Final Fantasy XV

Parish has a couple previews up over at USGamer (1, 2) and they too are quite positive.

I'll be curious where he lands once outside of this first chapter. The one thing all these previews focus on are the open world beginning. Does the game stay open world as it goes on or does the reverse XIII apply here with the open world giving way to linearity? (A certain amount of linearity can be expected to tie up the story, of course.)

Devs confirmed a while back its open world until the end at which point it goes linear

At this point, I feel like going on media blackout. I'm happy to see that reviewers are positive (at least about the beginning), but since I've already pre-ordered, I'm just going to wait and see for myself.
In a month...

shoptroll wrote:

Devs confirmed a while back its open world until the end at which point it goes linear

Sure, but the proof is in the pudding. The top layer is looking to be really good at least.

I haven't cared about the majority of reviewers take, good or bad, on a jrpg in at least 16 years. Most are openly disdainful of the entire genre or have nostalgia overload of the 16 bit era. That being said I've been surprised at some of the positive early reactions I've heard from gaming media.

Now with 100% more Moogle tossing

(Source)

(And if you squint hard enough is this Square-Enix ripping off one of Earthbound's mechanics?!)

I suppose the real question is why the bad soldiers hate moogles so much.

Because they are bad. Duh.

I am so looking forward to this game. I just hope the combat is ok. It looks so much like Kingdom Hearts and I hated that.

farley3k wrote:

I am so looking forward to this game. I just hope the combat is ok. It looks so much like Kingdom Hearts and I hated that.

Me thinks you should perhaps rent this one first, as you've kinda posted this sentiment several times now.

shoptroll wrote:

(And if you squint hard enough is this Square-Enix ripping off one of Earthbound's mechanics?!)

More recently Metroid Prime: Federation Force. There's a decoy item that drops a Samus Aran dummy balloon that draws enemy fire and ire.

But yes, the second he tossed the stuffed Moogle the teddy bear plush came to mind.

ccesarano wrote:
farley3k wrote:

I am so looking forward to this game. I just hope the combat is ok. It looks so much like Kingdom Hearts and I hated that.

Me thinks you should perhaps rent this one first, as you've kinda posted this sentiment several times now.

This is the problem with a 29 page thread and a 45 year old brain.....

ccesarano wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

(And if you squint hard enough is this Square-Enix ripping off one of Earthbound's mechanics?!)

More recently Metroid Prime: Federation Force. There's a decoy item that drops a Samus Aran dummy balloon that draws enemy fire and ire.

But yes, the second he tossed the stuffed Moogle the teddy bear plush came to mind.

I'm kinda drawing a blank as to whether or not the teddy bears would pull aggro all the time or just some of the time

Decoy mechanics seem like a pretty common videogamism. Made up words are fun.

shoptroll wrote:

I'm kinda drawing a blank as to whether or not the teddy bears would pull aggro all the time or just some of the time

I don't know if there were specific odds of drawing aggro, but in execution it seemed no different than having an additional member of the party.

I remember having three of them just to get through Peaceful Rest Valley. But that's back when I was sh*ttier at video games.

I recall burning through multiples of them at that point too. PRV is definitely a difficulty spike. Stupid exploding trees and UFOs.

I don't know why they trigger off of teddy bears, but if I were those monsters and had to fight in a Kingdom Hearts game all the time, I'd go aggro, too.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I don't know why they trigger off of teddy bears, but if I were those monsters and had to fight in a Kingdom Hearts game all the time, I'd go aggro, too.

In Kingdom Hearts games, they just beeline to kill Donald Duck.

Final Fantasy 15 is getting online multiplayer DLC

Final Fantasy 15 will receive an online, co-op multiplayer mode, Square Enix announced Thursday morning as part of its Paris Games Week press conference. Called Comrades, the paid add-on feature will give up to four players the chance to take on enemies as lead hero Prince Noctis and his three best friends.

Comrades will be available as part of the $24.99 season pass, but Square Enix will also sell the expansion pack separately; pricing has not been announced for the individual purchase.

Called it.

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

farley3k wrote:

Final Fantasy 15 is getting online multiplayer DLC

Final Fantasy 15 will receive an online, co-op multiplayer mode, Square Enix announced Thursday morning as part of its Paris Games Week press conference. Called Comrades, the paid add-on feature will give up to four players the chance to take on enemies as lead hero Prince Noctis and his three best friends.

Comrades will be available as part of the $24.99 season pass, but Square Enix will also sell the expansion pack separately; pricing has not been announced for the individual purchase.

It could be fun if done right but I'm not brimming with confidence that they will.

Demyx wrote:

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

Even more so than Prompto's VR Hijinks and Journey Towards Relevance?

Demyx wrote:

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

Why?

ccesarano wrote:
Demyx wrote:

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

Even more so than Prompto's VR Hijinks and Journey Towards Relevance?

Oh, no, not at all.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Demyx wrote:

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

Why?

Adding an online co-op multiplayer mode is a lot of extra work that I think has limited appeal among those who are anticipating a new mainline FF. After all, if you want online co-op FF, there's already a game that suits your needs.

Multiplayer, co-op or otherwise, generally only takes off if it's a highly repeatable experience or has some carrot to keep players coming back, and I see no mention of that here. If it's just a short scenario you can play with friends it'll have some takers early on and then quickly die.

shoptroll wrote:

Called it.

I honestly thought you calling it was an announcement. In my memory, at least.

garion333 wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

Called it.

I honestly thought you calling it was an announcement. In my memory, at least.

Heh. I had the same thought. When I read the announcement, I was like, "don't we already know this?"

Demyx wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Demyx wrote:

That sure sounds like a giant waste of developer resources.

Why?

Adding an online co-op multiplayer mode is a lot of extra work that I think has limited appeal among those who are anticipating a new mainline FF. After all, if you want online co-op FF, there's already a game that suits your needs.

Multiplayer, co-op or otherwise, generally only takes off if it's a highly repeatable experience or has some carrot to keep players coming back, and I see no mention of that here. If it's just a short scenario you can play with friends it'll have some takers early on and then quickly die.

The online co-op Final Fantasy games are an MMO and a weak Monster Hunter wanna be on a handheld, both of which put off a lot of players. I definitely get the concerns about longevity and replayability, but I'm not surprised to see Square-Enix trying to offer players a multiplayer experience that's not a stand-alone game, and I don't think they're wasting their time trying.

But splitting it off into a DLC pack sounds like a terrible idea. Who's going to pick that up?

Demyx wrote:

After all, if you want online co-op FF, there's already a game that suits your needs.

My disagreement here is that co-op experience you're listing, assuming it is FFXIV, comes with a monthly subscription fee, whereas this DLC is a one-time paid offer.

Multiplayer, co-op or otherwise, generally only takes off if it's a highly repeatable experience or has some carrot to keep players coming back, and I see no mention of that here. If it's just a short scenario you can play with friends it'll have some takers early on and then quickly die.

I don't recall seeing information regarding the length of the co-op. Is there a declarative statement as to how many missions it will be? Depending on how they manage it, you could still find yourself with hours of content, especially if they include things like difficulty modifiers.

Right now, based on the announcement at least, we just know there's going to be online co-op that allows up to four players.

Couldn't be worse than the Fable II coop. But for $25? Pass.

Grenn wrote:

Couldn't be worse than the Fable II coop. But for $25? Pass.

It's not $25. That's the price for the entire season pass. I'm not sure how much it will be on it's own though.

JeremyK wrote:
Grenn wrote:

Couldn't be worse than the Fable II coop. But for $25? Pass.

It's not $25. That's the price for the entire season pass. I'm not sure how much it will be on it's own though.

$50