encephalon
Member
Somewhere during the tumultuous development of FFXV, hands changed, ideas were reworked, and we waited, anticipating Tabata's new vision for what was once FFXIII Versus. The 2013 trailer, which initially blew people away and brought back a lot of goodwill to Square-Enix, was no longer canon. And so we continued dissecting various Versus, Nomura's XV, and Tabata's XV, trying to make sense of what was kept, what was changed, and what was new.
There were two iterations of the Dawn trailer, which felt like more of a teaser and barely showed anything at all. But not to fear, there would be the uncovered event, in which we were showed us how Square reworked the beginning of the game ... and a lot of gameplay. It was like unveiling the game for the first time ... for the third time. But that was fine, because surely there would be a big story blow out at E3 ... Where we were met with the Afrojack trailer, which was almost entirely gameplay. And now the Gamescom 50 min video ... which was also 90% gameplay, and a few scenes here and there. There's rumored to be a trailer that was pushed back to TGS.
So where is the story trailer? Where is our big story moment? Where do we begin to see the basic plot of the game that's not limited to a handful of lines and minor cutscenes here and there? It's been suggested again and again that Square might not want to show the story for fear of "spoilers." This would be the strictest definition of "spoiler" I have ever heard. Not every single thing that happens within a story is a "spoiler." And generally FF has been able to show itself off, without giving away the entire game. Even scenes that should constitute a surprise can be placed out of context and carefully edited to conceal their weight from a potential player.
Like FFVIII. Or FFIX. FFX.
Are the garden fights a spoiler? Is Alexander a spoiler? Are the battles with Sin a spoiler? Since FFVII (perhaps even FFVI), the series has established itself as one of spectacle. It's placed an incredible amount of emphasis on its storytelling, and whether you think it merits it or otherwise, the stories its told have grabbed people. And I can't imagine the company making a deliberate attempt to avoid showing absolutely anything that happened in XV, for fear of it constituting a "spoiler." In the last game Tabata directed, a trailer showcased a major character death scene that takes place in the last hour of the game. So why would Square show us almost nothing that happens in the game?
Could it be ... that FFXV is simply uneventful? Are vast expanses, cities, and minor dialogue between characters from location to location almost all the game has to offer?
It's no coincidence that people look back longingly at Versus. Gameplay is only half of what a Final Fantasy has to offer. Where Versus trailers showed us drama and spectacle, Tabata's XV has shown nothing to fill that void. We've been shown the journey. The destinations, less so.
Both FFXII and FFXIII share a long stretch of gameplay in their latter half that are relatively uninterrupted by story events. For FFXII, it's the journey to Archades. For FFXIII, it's Gran Pulse. But the journeys are hardly rewarded. In FFXII, we grit and bear our teeth at Cid because he's involved with dangerous weapons, before he fucks off to Giruvegan. In XIII, information is almost arbitrarily given to the player (I can't recall what information that is), before the heroes are carted off back to Coccoon to finish the game. Both times I wondered what that long and arduous journey was for.
See you in November.
There were two iterations of the Dawn trailer, which felt like more of a teaser and barely showed anything at all. But not to fear, there would be the uncovered event, in which we were showed us how Square reworked the beginning of the game ... and a lot of gameplay. It was like unveiling the game for the first time ... for the third time. But that was fine, because surely there would be a big story blow out at E3 ... Where we were met with the Afrojack trailer, which was almost entirely gameplay. And now the Gamescom 50 min video ... which was also 90% gameplay, and a few scenes here and there. There's rumored to be a trailer that was pushed back to TGS.
So where is the story trailer? Where is our big story moment? Where do we begin to see the basic plot of the game that's not limited to a handful of lines and minor cutscenes here and there? It's been suggested again and again that Square might not want to show the story for fear of "spoilers." This would be the strictest definition of "spoiler" I have ever heard. Not every single thing that happens within a story is a "spoiler." And generally FF has been able to show itself off, without giving away the entire game. Even scenes that should constitute a surprise can be placed out of context and carefully edited to conceal their weight from a potential player.
Like FFVIII. Or FFIX. FFX.
Are the garden fights a spoiler? Is Alexander a spoiler? Are the battles with Sin a spoiler? Since FFVII (perhaps even FFVI), the series has established itself as one of spectacle. It's placed an incredible amount of emphasis on its storytelling, and whether you think it merits it or otherwise, the stories its told have grabbed people. And I can't imagine the company making a deliberate attempt to avoid showing absolutely anything that happened in XV, for fear of it constituting a "spoiler." In the last game Tabata directed, a trailer showcased a major character death scene that takes place in the last hour of the game. So why would Square show us almost nothing that happens in the game?
Could it be ... that FFXV is simply uneventful? Are vast expanses, cities, and minor dialogue between characters from location to location almost all the game has to offer?
It's no coincidence that people look back longingly at Versus. Gameplay is only half of what a Final Fantasy has to offer. Where Versus trailers showed us drama and spectacle, Tabata's XV has shown nothing to fill that void. We've been shown the journey. The destinations, less so.
Both FFXII and FFXIII share a long stretch of gameplay in their latter half that are relatively uninterrupted by story events. For FFXII, it's the journey to Archades. For FFXIII, it's Gran Pulse. But the journeys are hardly rewarded. In FFXII, we grit and bear our teeth at Cid because he's involved with dangerous weapons, before he fucks off to Giruvegan. In XIII, information is almost arbitrarily given to the player (I can't recall what information that is), before the heroes are carted off back to Coccoon to finish the game. Both times I wondered what that long and arduous journey was for.
See you in November.