Final Fantasy XV

The Good
Gaming is always about escapism. A good game, regardless of genre, should make you feel like you are part of that world and fill the role that you are supposed to fill. Final Fantasy XV made me feel like an exiled prince, on a road trip with my three best friends, so it succeeded in that goal. One of my bigger complaints about JRPGs in general, is a lack of feeling that people actually live in the world I'm playing in. In FFXV, there are pipelines and abandoned buildings in the wilderness and the towns actually look like people live and work there. It's fleshed out and helps greatly with immersion. The story is really very good, but a bit of a slow burn. It takes a minute to pick up steam, but by the time it does, you have already developed an emotional attachment to the characters. Noctis starts off as a whiny prince, but by end game, has turned into a man and a king. And the sweet, sweet power you have at the end is sooooooo satisfying. Finally, I can't mention the positives without mentioning the music. The score, composed by the wonderful Yoko Shimomura, is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, right up there with FFVII.

The Bad
So, the game isn't perfect. The first several chapters kinda go by without much happening, as far as plot goes. And you're busy doing lots of fetchquests and hunting monster side missions to level up. Also leveling up is weird, as the exp you earn is only applied when you camp, stay at a hotel, or the end of the chapter. Not a huge deal, but I would rather it apply immediately. So chapters 1-8 are on the slower side, but 1-9 are when the story really picks up, but then it forces you down a mostly linear path towards the end. And it does so quickly. You could go through those chapters in a day, if you put your mind to it. I did it in two days. Speaking of the ending... the game introduces many side characters that you develop an emotional attachment to. And while you find out what happens to them in the end... it's just via a text box. You don't actually see what happened to them, or interact with them, which I can say wouldn't have been too difficult to do. Chapter 13 is annoyingly long, in the bad kind of way. Lastly, the game will occasionally introduce cool new mechanics (like negotiations with foreign counties, as the king) and you do them once, and then never again. I was disappoint.

The Bottom Line
Let's cut to the chase. Is the game better than FFVI or VII? No. What about IX or X? I think so, but not by much. What about VIII or XII or XIII? Yes, yes, and hell yes. (I can only compare to FF games I've played, sorry fans of IV). Are Noct and Ayden better than Terra and Kefka or Cloud and Sephiroth? No. Tidus and Seymour? Yes. See what I'm getting at? I think that, despite its flaws, XV is still a great game. It isn't the best game. It isn't the best Final Fantasy. But it is better than most of them and, if you like the series or JRPGs, you should pick it up without question.

The Good
The friendship and interactions between the main cast is easily the best part of the game, even if some parts were worse than others, the story is what made me finish it because I wanted to see what would happen to the characters. With that said, even if the ending isn't the best in the world, it was good enough to make me cry watching it. The gameplay was also good, nothing revolutionary, but solid enough for anyone who wants to try, since you have both modes (action and tactical) to choose. Also the soundtrack was magnifique, but that was obvious since it was composed by Yoko Shimomura.

The Bad
The pacing was actualy pretty bad since the game wants you to watch the movie to understand all the plot points, I think, since i didn't watch it, I might be wrong about it. But another thing that was horrific were the last 2/3 chapters before the ending, were the game changes and instead of open environments and exploration, you're put in some corridors and the game turns into a stealth game.

The Bottom Line
I think its a really solid game with a lot of great ideas and a beautiful ending, but in the end fails in some aspects that take some of the fun out of the whole package.