Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 were among the most polarizing in the series yet. I enjoyed both quite a bit - with the second title being the only platinum trophy I have earned for the PS3 to date. With the reveal last night that Final Fantasy versus XIII will now officially become Final Fantasy XV (trailer below), there has been some focus on Lightning's last adventure.
The Final Fantasy XV reveal (I am so excited that this finally got straightened out after years MIA):
Combat looks to be much more action-oriented in this adventure, with Lightning on her own as she races against a clock. That seems somewhat counter-intuitive to many older Final Fantasy games that promoted lots of exploring and... well, let's face it - grinding as well. I do not know if many people will miss the grind, but the idea of a countdown clock in the background may rub people the wrong way - but I am willing to give it a try. The more movement-based/action-based/solo-combat format actually sort of reminds me of Crisis Core for the PSP - which was amazing and still has one of my favorite video game endings to date.
Here is a trailer with some of the gameplay footage for Lighting Returns. I am definitely looking forward to it, but I get the feeling a lot of other Final Fantasy fans are a bit put off at this point by it. What about you? Interested or not?
Square Enix is my weak spot . Any major games published, created by or under them, I will get them in a heart beat.. And this cannot be anymore true when it comes to Final Fantasy.. It is the only franchise that I will never question before getting it even though I know it will not be as good as I expected them to be..
ReplyDeleteSo, I am more than willing to give it a try since I had finished the first 2 games and enjoy them to a certain extend.. Though I am not saying that I really fancy the idea of the race against the clock, but, well, I wouldn't want to put it off before trying them out.
As for the gameplay, I accept anything that SE tries to innovate from, I mean, I am fine with adapting to new system. But I have to say that paradigm shift is really a good idea. The system requires you to think what is your next move and to create a party that suits the battle. If only there are more customization, freedom and back stories for the players to enjoy, I think people would complain a little less or love it a little more.
On a side note, I am glad that I finally found someone who mentioned about FF:Crisis Core when Final Fantasy was discussed. People seems to looked so far back into the past that they had forgotten about the Hero, Zack Fair's story, the beginning of the most epic FF of all time( generally speaking that is). In all seriousness this the most emotional story for me.It capture the moment so very well that its the only game I ever caused me to shed my tears.
Still, no matter what I can't wait to play Lightning Returns. At the very least I still get my FF or JRPG fix. So, I am happy..
First off? Thanks for posting again, Enorka - I love reading these well-thought out comments of yours and am very happy to have you as a reader here. :)
ReplyDeleteSecondly, we seem to share a similar soft spot then, because like you I am always willing to give Square Enix the benefit of the doubt and at least try it. I think a lot of gamers get stuck in the past, and it puts Square Enix in a tough spot - innovate or they get picked on for doing the same thing over and over again, but if they do bring something to the table, a lot of their older fans feel that they have lost their way. Tough spot to be in really.
Glad we agree on Crisis Core. I think because it was PSP only, a lot of people overlooked what is actually an amazing video game - with a great story to boot. The ending just really hit home with me.
Thanks again for commenting!
You are welcome and I really enjoy reading your articles. They are very sensible and open minded. You see the plus point of things which not many bloggers or journalist can do. Most of the time, they tend to be bias, thus rendering other's effort to mere dust. To me, as long as the game is playable, even though the managements of the company is evil, to the very least the staffs really did work the best they could for the game under stressfull conditions. But perhaps at times that is the only way to move those money minded business mans and make them listen. Still, I think there should be some praise given to the people who work hard to deliver..
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