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The opening to Final Fantasy XV's story is completely baffling
- Thread starter Jangowuzhere
- Start date
Jangowuzhere
Banned
You're getting hung up on the wrong thing. The technology thing is dumb, but it's not why this scene sucks.
The way this information is conveyed to Noctis and the audience should have been crafted in a much more interesting way. Just having the characters read a paper as a way to learn about Regis's death and Insomnia's fall is lazy as fuck storytelling.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
This game just lacks any direction and no amount of money u throw at it gonna fix that.
Yoko Taro was able to tell great story using actual game's mechanics with fraction of the budget. seriously!!! FFXV marketing had more budget than NieR Automata ever did.
Yoko Taro was able to tell great story using actual game's mechanics with fraction of the budget. seriously!!! FFXV marketing had more budget than NieR Automata ever did.
James Scott
Banned
The "boss" at the beginning that spoils a twist without showcasing some more advanced combat going straight into the boy band pushing the car was pretty jarring as well
The decision to split character development into an anime and some of the bigger story beats into a crummy movie likely did a lot of damage to the game.
It's also a pretty poor use of "technology vs Magic" which could've been cool...but Noctis uses a lot of technology so it doesn't really work out
The decision to split character development into an anime and some of the bigger story beats into a crummy movie likely did a lot of damage to the game.
It's also a pretty poor use of "technology vs Magic" which could've been cool...but Noctis uses a lot of technology so it doesn't really work out
I only agree that given what has come before, that it is lazy.
However, if the prior moments in the game were stronger, i do think that learning about death and destruction via a third party, let alone something that is as impersonal as a newspaper isn't a bad idea. There are execution issues, for sure, but the concept of this scene isn't "lazy as fuck storytelling".
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
The biggest disappointment in gaming I've had since The Old Republic.
I knew better, but pre-release combat gifs of the crazy animation and the leaks of grand scope got me wrapped up. But I didn't just dislike FFXV - I actively hate it.
You're absolutely right, OP. While just one of countless problems; no doubt, that was a terrible way to launch the entire story. It's just completely inconsistent with the world, and so you immediately start off by being confused and lacking understanding of your heroes' emotions.
I knew better, but pre-release combat gifs of the crazy animation and the leaks of grand scope got me wrapped up. But I didn't just dislike FFXV - I actively hate it.
You're absolutely right, OP. While just one of countless problems; no doubt, that was a terrible way to launch the entire story. It's just completely inconsistent with the world, and so you immediately start off by being confused and lacking understanding of your heroes' emotions.
tiebreaker
Member
yep, that one scene feels totally out of place. The capital getting invaded is a pretty big news, and yet everyone seem pretty chill.
You could change the Galdin Quay sequence to the characters actually getting on the ferry and being stranded at sea watching Insomnia be attacked. Minutes later being escorted back by the empire with game continuing on as normal.
It would make the events of Kingsglaive actually seem to exist in the game.
It would make the events of Kingsglaive actually seem to exist in the game.
brickarts295
Member
They fucked up by having all this bullshit multimedia around it. I was fine with Brotherhood but a lot of Kingsglaive's plot should have been in the actual game. And yet I still love this game T_T
I agree OP. I also love the way the game opens (the CGI intro could have been better) with having to do side jobs to repair the regalia. But yea the newspaper shit is really stupid. It's also really stupid how nothing was heard or seen. They weren't that far away.
The opening to this game should have been:
- The CGI scene from the beginning of the 2011 trailer where Noct is being driven back home. We get a good look at the city and the neighborhoods/people that Noctis basically rules over.
- Noctis is dropped off at the capital and we get a walking segment. During this the game should have introduced us to all the major characters with even some of the minor ones like Jared. Could easily be like a short 10 minute section. They have the capital in the game anyways so I have no idea why it wasn't used in the beginning.
- Then the original CGI scene with Noct in the throne room with Regis wishing him farewell.
- If they're feeling ambitious then I would love if we actually drive from Insomnia to the spot where the car breaks down. They did it when head to Altissia and I loved that part. Hell they could have played all of "Stand by Me" like this unlike in the game where it gets cut out like a minute in. Square hired Florence + The Machine but barely let us enjoy any of the songs they made.
- Then everything should play how it plays in the game. Doing little side jobs for Cindy in order to repair the regalia. However, instead of going to Galdin Quay the crew stays at that RV at Hammerhead. That's when during the middle of the night they get woken up by all the destruction that's going on. You see all the explosions and airships from the distance. Noctis is pissed and they rush to go see what's going on, but the bridge leading to Insomnia is destroyed and so they can't cross. (this would have made it where it's required to upgrade the Regalia to Type-F at the end of the game in order to cross. I think it was dumb to destroy the Regalia as a plot point).
- Cor is then introduced. He was able to cross the bridge before it was destroyed. We get a cool scene of him fucking up a bunch of soldiers, and that's when he tells Noctis it's too late and that his father is gone.
Cue to morning.
Bam that's all that was really needed. While it still isn't as exciting as Nomura's opening, it still would have been coherent and memorable.
But the opening is the least of it's problems. Chapters 9-14 are where the real issues of the game start.
The opening to this game should have been:
- The CGI scene from the beginning of the 2011 trailer where Noct is being driven back home. We get a good look at the city and the neighborhoods/people that Noctis basically rules over.
- Noctis is dropped off at the capital and we get a walking segment. During this the game should have introduced us to all the major characters with even some of the minor ones like Jared. Could easily be like a short 10 minute section. They have the capital in the game anyways so I have no idea why it wasn't used in the beginning.
- Then the original CGI scene with Noct in the throne room with Regis wishing him farewell.
- If they're feeling ambitious then I would love if we actually drive from Insomnia to the spot where the car breaks down. They did it when head to Altissia and I loved that part. Hell they could have played all of "Stand by Me" like this unlike in the game where it gets cut out like a minute in. Square hired Florence + The Machine but barely let us enjoy any of the songs they made.
- Then everything should play how it plays in the game. Doing little side jobs for Cindy in order to repair the regalia. However, instead of going to Galdin Quay the crew stays at that RV at Hammerhead. That's when during the middle of the night they get woken up by all the destruction that's going on. You see all the explosions and airships from the distance. Noctis is pissed and they rush to go see what's going on, but the bridge leading to Insomnia is destroyed and so they can't cross. (this would have made it where it's required to upgrade the Regalia to Type-F at the end of the game in order to cross. I think it was dumb to destroy the Regalia as a plot point).
- Cor is then introduced. He was able to cross the bridge before it was destroyed. We get a cool scene of him fucking up a bunch of soldiers, and that's when he tells Noctis it's too late and that his father is gone.
Cue to morning.
Bam that's all that was really needed. While it still isn't as exciting as Nomura's opening, it still would have been coherent and memorable.
But the opening is the least of it's problems. Chapters 9-14 are where the real issues of the game start.
toddhunter
Member
The opening should have been your dad explaining why you need to spend the whole game trying to become as strong as he already was.
TheEndOfItAll
Neo Member
Yeah, it's a plot hole. But doesn't this go right up there with the whole "swords are more powerful than guns" theme we see in a lot of RPGs though? Newspapers in the real world are becoming dinosaurs due to the Internet. Yet we learn news from them in the JRPG world. Swords are archaic and very few soldiers use them in battle, yet it's the primary means of battle in most JRPGs. It's just something you accept because most games in the genre do it. Star Ocean for example: why are the main characters always trained in melee combat first when it's so clearly obvious that the future will be all ranged weaponry and melee as the last resort for close quarters combat?
TheEndOfItAll
Neo Member
I get the sense that given what chapter 9 was supposed to be (at least according to the 4chan rumors) that each of those final chapters was supposed to be longer, with more depth and considerably longer set pieces. But they had to rush it.
as i've said already (like 3 times now), its not a plothole.
The areas outside of insomnia are 30+ years behind in tech b/c Regis abandoned most of the continent. It is the game's fault that we don't know this sooner though, since this info only really comes to light if you do the Cindy Sidequests.
They actually likely don't have the internet nor any data, and the "cell network" is likely paltry and primitive (since the first cellphone networks came around late 1970's/early 80's)
The REAL problem the game has is not showing us the real justaposition of the characters and their world. For all intents and purposes, they are time-travelers who came from 30-40 years in the future. We see some of this juxtaposition from how our car looks compared to others, and how our cloths look compared to others, but not much else. There isn't any attitude disparity, or alt-feel we see. If they showed us insomnia prior in the game's opening (or at least more of it, and explained how Regis abandoned the places outside) this would become more apparent, and would make the newspaper "finding out" much more understandable.
Hell, most of us found out about 9/11 from TV news, but imagine if 9/11 happened in the 1970's or the 1980's? It wouldn't matter if you had a cellphone or not, you'd likely find out about it via newspaper.
toastyToast
Member
Why wasn't Notics up in Luna's DMs instead this dude is sending notes through an inter-dimensional dog and shit. What part of the game is that?
AzureFlame
Member
It was suppose to be a playable opening of the game with Noct and his friends instead of the boring Kingsglaive characters.
My post above yours explains why Noct ain't sexting Luna.
Hibiki Kurosawa
Member
Lol I agree with everything you said. When I was playing the game back in November I was just like, "... A fucking newspaper!?". I tried to push along, but a combination of shit story telling and awkward gameplay mechanics just killed this game for me. I can't see myself ever finishing it.
I also thought it was pretty odd you go alllllllllllll the way to Galdian quay or whatever only to get barred by lol ferry aint running and your hometown got rekt son. like maybe it might have been better for them to find out after taking the ferry where they're trapped in some other country and have the quest be to get back? or just do other shit before returning later.
I just really don't like the loop of home-> chores -> half way to the wedding -> back home ->back out to do chores again
I just really don't like the loop of home-> chores -> half way to the wedding -> back home ->back out to do chores again
butman
Member
Certainly as far as story is concerned it's below IV, VI, VII, VIII, XII, IX and even X.
WickedLaharl
Member
@ people that put more thought into defending the game than the developers did.
The entire story was a jumbled and incomplete mess, which is a damn shame. The characters are great, the setting, while not the best in the series, is at least somewhat interesting. There was so much potential for an incredible story here but they fucked it up so hard by including scenes like this.
Hexxen-Panda
Member
It sucks that they even bothered with a feature length movie to the possible detriment of the game having a cohesive and complete story.
Did they really sink that much money into that movie? Because the ads that I'm seeing for the FFXV mobile game are just sad and cringy.
Did they really sink that much money into that movie? Because the ads that I'm seeing for the FFXV mobile game are just sad and cringy.
LordKasual
Banned
well I haven't seen this thread before
should be full of comments that we don't see in other XV threads, right
should be full of comments that we don't see in other XV threads, right
This.
Jangowuzhere
Banned
I wish I took screenshots of some banner ads I saw for that game.
In one of the ads I saw, they took some random body art of Noctis and photoshopped some random doofy guys head ontop of it. It was the worst and most hilarious thing I've seen in a website advert.
theofficefan99
Junior Member
I don't want to turn this into a XIII vs. XV thread, but IMO, XIII may have had some info that was difficult to comprehend without the datalog, there's a plot hole involving a minor character in Chapter 9, pacing issues in Chapter 11, and the finale is a fucking awful mess full of Deus Ex Machinas, but it is leagues better than XV's travesty of a story.
XV's story isn't just barebones. It isn't just super short. It isn't just completely devoid of lore or world building. It isn't just low-budget. It's fucking awful and filled to the brim with holes, along with lazy ass rewrites like the newspaper scene OP addresses. There's no meaning behind the plot, there's really no exciting or memorable moments (certainly nothing that comes even close to any mainline FF), it's just horrendous. I can't even say the concept had potential, because they completely destroyed the concept, too.
I completely disagree with this.
Well, almost. It is too short, and the narrative has a lot of problems with what it says and how (and sometimes lacking explanation entirely)
But to say that its "devoid of Lore" (it has a lot of backstory and lore), and that there is "no meaning behind the plot" or no "exciting or memorable moments" imo is just bullshit.
Edit: my ending statement may have been uncalled for, so i omitted it
encephalon
Member
What did you think was exciting or memorable? Specifically, ones that they game pulled off.
For example, sure, things "happened" in Altissia. But I would struggle to call any of it "memorable." "Memorable" implies a high point in a story, not a low one. For events to be "exciting" they have to engage the player.
On Chapter 0 was going for the same thing that Bayonetta's opening did: tease something awesome and dramatic so that the audience is hooked, then drop back to a more lighthearted and comedic opening so that you have a good starting point to build the rest of the story from.
The difference being that Bayo 1's opening is a masterpiece and FFXV's is meh at best.
The difference being that Bayo 1's opening is a masterpiece and FFXV's is meh at best.
Personally, i find
Ignis' blindness and how the characters handle it to be memorable. I found Ardyn's mindfuckery w/ noctis wrt making him attack prompto to be memorable. I found Punished Noctis and his final sacrifice to be memorable. Hell, i even found the Glacians Cadaver to be memorable if only b/c of how haunting the imagery is. I especially remember the "Hanging bodies" scene if only b/c it was one of the darker moments in a FF game to date Edit: oh and I also personally heavily enjoy the Ifrit Fight and think that (unless you are wildly overleveled) it is one of the better boss fights in FF
And yeah, I know that those are all post altissia scenes, and I know people felt like the game went "off" post altissia, but after Leviathan, the game offered more "final fantasy moments" and character moments than anything before it.
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I found some aspects of FF15 memorable, while its likely that many others don't share my sentiment.
I loved the game overall, but it's hugely flawed.
The one thing I still don't understand is why, with all the Kingsglaive stuff they added in, they never added in the scenes explaining the treaty (they were literally signing away the entire kingdom outside the city) or explaining what happened with Luna such that Noctis couldn't see her for so long.
(and also why they stuck those radios out in the world with lore/info that stop playing as soon as you step away from them, when they could have added a car radio)
The one thing I still don't understand is why, with all the Kingsglaive stuff they added in, they never added in the scenes explaining the treaty (they were literally signing away the entire kingdom outside the city) or explaining what happened with Luna such that Noctis couldn't see her for so long.
(and also why they stuck those radios out in the world with lore/info that stop playing as soon as you step away from them, when they could have added a car radio)
They needed someway to cut out the first major portion of the game with relation to the invasion of Insomnia and this feels kind of like a quick cop-out to cut it. But as it's already been said, this is far from the worst bit of the story telling in XV. The whole game is a mess.
AzureFlame
Member
Even tho it's the lowest rated main FF ( or the 2nd lowest if counting the original xiv ) i think it's a miracle that this game got 81% on metacritic.
The game has major isssues not only for a FF game but for any rpg game out there.
-The open world of XV is really lacking in variety, only 2 or 3 cities with nothing but the worst kind of fetch quest and one of those cities is one big mess ( altissia ), other than those 3 cities we have gas stations and 1 small chocobo farm...
-The gameplay is also not good, horrible broken magic system ( not sure if i should even call it magic ) and combat system with no strategy required, you can't even die if you have potions, just spam same moves till you have the armiger and your good.
-The story is one of the messiest i have ever seen, not because it was a bad story, because of the horrible horrible presentation, i just can't believe that they said this is ok, FFXIII-2 had the worst story in FF imo But it was at least present in a decent way, as for XV.. it is a whole another level of bad.. and not just as a FF game.
The only good things i can say about this game were the graphics, even tho they can be really ugly at times because of the consoles power limitations, and the good music, only few of them were memorable tho and finally the dungeons, they were actually pretty good.
Sorry about my English.
The game has major isssues not only for a FF game but for any rpg game out there.
-The open world of XV is really lacking in variety, only 2 or 3 cities with nothing but the worst kind of fetch quest and one of those cities is one big mess ( altissia ), other than those 3 cities we have gas stations and 1 small chocobo farm...
-The gameplay is also not good, horrible broken magic system ( not sure if i should even call it magic ) and combat system with no strategy required, you can't even die if you have potions, just spam same moves till you have the armiger and your good.
-The story is one of the messiest i have ever seen, not because it was a bad story, because of the horrible horrible presentation, i just can't believe that they said this is ok, FFXIII-2 had the worst story in FF imo But it was at least present in a decent way, as for XV.. it is a whole another level of bad.. and not just as a FF game.
The only good things i can say about this game were the graphics, even tho they can be really ugly at times because of the consoles power limitations, and the good music, only few of them were memorable tho and finally the dungeons, they were actually pretty good.
Sorry about my English.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I honestly wish FFXV wasn't open world. I wish it was structured like Xenoblade Chronicles.
That game was linear but it had huge areas to explore. If FFXV was like that it would have felt more like road trip because with linear structure u have to move on to new city or areas if u wan to continue the story, while u still had open areas to explore and do side quests.
AzureFlame
Member
I think Dragon Quest 11 did that recently and look how successful and loved it is.
The game plays nice but the story is ass on the whole in my opinion - so is the pacing.
What we knew of the Versus XIII story it seemed much more interesting than what we got, we also got some very nice looking scenes in the trailers that we didn't get in XV but whatever. Just a shame.
What we knew of the Versus XIII story it seemed much more interesting than what we got, we also got some very nice looking scenes in the trailers that we didn't get in XV but whatever. Just a shame.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Thats makes me even more excited for DQ11!!!
In FFXII besides the Clan hunts , those given by Montblanc, all the regular hunts would appear on all the boards from all towns, no need to go from place to place looking for new hunts in that specific place.
FFXV was a regression on everything but graphics.
Well neither on music, but FF music is always great, sometimes more memorable than other, but always great.
Gives the new meaning to a surprise boner