I'll be honest, not having a good Christmas. Mom's in the hospital so Christmas has been delayed till she's back. Seeing a new REFOID turned that around. Best Christmas gift I could have asked for. FFXV is a mess, but a beautiful mess if you ask me. One of my top 3 FF's, can't wait for this.
Oof! Ending the epilogue with "thank you for watching over my son" is so great though. How the heck was Regis such a great character when barely even shown!?
If you’re ever craving more, going back to the secret dungeon (you don’t see it on the map and can only access it once your car can fly) it’s SOOO worth it. It’s very strange and there’s nothing else like it during the entire play through. There are a few points on the map only accessible with flight mode.
A thousand times yes. So frustrating but so rewarding. My sister recently started playing FFXV and immediately started trying to do... well, the stuff you do in Pitioss, but in the open world. I'm very excited for her to get to that dungeon.
Not you signing off the video with that tongue in cheek quote... 😭 Great analysis and reflection on this game--I love it so much and am just as disappointed in it but the point about Tabata and the "feels" he knows to get is honestly the most succinct way to describe what makes this game so special. Bravo job. I'm subbing 🎉
Day 1000, FFXV, one of the biggest and most emotional episodes by far I'm glad to see the series to this point after just stumbling across the channel for a review of the oh so obscure 4 heroes of light a few months ago. You truly are severely underrated BTW you don't look like Harry Potter, but more like Geddy Lee
What you said about each final fantasy game having its own ups and downs is exactly how I've felt playing these games for the first time myself over the past several years - it makes it really hard for me to pick a favorite, because they all have such great (and not so great) things about them. That said... the more I look back on XV, the more it comes out near the top for the interactions between the characters. Weirdly, FFXV was the first final fantasy game I ever touched, so it was my first introduction to things like Chocobos (it set the bar high), but I only finished XV after I went ahead and played 9, 10, 7 and 8 first. In that time, I've felt like 15 just gets easier to appreciate the more I think about it and return to it. Thank you for the time you put into this review of the WHOLE 15 experience; it's making me excited to check out more of the things I missed for myself.
The best present I could have asked for, a 2 hour masterpiece covering my (no longer) favorite FF game. I can't wait to digest this along with the delicious meal I had for lunch.
@TomLazan It was my favorite until I actually got around to playing 5 and 9 and replaying 7. 9's now my favorite and 15 got bumped to fourth place. Still A favorite, just not THE favorite.
Both this and the video about the prequels were a fantastic way to recall my own memories of experiencing FFXV. It was my first Final Fantasy and the first game I was so hyped about to get on debut. Played it for hundreads of hours and really felt in love with characters and the world. The music and some of the most emotional scenes still makes me tear up (especially the campfire one near the end). It's a really important game for me that I'm definitely gonna revisit at some point. For now, years after finishing it, I'm having my own road trips with the boys. Can't wait to see what you'll think about FFXVI!
Yes! FFXV time! I'm so glad to have watched this. I'll get my thoughts right away. So first: Nice Keyblade. Haha. Second, there's actually more quality side content to enjoy in XV. The Adamantoise is a unique spectacle, Pitioss Dungeon is fun and creative, the Omega Weapon and the Dread Behemoth/Tyraneant are challenging fights, Menace Beneath Lucis is a true test of skill, and the process of unlocking Armiger Unchained is very rewarding, to list a few. I hope you were able to check out a couple of them. In any case, I really like how objective you tried to remain about the combat. There are a few aspects of the gameplay that weren't brought up here, but they don't make much difference on the overall point you were making. And I agree: XV's gameplay fine, it has some depth, but it never explains any of it to you, it's very unbalanced, and there's much better combat elsewhere. Still... you that doesn't mean you'll have a bad time with it. Personally I use mods with XV, and I find that they help. For instance, there's a mod that overhauls the Ascension Grid so prices are cheaper and more sensible for the nodes you unlock. There's also a Cheat Engine table that limits how many restorative items you can carry. Both of these, combined with an understanding of the gameplay systems via looking around online, helps smooth out the gameplay experience. It's beyond ridiculous so many hoops have to be jumped through to make it there, though. Now, this part of my comment is probably going to be surprising, so I do want to warn you of that, but... I disagree on approaching the FFXV universe in release order. I know, I know. Never would've seen that coming with me. But I think the few spoilers you get from approaching things outside release order is well worth it to end the narrative on the actual end of the narrative rather than side content. To be fair, I also think there's a case to be made for playing BBS before KH, I just think it's a weak one. There are far more spoilers for other KH titles in BBS than there are for FFXV in its other content if you experience it all at the correct time. Plus, playing BBS according to release order won't change where you end the series' narrative. There are also other reasons not to start with BBS, like the very first protagonists of the series just vanishing for ~7 games. However, starting with BBS would give you an interesting perspective on the series. It sets up the overall lore fairly well, and would help eliminate the "Chosen Weilder" confusion a lot of people go through when the Keyblade Weilder of KH1 becomes a face in a crowd of Keyblade Weilders. It could also strengthen one's desire to put an end to Xehanort or rescue the ATV trio if BBS was your introduction to the series. Still, even though I *can* think of positives to this approach, I feel the negatives are so much stronger that it isn't worth it. Yet I don't feel that way about XV. I think that, while there are merits to experiencing XV in release order, it isn't the best option, and holds the overall experience back a bit. Regardless, I know I've never said or done anything in the past to suggest I have this opinion, so I apologize if it blindsided you. Haha. Either way, it's no biggie. I just wanted to explain/defend my (fragile ego) position on the matter. Episode Prompto actually does explain how Prompto wound up captured by showing the audoence at the very end, just before the credits, that it was Ardyn who tracked him down. It's the most vague of answers, but at least it is an answer, you know? As for the "sins" Bahamut speaks of in Comrades, it turns out you're playing as a Kingsglaive who, like Libertus in Kingsglaive, (the film,) turned on Insomnia after King Regis announced a surrender of all its other territories to Niflheim. So that's what you were being forgiven for. On another note... I am so sorry about failing to transition over my note about the Episode Aranea timeskip when I revised my guide. I can't believe that slipped by me. I hope you noticed and that it didn't cause you any trouble. On another-another note... boy do I dislike Episodes Luna & Noctis. And not just for the equally valid reasons you brought up. I mean, Luna didn't have a ton to her character, but the little depth she had in my mind was her devotion to her calling, even if it meant the loss of her loved ones. Just as Noctis had to learn to accept and fulfill his calling. Just like how Ardyn & Somnus's original betrayals of their respective callings only made the world worse. To me, not only does saying "Luna never knew Noctis was gonna die, so now she opts to abandon her duty," spit in the face of her best character trait, but it also spits in the face of one of the game's main themes: Your lot in life will not always be a fair one, but that unfairness doesn't absolve you of your responsibilities. "One cannot lead by standing still. A King pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back." Eos is screwed, but there is a clear way to save it. In that same vein, Bahamut doesn't deny self-determination, but he does know how to clean the mess man themselves made so man can still have a future. It's sad that it requires sacrifice, but it isn't a decision made of malice nor to clean the slate. The Gods are not the big bad in this one. Fate is not the big bad either. It's a bed we made for ourselves through the consequences of our own actions. And only through accepting that reality can we rise from bed again come the morning. Bahamut is flawed, but not evil, and I really hate how Dawn of the Future just makes him straight up want to murder everyone out of exasperation. (Tired of your kids misbehaving? Just kill 'em.) Just like I hate how it tears away the theme of accepting responsibility and the consequences of our actions. Just like how I hate the way it mishandles Luna. The DLC for Episode Aranea was a great loss, but with Episodes Luna & Noctis, all I wish we'd gotten was Noctis's time reflecting in the Crystal and a big team-up towards the end. The gameplay could have been fun, and the spectacle immensely satisfying, but the way DotF muddles the themes and characters of XV have already affected the way people interpret those elements of the game, and I can only imagine that problem being a million times worse if it was accessible within the game itself. Plus I completely agree with you that it also messes with Noctis's arc, as well as being a less bold ending. As it is right now: A spin-off book, it's like a fun, alternate universe fanfiction, and I have no qualm with that. I'm really glad you enjoyed your time with XV. I don't think it's the best FF, but I do think it's among the best when taken in totality. I just wish there were a way for that totality to exist all in one piece of media. (Minus Episodes Luna & Noctis.) But then, that's the wish of everyone who enjoys this game, isn't it? At the end of the day, this is what we got. And what we got, in spite of everything, is one of my favorite experiences with the gaming medium that I've ever had. That said, thank you so much for another phenomenal video. Obviously, I've been awaiting this video for a while, but I'm still already super excited to see the next one, as always. REFFOID is such a wonderful series, and I'm so lucky to get to watch it as it unfolds. You're the best, too. In any case, you and your dog are as sweet and wholesome as usual, and I look forward to catching the next video in 2024.
I waited to read the book until after I was done with everything else, less of a hassle. So no worries, I didn't get spoiled or anything. It's really not the end of the world to play the DLCs as you go, but it makes the pacing even worse than it already is. And you can't really spoil the ending harder than Episode Ignis does. I get wanting the ending to be the final thing you do, but to me the book is the final thing either way. On a replay, I would do it in chronological order. Actually, now that I have the full picture I was wondering if Episode Ardyn Prologue would be good to watch early on. Ardyn's story was held onto for so long, I just wanted to know why I should care about him the whole time. the prologue spoils who he is, but I think I would have a much better time if I knew that backstory. The creators themselves said they treated it like an extra episode of Brotherhood, it fits very well with those. I definitely agree with your critiques on Episode Luna & Noct. That's why I prefer the game's ending for sure, but I definitely would still love if those stories got made. Mostly for the Sol & Luna road trip and the "gangs all here" ending.
I think you had a slight misreading of Episode Luna since she didn't abandon her calling after finding out Noctis would die. Bahamut himself gave her the new order to go kill Ardyn which she was fully ready to do, partially because it would save Noctis, but also because she's the Oracle and doing what the God of all Gods tells her to do is whats she's supposed to do. It isn't until later in the story after Sol teaches her to be independent and fight for what she really wants that she goes against Bahamut's plans and tries to recruit Ardyn. But the rest you're pretty spot on about with how the ending sort of negates all the sacrifice made for Noctis' journey. I do think Dawn to the Future is interesting because it recontextualizes all of the lore and story you experience up to that point to not be about the sins of humanity but the folly of the Gods. It really drives home how much the story plays off of Greek tragedies, humanizing the deities. It does become typical "Final Fantasy kill god, humans make our own destiny," which the main game avoided being, but in some ways doesn't that call back to that opening screen you see every time you start XV up?
@@TomLazan Thank goodness. When I got to that point in the video I could feel my heart drop. Either way, I fully agree that playing everything outside release order messes with the story's pacing. Though to be fair, that's probably entirely due to its poor integration. I imagine if all the side media were properly placed within the game, (and the movies and such made playable,) it would not only *not* drag the pacing down, but it might actually improve the pacing by adding more important stuff in the first half of the game and giving the second half of the game more time to breathe thanks to a breadth of added content. Still, that's not what we got. I do agree that Episode Ignis is spoilery as well, but I think there's added tension and drama to be gained by knowing that plot point early, and even if there weren't, it's still worth it to experience Episode Ignis at that time. So yeah, I do stand by my order, which isn't really chronological *or* release order, but I totally understand appreciating a different experience with the XV universe more. As for watching the Episode Ardyn Prologue first, I don't see why not try it out that way on repeat viewings. Or even first viewings. There are definite pros to that decision. If you ever do want to replay FFXV, I'd be more than happy to send you a list of mods that I feel really blend well with a vanilla-feeling experience while still improving things overall, but I'll leave the ball in your court on that one. Regardless, I fully agree that Episode Ardyn Prologue feels like Brotherhood Ep 6, and I think I might've even said that in the guide. It really does fit with them. As for Episodes Luna & Noct, I completely understand that perspective. Those are definite highlights I've heard of from the novel that I do think could have been really great to play firsthand were they given the in-game treatment. So even if I don't personally think it would've been worth the effect it would've had on public perception, I can easily see why others might feel differently about the matter. It's a complicated situation, and I'm not at all trying to imply that I'm objectively correct for my thoughts on the situation. Regardless, I appreciate your response, and I hope you're doing okay!
@@klink180 I see. I still much prefer the implication that Luna already understood the full scope of the situation, weighed all the options, and came to the conclusion that she agreed with Bahamut's decision well before the game began, but that does help me understand what actually took place a little better. As for your next point, I suppose I can concede that it is an interesting alternate recontextualization of the narrative, but I guess I just like a Final Fantasy story not using the Gods as scapegoats for a change. It comes across a little disrespectful to me for the story to go back on that at the last minute with its final piece of content. Also, I feel like the deities were already very humanized already. Shiva's love, Ifrit's vengeance, Leviathan's conceit, Bahamut's cynical arrogance. And it did all of this *without* making them the villains. It feels unique and creative in that way. That is a very good point about the opening text, though. I still hold to my opinion, but that is a nice bit of meta-narrative cohesion. In any case, I do appreciate you taking the time to respond and share your thoughts with me, so thank you! You gave me some stuff to think about, for sure. I hope you're having a good day!
@tropichawk850 I hope you're having a good day too. I love talking about FFXV and hearing a ton of different opinions and analysis on it! It's definitely the game in the series I've immersed myself in the most, and there's so much that can be said about it!
Had a rough experience witht his game personally. It was bery disappointing to me in a lot of ways, but DAMN did that ending hit. Soon as you said "what can I say? You guys..." I could feel it all coming back to me. Great video, great series 👍🏾 Merry Christmas 🎄
I still need to go back to this game. I got it on launch so was soured. Though I do have it on steam, I wanted to try out the comrades thing. I'm probably going to try to main game again to see it if clicks with me. It took a few tries for 13 to click with me and it's one of my favs in the series now.
I'm so glad mods let you experience at least one of those again. It sucks that they were time sensitive. Do you remember the Mystery Disc event we were shown just before the game's launch, too? I wish there were a playable version of that. Haha.
Didn't expect this to open with a Christmas tune from FFXI. Alright. I'm down. Looking forward to watching this. PS. Now that you finished FFXV you can finally watch my FF ranking videos and tell me how much you disagree with me, hahaha.
I have to say, I do hate the game itself. Just because it's so poorly written, and it plays so poorly, and it feels so incomplete even WITH the multi-media experience. But the multi-media experience and learning about it, and delving into it, all that does feel good. It's like a gacha toy: not useful in the slightest, but certainly fascinating in its bizarre attention to detail. It's a novelty that's very alive. It's the most pure kind of pop culture.
oh man you missed so much, I feel like 70% of the game is supposed to be done post game, when you can go back to the past with the ring of lucii and etc, I mean you haven't really gotten into the game if not at least trying to go into a few menace quests and taking down Omega superboss.
I think you got a little Stockholm syndrome after having to consume 61 hours of material for a project on a subject that is mid at best. You say you like road trips, but why not just watch a 1 hours 30 minute road trip movie and get the same effect? "It's not that bad" doesn't fit your analysis. It's exactly as bad as you said it was. Yes, it has redeeming features, and maybe it does some things better than older games, but it's not really fair to compare games released several decades apart in the first place.
I had a lot of problems with the main game as I played it, but looking at the whole picture of everything I thought it was a great journey (except comrades). Had lots of fun with the DLC, loved the book, really enjoyed Brotherhood. It doesn’t give the same effect as a 90 minute film because you don’t get swept into a huge adventure you actually participate in - this is the main advantage any video game has over a movie. In XV’s case, the huge adventure of the game itself as well as the meta game of tracking down every piece of the story all the way through. Not fair to compare games released decades a part? Sure, but that part was directed at people who hold those old games to such an insanely high standard and ignore the improvements that modern games provide.
@@TomLazan As far as the adventure of the game, I'm still skeptical. I just played through it for a friend of mine, streaming, and we noticed car dialogue completely stops after about an hour or so. There's not really a great deal of road tripping to be had over the game's two explorable areas, and maybe a dozen or so unique quests. I get that Brotherhood and the books fill that out, but certainly the game's run time doesn't take advantage of the medium of games. Death Stranding is a much better road trip game, with a lot more character interactions and unique circumstances, issues (not just one solitary issue like 'we ain't gonna have no sunlight', but an overlapping and sometimes conflicting set of issues), and actual stakes besides 'Fate decrees you are going to be sad and die;' FF15's shallow inverse god from the machine. For an adventure, even for a road trip, FF15 is about as shallow as it gets. I don't doubt in the slightest that Tommy Boy has a more well developed and executed plot in its short runtime as FF15 has in its ~21 hour runtime. And I don't really get it about the high standards thing, either. What's the standards improvement we're talking about? Better graphics? Jumping? Live action gameplay? That's all pretty superficial if it's not an enjoyable game. Like, yes, the collectathon of all the media around it is a lot of fun, but the game itself... it's basically a vapid showpiece at the center of a very well prepared media package. Probably the most elaborate media package in history. But the media package is not the game. That's mostly nerding out over trade show material for a product that was dead on arrival. Just like, for example, Cyberpunk's anime did not make the cyberpunk 2077 game better; it gives the world of the game much-needed lore and character depth, but that's not material in the game. Just like, the book tie-ins and cartoons and fast food deals of the Star Wars prequel and sequel trilogies did not make those movies better. A product's value is in what it offers, not the stream of connected IP surrounding it. Even the DLC, which is all :about: the game and not an expansion on the game in any traditional way, should be considered separate.
@@ZechsMerquise73we can talk about just the game alone, or we can talk about the whole media package. It’s two different conversations. I don’t disagree with all the criticisms the game itself gets, it doesn’t change the fact that I enjoyed it. That’s why I call it a roller coaster - the thesis of this video is that XV has some really low lows but very high highs in my opinion, and going on the full journey with the other pieces of media makes the ride even crazier and unlike anything else. You said it yourself, it may be the most elaborate media package in history. Is that not appealing at all on any level? That alone is pretty interesting to me. Especially the fact that all of those other pieces actually set up things in the game - they aren’t a result of the games success (not even the DLC is, otherwise we would’ve gotten the rest lol). All that stuff was made because the team behind it wanted to try something new. So I understand not wanting to view it as one big package because it, in fact, is not that. But you can’t deny on some level they meant it to be experienced this way. The Cyberpunk example is just not the same - it doesn’t even involve characters from the game, it’s a total side story. You can judge Empire Strikes Back on its own, but you can also judge the Trilogy - this is only different because it doesn’t deal with full scale sequels, but smaller bits instead. But what would even be the point of reviewing Kingsglaive as if it’s meant to be a singular movie standing alone? It doesn’t stand alone, it was made to tie into the game, same for Brotherhood. To say Brotherhood doesn’t enhance the game experience at all is your own opinion but I think a lot of people would disagree. Saying the DLC is not an expansion on the game is a step too far - that’s exactly what it is by definition. It expands on established plots and characters and it absolutely enhances the overall experience. You have to seek out Kingsglaive/Brotherhood/etc, but the DLC is right there - it’s part of the game! So yeah my opinion on XV would be different if it didn’t have the extra stuff, but the game wouldn’t exist in the form it does without any of the extra stuff,and I still definitely wouldn’t have hated it. It still has something unique to offer with its premise and gameplay that made it worth giving a shot
@@TomLazan I'm not sure, I think Kingsglaive pretty easily stands alone. You don't really need to know why Ardyn did what he did: the entire package doesn't bother to give the Empire's motivations or history beyond that their leaders are evil and power hungry. It tells a complete story from beginning to end where FF15 doesn't really have an opening. It's on some bizarro street with FF15, where the game can only go one-way, but Kingsglaive can go two-ways. Also, I think you're missing a bit on the Cyberpunk comparison that usually any piece of media is fit to be compared as part of a series without being in some kind of homunculus relationship with its other IP entries. Few other pieces of media need the kind of encoder ring(s) that FF15 does. The problem is that FF15 is unique among most other media in that it cannot explain itself, it needs other analytical entries to be explained. Does analysis need The Two Towers to explain The Fellowship of the Ring? No. Either can be considered standalone as its own complicated piece of work, even if there's back and forth with one explaining the other, even if they can be considered a set. That's not the case with FF15, it critically needs at least Kingsglaive to explain it, and probably to some extent the Episode Ardyn anime. If this were a piece of music, FF15 is someone banging around on a casio keyboard, scrapping what they have, recompiling everything, releasing it as a jumble of nonsense, releasing followup tracks and saying "well, you need the additional tracks to appreciate the song". FF15 doesn't even fully follow continuity with its appendages. In any case, from an artistic, analytical standpoint it is completely bizarre and the game itself has few redeeming features. It's itself a corporate mistake. And as far as the DLC, it doesn't just expand on the story, it aims to explain what of the story you couldn't see because they chose to experiment with DLC modeling what would have otherwise been in the full product. Certainly it's all an expansion to the gameplay, though. Of course, I'm not saying you can't have fun with it or that it's not interesting. It's very, very interesting. But when it comes down to it, the disappointment about the game itself is all justified. And I don't think you even got in to how it's written, how the dialogue is written. Of course, it's a frequent criticism about the entire FF franchise, but even in Japanese subs the dialogue and emotional flow makes little sense. Like the part before the Titan fight where Gladiolus practically throws Noctis off the mountain for jovially saying that his feet hurt, and about 15 minutes of drama ensues. That made no sense, and it's not even an issue of something being lost in translation. Pretty much anything with Gladiolus besides his gameplay, actually, was a pretty big swing and miss; like oh lord, the part where he's the 'secret' hunter in the reactor at Listalum -- what did they think that was adding to the game? And let us never forget my man Jared, RIP pour one out, who said 2 whole sentences before he was executed by the Empire and left no mess or body because Talcott (sp) told a soldier at the market that his grandpa was a butler. The point is, I think it's alright to say, overall, it was bad. Maybe not a bad experience by any stretch, but not well-produced. Its story and gameplay is a really poor showing from Square Enix, a company with the highest expectations in game storytelling for decades. It single-handedly changed the franchise's hallmark from operatic storytelling to, as Yoshida said when commenting on whether they could ever go back, high expectations in graphics. Instead of making a product with internal complexity, they made one with external complexity. And despite the package's mistakes, it's still wonderful in a campy way. Also, though, props to you for keeping things positive. Too many youtubers are super negative about everything because its good algorithm bait.
I'll be honest, not having a good Christmas. Mom's in the hospital so Christmas has been delayed till she's back. Seeing a new REFOID turned that around. Best Christmas gift I could have asked for. FFXV is a mess, but a beautiful mess if you ask me. One of my top 3 FF's, can't wait for this.
I hope she's ok 🙏
Oof! Ending the epilogue with "thank you for watching over my son" is so great though. How the heck was Regis such a great character when barely even shown!?
If you’re ever craving more, going back to the secret dungeon (you don’t see it on the map and can only access it once your car can fly) it’s SOOO worth it. It’s very strange and there’s nothing else like it during the entire play through. There are a few points on the map only accessible with flight mode.
I think this will definitely be one I revist!
A thousand times yes. So frustrating but so rewarding. My sister recently started playing FFXV and immediately started trying to do... well, the stuff you do in Pitioss, but in the open world. I'm very excited for her to get to that dungeon.
@@TomLazan going through the secret dungeon, the paths tell a story.
Not you signing off the video with that tongue in cheek quote... 😭 Great analysis and reflection on this game--I love it so much and am just as disappointed in it but the point about Tabata and the "feels" he knows to get is honestly the most succinct way to describe what makes this game so special. Bravo job. I'm subbing 🎉
Day 1000, FFXV, one of the biggest and most emotional episodes by far
I'm glad to see the series to this point after just stumbling across the channel for a review of the oh so obscure 4 heroes of light a few months ago. You truly are severely underrated
BTW you don't look like Harry Potter, but more like Geddy Lee
Merry Christmas Tom. Final Fantasy XV was actually the game to get me deeper in the final fantasy series. And I'm ecstatic to see this video
What you said about each final fantasy game having its own ups and downs is exactly how I've felt playing these games for the first time myself over the past several years - it makes it really hard for me to pick a favorite, because they all have such great (and not so great) things about them. That said... the more I look back on XV, the more it comes out near the top for the interactions between the characters. Weirdly, FFXV was the first final fantasy game I ever touched, so it was my first introduction to things like Chocobos (it set the bar high), but I only finished XV after I went ahead and played 9, 10, 7 and 8 first. In that time, I've felt like 15 just gets easier to appreciate the more I think about it and return to it. Thank you for the time you put into this review of the WHOLE 15 experience; it's making me excited to check out more of the things I missed for myself.
The best present I could have asked for, a 2 hour masterpiece covering my (no longer) favorite FF game. I can't wait to digest this along with the delicious meal I had for lunch.
no longer?👁
@TomLazan It was my favorite until I actually got around to playing 5 and 9 and replaying 7. 9's now my favorite and 15 got bumped to fourth place. Still A favorite, just not THE favorite.
Thank you for talking about the Book ! I'm really happy to find someone talking about it 🥰
Both this and the video about the prequels were a fantastic way to recall my own memories of experiencing FFXV. It was my first Final Fantasy and the first game I was so hyped about to get on debut. Played it for hundreads of hours and really felt in love with characters and the world. The music and some of the most emotional scenes still makes me tear up (especially the campfire one near the end). It's a really important game for me that I'm definitely gonna revisit at some point. For now, years after finishing it, I'm having my own road trips with the boys. Can't wait to see what you'll think about FFXVI!
Yes! FFXV time! I'm so glad to have watched this. I'll get my thoughts right away. So first: Nice Keyblade. Haha. Second, there's actually more quality side content to enjoy in XV. The Adamantoise is a unique spectacle, Pitioss Dungeon is fun and creative, the Omega Weapon and the Dread Behemoth/Tyraneant are challenging fights, Menace Beneath Lucis is a true test of skill, and the process of unlocking Armiger Unchained is very rewarding, to list a few. I hope you were able to check out a couple of them.
In any case, I really like how objective you tried to remain about the combat. There are a few aspects of the gameplay that weren't brought up here, but they don't make much difference on the overall point you were making. And I agree: XV's gameplay fine, it has some depth, but it never explains any of it to you, it's very unbalanced, and there's much better combat elsewhere. Still... you that doesn't mean you'll have a bad time with it.
Personally I use mods with XV, and I find that they help. For instance, there's a mod that overhauls the Ascension Grid so prices are cheaper and more sensible for the nodes you unlock. There's also a Cheat Engine table that limits how many restorative items you can carry. Both of these, combined with an understanding of the gameplay systems via looking around online, helps smooth out the gameplay experience. It's beyond ridiculous so many hoops have to be jumped through to make it there, though.
Now, this part of my comment is probably going to be surprising, so I do want to warn you of that, but... I disagree on approaching the FFXV universe in release order. I know, I know. Never would've seen that coming with me. But I think the few spoilers you get from approaching things outside release order is well worth it to end the narrative on the actual end of the narrative rather than side content.
To be fair, I also think there's a case to be made for playing BBS before KH, I just think it's a weak one. There are far more spoilers for other KH titles in BBS than there are for FFXV in its other content if you experience it all at the correct time. Plus, playing BBS according to release order won't change where you end the series' narrative. There are also other reasons not to start with BBS, like the very first protagonists of the series just vanishing for ~7 games.
However, starting with BBS would give you an interesting perspective on the series. It sets up the overall lore fairly well, and would help eliminate the "Chosen Weilder" confusion a lot of people go through when the Keyblade Weilder of KH1 becomes a face in a crowd of Keyblade Weilders. It could also strengthen one's desire to put an end to Xehanort or rescue the ATV trio if BBS was your introduction to the series.
Still, even though I *can* think of positives to this approach, I feel the negatives are so much stronger that it isn't worth it. Yet I don't feel that way about XV. I think that, while there are merits to experiencing XV in release order, it isn't the best option, and holds the overall experience back a bit. Regardless, I know I've never said or done anything in the past to suggest I have this opinion, so I apologize if it blindsided you. Haha. Either way, it's no biggie. I just wanted to explain/defend my (fragile ego) position on the matter.
Episode Prompto actually does explain how Prompto wound up captured by showing the audoence at the very end, just before the credits, that it was Ardyn who tracked him down. It's the most vague of answers, but at least it is an answer, you know?
As for the "sins" Bahamut speaks of in Comrades, it turns out you're playing as a Kingsglaive who, like Libertus in Kingsglaive, (the film,) turned on Insomnia after King Regis announced a surrender of all its other territories to Niflheim. So that's what you were being forgiven for.
On another note... I am so sorry about failing to transition over my note about the Episode Aranea timeskip when I revised my guide. I can't believe that slipped by me. I hope you noticed and that it didn't cause you any trouble.
On another-another note... boy do I dislike Episodes Luna & Noctis. And not just for the equally valid reasons you brought up. I mean, Luna didn't have a ton to her character, but the little depth she had in my mind was her devotion to her calling, even if it meant the loss of her loved ones. Just as Noctis had to learn to accept and fulfill his calling. Just like how Ardyn & Somnus's original betrayals of their respective callings only made the world worse.
To me, not only does saying "Luna never knew Noctis was gonna die, so now she opts to abandon her duty," spit in the face of her best character trait, but it also spits in the face of one of the game's main themes: Your lot in life will not always be a fair one, but that unfairness doesn't absolve you of your responsibilities. "One cannot lead by standing still. A King pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back."
Eos is screwed, but there is a clear way to save it. In that same vein, Bahamut doesn't deny self-determination, but he does know how to clean the mess man themselves made so man can still have a future. It's sad that it requires sacrifice, but it isn't a decision made of malice nor to clean the slate. The Gods are not the big bad in this one. Fate is not the big bad either. It's a bed we made for ourselves through the consequences of our own actions. And only through accepting that reality can we rise from bed again come the morning.
Bahamut is flawed, but not evil, and I really hate how Dawn of the Future just makes him straight up want to murder everyone out of exasperation. (Tired of your kids misbehaving? Just kill 'em.) Just like I hate how it tears away the theme of accepting responsibility and the consequences of our actions. Just like how I hate the way it mishandles Luna. The DLC for Episode Aranea was a great loss, but with Episodes Luna & Noctis, all I wish we'd gotten was Noctis's time reflecting in the Crystal and a big team-up towards the end.
The gameplay could have been fun, and the spectacle immensely satisfying, but the way DotF muddles the themes and characters of XV have already affected the way people interpret those elements of the game, and I can only imagine that problem being a million times worse if it was accessible within the game itself. Plus I completely agree with you that it also messes with Noctis's arc, as well as being a less bold ending. As it is right now: A spin-off book, it's like a fun, alternate universe fanfiction, and I have no qualm with that.
I'm really glad you enjoyed your time with XV. I don't think it's the best FF, but I do think it's among the best when taken in totality. I just wish there were a way for that totality to exist all in one piece of media. (Minus Episodes Luna & Noctis.) But then, that's the wish of everyone who enjoys this game, isn't it? At the end of the day, this is what we got. And what we got, in spite of everything, is one of my favorite experiences with the gaming medium that I've ever had.
That said, thank you so much for another phenomenal video. Obviously, I've been awaiting this video for a while, but I'm still already super excited to see the next one, as always. REFFOID is such a wonderful series, and I'm so lucky to get to watch it as it unfolds. You're the best, too. In any case, you and your dog are as sweet and wholesome as usual, and I look forward to catching the next video in 2024.
I waited to read the book until after I was done with everything else, less of a hassle. So no worries, I didn't get spoiled or anything. It's really not the end of the world to play the DLCs as you go, but it makes the pacing even worse than it already is. And you can't really spoil the ending harder than Episode Ignis does. I get wanting the ending to be the final thing you do, but to me the book is the final thing either way. On a replay, I would do it in chronological order. Actually, now that I have the full picture I was wondering if Episode Ardyn Prologue would be good to watch early on. Ardyn's story was held onto for so long, I just wanted to know why I should care about him the whole time. the prologue spoils who he is, but I think I would have a much better time if I knew that backstory. The creators themselves said they treated it like an extra episode of Brotherhood, it fits very well with those.
I definitely agree with your critiques on Episode Luna & Noct. That's why I prefer the game's ending for sure, but I definitely would still love if those stories got made. Mostly for the Sol & Luna road trip and the "gangs all here" ending.
I think you had a slight misreading of Episode Luna since she didn't abandon her calling after finding out Noctis would die. Bahamut himself gave her the new order to go kill Ardyn which she was fully ready to do, partially because it would save Noctis, but also because she's the Oracle and doing what the God of all Gods tells her to do is whats she's supposed to do. It isn't until later in the story after Sol teaches her to be independent and fight for what she really wants that she goes against Bahamut's plans and tries to recruit Ardyn. But the rest you're pretty spot on about with how the ending sort of negates all the sacrifice made for Noctis' journey.
I do think Dawn to the Future is interesting because it recontextualizes all of the lore and story you experience up to that point to not be about the sins of humanity but the folly of the Gods. It really drives home how much the story plays off of Greek tragedies, humanizing the deities. It does become typical "Final Fantasy kill god, humans make our own destiny," which the main game avoided being, but in some ways doesn't that call back to that opening screen you see every time you start XV up?
@@TomLazan
Thank goodness. When I got to that point in the video I could feel my heart drop. Either way, I fully agree that playing everything outside release order messes with the story's pacing. Though to be fair, that's probably entirely due to its poor integration. I imagine if all the side media were properly placed within the game, (and the movies and such made playable,) it would not only *not* drag the pacing down, but it might actually improve the pacing by adding more important stuff in the first half of the game and giving the second half of the game more time to breathe thanks to a breadth of added content. Still, that's not what we got. I do agree that Episode Ignis is spoilery as well, but I think there's added tension and drama to be gained by knowing that plot point early, and even if there weren't, it's still worth it to experience Episode Ignis at that time. So yeah, I do stand by my order, which isn't really chronological *or* release order, but I totally understand appreciating a different experience with the XV universe more. As for watching the Episode Ardyn Prologue first, I don't see why not try it out that way on repeat viewings. Or even first viewings. There are definite pros to that decision. If you ever do want to replay FFXV, I'd be more than happy to send you a list of mods that I feel really blend well with a vanilla-feeling experience while still improving things overall, but I'll leave the ball in your court on that one.
Regardless, I fully agree that Episode Ardyn Prologue feels like Brotherhood Ep 6, and I think I might've even said that in the guide. It really does fit with them. As for Episodes Luna & Noct, I completely understand that perspective. Those are definite highlights I've heard of from the novel that I do think could have been really great to play firsthand were they given the in-game treatment. So even if I don't personally think it would've been worth the effect it would've had on public perception, I can easily see why others might feel differently about the matter. It's a complicated situation, and I'm not at all trying to imply that I'm objectively correct for my thoughts on the situation. Regardless, I appreciate your response, and I hope you're doing okay!
@@klink180
I see. I still much prefer the implication that Luna already understood the full scope of the situation, weighed all the options, and came to the conclusion that she agreed with Bahamut's decision well before the game began, but that does help me understand what actually took place a little better.
As for your next point, I suppose I can concede that it is an interesting alternate recontextualization of the narrative, but I guess I just like a Final Fantasy story not using the Gods as scapegoats for a change. It comes across a little disrespectful to me for the story to go back on that at the last minute with its final piece of content.
Also, I feel like the deities were already very humanized already. Shiva's love, Ifrit's vengeance, Leviathan's conceit, Bahamut's cynical arrogance. And it did all of this *without* making them the villains. It feels unique and creative in that way. That is a very good point about the opening text, though. I still hold to my opinion, but that is a nice bit of meta-narrative cohesion.
In any case, I do appreciate you taking the time to respond and share your thoughts with me, so thank you! You gave me some stuff to think about, for sure. I hope you're having a good day!
@tropichawk850 I hope you're having a good day too. I love talking about FFXV and hearing a ton of different opinions and analysis on it! It's definitely the game in the series I've immersed myself in the most, and there's so much that can be said about it!
Had a rough experience witht his game personally. It was bery disappointing to me in a lot of ways, but DAMN did that ending hit.
Soon as you said "what can I say? You guys..." I could feel it all coming back to me. Great video, great series 👍🏾
Merry Christmas 🎄
I still need to go back to this game. I got it on launch so was soured. Though I do have it on steam, I wanted to try out the comrades thing. I'm probably going to try to main game again to see it if clicks with me. It took a few tries for 13 to click with me and it's one of my favs in the series now.
merry christmas !
Love these vids man
Just curious if you knew about the 2 In Game Events that were removed. One was a festival in Altissia and the other An Assassin's Creed Crossover.
found out about them yesterday, really stupid how they treated this like some mmo live-service. At least they stopped that with later games
I'm so glad mods let you experience at least one of those again. It sucks that they were time sensitive. Do you remember the Mystery Disc event we were shown just before the game's launch, too? I wish there were a playable version of that. Haha.
Didn't expect this to open with a Christmas tune from FFXI. Alright. I'm down. Looking forward to watching this.
PS. Now that you finished FFXV you can finally watch my FF ranking videos and tell me how much you disagree with me, hahaha.
time to get started!
It’s a REFFOID Christmas
I have to say, I do hate the game itself. Just because it's so poorly written, and it plays so poorly, and it feels so incomplete even WITH the multi-media experience. But the multi-media experience and learning about it, and delving into it, all that does feel good. It's like a gacha toy: not useful in the slightest, but certainly fascinating in its bizarre attention to detail. It's a novelty that's very alive. It's the most pure kind of pop culture.
banger video
I luv Cup Noodles
oh man you missed so much, I feel like 70% of the game is supposed to be done post game, when you can go back to the past with the ring of lucii and etc, I mean you haven't really gotten into the game if not at least trying to go into a few menace quests and taking down Omega superboss.
You really didn't stumbled across a sealed door in a dungeon and thought what the hell is this??
Forgot Pocket Edition bro. Just trying to save ur life. 😂
Made room for it later
@@TomLazan awesome. Thanks for making my day at work less painful with these videos.
I think you got a little Stockholm syndrome after having to consume 61 hours of material for a project on a subject that is mid at best. You say you like road trips, but why not just watch a 1 hours 30 minute road trip movie and get the same effect? "It's not that bad" doesn't fit your analysis. It's exactly as bad as you said it was. Yes, it has redeeming features, and maybe it does some things better than older games, but it's not really fair to compare games released several decades apart in the first place.
I had a lot of problems with the main game as I played it, but looking at the whole picture of everything I thought it was a great journey (except comrades). Had lots of fun with the DLC, loved the book, really enjoyed Brotherhood. It doesn’t give the same effect as a 90 minute film because you don’t get swept into a huge adventure you actually participate in - this is the main advantage any video game has over a movie. In XV’s case, the huge adventure of the game itself as well as the meta game of tracking down every piece of the story all the way through.
Not fair to compare games released decades a part? Sure, but that part was directed at people who hold those old games to such an insanely high standard and ignore the improvements that modern games provide.
@@TomLazan As far as the adventure of the game, I'm still skeptical. I just played through it for a friend of mine, streaming, and we noticed car dialogue completely stops after about an hour or so. There's not really a great deal of road tripping to be had over the game's two explorable areas, and maybe a dozen or so unique quests. I get that Brotherhood and the books fill that out, but certainly the game's run time doesn't take advantage of the medium of games. Death Stranding is a much better road trip game, with a lot more character interactions and unique circumstances, issues (not just one solitary issue like 'we ain't gonna have no sunlight', but an overlapping and sometimes conflicting set of issues), and actual stakes besides 'Fate decrees you are going to be sad and die;' FF15's shallow inverse god from the machine. For an adventure, even for a road trip, FF15 is about as shallow as it gets. I don't doubt in the slightest that Tommy Boy has a more well developed and executed plot in its short runtime as FF15 has in its ~21 hour runtime.
And I don't really get it about the high standards thing, either. What's the standards improvement we're talking about? Better graphics? Jumping? Live action gameplay? That's all pretty superficial if it's not an enjoyable game. Like, yes, the collectathon of all the media around it is a lot of fun, but the game itself... it's basically a vapid showpiece at the center of a very well prepared media package. Probably the most elaborate media package in history. But the media package is not the game. That's mostly nerding out over trade show material for a product that was dead on arrival. Just like, for example, Cyberpunk's anime did not make the cyberpunk 2077 game better; it gives the world of the game much-needed lore and character depth, but that's not material in the game. Just like, the book tie-ins and cartoons and fast food deals of the Star Wars prequel and sequel trilogies did not make those movies better. A product's value is in what it offers, not the stream of connected IP surrounding it. Even the DLC, which is all :about: the game and not an expansion on the game in any traditional way, should be considered separate.
@@ZechsMerquise73we can talk about just the game alone, or we can talk about the whole media package. It’s two different conversations. I don’t disagree with all the criticisms the game itself gets, it doesn’t change the fact that I enjoyed it. That’s why I call it a roller coaster - the thesis of this video is that XV has some really low lows but very high highs in my opinion, and going on the full journey with the other pieces of media makes the ride even crazier and unlike anything else. You said it yourself, it may be the most elaborate media package in history. Is that not appealing at all on any level? That alone is pretty interesting to me. Especially the fact that all of those other pieces actually set up things in the game - they aren’t a result of the games success (not even the DLC is, otherwise we would’ve gotten the rest lol). All that stuff was made because the team behind it wanted to try something new.
So I understand not wanting to view it as one big package because it, in fact, is not that. But you can’t deny on some level they meant it to be experienced this way. The Cyberpunk example is just not the same - it doesn’t even involve characters from the game, it’s a total side story. You can judge Empire Strikes Back on its own, but you can also judge the Trilogy - this is only different because it doesn’t deal with full scale sequels, but smaller bits instead. But what would even be the point of reviewing Kingsglaive as if it’s meant to be a singular movie standing alone? It doesn’t stand alone, it was made to tie into the game, same for Brotherhood. To say Brotherhood doesn’t enhance the game experience at all is your own opinion but I think a lot of people would disagree. Saying the DLC is not an expansion on the game is a step too far - that’s exactly what it is by definition. It expands on established plots and characters and it absolutely enhances the overall experience. You have to seek out Kingsglaive/Brotherhood/etc, but the DLC is right there - it’s part of the game!
So yeah my opinion on XV would be different if it didn’t have the extra stuff, but the game wouldn’t exist in the form it does without any of the extra stuff,and I still definitely wouldn’t have hated it. It still has something unique to offer with its premise and gameplay that made it worth giving a shot
@@TomLazan I'm not sure, I think Kingsglaive pretty easily stands alone. You don't really need to know why Ardyn did what he did: the entire package doesn't bother to give the Empire's motivations or history beyond that their leaders are evil and power hungry. It tells a complete story from beginning to end where FF15 doesn't really have an opening. It's on some bizarro street with FF15, where the game can only go one-way, but Kingsglaive can go two-ways.
Also, I think you're missing a bit on the Cyberpunk comparison that usually any piece of media is fit to be compared as part of a series without being in some kind of homunculus relationship with its other IP entries. Few other pieces of media need the kind of encoder ring(s) that FF15 does. The problem is that FF15 is unique among most other media in that it cannot explain itself, it needs other analytical entries to be explained. Does analysis need The Two Towers to explain The Fellowship of the Ring? No. Either can be considered standalone as its own complicated piece of work, even if there's back and forth with one explaining the other, even if they can be considered a set. That's not the case with FF15, it critically needs at least Kingsglaive to explain it, and probably to some extent the Episode Ardyn anime.
If this were a piece of music, FF15 is someone banging around on a casio keyboard, scrapping what they have, recompiling everything, releasing it as a jumble of nonsense, releasing followup tracks and saying "well, you need the additional tracks to appreciate the song". FF15 doesn't even fully follow continuity with its appendages. In any case, from an artistic, analytical standpoint it is completely bizarre and the game itself has few redeeming features. It's itself a corporate mistake.
And as far as the DLC, it doesn't just expand on the story, it aims to explain what of the story you couldn't see because they chose to experiment with DLC modeling what would have otherwise been in the full product. Certainly it's all an expansion to the gameplay, though.
Of course, I'm not saying you can't have fun with it or that it's not interesting. It's very, very interesting. But when it comes down to it, the disappointment about the game itself is all justified. And I don't think you even got in to how it's written, how the dialogue is written. Of course, it's a frequent criticism about the entire FF franchise, but even in Japanese subs the dialogue and emotional flow makes little sense. Like the part before the Titan fight where Gladiolus practically throws Noctis off the mountain for jovially saying that his feet hurt, and about 15 minutes of drama ensues. That made no sense, and it's not even an issue of something being lost in translation. Pretty much anything with Gladiolus besides his gameplay, actually, was a pretty big swing and miss; like oh lord, the part where he's the 'secret' hunter in the reactor at Listalum -- what did they think that was adding to the game? And let us never forget my man Jared, RIP pour one out, who said 2 whole sentences before he was executed by the Empire and left no mess or body because Talcott (sp) told a soldier at the market that his grandpa was a butler.
The point is, I think it's alright to say, overall, it was bad. Maybe not a bad experience by any stretch, but not well-produced. Its story and gameplay is a really poor showing from Square Enix, a company with the highest expectations in game storytelling for decades. It single-handedly changed the franchise's hallmark from operatic storytelling to, as Yoshida said when commenting on whether they could ever go back, high expectations in graphics. Instead of making a product with internal complexity, they made one with external complexity. And despite the package's mistakes, it's still wonderful in a campy way.
Also, though, props to you for keeping things positive. Too many youtubers are super negative about everything because its good algorithm bait.