Final Fantasy XVI

[vibehunter]

It sounds like they're trying to position this game as a system seller. Yoshi P's ambiguous comments about the PC release and his insistence that we play the PS5 version solidify that for me. Making the game palatable for normies who only play GTA seems part of that.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Dragon's Dogma Fantasy XVI.

I approve.

Final Fantasy XV already attempted to rip off the combat system of Dragon's Dogma, it's just that it did an exceptionally poor job of it. Since FF XVI appears to have an entirely different team, perhaps they'll do better, but I wouldn't take it for granted.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

It sounds like they're trying to position this game as a system seller. Yoshi P's ambiguous comments about the PC release and his insistence that we play the PS5 version solidify that for me. Making the game palatable for normies who only play GTA seems part of that.

GTA was a hit in Japan, just like everywhere else. And PS5 needs a killer app, because it has none. So that's why they are going all in with this. The fact that Nier became the household name in spite of Squeenix initially not wanting to do it should also mean that they want their own franchise to reach those highs again.

Dragon's Dogma Fantasy XVI.

I approve.

Final Fantasy XV already attempted to rip off the combat system of Dragon's Dogma, it's just that it did an exceptionally poor job of it. Since FF XVI appears to have an entirely different team, perhaps they'll do better, but I wouldn't take it for granted.

I fucking wish 15 played like DD. If anything, it oddly feels like Ultima 7, in a way that you're always crusing through the countryside with banal comments from your party every so often (down to the "i'm hungry" bits) and combat is just a mess where you watch animations flailing around and everything goes back to normal.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

Here's the quotes:

Oh! God, the dude's an idiot or just seriously ignorant. He hates the term but then his game still looks like it adheres to all the connotations the term jrpg invokes.
No dialogue choices, strict linear progression, mmo esque level up systems.. that's quite a lot of butthurt. The eurojank devs didn't whine with literally jank being a defining feature of their genre.
Based on the last paragraph I wonder if he even knows crpgs or like half the fckn genres on PC exist, if he thinks western games just mean GTA and direct control.
Maybe the Japanese should learn English instead of locking off 70% of the world and living in their language bubble.

 

[scytheavatar]

Is it me, or does this game increasingly look no different from Forspoken? Dumb button mash gameplay for the lowest common denominator and particle effects everywhere. Even FFXV looks like a masterpiece compared to this.

 

[Duraframe300]

Here's the quotes:

Oh! God, the dude's an idiot or just seriously ignorant. He hates the term but then his game still looks like it adheres to all the connotations the term jrpg invokes.
No dialogue choices, strict linear progression, mmo esque level up systems.. that's quite a lot of butthurt. The eurojank devs didn't whine with literally jank being a defining feature of their genre.
Based on the last paragraph I wonder if he even knows crpgs or like half the fckn genres on PC exist, if he thinks western games just mean GTA and direct control.
Maybe the Japanese should learn English instead of locking off 70% of the world and living in their language bubble.

Absolute no on that last sentence. Doesn't help shit and if anything has opposite effect (more decline).

Also the simple reason is that the guy is just insecure as fuck, that's why it still invokes it and got that butthurt in the first place.. They don't even go for Open World again but instead go back to zone/hub based in an attempt of showing off the majority of the setting/world (Like pre FF13). There's no *uhhhh what we did before was actually bad* (like you have seen from some other devs) energy here. No strong design convictions. Put him in a room with halfway normal codexers for half a year and he's gonna flip flop.

Irrational butthurt energy at its finest. Wouldn't take it too seriously.

 

[abnaxus]

Will there be a fight with Shiva

 

[Abu Antar]

Will there be a fight with Shiva

Shiva is in. Will likely fight her.

 

[Tyrr]

He said a lot of stupid stuff, but I had a laugh reading this one:

Shitting on FFXV always gets my approval.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

It's not just that it has fishing. FF15 has irl product placement on it. Your camping gear is all irl brands, there's ads for Cup Noodles, etc. A steam review said that it was difficult to take the game seriously when they tried to introduce magical and supernatural elements in a setting that's basically modern rural Texas (at least, the starting area). And it's that, a kpop band driving around in a very expensive car in the middle of nowhere, presumably Bumfucktown, Texas, with Daisy Duke shaking her ass here and there. As I write this I'm realizing it sounds fun, but yeah...

 

[Dadd]

As I write this I'm realizing it sounds fun,

Disagree

 

[Matador]

FFXV is not so bad. It has terrible parts like the long linear stealth segment at the end, but I enjoyed my time with the game in a relaxed way. It´s not a terrible open world game. And the combat while not great, it´s not unenjoyable.

Agree with the setting and protagonists being jarring.

 

[Duraframe300]

It's not just that it has fishing. FF15 has irl product placement on it. Your camping gear is all irl brands, there's ads for Cup Noodles, etc. A steam review said that it was difficult to take the game seriously when they tried to introduce magical and supernatural elements in a setting that's basically modern rural Texas (at least, the starting area). And it's that, a kpop band driving around in a very expensive car in the middle of nowhere, presumably Bumfucktown, Texas, with Daisy Duke shaking her ass here and there. As I write this I'm realizing it sounds fun, but yeah...

Another thing is how drastic everything shifts then once you reach chapter 10. The open world itself is only half the setting (at best) and everything else gets rushed super linearly. (And lots of shit happens with zero input from you).

It's not a game that got its tone right in the slightest. There are (lots of imo) positives in it in concept but the game's execution is horrific. Playing the game you constantly think about how things could have been done better.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

As I write this I'm realizing it sounds fun,

Disagree

I want her to fix my engine....

 

[Morgoth]

This will probably be better than Avowed or Dragon Derp 4.

 

[Dadd]

Here's the quotes:

He should be grateful for anime fans lapping up his trash indiscriminately

 

[scytheavatar]

He said a lot of stupid stuff, but I had a laugh reading this one:

Shitting on FFXV always gets my approval.

FFXV is still a game that sold 10 million copies........ it will be hilarious if after all the shitting on FFXV that FFXVI sells less. Forspoken already proved that the audience for dumb easy mode action games is much smaller than what Square Enix thinks.

Heck would be even more hilarious if Baldur's Gate 3 ends up selling more.

 

[Duraframe300]

He said a lot of stupid stuff, but I had a laugh reading this one:

Shitting on FFXV always gets my approval.

FFXV is still a game that sold 10 million copies........ it will be hilarious if after all the shitting on FFXV that FFXVI sells less. Forspoken already proved that the audience for dumb easy mode action games is much smaller than what Square Enix thinks.

Heck would be even more hilarious if Baldur's Gate 3 ends up selling more.

I don't know what this FFXV comparison is.

FF XV was quite literary hold down 1 button to attack. It's bottom of the barrel when it comes to action.

I fail to see how XVI is dumber. It looks more fun and involved if anything. I mean it at least has a variety of abilities/skills you can use. I guess XV had a vancian magic system, but that was horrible executed as well and ultimately meaningless.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

This article is quite good and insigthful (specially in regards to combat)


Interesting tidbit:

If it’s a challenge you’re looking for, action game veterans will have plenty to chew on with Final Fantasy XVI’s endgame content. Suzuki and Yoshida told me they've implemented a scoring system that evaluates your combat performance in the background, much like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. That system remains hidden on a player’s first playthrough to ensure they don’t focus too much on combat performance. “Once you get to that second playthrough, that's when we throw down the gauntlet and offer a challenge that is going to be above and beyond what you see in Devil May Cry V,” Suzuki told me.

There will also be an arcade-style mode where players compete for high scores on leaderboards for different difficulty settings. And Suzuki said they’re trying to push the skill ceiling even higher with what’s called Ultimania mode. “To maintain an S rank throughout the Ultimania mode, we believe, it’s more difficult than doing the same in Dante Must Die [the highest difficulty in Devil May Cry V],” Yoshida confidently told me.

Actions bros, seems we'll be eating good this year.

 

[Duraframe300]

As for structure one preview laid it out pretty explicit.

Basically there's one hub and several zones which you get to via world map travel.
Zones themselves are on average around 2 square kilometers in size.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

This is a good thing imo. 15 had that ranking system too but it's all over the place. Killed enemies with combos and group abilities: D. Killed one enemy and ran away: C. I'm assuming they include accuracy in this measurement, but still...

Didn't they say there weren't going to be optional dungeons? People are taking this as them removing secret dungeons and bosses.

 

[Duraframe300]

This is a good thing imo. 15 had that ranking system too but it's all over the place. Killed enemies with combos and group abilities: D. Killed one enemy and ran away: C. I'm assuming they include accuracy in this measurement, but still...

Didn't they say there weren't going to be optional dungeons? People are taking this as them removing secret dungeons and bosses.

It was really weirdely phrased. They said that all dungeons/locations are connected to the story/you will in some way be directed to them.

That leaves a myriad of interpretations. The outlet took it to mean *no optional dungeons* while it could easily mean the content/exploration is still optional, just that you visit/made aware of it during the story.

It's something we probably won't have an answer to until release, especially with how combat obsessed they are with the previews. Maehiro did mention right afterwards that there's plenty to explore and people shouldn't be worried about that part (Which is easy to say if you don't show it/tease it. )

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

Dragon's Dogma Fantasy XVI.

I approve.

Final Fantasy XV already attempted to rip off the combat system of Dragon's Dogma, it's just that it did an exceptionally poor job of it. Since FF XVI appears to have an entirely different team, perhaps they'll do better, but I wouldn't take it for granted.

15 doesn’t even kind of try to rip off Dragon’s Dogma’s combat. It should have, since what Dragon’s Dogma does is so much better, but it doesn’t even kind of feel like it or DMC. Now Final Fantasy 7 Remake sure seems like it was going for Dragon’s Dogma, but it’s a bad version of Dragon’s Dogma...given those last two attempts as action combat, I can see why they just ended up pulling one of Capcom's combat designers over.

I do like the idea of some of the stuff they did with FF7R’s combat. Being able to switch characters was nice, and integrating a combat menu in for more options I think worked. But it doesn’t feel as good, and the lack of a jump sucked; game feels like combat was originally meant to happen in a isometric view.

This game seems like it’s leaning more Devil May Cry, but with Dragon's Dogma move executions. Also seems to be using FF7R’s ATB meter system to do specials as opposed to the stamina system DD has.

The last decade has been full of: This game should’ve ripped off Dragon’s Dogma.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Yeah, I understood it as dungeons being always story related, but optional dungeons never were, and they are more akin to post game stuff. I'm beginning to be somewhat optimistic about this tbh.

 

[Taurist]

Cooldowns, QTE's and annoying little mid boss cutscenes are quite annoying.
Hybrids can be the worst of both worlds. Action Games with cooldowns are generally not good action games. As an RPG, the enemy HP bars seem quite bloated.
I liked the interview with the Director., he seems to be aware of what has gone wrong with Final Fantasy, and how JRPG became a handy ghetto. Not sure this is the cure.

Also, the director seems aware of how the teenage pretty boy protags are offputting to many in the west, but every character still looks likew they are using about a can of hairspray.