It was the one thing I wanted for Christmas and when I got
it, I squeeled like a certain comic book character when they got an ice cream
cone from another comic book character (I’ll let you guys piece that one
together). After ten years of waiting,
it was time. Final Fantasy XV made it
into my life and intend to beat it, the first Final Fantasy game I’ve ever
attempted to do so with. With life being
as hectic and crazy as it is (it’s hard to think of Top 5’s sometimes), my play
time with it has been a little limited.
When I have played, I’ve been nothing but impressed with the adventures
of Prince Noctis, a prince on the run from an evil empire. I guess this is an initial impression. Still, these are my Top 5 Reasons why Final
Fantasy XV Rocks…and still so early into the game.
#5- The Car
The Regalia is a fine car if there ever was one, sleek,
sexy and painted black for good measure..
Much like the cast, I’m content to just sit back and enjoy the ride from
Point A to Point B. There are options to
insta-travel to different locations, which helps if you need to get to a gas
station or hotel before dark. But for
the most part, I like taking the long drive.
The guys might chat a bit, or, best of all, you can turn on the radio,
which has several pre set stations…including many classic Final Fantasy
Soundtracks like Final Fantasy VII and VIII plus the soundtracks for the Final
Fantasy XV tie ins, Kingsglave and Brotherhood.
But of course, the best thing about riding around is…
#4- Jaw dropping
Graphics and Scale
Sure you can huff it and that will work just as
well. But sometimes you’re not going to
get very far in this game because it is so damn gorgeous. Ten years of development and a jump to the
next generation of consoles clearly did this game a ton of favors. The world looks so vast and epic. And the wild life? I’ve seen giants roaming the fields and
rivers and have to stop and stare…and not get eaten in the process. This is a world full of life, in the towns as
much as the countryside. Each place I’ve
been to has been populated nicely and there’s plenty to do in each one, but I’ll
get to that. This journey has been well
worth the wait just based on the graphics alone. It's the best looking Final Fantasy to date, XIII doesn't even compare
#3-It makes you
freaking hungry
Food is an interesting item in Final Fantasy XV. Stopping by restaurants and ordering a meal
can temporarily boost stamina, attacks, magic, etc, depending on what you
get. Seems basic enough for an RPG…but
come on, DID THEY REALLY HAVE TO MAKE THE FOOD LOOK THAT INCREDIBLE!!!??? The food is a well designed as anything else
in the game, so good you’ll want to go out for an expensive dinner with friends
as soon as you reach a save point. Even
a simple pallet of fries looks tasty.
Worse yet, Ignis acts as the groups cook and is always coming up with
amazing dishes to try…and it makes you wish you could reach into the screen and
take some for yourself. Oh Final Fantasy
XV, how do you torture my stomach sooooooo?
#2-So much to do
and not touch the main story
Yes, you’ll have to get to it eventually. The story is important. But, unlike Final Fantasy XIII, there is no
liner storyline. You can actually run
around and do a ton of stuff in between missions. There’s bounties to run (killing monsters for
cash), fishing, driving, exploring dungeons, retrieving items in the
desert. Sure these sound like average
RPG tropes, but at times this feels like Final Fantasy’s answer to Grand Theft
Auto…without the murder and chaos and running people over and…yeah maybe GTA wasn’t
the best example to use. Point is, you
can spend hours going on various quests and chilling at a campsite in the first
few hours just to reach a high level before you touch the main quest again. I remember running into a dungeon not knowing
there was a level 50 boss at the bottom…and I was level 9. It scared the frak out of me, and resulted in
my first loss of the game. But it
encouraged me to go do more and level up.
It may be a bit before I reach Level 50 myself…but im gonna have fun
getting there. It’s as the intro states:
This is a Final Fantasy for both Veterans and Newcomers.
#1-The Boys
While I never finished the Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
Anime prequel, turns out I really didn’t have to in order to enjoy the fun
loving banter between the four main characters.
From the get go, you get the sense that Noctis, Gladio, Promto and Ignis
have been friends for a long time and have formed a life long bond. Listening to the guys bag on each other about
something random: from Noctis’ bride to be to Gladio’s lack of a shirt to
Prompto being so energetic he’s almost useless, is a sign of a well written
bunch. I’m sure things are bound to get
darker for them the further I get into the game. And who knows how bad ass they’ll all sound
when they get into the real battles of the game. Is it wrong that the current lack of a hot
female party member like Tifa or Riona doesn’t hurt things at all…though Gladio’s
sister is pretty cute, can she tag along?
It’s a long game, a girl could ride along at some point. For now, I’m ok hanging with the Backstreet
Boys of Final Fantasy.
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