Final Fantasy XV

Yes, I did get Final fantasy XV for Christmas and although I haven't had much time to get into this game, it is pretty awesome. I don't want to get too much into the story because I am still new and don't know a whole lot myself, but the main thing is that it's about four guys and a car. Of the four guys the main one is Noctis, Prince of Lucis, the last free kingdom in the world of Eos. Lucis is protected by a crystal whose power is channeled by the king, so Noctis is pretty important because he has a unique set of magical powers that only he can use as the royal heir and his kingdom is dependent on him to perform his duties to keep out the daemons that plague the rest of the world. This is you're only playable character so no pressure, but a kingdom's fate rests squarely on your shoulders. Next up is Gladiolus, the bodyguard, he's basically a knight whose entire job is to keep you alive, but an event in Noctis' youth has led them to be friends so when he's not swinging his greatsword he's pretty laid back. Gladiolus has a sister who came to visit him at work one day and got lost when she wandered off, Noctis found her and helped her get home safe, then took the heat for them getting lost in the first place, then when they got home she confessed to her brother and he felt like he owed Noctis, but even more impotantly, Noctis never gave a hint that he wanted anything in return so Gladiolus recognized he wasn't the brat he thought he was. Then there's Ignis who appears to be your chauffer and personal chef based on what he actually does in your party, but really he's a high raking royal advisor who happens to have ended up with Noctis as his responsibility. The last guy is Prompto, who is really nothing more than a classmate of Noctis who got to be his BFF, which mens that lacking any official role, he's the odd man out, never really knowing what's going on and it's not even entirely clear why he's even there in the first place. Noctis is betrothed to Lunafreya, the Oracle, who seems to be the only magical person outside of Lucis and is largely responsible for protecting everybody else in the world. The Empire of Niflheim has united the people of the outside world and with Lucis the last holdout, they want the kingdom and a deal to secure peace between the two nations is relying on the marriage between Noctis and Lunafreya. And so the story begins with the four guys on a road trip to see the bride. Obviously, things don't go as planned...

What is really impressive about this game is how realistic it is, and I'm not just talking about graphics, it's also gameplay. In addition to combat, each guy has an "exploration" skill that levels up as they do things outside of combat that help the party, Noctis can go fishing, edible fish he catches can be cooked by Ignis, Gladiolus can find additional ingredients after battle, and Prompto takes pictures so you have mementos of everything. Okay, the last part doesn't seem important, but you get levels, so it must matter at some point. In any case, it's good to see how everything works together to be more than just using a tent to restore HP, then resume fighting random monsters like most RPGs. Also, there's the hunting aspect, reused from the last few games, you don't just get gil for killing monsters, you actually have to be contracted to hunt them or collect treasure to sell. And one of the best things is your car, the Regalia, which you use to get from one place to another while keeping your party together. On one hand, the car can be boring because you get in it and just ride to the next point on the map, but you also get to select your music while you ride which includes the soundtracks from every Final Fantasy game and a tribute single from Afrojack, so the auto pilot makes it easier to cycle through the deck. Also the car is realistically practical, I mean seriously, why do heroes seem to just walk across vast stretches of overworld? This is a modern world where you drive a car over long distances. You do have to gas it up periodically but your mechanic is a hot chick named Cindy who wears super short cutoff jean shorts and a bikini top (to be fair she lives in the desert, it's probably hot, but then why does she always wear that jacket too?). One really impressive feat is how the whole world is one continuous area, so everything is to scale. Everything about this game feels like it's real, every thing you've ever questioned about a game world is addressed except going to the bathroom. The only downside to all of this reality is that it's light on combat because while random encounters do happen, enemies don't just appear, they have to be somewhere so you tend to know when they are coming, which means unless you are stuck in a room with no way out, you can always run away from a battle. But when battles do happen, they are epic. Noctis has the power to summon weapons which is integral to the story, so as far as where these weapons are between battles, that's covered, but it also provides interesting mechanics, like how Noctis can reverse his weapon summoning by warping to his sword when he throws it and attacking enemies at long distances, which is both strategic and really cool looking. You can also use magic, although the system for it is a little odd, you draw out the three elements of fire, ice and lightning from draw points and then craft grenade-like spells three at a time to throw at enemies. There's also the risk that you can hit your own party with these, but if you learn how to use them properly, they can be good for crowd control.

When the game loads, it says "A Final Fantasy for fans and first timers" and I have to say, that about sums it up, fans will find plenty to love, and first timers will find an experience that is exciting and lacks everything that ever turned them off to the series and genre in the first place. For once, a game is worth the hype, I just hope FFVII remake follows suit.