV's story. I might create a thread going into detail on that, but it would be rife with spoilers. FFVII has the opposite issue of FFXV, in that it over-explains things (and yet they still make little sense). A poor localization, perhaps, but it is what it is. That being said, I do like how FFVII is tightly paced up until the absurd difficulty spike at Bizarro Sephiroth, which is where I'm currently stuck.

I mean playing both at the same time and not having finished either(?) doesn't really give you the best perspective. That's kind of an unfortunate way to experience 7 actually.

 

[formasymphonic]

Wait until all it's patches and DLC are out and the inevitable compilation version is out

 

[Cathcart]

The world and combat are even worse than the story. The game you're looking for is Xenoblade Chronicles X.

 

[Arkeband]

Spoiler

The volcano itself is a dungeon, but the area around it has a volcanic look to it, with ashy g round and rocks. You know, like volcanoes do.

And "green" is being incredibly reductionist, though. You can throw a ton of environments into "green".

This is kind of like asking "Is there more to the GTAV open world than arid and green?"

I'd rather be reductionist when saying the game has a variety of areas when you're counting areas that are like 2-5% of the land mass. It'd be like saying Hyrule Field has multiple areas, don't forget the "Drawbridge" environment!

Splitting hairs to make the game seem larger or better than it actually is needs to stop, especially with the deceptive marketing this game has had. It's like the laughable moment in the FF14 OT when Kagari claimed there were airships (which in reality are dropdown menus) and to support her argument showed a picture of a flying mount skin. When Yoshi-P described customizable airships you can ride on, and there (stationary) airships in-game that could hold groups of people (if they moved).

You basically know what people are asking and try to cast it in the best light - yes there's a desert area and a green area but the green area has craters (sometimes)! Wow!

There's basically two sides to the explorable worldmap and the most honest way to describe it is 'green' and 'desert'. There are some things on the fringes that make it seem more diverse but the poster is already excluding dungeons and towns. And technically, in this game, towns are anything from Lestallum to a gas station, and let's not even get into the nearly identical rest areas.

ALL THIS BEING SAID the game is still fun, just be straightforward with what it is.

 

[Manmademan]

I also think the age someone was when they played some of these older FF games factors into how much they think the story was "good" now when they reflect on it.

Like I got choked up at the end of FFX back when I was 15, but if 30 year old me played it for the first time today I may have just rolled my eyes

Very true. Age as well as exposure to other fiction.

I played FFIV when I was 15...and by then I had long since been reading stuff like Neuromancer and Dark Tower...and the comic book boom was in full swing with Lee's X-men, Death of Superman, the image books like The Maxx, Spawn, Shadowhawk, Stormwatch etc.

By the time the series blew up and became mainstream with 7 I was already reading Game of Thrones and the storyline wasn't anything to get excited about.

It was more about combat, exploration, and digging up obscure secrets and other game mechanics.

 

[Ishida]

I'd rather be reductionist when saying the game has a variety of areas when you're counting areas that are like 2-5% of the land mass. It'd be like saying Hyrule Field has multiple areas, don't forget the "Drawbridge" environment!

Splitting hairs to make the game seem larger or better than it actually is needs to stop, especially with the deceptive marketing this game has had. It's like the laughable moment in the FF14 OT when Kagari claimed there were airships (which in reality are dropdown menus) and to support her argument showed a picture of a flying mount skin. When Yoshi-P described customizable airships you can ride on, and there (stationary) airships in-game that could hold groups of people.

You basically know what people are asking and try to cast it in the best light - yes there's a desert area and a green area but the green area has craters (sometimes)! Wow!

There's basically two sides to the explorable worldmap and the most honest way to describe it is 'green' and 'desert'. There are some things on the fringes that make it seem more diverse but the poster is already excluding dungeons and towns. And technically, in this game, towns are anything from Lestallum to a gas station, and let's not even get into the nearly identical rest areas.

Agreed. Also reductionist arguments that try to make games to look smaller or duller than they actually are need to stop. You can reduce pretty much every open world game to greenery and deserts.

 

[DC1]

Huh? I never mentioned anything about the game having a bad story. I actually stated the opposite. The characters and stories were the only thing I found to be interesting at all.

Ops😫.
Forgive me for reading and driving.

 

[Raziel]

You are honestly, SERIOUSLY arguing that Final Fantasy games have objectively great stories?

For real?

They could be objectively mediocre and still be objectively a strong point of the series, and one of the main reasons people like/play them.

Would you say the MGS games have objectively great stories? No. But they're absolutely a highlight and selling point of the series.

The "all video games have bad stories" is just the lazy go-to fall-back defense anytime a video game has a real stinker of a story.

 

[BocoDragon]

I think a lot of the "green and deserts" was a conscious design choice, following the "fantasy based on reality" and "road trip" design focus. FFXV is basically a trip across fantasy North America: Leide is the deserts of the southwest, Duscae is the forests of the Pacific Northwest, etc.

Now obviously they had a few more "fantastical" environments planned that were cut. The "red skies" area comes to mind

Spoiler

the Daemon-infested area around Niflheim, perhaps?

.

But I think even a more "complete" FFXV would have concentrated on realistic North American biomes.

 

[commish]

I also think the age someone was when they played some of these older FF games factors into how much they think the story was "good" now when they reflect on it.

Like I got choked up at the end of FFX back when I was 15, but if 30 year old me played it for the first time today I may have just rolled my eyes

Very good point. Tho I think we'll all get choked up when playing 6!

 

[cackhyena]

The world and combat are even worse than the story. The game you're looking for is Xenoblade Chronicles X.

bahahahahahaha

 

[Manmademan]

They could be objectively mediocre and still be objectively a strong point of the series, and one of the main reasons people like/play them.

Would you say the MGS games have objectively great stories? No. But they're absolutely a highlight and selling point of the series.

The "all video games have bad stories" is just the lazy go-to fall-back defense anytime a video game has a real stinker of a story.

Didn't say "all videogames" or even "all JRPGs." The criticism was leveled at FF specifically, though Tactics is worthwhile as long as you're not playing the PS1 version with the busted translation.

Metal Gear gets more credit for its novel approach with voice acting than story per se...the story is kind of a mess once you get past the awesome VA and cinematography (for the time.) MGS2 in particular is just outright terrible from a story perspective, but the gameplay is solid enough that millions are still fans in spite of that. MGS3 is the series high point for me although I haven't yet played 5.

Vagrant Story though still stands out as a really solid effort. Love that one. It's short and to the point with great dialogue, but has some layers to it.

 

[Gator86]

I'm surprised so many people are so positive about the combat. I only made it through chapter 5 before I quit and went to play better games, but it was pretty meh for the most part. Your teammates are fucking useless with terrible AI, you can just sit behind enemies holding the attack button, outside of your warp strike all your attacks feel flaccid, etc. It all just felt mediocre.

 

[pablito]

I had fun with it, but I'd say no. Wait until they patch stuff they're going to patch and try it then. 2017 is around the corner and there'll be lots of stuff to play while this receives its updates.

 

[icespide]

Very good point. Tho I think we'll all get choked up when playing 6!

I never even finished 6. don't hate me

 

[LordKasual]

The world and combat are even worse than the story. The game you're looking for is Xenoblade Chronicles X.

haha why do people even bother typing stuff like this

aint nobody gon buy a Wii U for that shit breh

 

[N° 2048]

I'm surprised so many people are so positive about the combat. I only made it through chapter 5 before I quit and went to play better games, but it was pretty meh for the most part. Your teammates are fucking useless with terrible AI, you can just sit behind enemies holding the attack button, outside of your warp strike all your attacks feel flaccid, etc. It all just felt mediocre.

Surprised? The combat system is one of the games strongest elements.
You must have not paid attention to the tutorial because the combat system is amazing. It gives you multiple ways to take down enemies.

Sounds like people who don't like the combat system just don't have the patience to learn it.

Best parts about combat

- Magic
- Warp Strikes
- Blindside Attacks
- Blink

Worst parts

- Lack of one button Hard Lock (cmon fuckers bloodborne did this right)

- Camera goes nuts in closed spaces and other areas.

- Control Options. Would LOVE to have Dodge on X. Why do we need to jump again?

100% agree.

EDIT: Use air step!

 

[DrROBschiz]

Best parts about combat

- Magic
- Warp Strikes
- Blindside Attacks
- Blink

Worst parts

- Lack of one button Hard Lock (cmon fuckers bloodborne did this right)

- Camera goes nuts in closed spaces and other areas.

- Control Options. Would LOVE to have Dodge on X. Why do we need to jump again?



As a Monster Hunter player I have serious issues with games like Witcher 3 that take so much control away from me and have hefty helpings of Auto Tracking. 15 has this shit but gives you abilities that can allow you to wrestle more control form the game and make the combat your own

 

[Koozek]

The combat is quite repetitive, you can beat the game using the same approach to every fight.

This. I find myself mixing things up or using magic just for the sake of efficiency or to stymie complete boredom. Really not enjoying the exploration or the combat in XV.

Enough people seem to disagree though, so OP may end up loving it.

You just described pretty much every JRPG ever. You could win 95% of battles by mashing Attack with the occasional Heal spell in most FFs. I feel much more involved in FFXV than with any classic-style ATB where I don't even feel like I need to look at the screen - especially nowadays where you can just turn on Auto Battle and Fast Forward in many of the classic FFs' new ports and JRPGs in general. Not my idea of fun, engaging gameplay.

Now, FFXV's combat is not perfect by any means. There are quite a few issues I could list, but I'm still enjoying it a lot. The camera and the targeting system really are bad, though, and absolutely not suited for large-scale enemies with several targetable body parts. Really hope they can improve that in the future through patches/DLCs.

I loved the game. The main crew + battle system is super fun. It's the only FF game I've played where at the end I still WANTED to fight the random monsters that were just around as you walked.

Overarching story is kinda throwaway, but the story between you and your childhood friends is terrific IMO.

As someone who doesn't play that many JRPGs at all anymore, I've sunk nearly 70 hours into it already, and am enjoying the postgame content. It's one of the nicest surprises of the year.

Same here. I'm usually absolutely not the type to do all sidequests and even continue playing after I finished a long game, but here I am still going. Beat the game with ~90h on my clock and now I've played another 15 hours or so in the last days, and I haven't even done any of the secret dungeons (including the infamous one - for those who want to know:

Spoiler

it's a 5 hours-long, completely combat-free dungeon focused completely on crazy platforming and puzzles

). Close to getting the first Platinum trophy ever in my life (to be fair, it's probably one of the easier ones in a RPG) Been playing it more than even Witcher 3, which already was the longest I spent in one game as an adult in the last 10 years probably.

 

[Neiteio]

- Control Options. Would LOVE to have Dodge on X. Why do we need to jump again?

There's an entire upgradeable air-game, for starters.

 

[Ishida]

I'm surprised so many people are so positive about the combat. I only made it through chapter 5 before I quit and went to play better games, but it was pretty meh for the most part. Your teammates are fucking useless with terrible AI, you can just sit behind enemies holding the attack button, outside of your warp strike all your attacks feel flaccid, etc. It all just felt mediocre.

Going back to turn based combat on older entries of the franchise is going to tough for me after playing FFXV. This game's combat system became my overall favorite in Final Fantasy.

- Control Options. Would LOVE to have Dodge on X. Why do we need to jump again?

Because airstepping is awesome! And it prevents a lot of ground-based hits.

 

[DrROBschiz]

There's an entire upgradeable air-game, for starters.

Havent pumped AP into it yet lol

Maybe I should?

Going back to turn based combat on older entries of the franchise is going to tough for me after playing FFXV. This game's combat system became my overall favorite in Final Fantasy.



Because airstepping is awesome! And it prevents a lot of ground-based hits.

Im all about Blink, Rolling, Blindside and Magic BABAY

 

[Neiteio]

Going back to turn based combat on older entries of the franchise is going to tough for me after playing FFXV. This game's combat system became my overall favorite in Final Fantasy.

Yeah, I love the combat in FFXV. I love the mobility in general. Wish I could warp up to friends IRL for high fives!

 

[commish]

I'm surprised so many people are so positive about the combat. I only made it through chapter 5 before I quit and went to play better games, but it was pretty meh for the most part. Your teammates are fucking useless with terrible AI, you can just sit behind enemies holding the attack button, outside of your warp strike all your attacks feel flaccid, etc. It all just felt mediocre.

Sorry, but your teammates are definitely not useless and I rely on them quite a bit. If you just hold the attack button, there's simply no way you can win every battle, much like you can't auto-battle your way through every mob in other games.

For the sake of comparison, what other RPG do you feel has better combat? I like 13 better, as well as RoF and some others, but a lot of your criticisms seem to apply to nearly every RPG ever made.

 

[Ishida]

Im all about Blink, Rolling, Blindside and Magic BABAY

Oh yeah, that's fucking awesome, too. But you should try and practice airstepping. It's just amazing!

 

[DrROBschiz]

Sorry, but your teammates are definitely not useless and I rely on them quite a bit. If you just hold the attack button, there's simply no way you can win every battle, much like you can't auto-battle your way through every mob in other games.

For the sake of comparison, what other RPG do you feel has better combat? I like 13 better, as well as RoF and some others, but a lot of your criticisms seem to apply to nearly every RPG ever made.

I mostly only use the specials and obviously they do link strikes and blindsides

Otherwise Im a one man army :/

 

[N° 2048]

Oh man I forgot about the air step. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[Ishida]

I mostly only use the specials and obviously they do link strikes and blindsides

Otherwise Im a one man army :/

Battles are A LOT more fun for me when I'm constantly using my friend's skills throughout entire fight sequences. Not only are they REALLY helpful (I'm still shocked at how well Prompto's Piercing attack works!), but the animations really add a lot of charm and personality to each battle.

 

[DrROBschiz]

With regards to story?

Early chapters are enjoyable and the banter between bros is great

Uhhh.... I wasnt a fan of the English Voices once again so I play it in Japanese with Subtitles.

Chapter 1-3. Pretty good but I hear the ball drops later unfortunately

 

[Whompa02]

yes

 

[DrROBschiz]

Battles are A LOT more fun for me when I'm constantly using my friend's skills throughout entire fight sequences. Not only are they REALLY helpful (I'm still shocked at how well Prompto's Piercing attack works!), but the animations really add a lot of charm and personality to each battle.

I use the skills mostly when I get in trouble or starting up on the next enemy

Combat in open fields with tons of Enemies is awesome

Also fuck those soldiers with guns lol

Without magic they are a HUGE pain in large groups. Thats where skills come in handy


I need.... more ... magic

 

[Ishida]

I use the skills mostly when I get in trouble or starting up on the next enemy

Combat in open fields with tons of Enemies is awesome

Also fuck those soldiers with guns lol

Without magic they are a HUGE pain in large groups. Thats where skills come in handy


I need.... more ... magic

Blizzard magic is always a delight to cast. Especially the stronger spells.

 

[kiuo]

Combat is generally liked. Story is nonexistent at best, awful at worst. 99% of quests consist of "pls find me a crate of tomatoes" or running around a big circle looking for the shiny thing. If that's your jam then go for it. I love the dungeons but there aren't enough imo.

This is my experience with game so far on the side quests. They're basically fetch quests. I'm at chapter 8, and haven't seen any side quests with any story yet aside from that one that enables chocobo riding.

On the combat part, it just feels very chaotic on active mode. It's in part due to the poor camera speed movement but also in how bad the lock on button is implemented. You can lock on to a monster in two ways, soft locking that still allows abit of camera movement or hard locking that doesn't allow camera movement but allows switching to parts of a monster's body to atk and switch to other targets. But in both ways, you will still find yourself losing your target from getting knocked down (happens a lot). Imagine fighting a group of 10+ monsters and how hard it'd be to target that one monster that's casting a ton of status effect on you (turning into a toad/petrify/poison/etc) and it can get very annoying (looking at you damn costlemark dungeon).

Of course you can always go play on wait mode instead of active mode. I'm still trying it out, but what it does is that whenever you stop moving in a fight for 1sec, then the fight pauses and you can then choose who you want to atk, or do whatever else.

 

[Neiteio]

Seems like a lot of people don't realize some basic things about the combat, like blindsides, air-dancing, adding catalysts to magic, the damage multiplier on long-distance warp-strikes, or how you can change the command skills of your teammates and expand the situational moves they perform on their own. Each weapon type also has its own unique moveset. For example, when using a greatsword, push the stick in the opposite direction to charge up your sword like Link's spin attack in the Zelda games, then release the attack button and tap it again to swing 360 degrees. It's not mindless button-mashing. To survive the tougher bosses and minimize item usage, you'll want to play with strategy and style. Also, don't be afraid to use the health-consuming Royal Arms, or about friendly fire with spells. Play it like Bloodborne's blood regen system. Risk, reward.

 

[Behlel]

Don't read the fool that populates every FF thread, the story isn't bad, is only less present for half the game, when you're in the linear part the story is good and the villain is marvelous, one of the best of the saga of not the best.

 

[roflwaffles]

Absolutely worth playing. It's just not a 10/10 game.

 

[AzureFlame]

You should wait.

 

[Gator86]

Sorry, but your teammates are definitely not useless and I rely on them quite a bit. If you just hold the attack button, there's simply no way you can win every battle, much like you can't auto-battle your way through every mob in other games.

For the sake of comparison, what other RPG do you feel has better combat? I like 13 better, as well as RoF and some others, but a lot of your criticisms seem to apply to nearly every RPG ever made.

I don't think it's bad, it's just kind of there for the most part. I took out larger groups of enemies using nothing but warp strike and auto attack when I didn't feel like paying a lot of attention. Just warp to a recovery point then warp behind a different enemy for the damage boost and blindside since you're behind them. Warp back to a recovery point and repeat. Through Chapter 5, I didn't have a single encounter where I needed more than that. Maybe it changes later, but I can't say anything about that. You could even take out the Iron Giants and other night enemies a dozen levels higher than your team with that tactic. You just had to regroup now and then to heal the team enough to keep them as decoys.

For other high profile games everyone knows, Bloodborne and Witcher 3 are both better. There's more variety in the combat and positioning actually matters since you can't just hold a button to be invincible, stand behind enemies whacking away, or instantly teleport a mile away to heal.

 

[jimmypython]

having spent 55 hours and finished the game, I can say what kept me going was because I am a FF fan and the soundtrack.

The combat is a mess, and not a fun one.


but it's just me.

 

[silva1991]

Sorry, but your teammates are definitely not useless and I rely on them quite a bit. If you just hold the attack button, there's simply no way you can win every battle, much like you can't auto-battle your way through every mob in other games.

For the sake of comparison, what other RPG do you feel has better combat? I like 13 better, as well as RoF and some others, but a lot of your criticisms seem to apply to nearly every RPG ever made.

Not even a hard question if you ask me. Combat in FFXV is good sometimes and bad sometimes depends on the encounters, but never amazing.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I don't think it's bad, it's just kind of there for the most part. I took out larger groups of enemies using nothing but warp strike and auto attack when I didn't feel like paying a lot of attention. Just warp to a recovery point then warp behind a different enemy for the damage boost and blindside since you're behind them. Warp back to a recovery point and repeat. Through Chapter 5, I didn't have a single encounter where I needed more than that. Maybe it changes later, but I can't say anything about that. You could even take out the Iron Giants and other night enemies a dozen levels higher than your team with that tactic. You just had to regroup now and then to heal the team enough to keep them as decoys.

For other high profile games everyone knows, Bloodborne and Witcher 3 are both better. There's more variety in the combat and positioning actually matters since you can't just hold a button to be invincible, stand behind enemies whacking away, or instantly teleport a mile away to heal.

Witcher 3 is better?

Hrmmmmmm I dunno.

 

[jimmypython]

Sorry, but your teammates are definitely not useless and I rely on them quite a bit. If you just hold the attack button, there's simply no way you can win every battle, much like you can't auto-battle your way through every mob in other games.

For the sake of comparison, what other RPG do you feel has better combat? I like 13 better, as well as RoF and some others, but a lot of your criticisms seem to apply to nearly every RPG ever made.

I like Kingdom Hearts' (excluding KH1) better.

 

[Clunker]

How does the combat in this compare to something like Dragon's Dogma? I'm not expecting Devil May Cry but I'm curious if this gets even cheaper down the road. The complete breakdown of storytelling and narrative will probably have me gagging, but I still feel like I need to know and come to this conclusion on my own.

 

[Trojita]

Because airstepping is awesome! And it prevents a lot of ground-based hits.

The unlimited airstep sphere is still too many points away.

Air stepping is just when Noctis jumps around in air right? Can be initiated either through a ground combo that jumps up or just jumping and during combat moving the left analog to the left or right correct?

I have problems with Noctis' flying around in the air but completely missing actually hitting an enemy with his sword lol. He's slicing air.