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hogso

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Started last night, the main characters don't irritate me as much as I expected. Still wish they'd tone it down a bit though.

 

Unsure on the combat so far, camera has a habit of hiding behind whatever rocks or trees it can find.

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Started watching Kingsglaive last night. Got about half an hour left. Quite good. Hopefully will give me a bit of insight into the lore of the game before I pick it up after Xmas (or for Xmas if the missus got the hint)

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I'm tempted to get this. the last Final Fantasy I played was 9, is that considered a good one or a shit one? I liked it at the time. Never revisited the series since. 

Would I be completely lost if I bought this game? 

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1 hour ago, PieFacE said:

I'm tempted to get this. the last Final Fantasy I played was 9, is that considered a good one or a shit one? I liked it at the time. Never revisited the series since. 

Would I be completely lost if I bought this game? 

I hadn't played one (other than the MMO) since 8 and I'm really, really enjoying it.

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1 hour ago, PieFacE said:

Would I be completely lost if I bought this game? 

Probably, but that's got nothing to do with not having played an FF game since IX ;)

It's a very hard game for me to recommend, for the simple fact that there are plenty of better open world and action RPG games available this gen.

Hows does chilling your bro's, agonising over what to eat at a restuarant/cafe, camping under the stars, driving/being chauffuered around in your fancy car, fishing, taking random quests, rescuing stranded idiots with broken down cars and not giving a toss what the story is sound? If it sounds alright to you, you might get on OK :D

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20 minutes ago, Tayls said:

@hogso - hey Hogso, can you name some other RPG type games for me?

Any particular console? I'll presume current gen and xbone and/or ps4;

Skyrim, Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age Inquisition. 

These 5 games are big budget hits that were all critically well received, so you can't really go wrong. 

Only Mass Effect is not 'open world'. The definition of 'RPG' has changed markedly over the years, and these are all very much 'western' games, in so much as they were developed by non-japanese companies. The Japanese make the finest RPG games of all in my opinion, but they aren't the most accessible of things. 

Also...are you serious about those games in the last 10 years? Grand Theft Auto 5?

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17 minutes ago, hogso said:

Any particular console? I'll presume current gen and xbone and/or ps4;

Skyrim, Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age Inquisition. 

These 5 games are big budget hits that were all critically well received, so you can't really go wrong. 

Only Mass Effect is not 'open world'. The definition of 'RPG' has changed markedly over the years, and these are all very much 'western' games, in so much as they were developed by non-japanese companies. The Japanese make the finest RPG games of all in my opinion, but they aren't the most accessible of things. 

Also...are you serious about those games in the last 10 years? Grand Theft Auto 5?

Yep Xbone only for me. See I was intrigued by Fallout, but my fear is that because I haven't played the others, will it make sense? I quite like a good story, so missing half of it doesn't work for my OCD. I'm one of those people that will watch EVERY cutscene or fully check every room/area before moving on. If I'm playing a game, I'll play it properly. 

I remember years ago, I was round a mates house and we spent hours playing a game on Dreamcast - It was some futuristic weird immersive world that involved interacting with other players, combat etc. I loved it, but never got it for myself. I have longed for that type of game ever since. Can't for the life of me remember what it was though! Hah! I think that is why I have an interest in final fantasy - l but I'm just so far past getting into it now that I feel I'd be wasting my time buying it. 

I have indeed played GTA V, played through the story once then traded it in. I do play the GTA games, have done ever since it was first on PlayStation - don't really play beyond completing the game once though. 

 

 

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You don't have to worry about jumping in to the fallout series at 3 or 4, much like Final Fantasy there isn't any story connection, just reoccurring enemies (and the odd NPC). If you liked the futuristic world of the Dreamcast game then Mass Effect should be of major interest to you. I believe it's backwards compatible on xbone, as it's actually a 360 game. You must start with the first game, though, don't consider jumping it a 2. 

As for that game on Dreamcast, I wonder if it was Omikron (The Nomad Soul) ? 

Very ambitious game, which, rather oddly, featured David Bowie. 

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Cheers @hogso, think I'm definitely going to check out Fallout and Mass Effect. Will see what I can get for cheap! Still really keen on Final Fantasy though, but not sure what to expect from it. 

I've had to do some digging on the Dreamcast game, as it was probably around 2000/2001 that I played it. It's called Phantasy Star Online. (Think it was 2, more specifically). Check it out! 

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PSO 2? That's actually quite a recent game, certainly wasn't on DC. I think they did an 'Episode II' thing, which was probably a big patch or something, I can't exactly remember. I did play PSO, that's where my username originates from, kind of. Perhaps we bumped in to each other in the virtual world back then :D

Odd series, it's still going now, but there's not much of a following in the west and I don't think the newer games even get a release over here. The old single player 16bit games were pretty decent, kind of a predecessor to Star Ocean, which is another sci fi JRPG. That series didn't ever release an online game though, but they did recently release an open world effort called Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (yes, really) which is on PS4 but it's rubbish apparently.

In hindsight PSO now reminds me mostly of Monster Hunter in gameplay terms, which now is absolutely massive in Japan. Pokemon scale huge. It's only really on 3DS over here though.

8 hours ago, Tayls said:

Still really keen on Final Fantasy though, but not sure what to expect from it.

If you've got the money to spare and a bit of time to invest, feel free to take the plunge, sure. Like I said before though, it's a game I find difficult to recommend, simply for the reason the whole set up is a bit weird. Scratch the surface and it is surprisingly deep, there's a lot to do and see, but it isn't the story that drives it, it's your 3 companions. There aren't really many games to compare it to, whether you've played tons in the last 10 years or not many at all...you could quite easily love it or loath it. I'm edging closer to the former at the moment.

I'm level 19 now, and when facing one or two enemies it is a doddle, even the higher level hunts. Throw a few enemies at me and things can get awkward though...I started fighting a level 30 Garula, couple of little ones and medium ones joined in - then a Magitek dropship appeared overhead and I had about 7 or 8 of those to deal with too. It was manic, difficult, and horrible due to the camera...but kind of exhilarating when they were all finally dead.

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VG Leaks, who have a very hit and miss record with this sort of thing, have suggested that a Final Fantasy Collection will be released next year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the series. It will contain I-IX, with I-VI having two versions (ports of the NES/SNES originals and the modern 'remasters' for mobile/steam) plus VII-IX being the 'hi-res' versions that are currently available.

Not only that, but there will be a XIII Trilogy collection (good news for @Dante_Lockhart), and VIIR Episode 1 will be out next year. If all of that wasn't crazy enough, how about this to top it off. Details of the 'Crystal Complete Collection' are as follows;

Quote

Crystal Complete Edition: availble in limited quantities on PS4 and will include;

  • Games: Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Collection (I-IX), X/X-2 HD, XII: Zodiac Age, XIII Trilogy, XV plus XIV with all expansions.
  • Physical Items: Poster, Art book, 8-bit Black Mage keychain, Chocobo plushie, 4 disc 'best of'  soundtracks, Crystal necklace, Moogle plushie, Black Mage statue, the 3 TCG starter packs (VII, X and XIII), plus FFVII AC, Kingsglaive and Brotherhood on blu ray, all in a chest

saucepan

That is pretty absurd and goodness knows how much it would cost. It seems too good to be true to me, but you never know.

It isn't unprecidented, as SE did release an 'Ultimate Box' for the 25th Anniversary. That collection contained I-XIII, but you had to have a PS1, PS2, PSP and PS3 to play all the games. Wasn't released outside of Japan, and would have set you back about £500.

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20 hours ago, hogso said:

Probably, but that's got nothing to do with not having played an FF game since IX ;)

It's a very hard game for me to recommend, for the simple fact that there are plenty of better open world and action RPG games available this gen.

Hows does chilling your bro's, agonising over what to eat at a restuarant/cafe, camping under the stars, driving/being chauffuered around in your fancy car, fishing, taking random quests, rescuing stranded idiots with broken down cars and not giving a toss what the story is sound? If it sounds alright to you, you might get on OK :D

Ha,  you've sold me on it.  Hoping to pick it up cheap second hand around Xmas time.  Will probably get it for ps4 too as it looks better ,  at the minute my ps4 is a pretty expensive paper weight.  

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So I have finally beaten Final Fantasy XV.

My thoughts are that this is the best-worst game I have played this year. The best of the worst would likely make more sense. This game isn't good but it also isn't bad either and I shall explain my reasons why below.

Let's start with the good. The combat in Final Fantasy XV when it all comes together is sublime. Those times where you are fighting a Level 60+ enemy doing link-strikes, blindside attacks and tech-moves just to get the upper hand are great. I just wish those times were more common as until end-game almost every enemy in this game can be picked apart in mere seconds.

Another thing I adored about this game and still adore is the open-world. Yes this open-world is terrible compared to any other western-RPG on the market. Seriously play any other open-world RPG and you will get a better game than this, but this game has a soul that I just can't put my finger on. There is something strangely unique about how janky and primitive this open-world feels. Yet there is no shortage of enemies to fight, exploration to do and side-quests to do. Those times where a side-quest takes you into the wilderness only to find a dungeon to explore are incredible. This open-world is very basic you can't even truly drive the car freely, but it's lack of quality is actually an asset as it gives it an identity separate to the many games that try to be Elder Scrolls or Witcher.

Now the bad. This game on a base level is fundamentally flawed. The only true way to not over-level the main game content is to ignore the entirety of the vast open-world. If you kill any enemies that are not related to the main story you are over-levelled and it only snowballs from there. Myself as a gamer enjoys challenge, but I also enjoy exploring and the two concepts are at odds with each other in this game. Exploration grants EXP and EXP nukes challenge. I was Level 70 by the time I faced the final boss. Can you imagine how much fun it was fighting the grand evil of the whole game knowing I couldn't lose? I never saw a Game Over screen in the entirety of my 78 hours in this game. This game is fundamentally broken unless you ignore the open-world which is the entire point of the game. 

Another thing I had issue with was the Motel/Hotels offering EXP multipliers. The game already grants you upwards of 1,000 to Infinity EXP per batch of mobs you kill in the open-world. It already grants you 1-15k EXP for any side-quest in the game which makes it absurd when for 10,000 coin I could double that EXP when resting. Later in the game there is a place that will offer a 3x bonus for 30,000 coin. Now granted the latter is likely needed to hit the max level cap to do the super end-game dungeons, but why are these Motel/Hotels unlocked from the start of the game? 

Now onto my final issue. This one may seem odd as it actually is the only thing that added challenge which as you know is one thing I want from a game. Yet it is the way that this game does it that irks me so much. There are times in this game where you may if you explored be Level 40 doing Level 20 content. Yet in this content you will be getting annihilated for no visible reason. This game employs such poor level scaling that it makes the Levels above enemies heads mean literally nothing. I have done hunts where I am Level 70 and they are Level 30 yet they are the ones somehow doing all the damage. On the one hand I like these moments as it's the only time the game gets hard, but it's a huge negative when the game fails to convey why they are so strong all of a sudden. It's a minor gripe but it bugged me to no end at times.

One final bit of praise to close with. The main quest while pointless and lacking does introduce some cool characters that are neat to be around from time to time. No spoilers here, but it's the one thing I did like about the story.

So in summary.

This is a fundamentally flawed open-world RPG that offers great amounts of fun if exploration is your thing. If it's not then the exploration will only serve to introduce frustrations that extend beyond the open-world itself. Like I said above. The exploration grants EXP and the EXP nukes any semblance of challenge that this game may have offered. If you are after a janky yet quirky open-world RPG that doesn't try to be better than anything else then get this game. If not then this game may actually be depressingly dull and boring to play through with zero challenge on offer.  

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Update here about adding new stuff, including... 

Quote

gameplay enhancements for Chapter 13, buffing ring magic, etc. We’ll have the specifics of what and when for you at a later date.

After that, we’re hoping to delve deeper into the story, adding scenes that will give you new insight into character motivations, such as why Ravus walked the path he did. We will need a little time with these, as they’ll need to be localized and voiced in other languages, but we’ll let you know the details once everything is set.

For the long term, we are looking at making certain key characters playable, and even considering the possibility of customizable avatars, in addition to other features over time.

Other features we have in mind include letting you carry over stats from a previous playthrough, and adding items that introduce new playstyles, such as low-level runs and god mode. We’re also examining readability tweaks - increasing font size - for certain languages. On top of that, we’re looking at content you can enjoy in real-time, including new bosses with exclusive rewards and achievements, and limited-time hunts.

Then the already announced bits included in the season pass. The above will be free though. Sounds like there's going to plenty to tempt you into a new game+ run

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Some of that stuff they are adding I would have preferred to have played through the first time through.

You never get to experience a game for the first time again. Once you have played it and experienced what it has to offer the magic slowly subsides. It's a shame that the "fans", or at the very least most committed gamers will have experienced such a bare bones version for their first time through. I mean anyone buying this two years from now may be playing a vastly different game, I don't like that. 

Now will I play the new content? More than likely especially if it's in a new game+ format, but I would prefer if all the additional changes and story add-on's were done before they add new game+. I appreciate that they are working to fix such a broken and average game, but it also feels a little like they already knew it was lacking. These plans do not feel like they were thought up over the last week. 

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