Final Fantasy XVI (22nd June 2023)

[Glen-i]

What does it say about me that I watched @Julius's tweet and thought "Well, that's just wrong. Ifrit could never one shot Phoenix like that!"?

[bob]

What does it say about me that I watched [mention=20895]Julius[/mention]'s tweet and thought "Well, that's just wrong. Ifrit could never one shot Phoenix like that!"?

That you're a massive nerd?

[Glen-i]

32 minutes ago, bob said:

That you're a massive nerd?

You're damn right!

[Choze]

They confirm, there will infact be a patch lol

More options: Controller binds, camera, lock on/off, motion blur options etc.

Performance will be looked at and patched. Apparently not due to Ray Tracing. Pushes PS5 hard.

Recommendation to play with HDR on.

 

[Julius]

59 minutes ago, Choze said:

They confirm, there will infact be a patch lol

More options: Controller binds, camera, lock on/off, motion blur options etc.

Performance will be looked at and patched. Apparently not due to Ray Tracing. Pushes PS5 hard.

Recommendation to play with HDR on.

Good stuff.

No real surprise I don't think, I know they've said before they want the game in a state printed on disc where a Day 1 Patch won't be required, but this is also Yoshi-P and CBU III we're talking about; I haven't played XIV, but from the Live Letters to the short delays to touch up cutscenes here and there, I get the feeling that they're kind of perfectionists, so even if not a Day 1 Patch, a Week 1 Patch seemed all but inevitable, because I'd bet a lot of Gil that they'd been working on an update anyways in the 2-3 months since the game went gold. 

Motion blur options is the main one for me, I said it in my thoughts on the demo but the frame rate and motion just felt a little disorienting at times (I never think the off-centred over-the-shoulder camera works great when those are lagging) as I'm super sensitive to those things when I first play most games before I adapt after a few hours/a second session. 

Cannot wait until Thursday, I convinced a friend to try the demo and he loved it (no previous FF experience). Trying to get two of my other friends to try it out too. 

I'm so ready for this game. The hype is palpable; the hype is real 

[Glen-i]

11 minutes ago, Julius said:

no previous FF experience

I mean, to be fair, previous FF experience won't really help one iota here, would it?

[Julius]

18 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

I mean, to be fair, previous FF experience won't really help one iota here, would it?

To clarify, my point was that they haven't played an FF before (so there was definite hesitation that they'd be into it) and came out loving the demo to the point that they're considering picking up the full game, so the demo pretty much singlehandedly won them over to the point that they're thinking about picking up their first FF  nothing to do with the combat or anything like that carrying over and helping

Anyways, that seems to be a sentiment I'm seeing a whole lot across the board from streams and reactions to the demo, it seems to be onboarding a whole lot of new people to the franchise and I don't even think it's just down to being more of an action game, but the story, characters, world and music (all the consistent bread and butter of FF imo) are doing a lot of heavy lifting for prospective newcomers too! 

 

It feels like the first mainline FF in a long time where you can just come in fresh and without the game having some sort of baggage. 

VII Remake, much as I love it, is a hard sell even though I loved it because newcomers are going to be lost with no VII experience to lean on. 

XV had it's multimedia mess which split it's story up. 

XIV, well, is an MMO and a daunting thing to get into now, but obviously was a mess with its original launch and took years for Yoshi-P and CBU III to fix. 

XIII was a trilogy. 

Which means XII...maybe was the last one you could come in fresh to? And even then: Ivalice.

XI, is, well, another MMO. 

So, honestly, does that mean X was basically the last mainline FF serving as potential ideal entry for newcomers and a complete blank slate, that wasn't an MMO? I know there's X-2 and people love that game's combat, but I also don't see X-2 talked about as being essential to the X experience in the way the latter games in the XIII trilogy are often talked about as essential to enjoying XIII more 

Anyway, point is: wild that the game's winning so many new people over with its demo (can't remember the last time I saw a demo have this sort of impact), and kind of wild it's the first blank slate the series has had in a super long time. Hopefully it crushes and we get to see Yoshi-P and CBU III continue the good work 

[Glen-i]

Ah right, I get what you mean now.

As to the whole blank slate thing, I don't really buy that X was the last one. When XIII came out, it was a stand-alone title. You could play just the first game, and it would be a complete story.

Of course, now? Different matter, but in that case, then I'd say it was IX that offers a complete stand-alone plot, not X.

[Julius]

37 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

As to the whole blank slate thing, I don't really buy that X was the last one. When XIII came out, it was a stand-alone title. You could play just the first game, and it would be a complete story.

Of course, now? Different matter, but in that case, then I'd say it was IX that offers a complete stand-alone plot, not X.

Yeah, I was thinking the same about X and XIII after I posted, so I agree. 

So either XIII (13 years ago) or IX (23 years ago)...yeah, either way I think it's safe to say it's been a minute since the last mainline FF which (at launch) was friendly to newcomers! 

[Glen-i]

2 hours ago, Julius said:

Yeah, I was thinking the same about X and XIII after I posted, so I agree. 

So either XIII (13 years ago) or IX (23 years ago)...yeah, either way I think it's safe to say it's been a minute since the last mainline FF which (at launch) was friendly to newcomers! 

I feel like I should point out that despite my gripes with Square's efforts to distance the series from it's roots, this game in particular, standing on it's own merits, does look really good. Honestly, it's the first game PS5 has flaunted that I actually would want to play. Every trailer has made me want it more. And the demo isn't helping matters. Bringing in Platinum to help out only bolsters my confidence that I need to try this game.

...Eventually. I generally have a rule that no one game is good enough to warrant an entire console purchase, especially one as pricey as the PS5. And it is a Square title, I expect to at least come to the PC in the future, so I can wait.
I hope you enjoy it as much as the demo, because Square might have finally nailed the action Final Fantasy genre here, and that's quite the occasion.

Edited June 17, 2023 by Glen-i

[Choze]

Yeah FF has really struggled since the PS1 days. FFXIV has been their saving grace. Though I haven't played much in the way of FF games so cant call myself a fan. I still lose attention with most high rated RPG games (Witcher, Dragon Age, FF games etc.).

A JP TV spot.

[Julius]

On 6/17/2023 at 6:47 PM, Glen-i said:

I feel like I should point out that despite my gripes with Square's efforts to distance the series from it's roots, this game in particular, standing on it's own merits, does look really good. Honestly, it's the first game PS5 has flaunted that I actually would want to play. Every trailer has made me want it more. And the demo isn't helping matters. Bringing in Platinum to help out only bolsters my confidence that I need to try this game.

Yeah, it really does look (and play) fantastic! It's also interesting because, for me, it's one of still only a handful of games that has felt next-gen in how far it is clearly pushing things; because of games like Ragnarök and Forbidden West ending up cross-gen, this feels like the first next-gen game that has the potential to make my PS5 spontaneously combust because it's trying to do so many exciting things. Compare that to Jedi Survivor, which wanted to do the same thing when I hopped from one ledge to another 

As for Platinum's involvement in supporting, yeah, it's kind of wild to me just how we all just accepted that a former DMC combat designer came in to direct this game and no-one suggested for a second that Platinum - somehow, someway - might have some involvement. It feels so, so obvious once you start playing the game! Similar goes for the Kingdom Hearts team, even with the scant time I've put into the first of those games playing with my younger brother a good while back now, it's super obvious. 

I was really worried going into the demo that the combat wouldn't be all that engaging, and by all means, like any other mainline FF (at least that I've played), I do get the sense that you could brute force your way through this game without needing to dive deep into the combat. And that's the beauty of it (and the NG+ Final Fantasy and Ultimaniac Modes), after watching others play the demo, I'm really excited to try some new things out once I get my hands on it!

On 6/17/2023 at 6:47 PM, Glen-i said:

...Eventually. I generally have a rule that no one game is good enough to warrant an entire console purchase, especially one as pricey as the PS5. And it is a Square title, I expect to at least come to the PC in the future, so I can wait.

Yep, I've got the same rule in place for myself too, and at the moment it's hard at work deflecting the alluring potential of Starfield. I just need that game to release and I know I'll be fine, though, there's no way it releases in good enough shape to tide me over based on every Bethesda Softworks launch over the last decade 

As for it coming to PC - yes it is! I believe it was first announced for it when it was revealed way back in 2020, I think the splash screen was basically

 

PLAYSTATION CONSOLE EXCLUSIVE

*also available on PC

 

so I imagine it'll probably be on PC next summer if VII Remake's deal is anything to go by? 

I just want to see the inevitable Jack mods 

On 6/17/2023 at 6:47 PM, Glen-i said:

I hope you enjoy it as much as the demo, because Square might have finally nailed the action Final Fantasy genre here, and that's quite the occasion.

Thanks! Yeah, if the demo is anything to go by, I'm sure I will  I've been listening to the Battle Theme nonstop and I'm hooked, and I have no doubt while it feels like they've shown a lot they also have plenty hidden up their sleeves! 

4 hours ago, Choze said:

I still lose attention with most high rated RPG games (Witcher, Dragon Age, FF games etc.).

It's interesting because I completely bounced off The Witcher 3 too, really seems to have drawn a lot of people in, and those that are into it end up loving it and are glued to it, whereas those that bounce off it REALLY bounce off it. 

Also that TV spot was awesome! 

 

THREE DAYS TO GOOOOOOOOOOOO 

 

[Julius]

So, uh, Clive's Invictus sword is on display in London for the next month:

Quote

Working in partnership with Royal Armouries, a world-renowned museum that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour, Clive's Invictus sword from Final Fantasy XVI is on display in the White Tower in the Tower of London until July 19th.

Just two days to go! 

And it's looking like reviews will be dropping tomorrow, so I'm very curious to see how it fares with reviewers! 

[Julius]

Available now for pre-load for those going the digital route...

[Choze]

On 17/06/2023 at 6:47 PM, Glen-i said:

...Eventually. I generally have a rule that no one game is good enough to warrant an entire console purchase, especially one as pricey as the PS5. And it is a Square title, I expect to at least come to the PC in the future, so I can wait.
I hope you enjoy it as much as the demo, because Square might have finally nailed the action Final Fantasy genre here, and that's quite the occasion.

The problem with pc gaming is the stupid GPU pricing and specs. Its also an extra miserable experience right now. Makes PC ports difficult to handle.

I expect no rush to port until the GPU situation improves.

Edited June 21, 2023 by Choze

[Julius]

ONE. MORE. DAY! 

Reviews should be dropping this afternoon. 

[Julius]

The reviews are flooding in!

Looking good 

[Julius]

Digital Foundry tech review is absolutely glowing:

Quote

With new worlds to explore, characters to meet, and battles to fight, all paired with a world-class soundtrack and a sharp presentation, Final Fantasy 16 arrives in excellent condition and gives players exactly the experience the developers intended. It's one of the most polished games we've seen this year on a technical level, taking into account elements from visuals and audio to technology and performance. It's not quite flawless, but it's as close as we've seen for a long time - and that's worth celebrating.

Currently sitting at an 88 on Metacritic and a 90 on Opencritic, which is super exciting to see!

I never put too much stock in review aggregation other than to get a general idea of what the general consensus will probably end up being (I'd rather make up my own mind based on my own time with the game!), but man, that's a well-reviewing game if I've ever seen one! 

[Ike]

Any reason why it releases on a Thursday?

[Choze]

Looks like they won a lot of people over. First great mainline game in quite some time!

Not counting the online games of course!

 

[Julius]

Into. My. Freaking. Veins. 

All of the art I've seen so far for XVI has been beautiful, and I honestly think it's some of the nicest we've seen for modern FF. Will absolutely buy an art book if/when one arrives. 

My copy got dispatched earlier today, and tracking is saying that it's on course to arrive tomorrow morning. Will get it installing while I work and then plan to dive in head first as soon as I finish! 

[Glen-i]

18 hours ago, Ike said:

Any reason why it releases on a Thursday?

Wanted to match up with the eShop update...

...wait...

[Julius]

Royal Mail have pulled off an almighty blunder and so despite being in, they've not delivered. 

So, naturally, I'm now in an Uber on my way to my nearest GAME to pick up a copy in-person...which I don't think I've done for any game since I picked up my Switch over 4 years ago.

But XVI can't wait another day, so I'm just doing what must be done 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Julius

[Julius]

34 minutes ago, Julius said:

But XVI can't wait another day, so I'm just doing what must be done 

And it is done, even upgraded to the Deluxe Edition just for the pretty box 

Time to see what this install size and time is like! 

[Choze]

Seems to follow the demo so far. I am now getting larger open stages with a few towns/hubs in them. So its very much like FFXIV zones in that respect. Lots of smaller story/scenario type stages too.

Very action adventure like. RPG elements are very light. No mini games so far. FFXIV esque in good ways. Graphics are fantastic. Especially once the location variety kicks in. Sound design is great. Easy to follow and stay playing. Liking it alot. Will post more later.