Hajime Tabata talks first-person warp-strikes, exploring Insomnia, the continued evolution of Final Fantasy XV, and more.
Starting today, Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition expands further on the acclaimed RPG and its story with new features, new gear and a new dungeon – Insomnia City Ruins. I was lucky enough to reach out to Director Tabata and ask away the many bubbling thoughts in my head. In case you aren’t aware of what’s included, check out the trailer:
If you didn’t have any time to play or the opportunity to pick up Final Fantasy XV since 2016, there’s never been a better time to jump in as the Royal Edition comes packed with the main game and over 20 DLC pieces of content.
If you’re like me and have been playing Final Fantasy XV since the main game and following with every season pass episode release, you can quickly upgrade to the Royal Edition at PlayStation Store.
It was a pleasure to interview the director himself on what’s new in the Royal Edition. Check out our interview below.
1. Why did you make the Royal Edition?
We created this as an important way to highlight all the development team’s initial post-launch activities up to now that have been recorded. So I would like newcomers to the game to enjoy this advanced version of FFXV. And for fans who’ve already played the game, we’ll be upgrading the game to have the same content as the Royal Edition. It’s a culmination of everything we’ve done up to now, so please experience it for yourselves.
2. Where did the name Royal Edition come from?
First, we wanted to avoid naming it the Complete Edition, because we still have plans of continuing services in the future. We came up with the word ROYAL in association with the Lucis royal line, and also felt it best suited this most complete edition of FFXV available at this time. We previously had a patch named the “Crown Update,” which was also named in association with the Lucian royal family.
3. What can fans look forward to in Insomnia City Ruins?
I received plenty of requests from fans who’ve played the game and watched the movie “Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV,” saying they’d like to be able to walk around Insomnia. So I’m sure there will be some very rewarding discoveries if they explore the extra map.
4. Where did the idea of warp striking in first-person mode come from?
First, we came up with the idea of making FFXV playable in first-person mode. Naturally, it was then decided without much doubt that warp strikes would also be done in first-person mode. Likewise, nobody raised any doubts about riding the Chocobo in first-person either. So as a result, making these adjustments was super-difficult, but nobody ever said “let’s quit!” (laughs)
5. With first-person mode and an all-new dungeon, there’s quite a lot of stuff in here! Is there anything else you wish could have made its way into the Royal Edition?
I would say underwater exploration. However, since there’d be difficulties spec-wise, and with limited locations where players could play this, we prioritized the other elements.
6. With the Royal Edition, you can also now control the Royal Vessel. I’m looking forward to fishing aboard the vessel with this new feature. Any new fish recipes you’re particularly fond of?
I asked the food team and they said they have sushi made from various parts of the tuna —and they’re all recommended.
Ignis’ new recipes are always a treasure! I can only imagine how delicious these new sushi recipes will look. There are so many new things added to the Royal Edition. Check it out today and find yourself immersed in the world of Eos now fully loaded with these new features. Which of these are you most amped for?
They gave us an incomplete game for full price and now they want us to keep paying to get the full game, i am done with this game
They got the game released in 3 years under Tabata directing the game. Rather than giving up on the game like BioWare employees did with Mass Effect Andromeda, they’re constantly working on free updates that change up the game.
Your public outcry just makes you sound like a sniveling child. If you’re truly done with the game, go on with your life. Your post adds absolutely nothing to the discussion.
Valyrious said something about FREE UPDATES, okay, tell us more about ROYAL PACK, most important game update to date, being paid?
That incomplete game had over 100 hours worth of content and it was only $60 if you bought it retail. 60 hours out of a $60 game is well worth it for most sane people.
I don’t understand this complaint…I love that there is more to come, how people b*tch and complain I just don’t understand. There have been 600 Skyrim editions for $60 a pop, each game $60…Final Fantasy puts out a DLC for $15 and the world is ending. Good leave the game, tired of the whining.
I can’t believe all the people on here calling us crybabies for wanting a complete game… It’s not that much to ask. Yeah, it’s great when developers continue to support a game with quality paid content and free updates after launch, just look at the Witcher 3 or Dying Light; but those games were huge fully fleshed out games with tons of story and content BEFORE any updates or DLCs were announced. It is NOT great when a game is released unfinished and uses continuous updates to try and fix a story post launch or add critical story elements behind paywalls. I’m not telling you to boycott Square, but at least acknowledge there’s a problem. Why are you defending something that is worse for you than the alternative??
it seemed pretty complete to me. all that came out was small additions to the ending which can be replayed through the chapter select. and i liked all the DLC episodes that have some out so far.
if you don’t like it kid go back to playing the latest call of duty:_______
So what I’m seeing here is that after waiting 10 years and spending $95 on a game I’m not allowed to be upset with a broken story with very little structure? I will admit the combat and gameplay was very fluid and fun but I play Square Enix games for the story and I was very disappointed with how much was left out and not explained that had to be added in months later after I had already played through the game. That would be like reading a book with important chapters missing only for the author to say, “Oh I’m sorry I was rushed, so I published the book with a few chapters missing. You’ll need to read these few online and a few others you’ll need to pay for in short stories I’ll be publishing in parts later on in the year.”
It really is BS that they release an incomplete game and are trying to charge us for a story that should have been done the first time. But with the amount of people who call us crybabies it seems it’s plenty of dumb ass*s out there who want to be their money on this… Must be nice to still be that old and living with mom and have the money to waste..
The option to upgrade doesn’t seem to be working right now. When exactly is the option supposed to go live? I thought it’d go along with this post.
Wait… The upgrade is $50? That pisses me off so much. I’m a season pass holder and still expected to pay another $50 on top of what I paid for the deluxe edition game and season pass? Hell no!!!
Well, season pass + upgrade IS around 50… So, you are right.
I’m pretty certain if you already have the season pass all you need to get is the FFXV “Royal Pack” which seems to have all the new stuff that is added from this and is $20 (CAD)
you only need to pay 15 dollars for the royal pack, but its still very expensive considering that its basically rework of chapter 14 with improvements to the story that it was free before.
They accidentally linked to the full version of the updated game. The upgrade is a VERY reasonable $14.99, find it under add ons. :)
Mine isn’t working either, I have tried everything I can think of from restarting my PS4 to passing the game all over again and nothing has changed.
Day 1 purchaser of the game here. Haven’t played since I platinumed the game back in December of 2016.
The game has changed so much from the last time I played it. I think it deserves an award for most improved game. I can’t wait to revisit the game and experience all the current DLC, as well as play through the game again and enjoy it all over again.
I just wish that current owners got a digital Royal Edition update, with all DLC and the new update, for a discounted price.
Most improved is pretty subjective. I would say this game gets 5/5 piles of garbage as a rating.
A friend of mine bought the game like 1 month ago without knowing about Royal Edition and paid the same price as it is right now but now it came with all the dlc! I know that you can buy an upgrade to have the new stuff but is there a discount on the season pass or if he want it with the royal stuff and all dlc he will have to pay like the same price as the new game???
You can buy the upgrade as an add-on for $14.99 USD. :)
And yet this STILL isnt the complete addition.. what happened to additional cutscenes in the main game that flesh out the characters a little more and explain stuff, plus the other promised story improvements like episode ardyn? In other words folks dont buy this.. wait another yer for the “complete complete edition”
That would be another 15 dollars, sir!
TL;DR: I’m a baby and I need a baba.
agreed! You do need a baba and also a brain. Money doesn`t seen to be an issue.
In other words, season pass means nothing to square anymore. By the way, how many “even-more-special-editions” will be released after this one? Because I need to start saving to buy the ultra-mega-super-royal-awesome-colectors-edition” in 2025… I miss the time when we would buy a whole game, not 20% of it at release… Every news regarding Square becomes a disappointment….
I miss the days when gamers weren’t such cry babies. Those were the days.
One could say that in the “good old days”, games were released as complete to begin with. I’d rather wait longer for a game to be wrapped up rather than experiencing it piecemeal, myself.
Yeah it sucks to look forward to new stuff on a game you love…(rolling eyes)…Go play Skyrim and pay $60 for each edition…$15, god help us all. I’ll need to get a second job! whine whine whine
Moguri, this game was released COMPLETE OVER a year ago. All the extra stuff getting released, including this Royal Edition, are just that, EXTRA. They are NOT part of the main game or the main story. They are just a little extra stuff with a bit more back story explained. Add ons to the complete game. That’s all they are. A way for the company to pay to keep supporting the game. If not for these add ons and stuff, SE would have flat out quit supporting this game ENTIRELY over a year ago because they wouldn’t have been able to afford to support it. That means, no updates to the game to fix glitches and stuff, no online component you can do with friends like Comrades, NONE of that because they wouldn’t be able to afford them. Stuff like that is what the extra add ons are for. NONE of that is free. You think it costs nothing to keep online servers going for games?
The royal pack content should be free for day 1 gamers who bought the game and supported SE. its not acceptable that improvement to the main game and main story now its behind a paywall when it was free before, One thing its new episodes, optional and extra content. I dont know how substancial it is but basically a remake of chapter 14 now its locked only for those who pay, its just pure greed.
I keep thinking about FF VII remake. Square will probably charge 60 dollars for each of the 5 parts of the complete game, 35 for all master materias DLC, a 3x AP equipment for 20 bucks and …. 50 bucks DLC called “Immortal Aeris”. What can I say… its FF VII!
I debated whether or not to say anything about this because I don’t like to complain. I’ve been struggling with this whole thing for a while now. DLC, extra episodes, etc. are one thing. But these constant additions and changes to the main game are really annoying me.
I spent $296.98 for the collector’s edition. I can’t complain about that. I wanted it, I wanted the figure, and the movie, an everything that came with it. But also I wanted the game. And I played the game the day it came out, and finished what was on the disc within a few weeks. Oddly, for that nearly $300 price tag, I did not get the season pass, so I had to pay an additional price for that. Soon after, they began announcing changes the to the game I had already finished. More cut scenes, additional tweaks and changes, not to the system, but to the actual STORY.
1/?
2/?
Now, to get a load more changes to the actual system, play style, areas I can travel to, ways i can play, the ability to play as the other characters, additional dungeons, etc etc etc, IN THE MAIN GAME i’d have to pay even more AND start from the beginning to play it all again. So why did I bother ordering it months before it came out to play it on day one, if the game has been changed so much and has so much additional content now, and is STILL being added to?
I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that these days games are actually $90, and they just give us a stripped-down incomplete basic version for that initial $60,and they make us pay for the rest as DLC, but FFXV is a whole ‘nother basket of fish. (Speaking of fish, the VR portion of FFXV is a whole separate game!)
Really pretty disappointed by all of this.
I feel your pain. SE really screwed over their fans with this title.
I thought the royal edition upgrade was free for those who owned the game, now we have to pay an extra $15 plus the $25 season pass and god knows how much for the future DLC to get the “complete game”. Sucks for us who decided to support you day 1 SE.
15 dollars and doesn’t include all the dlc? So I’d have to spend 40 on top of the 60 I paid for the game at launch to get all the content.
Or I’ll just sell the PS4 copy for 30 bucks and get the steam version for 50 that includes all the content and actually hits 60fps while looking much better. GG with your terrible prices
GL getting $30 for your base copy. I see brand new copies going unsold for $15 all the time, and that was before this update.
I’m sure Square are crying at the thought of you buying the game again. xD
Um, wrong link. The royal pack for initial release owners is only $14.99. I kinda wish this was in the season pass but I thought it would be more expensive than this and thankfully it’s not.
I am neither very happy or very mad that this is how they’ve handled the game after all that went into it because I applaud their efforts to make this game as good as they can before finally moving on. I’d personally like to see a complete remake in my life in a game gen or two that starts over and makes all the movie, anime, and episode content etc. flow like it should but one can dream.
Looking forward to seeing the new content though.
So many people complaining that Square is charging $14.99 USD to upgrade to this version. Guys, this adds SO MUCH, and it’s not like we didn’t more than get our money’s worth with the season pass.
This is a day one buy for me. I think $15 is so reasonable for what we’re getting. No one is forcing you to pick this up, it’s just a way to revisit the game with some additional content / features. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game I’m happy to have a reason to head back in. Time to hang out with the boys. :)
Right, because 60 for an incomplete waste of time is perfectly reasonable, as well as another 50 for the rest of it. Get a grip.
Well said glassmusic. if people want to complain about paying for new content that the creators work hard on to support them and their work, because they still need to get paid for what they do, then why are they even getting involved in the first place. If you don’t like the game or don’t like how games are made and supported nowadays then just don’t buy them, sit in your mom’s basement and play on your snes all day. I will continue to pay for this great work they are doing to support them and to let them continue to have jobs
I love ad hominem attacks! But seriously, by spending your money on this garbage you’re just promoting their agenda of releasing incomplete games and forcing you to pay for the completion. I don’t mind that you feel you enjoy it, I have a problem with the business model. Also, this game is a hot pile of garbage. They had 10 years and dozens of other open world games to draw inspiration from and we get stuck with a closed off, open world game with a story that you will not understand unless you buy a movie and watch the anime. Sorry if I don’t agree with that. I guess I’ll be stuck with a full price, incomplete game.
A game with over 100+ hours of content is “incomplete of waste of time”. Right.
“Promoting their agenda” I’m speechless…
Everything has to be done in an instant. “I want everything NOW!” The “One Click” people…*Click* Pizza…*Click* Download game…Why can’t people look forward to stuff anymore? $15….I sure hope you are on a Bethesda site complaining about their business model…bending you over and charging you $60 for it too….Just don’t play the game dude, go onto something else and just be happy. Like Stig_1444 said 100+ hours…
Mugan, no, not an instant.I would like to have seen a better effort when it comes to a 10 year development cycle. By patronizing this garbage process, you only reinforce the mentality that game developers are using;its ok to release a game that is not complete. When we finish it, we’ll just charge a premium for the content that should have been in the game at launch. I’m sorry if that offends you, but I am not satisfied with how this is being handled. I would expect that by the end of the true cycle, SE will have charged close to $200 for a now completed game. QoL improvements, in today’s market, are to be expected. Additional story components that fill in the holes are a cash grab. SE knew exactly what they were doing. I’m surprised you don’t.
Demosis, that $60 was for a COMPLETE game, not an incomplete one as you claim. What you get with that $60 is between 50 and 100 hours of gameplay. Sounds like a complete game to me lol. What you get with that extra $50 is more gameplay, more back story, more areas, more features that add on to an ALREADY COMPLETED game and allow the people as SE to ACTUALLY KEEP SUPPORTING the game for years to come. You think it costs them nothing to continue to support the game? News flash. It don’t. If they can’t afford to keep supporting the game, they will outright QUIT supporting the game. Means any glitches that are found will be ignored forever. Means the ability to play with your friends online with components such as Comrades will disappear because that requires them to pay for certain servers. ALL of that support vanishes because they wouldn’t be able to pay for it without continued support from the fan base. Additional content is fine as long as they aren’t forced on you and actually add some interesting back story or dynamic or cosmetic even.
Was kinda hoping for a Season Pass + Royal Pack bundle that doesn’t require repurchasing the entire game.
Doubt any of the DLC will ever go on sale now (Why is that, I’ve always wondered. Instead of season passes going on sale the “Complete Edition” does instead. >.>)
“And for fans who’ve already played the game, we’ll be upgrading the game to have the same content as the Royal Edition.”
…except, you’re not…? And you’re charging $15 for those that already had the base-game + the season pass to even it out to the “current version”? Life-long Final Fantasy fan, try to always remain positive on the internet, and I’ll attempt to keep this relatively short as I know this all has been expressed 1,000 times over across the internet…but, I’ve never felt angrier with a game purchase then I have with FFXV. Every move SE has made since its release has not helped in the slightest. I feel screwed over as an early-adopter, I completely regret having purchased it and supporting this kind of an unfinished/money-grabbing release, and will absolutely be considering this entire ordeal when it comes to purchasing any of your future games. Here’s to 2019’s “Super Royal Crystal Knights Ultra Complete Edition”.
I feel your pain. I really do. To those mocking us and saying how it’s not a big deal or how it’s just 15 more dollars, are the real problem with why SE does this. They completely miss out the whole point.
I myself got it on day one, and even contemplated getting the season pass, I seriously stressed over it for a good 30 mins if I should pull the trigger or not, and it has nothing to do with money cause I obviously have it, it just made me wonder if I would actually need it or if it was a failure of a purchase. Well, I bought it. I bought it before playing the game. And man, did I regretted it. I loathed the game. The tiny text hurt my eyes immensely and I couldn’t played it until they finally released another update to fix it. I was glad that I bought it because holy ****, all those DLCs, but looking back on it, I shouldn’t have to get it to get a full game. And SE demanded that you play the DLCs to fill in some cracks. And now they demand that you pay additionally to get the other crap. Adds more insult to injury when the game is honestly bad. Well, my opinion, I’m sure. But yeah, never again will I buy a title right away
And another trash release for a trash game. I swear this is going to turn in to the next mmorpg. Can you please just stop trying to grab more cash from this abomination of a game?
Stupid opinion is stupid.
Could not have summed up your argument better!
It’s bad enough they are forever updating a pretty crappy game. It ain’t even all that. Pity.
You’re becoming really tedious. Are you done?
I’ll be done when SE stops trying to charge money for a broken IP.
Omfg.. listen to all the whining. I bought the UCE for $300. Season pass for $25. All the little DLCs, I bought em. Royal upgrade, bought. Don’t hear me whining thou. Just think, SE could have went the EA route and stuffed everything into loot boxes. $15 is less than a meal at Panera so quit your crying.
I mean, really all they’re doing in encouraging Square Enix to release incomplete games and make you pay for the rest of the story. Nothing wrong with setting a new standard in game development. Especially after a 10 development cycle. Totally reasonable.
Listen if you want to kiss butt of a company that gives no crap about you, go ahead. I pay to get a complete game and I’m going to complain if you’re going to change it and tell me I need to pay for it when I already bought a season pass. I don’t care if it’s only $20 Canadian, I’m a let em know a crap move is a crap move.
I think you’re making my point?
The Royal Edition is awesome, the art key is awesome. I wished Noctis would survive :( Cor is awesome in RE. let Noctis survive please, Long live King Noctis <3
Yeah…..way to not filter your spoiler tag cause everyone obviously played the game LOL Tell us more spoilers.
Well, I, for one, will not be purchasing any of their future releases until 5+ yrs after released just to be safe. It doesn’t help matters that new players will miss out on any Live Events (not that they were anything amazing…. AC did a decent job though). Unless they tend to bring it all back for PC gamers. Who knows. Maybe PC gamers will spin this title into something positive, cause it’s PS4 owners are super mad xD
Don’t mind me, i have money to spend SO upgrade it is, see y’all on ffxv
This is why I respect Capcoms take on SFV.
This game should be watching and mimicing in a sense if you were smart.
All main game content that changes the main game content are all free updates that come to everyone, doesn’t matter what version. While Things like new characters and stages (DLC stories etc) can be charged for under a season pass etc. How are you going to really charge for main game content like that? Also even worses, atleast if it was given free to season pass owners it eould make some sense. Because it just means you can make the excuse like the additional content for comrades etc. but this is out of hand and sad. I like 15 and want to play the rest of the games content but have been holding out because I platinum’d it and the game has changed alot since and I haven’t played any DLC but a few hours of comrades despite having the dlc from the season pass
This isn’t some cheap phone game that costs 20 cents to make people. They need to sell their products to support production of new and better things. If you don’t want to pay for it no ones forcing you to buy anything, but if your a fan of the company or the series then paying for products is the only way to keep the ball rolling and the computers running. :-)
The problem is this.
If what they really want to do is charge $100 for the game, then do so once it’s fully baked. Don’t release a 2/3 game for $60 and then incrementally patch it for more money.
My only real issue with them is that anything additional they release should be 100% free for season pass holders. That’s what the hell it’s supposed to be for. I’ve not paid a dime more for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and it’s had tons of updates and content added.
Can you guys remake the game with the original story story? Thanks
This is a fairly new game..so not gonna happen..I been waiting for FFVII tho
Ive never seen people whinge so much about something, calm down children. Not the end of the world, just cause they bring something out, doesnt have to be for everyone. its not intended for those already owning the game. Im not getting it myself, but you dont see me crying about what they are doing. Compared to every other major AAA Studio, you should be thankful. If you aint buying it, dont cry about it. Its the same as crying about the newer version of your car and wanting a free upgrade
So, I’ve played through the game 4 times now, and once through the Pocket Edition. I bought the VR Fishing game, V-inspired clothing and art, soundtracks, and every bit of Story DLC (and have my eye on the ridiculous trinkets available to purchase). Additionally, I am a college professor teach a course (yes, for actual humanities credit) analyzing the game’s story for an entire semester. The story, actually, is what continues to draw me in. It is beautiful, poignant even in its subtlety, and remarkable (especially considering the development hell it underwent).
All this to say, I adore this game: the 4 bros are a great evolution of the classic 4-person party, Shimomura’s soundtrack is powerful and compelling, the camping loop is pristine. It is not a perfect game (though I tell my students they are playing a much, much better game than I did when it first launched), but it has all the things I want (and didn’t know I wanted!) in a modern final fantasy. As an avid player of every FF (and side-FF) since the beginning, FFXV is a worthy addition and gives me a lot of hope for the future. Just dloaded the $15 Royal add-on. Can’t wait to start.
This is what most people don’t understand. The Story is really amazing. What is missing are some parts left to be explained. Also some more character development for Luna and Ardyn, so that you can feel more connected to what they are going through.
But the FFXV story keeps me engaged to finding out as many details as possible about the story. Ardyn purely as a character is a very interesting villain. Obviously the story of the first iteration of FFXV felt a bit rushed and most players didn’t get what is even happening. Reading more about Ardyn’s past and motivations is making the game far more interesting.
So!e of these things should have been in a free updated and others I can understand charging for. While I get this is 15 dollars for owners of the game, it is still a slap in the face of season pass holders and collectors edition owners. To add insult to injury these updates are all things that should have been in the game in the first place. This sets a very bad impression for ff16. I was excited for this game, but now I just feel taken advantage of and handed the short end of the stick.
I also dont see the all important question of whether or not there will be an ff15 complete edition next year to take in this year’s content. I’m not touching any of this content post release till that version comes out. For the first time since ff6 on snes I will not be getting an ff game at launch when ff16 releases because of this fiasco.
Royal Edition = Beta Edition
Standard Edition = Alpha Edition
So will the next release be the Standard edition? Maybe they’ll have a story and character with actual personalities that are more than one sided cliche tropes.
“Evolution Continues” more like “We know we screwed up and releasing a fix. Please forget the original release!” Oh the now age of digital games. While I commend them on doing something about the MANY issues the game had/has, if you shine a turd it is still a turd.
Just bought for 15 bucks! Can’t wait to play again!!! Thank you Square Enix! Don’t let this game die!!! I will gladly keep paying money
Please let this game die.
Game is awesome. Keeps getting better. Was never ‘incomplete’.
I like the ongoing mysteries and questions that are there within the game.
Am I the only one who look Forward on future developement???
Rulers of Yore bossfight is easily one of my all time favourite bossfight, it’s epic!
Wish there will be another 10 of them in future updates/dlc, anyway this game has improve a lot since it’s day one release
really look forward on future updates!
Uhmm.. i hope this would be the last..how bout they make a new IP instead? it would be great to see a new type of gameplay.. preferably more inclined to FFXII Zodiac Age! i really like those job mechanic
If I buy RE I will be able to play on the seve from the usual xv?
Finally! an actual question from sane people..i would like to know this too.. I’m planning to buy the RE edition.. I think HZD dlc has a compatible save from the vanilla version..
If I have final fantasy Xv do I need to get the royal edition
Guys, you whiners need to get a grip. The story is amazing, the add-ons flesh out the story, and the prices aren’t going to break your bank account unless you work at the trash dump. If you wanted a fully completed game it wouldn’t be out right now; it’d be out in 2020 and you all would still be whining like a bunch of jerks, which incidentally you are making yourselves out to be. It takes a lot of time to make games of this quality: it is Final Fantasy after all. It’s not like the snes days where a whole game can be done in a year or two max. Tech has changed, and when it does it gets more difficult to compose. If you don’t like it, stop whining like babies and move on to something else like Sonic the Hedgehog or another baby game. Otherwise give credit where credit is due and enjoy the hard work SE is putting out. This is a flagship RPG game series, and even FFXIV wasn’t perfect the first time around (actually it was a hot mess). Trial and error. So if you don’t like it, stop wasting your and other people’s time posting ridiculous comments whining about piddly things, and either enjoy the best so far other than VI, or go away and stop wasting precious comment space. Enough said. Great job Square Enix!
I’ll disagree that it offers “50-100 hours of game play” Main story is what? 20 casual hours long? Compared objectively with other FF main series games, that is a paltry amount. Maybe 50% of what others have to offer. The 50 to 100 hours number is mostly side quest based, or fishing, neither of which add any real positive experiences to the game. Run by an npc crying for help? go do a side quest. Drive by a broken down car? Side quest! Drive around and have Prompto beg to take a photo with you? SIDE QUEST! (the photos are part of the narrative, but they’re incredibly boring and annoying). Lets go find some frogs! Take side content out, and use speed running as a barometer (subjective, sure) and it runs about 50-70% of the length of any 3D main line FF game. The story is only fleshed out if you watch an anime and a movie. What a load of crap. Yes, this game was an incomplete mess that they’re charging you twice to complete. You might want to support this manner of game release, but I will not. And I will let everyone else who is interested int he game know what they’re getting in to.
You beat me to my point about the hours. But I’ve got lots more to say. I wrote my full comment on an app in case I neededicated of start over. Thanks for rhinking the same thing
I’m a chime in an say something different. I already know games aren’t fully completed without DLC and could hardly care about any of that.
My issues with FFXV are based on what was removed and downplayed from FFvsXIII.
First off getting additional story to me isn’t EVEN IMPORTANT. WHY simple; what separates a movie from a game…the answer is “interaction” If you would gameplay. When I purchase DLC all I care about is expanded exploration, glitch fixes, enhanced game play, in RPGs level cap expanded to make up for the new content such as dungeons (plural) and new bosses (plural), new equipment, spells and perhaps more playable characters and NEW characters. So the price doesn’t matter it’s about what I get; NOT about paying for more movie. In MMOs you get expansion packs with more content not really story…because story is just spending money to watch a game (like Xenosaga).
But going off topic and back to FFvsXIII.
If you’ve ever seen FFvsXIII trailers you’ll notice combat was more Fantasy this game made combat real yet still Fantasy which to defeats the purpose of removing the fantasy combat.
What do I mean here are a few issues that killed exploration
1) jumping like a stone (NOT much height to the game or world, limits exploration)
2) no exploration or puzzle solving using warp. ONLY in the warehouses could you use warp strike outside combat
3) Dungeons being narrow including the close-up view made exploration seems 2D as opposed to 3D
In fact the game felt so 2D jumping almost seems obsolete as a feature.
Game play mistakes
1) grenade spells. Enough said. In the original spells were supposed to be not only actual spells but effected by terrain. Originally casting fire in the rain would make the spell burn out and fail…adds strategy to the game.
Only at small intervals was this done in the completed version (eg. behemoth).
2) What happened to the amazing warp abilities. As seen in the last trailer of FFvsXIII/first FFXV trailer Noctis could do what I call the Demon Step (or as it would actually probably be called “Blink Step)
3) Turret controlling, machine hopping and the real-time cutscenes in Insomnia and shown in Altissia and the wrought battle against Leviathan as opposed to the watered down battle we received. Just like Titan…you only fight his hand, ripoff.
Watch trailer from FFvsXIII to see for yourself which combat was better and more fantasy-like?
m.youtube.com/watch?v=ACSpgGAjGfM
from 15:29-23:10
Now for those to say “This is Fantasy based on Reality” well Noctis already “floats” (not literal) around NOT much can be said to exclude this God from being capable of JUMPING HIGH…so f*** the reality of jumping mechanics. Besides everyone’s weapons as shown in the Anime materialize. Prompto’s gun just appears. So not really an excuse for combat to be based on reality.
That’s the real issue. The making of the game taking 10 plus years is the fault of Nomura for focusing on his convoluted KH style story. If he had gave the story to someone else and continued (focused on) gameplay this game would’ve been unrivaled by
Almost all standards.
Tabata and Nomura should have worked on the project together. Tabata even opted out his own Duscae demo combat back to Nomura’s switching weapons on the fly in addition to many other ideas already contemplated by Nomura.
My own minor issues that have nothing to do with the game are the damage counter how can FFXIII break into 100K yet this game only deals 4-digits NOT EVEN 5-digits except techniques and summons.
Same for HP max out at 9999 WTF when is the last time they did that s*** how XIII-2 of them.
And the DLC episodes are just add-ons it ****ed me off you couldn’t level up or build Gladiolus (felt like an adventure rather than RPG Hell more like Kings Tale) in the DLC and you didn’t get any price for the real game except his genji blade and FS no shirt Gladio. What happened to teaching him Maelstrom and Dual Master, would’ve been boss to use this in-game. I don’t have the royal edition it may be possible with switching characters to perform this BUT before this it should’ve been an axiom to retrieve something useful from the episode DLCs
As for 60 hours with the 1 hunt per-challenge sure let’s say the game was actually 60-100 but the reality if you could do multiple hunts Wether starting or as your hunt level went up the number of hours would decrease because the side-quest were dull and more annoying how many times do I need to find someone give them a potion or fix their car? WTF and it doesn’t even unlock instantaneously. I went to the same spots over and over and after I beat the game back in Leide I found another needing gas.
The post game dungeons are just long hallways of stairs down to fight and already fought boss but pallets change and enhanced stats whoopee. The irony of this is Xenosaga II had so many post-game bosses and that game (my opinion) sucked. When I think post game I expect quite a bit to keep me entertained. Xenosaga II had 3 or 4 additional dungeons and like 12 or more bosses. Lots of sh** to do and again that game sucked. So if a sh** game can provide lots of bosses (like Star Ocean) why the f*** can’t square do this for FF. For KHII: Final Mix+ they added so much content yet for FF post-game/near end game it’s always lax.
The main game could be beat in literally 20 hours especially with fast travel and not even doing this as a “speed run” due to potion reviving. You can defeat bosses and enemies without needing to give two sh***. Hell Adamantoise was nothing more than a long battle very tried and boring. (Albeit using the ring to implode the bastard was fun)
Invisible walls in the AIR, no open-world for Tenebrae, Accordo or Cavaugh. No access to Solheim? Even with the royal vessel now unlocked can you explore new areas (new locations, dungeons, quests, bosses and monsters)? Or just see more of the world from a “pseudo background perspective” That’s a waste to me.
All and all I wasn’t completely disappointed by FFXV but to build on this I think not. I’d be better to work on FFXVI by using the constructive criticism from FFXV to create a true masterpiece or do what I would’ve done create a final Fantasy from a summon perspective. A world of God’s where you play as various summons (no humans only summons) on a colossal scale. I’d love to play a game called Final Fantasy: Realm of Gods
But I digress let this game rest and simply learn from it. It had its chance and it wasn’t bad just fell far from nearly everyone whom wanted it since vsXIII expectations. Hell WTF is going on with FFVII: The Remake (I would have called it FFVII: A Cloud Reborn (pun obviously intended))
PS The one thing I do especially like about FFXV is not making Noctis an emo-d*** because he scowls a lot and his character from the trailers felt emo af.
PPS. The only reason I think square is milking FFXV is honestly fear that if they worked on FFXVI no one ode few would buy it until they are sure FFXV complete is a hit, look at XIII they made 3 of them to fix (Albeit f***ed up) FFXIII.
They want to move on…but can they? Too much hype is going toward a complete FFXV even a year later that if it doesn’t get better by the fans status how can they go to FFXVI without anxiety of the culmination of FF?
If we don’t let it die…how can they?
(Would all be one comment but only allows 1250 char
This game is wicked and enchanting, very impressive dlc, love it all. How about making that Big Bang theme available to everyone though.
Its kinda nice you guys are releasing another version even though you’re screwing the playas who bought the game on release like these versions always do.I would get it but the cover is terrible compared to the cover of the standard edition and that means a lot to me.
Also quite the spoilers you gave on this post with those pics…that wasn’t needed.
You guys should learn to attack a persons argument instead of the person. You bring nothing to the table with these base insults and only aim to drive a wider gap between fellow gamers.
Given that, Its ridiculous that I should pay another $15 to play a further updated copy of the game. Saying it was in development hell for almost a decade or the fact that they keep patching and updating the game aren’t strong enough, Square should be held to release the BASE game 100% completed and not charge more on top for something that should have been in the game in the first place.
I already purchased the season pass which game me supplemental play modes aside from the base game with the boys. This is greed, pure and simple.
I just bought the royal edition disc and it says I have to go to the play store to download the stuff. But when I go to the play store it doesn’t show any of the royal pack for free? Can someone help me?
Why do I even need to pay for the new dlc if I’m a season pass holder for day one!? The game was incomplete to begin with now I have to pay again for the story I should have gotten from the start!? Screw SE and the while team working on this game.. you idiots had years to get this right and you didn’t.. but it seems it’s plenty of people willing to blow their money on this so great for SE that it’s plenty of suckers in the world