@@Fr33climb A review should tell you if a game is fun and give you a sense of whether you, personally, would enjoy it or hate it. This review did none of that, it's a bad review. The above paragraph is the same thing as my original comment only in more words. Your inferior brain will accept the above paragraph while still considering my original comment "not much of a criticism". Nothing about the original comment was negative, I was literally describing the video. And it wasn't vague either. I said it's just "a list of things" and was "boring". That is exactly what it was, blame the video for that criticism, not me. You're just another braindead fanboy, not much of a response.
They are the best about not spoiling unnecessary story information and covering every other facet of the game. Plus, you know when they review it they actually finished it.
I might be late here, but the guy who did this review, used to be the guy who did the Game Trailers reviews on their website right? He was one of the best, extremely professional.
Yep, after Gametrailers got shut down by their latest owners (who infamously laid off 70% of the staff literally the day after acquisition,) many of the top people from there went on to make EZ Allies.
It felt like to incomplete games bolted together, with neither being all that compelling. It’s the first FF since I started following the series at VI that I couldn’t be bothered to finish.
Yeah 15 was the weirdest paced game ever, just like skipping over the entire plot of Kingsglaive in a short cutscene near the start, then the story was pretty good up until and including Altissia and then once that chapter ends and get on that train it just feels like they're rushing to finish it.
Haven't even finished the video and have to comment on how wonderful the "active time lore" system sounds. It sounds so obvious and simple but seemingly nobody (including me) ever thought about it. I was nervous about how much lore and characters would be in this game that would be too hard for an adult with a full time job to appreciate because I will forget everything every time I get back to playing.
Sounds like the logical next step from games that have in game codexs /glossaries. Came in very handy during my half year playthrough of tactics ogre reborn, but I still had to go back and findthe info to begin with. This takes that extra step out.
I'm still shocked how many people celebrate this system. It's a glorified in-game wiki and an excuse to put a lot of interesting information into a very unexciting dictionary format, rather than putting it into the actual dialogue or cutscenes. It could be a practical addition, but really boils down to a very lazy storytelling tool. Imagine if two of the middle seasons of Game of Thrones had been cut out and instead you had to read up on all the plot on wikipedia....
I am revisiting this one year later and I don't agree with you statement. Review is ok, but it doesn't mention any problems that XVI has like performance, lack of meaningful exploration, very basic RPG elements etc. XVI is still one of my fav games ever, but if we are talking about industry standards review should be objective and talk about both strong and weak points of the reviewed produt.
@@CarurossTheSecond218 7R was something else. Rebirth expanding combat will be something special. I don't think Royals updated combat would change your mind but its definitely more fun than OG. Ability to switch to the other party members is great
The most consistent criticism I'm hearing about the game is framerate and early-game sidequest. But other than that, it's an overall amazing game. Well worth the wait.
Sure most of the big ones ended after the PS2 era... But XIV is great. VII Remake is great. XIII was a misfire on story but the combat was great. Didn't touch the sequels. XVI coming out strong is exciting for sure though.
This game looks great, but the small text is a deal breaker for me. So many games have minuscule text and it's frustrating to have to strain my eyes. Infuriating.
@@AyoulI love the overall story of ffxv, but hate the fact that it was chopped up into individual packages. Had it all been in a single game it very well could have been one of the definitive entries, up there with the likes of 6, 7, and 10.
Damn, this game is yet another banger this year in a year STACKED with them. This year might turn out bettter than 2018 and others. What a time to be a gamer. We're eating good this year.
For me nothing comes close to 1991 and the launch of the Super Nintendo. Super Mario world, FZero, pilotwings, Castlevania 4, sim city, actraiser, legendary game after legendary game that i still play regularly today
Revisiting this review after beating the game. I agree with the review. The combat is some of my favorite of all time, and i found the overall story, world, main missions, and bosses to all be consistently amazing. To me its one of my favorite games of all time with some issues that are more design/pacing related that hold it back from some more polished 10/10s. I love this game and so far its my goty. It has some negatives, but they are outweighed by an unforgettable campaign and engaging combat. The performance mode is definitely lacking, and i would have been okay with any visual cuts necessary to maintain better frame rate like sony’s first party offerings (and even Ff7R). Side content doesn’t always have good rewards so casuals will not know which they should prioritize. The in game cutscenes can be jarring. Exploration can feel slow with unnecessary caps on movement speed and animations for mounting/dismounting chocobo. Game would have better without chests in general as any good accessory is mostly gated to main missions which could be spoils, and you can consistently craft best upgrades with mats from quests/hunts anyway. That said can’t recommend this game enough to anyone on the fence. Especially final fantasy/god of war/devil may cry fans.
Legit the only review that matters to me and that I've been waiting for especially after watching you guys play the demo with Ben. Not surprised to hear it's a modern masterpiece that's really only slightly hindered by its performance because I had more fun with the 2 hour demo alone than most full length games I've played this year.
I love the game so much. The only thing I cannot stand is the borderline intolerable motion blur. I tried turning up my sensitivity because the default is so low and I about threw up from motion sickness. I hope they patch it soon.
Its kind of interesting that Square is so dead set against turn based combat when Atlas feels confident it can resurect a ps2 game faithfully with just a few tweaks.
Wish I had a PS5 for this, but it will likely be some months, if not a year before I can grab this (unless it drops on PC sooner). Either way, this is the most hyped I've been for a FF since the 90's.
Good luck. While I have a PS5 and pre-ordered the collector's edition of XVI, I hope the PS5 exclusivity deal doesn't last too long; I don't like it when people who can't afford all the latest consoles don't get to play a great game.
So the only negative to the game is the performance and not being a stable 60 fps? That's over all pretty good to hear. I wonder if it will be a 10/10 for me. I hope it's a huge seller but with how stacked this year has been and people's wallets already hurt, I've been worried it may not sell as amazing as it should.
The years following the Square Soft and Enix merger were a mess to be sure, with internal power struggles and company politics messing up a lot of games. Wada was a disaster. The less I say about Yosuke Matsuda the better. But things are finally kinda starting to look up.
I didn't even make it to the end of the review yet and I think Damiani just sold me a PS5. I really haven't been paying attention to this game despite being a long time FF fan but I think I need to play this.
It seems that creating a whole new game from scratch, having incredible cutscenes, all characters and NPC with voice actors and an AMAZING story are things that count less than frame rate LUL (still loved the review but not the final score)
@@hododod246 don't get me wrong, I loved ToTK but (personal opinion) I would not speak of "one of the greatest games of all times". The new mechanics were super cool as well as the extent of the open world. But the story is faaaar from being perfect (despite being better than before), the graphics and the system they use could be much better performing and the voice acting/cutscenes are almost non-existing.
@@hododod246how is it one of the greatest games of all time when half of it is recycled + the combat is still very subpar. It’s a great open world game but honestly it’s not better than elden ring or botw
@@Nyla_emotes I know people have to constantly say this, but you should really stop caring about scores, especially if you’re fine with the content of the review itself as you say you are. Not only are game opinions and experiences subjective, but scores themselves are totally arbitrary and ultimately meaningless when you start nitpicking a “9.5 vs a 9.0”. Like, some people use different scales or use more of the scale than others, i.e. we might enjoy a game the exact same amount but I give it a 7 and you give it an 8.5 because those numbers mean different things to each of us, and because those numbers don’t actually mean anything at all.
I'm usually not one to complain about scores but watching this overly positive review and seeing a 9.0 from Damiani and then remembering he gave Ni no kuni 2 a 9.5 makes me thing review scores are completly meaningless😅
People are not giving this a 10 becuase of the same performance issues that they ignored when reviewing other games who had the same issues, like ToTK.
I wouldn’t necessarily say reviewers are being hypercritical. You have to keep in mind the hardware the games are developed on. It’s honestly a miracle that Totk doesn’t run at 10 fames a second with everything that is going on. With FF16 it’s pushing the PS5 but the hardware is much more capable. Both games are like the Mona Lisa, one was made with high quality expensive paint and the other was made with crayons. And yet Somehow the crayon Mona Lisa still looks as good her paint’s counterpart.
@@EasyAllies it did, and I thank you guys for it while other sites like ign ignored ToTK issues to give it 10. To me, if the ffxvi is anything like the demo, it deserves a higher score than ToTK.
@@EasyAllies WoW!!! I never knew that!!! I will definitely miss him a whole lot! if it’s not too much to ask, Show him this message for me : “I’ve always admired your outstanding and remarkable literature, it helped to improve my Fluency in English more than you can imagine. Wish you nothing but the best Mr. Ben on your future endeavors.” And ThanQ Mr. Bloodworth for your time
@@hishamhassan6426 from what I’ve heard in their streams they haven’t really had contact with Ben since he left and only occasionally see him logging into steam or something, he’s focused on settling into his new life
This year have been a year of nostalgia. With titles like Resident Evil, Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, and Final Fantasy bringing their best for 2023.
He truly embodies the SE spirit from the 90s: be innovative, focus on story, have a message, include amazing music and be extremely passionate about what you do. This truly seems like what we were patiently waiting for during all these years since their golden age :)
The only thing I wasn't sure about from the demo was the combat (everything else was excellent), the switch to action focused doesn't bother me at all it's just it didn't feel that deep. Granted it's only the first two hours of the game which is basically a tutorial and just teaching you the mechanics. But given the Devil May Cry combat director is involved, I hope it opens up a bit more.
@@hododod246 The last two Zelda games are the most overrated games of all time. Old Zelda games were masterpieces. Sorry but TOTK has terrible melee combat, you just hit enemies with a stick while FF XVI combat is amazing, it surpassed DMC V as the best hack n slash combat ever created. Sekiro and the new God of war games though have still the best melee combat that's not hack n slash. Tears of the kingdom is also a Minecraft simulator, puzzles suck, weapon durability it's still not fully fixed from Breath of the wild, fusing as a solution sucks, voice acting is bad, and finally it's unacceptable for a 2023 game to be 30 fps with such unacceptable textures, shadows, anti alaising and resolution. Just leave the image of the game still and everything around you is shimmering and blurred. Zelda is a 6/10 game at the best case senario. FF XVI is at least a 9.
FF XVI CHARACTER CAST > FF XV CHARACTER CAST (while XVI still did not unfold the full potential of their designed characters) FF XVI COMBAT SYSTEM > FF XV COMBAT SYSTEM (both combat systems are still not satisfying the community) FF XVI SOUNDTRACK > FF XV SOUNDTRACK (both titles soundtrack had been good, though) FF XVI STORYLINE > FF XV STORYLINE (both titles storylines are average) FF XVI GRAPHICS > FF XV GRAPHICS FF XVI EXPLORATION < FF XV (both titles treasure chest game was too random) FF XVI SIDEQUESTS < FF XV SIDEQUESTS (both titles side quest game had been boring, except Pitioss Ruins in XV) FF XVI DISCUSSION >>> FF XV DISCUSSION FF XVI is the better project and more interesting, but still not the Final Fantasy title, the community wants to experience.
Same, absolutely was just "oh OK, a mature FF sure go for it, meh" FFXV made me a little skeptical. Oof that demo though. Granted, prplogue was funny due to all the country names and other keywords with no idea what's what but that combat and the effects, Music and voice acting not being that bad sold me
@@zashimi1345 You can press the touchpad during any cutscene (and gameplay too maybe, not sure) and it gives you short descriptions of all parties, characters and places in that cutscene/chapter.
I wonder if the decision to release the demo was influenced by the pre-order numbers being so low compared to previous FF titles, even when accounting for the low ownership rate of PS5's, that the SE brass were reportedly "slightly panicked." I can almost guarantee those numbers shot up after the demo.
I totally expected lesser scores for zelda because they have the same openworld layout for parts but they gave it a 10. Franerate issues which are gonna be patched day 1 is a 9 which is surprising coming from Ez allies. 😅
Ok. You're allowed to not have an affinity for a game everyone else seems to love. As someone who is highly apathetic to BOTW, and as a result didn't bother getting TOTK, I get you.
There are three gear slots with stat boosts, sword, cuff, belt. Then three upgrade accessories that you collect that make certain moves more powerful or give a raw Stat boost.
@@edwinleskin3112 ok so in order to progress and not have a difficult time You need to equip better gear? In FFXV I played with basic equipment and QTEs did all the job, I hope is not the case here
@@loading2463 There's two modes - Story focused and Action focused. They're both the same difficulty, the only difference is Story focused gives you some optional gear that lets you auto dodge, auto heal, auto combo etc. but if you're finding this mode too easy you can always remove
Story focused is an easier difficulty entirely. You get the optional accessories even with the action-focused difficulty. However, they take up slots in your inventory like any other accessory, and you only have three equipment slots to use between those items and standard accessories that buff your stats or single abilities. -Bloodworth
He's come a long way and has a great voice, crazy to think he was around 30 years old in the office guy has such a deep voice and looked older haha, UK Office is GOAT
Reviewer clearly played the game in performance mode (or at least captured this in that mode), and all combat looks smooth AF. You can even tell when the game is off combat and immediately the FPS drops. Definitely gonna be my mode of choice for that smooth combat. Also yes, I don't need them telling me they played in perf mode, I can see 60 fps immediately. As can you lol.
1. No the story is linearly character driven, would be cool to have choices considering the complex nature of the game world politics, but the ending doesn't dissapoint. Plus no Final Fantasy gives you choices it's always a premade story. 2. There are a few interesting twists that you wouldn't expect , nothing mind blowing but cool.
I was hoping for a brad review since combat was my only worry from the demo. Felt a bit shallow in the demo and I know it was mainly tutorial stuff but it doesn't seem to get much more complex.
Glad I'm not alone in that thought. The bosses were too easy and spongy as well. I was interested in the story so I'm still considering getting the game.
Not sure how much I can trust these reviews. Game looks fine, but then again Easy Allies also gave 4.5 stars to FF XV (equivalent to a 9) , and FF XV was very ... meh. I finished it and 2 weeks later I couldn't remember one single detail about the story
Not that it matters, since I haven't even played the game and can't judge it as of now, but why do you describe the game as a 10/10 experience and than give it a 9/10? The only negative I heard in the video was something about some towns not being at 60FPS. Is that something to subtract an entire point for? Are you holding back for some reasons or did you subtract points for something which wasn't mentioned in the video?
Of course I’m happy about the FF series continuing to thrive in the modern era but still disappointed about the change in direction with its combat as it continues to evolve throughout the years.
So, game is perfect except it doesn’t maintain a 60fps in performance mode, which seems to lead to a 9? Interesting. Personally, I will play it in graphics mode. There is absolutely nothing wrong with 30fps. Before anyone starts talking about input, let’s make something clear. We don’t know if they are processing input at 60 or 30 fps (a lot of games actually have different update rates for different game loops). Also, you can only mash a button so many times per a second, so the response time will be instant whether 60 or 30. The main issue I have with fps is when a game targets 30 or 60 and does not maintain it and you notice that the game is not running smoothly. Doesn’t seem to be an issue at all in graphics mode. But, at the end of the day, the 60 fps gatekeepers are going to be disappointed as more games are built for only modern consoles (PS5, Series X) and they are locked at 30fps (due to the fact that it doesn’t matter how much power you give a AAA developer, they are going to use it and then some, because they are always trying to make things bigger and better).
I just want things to be bigger and better with the framerate. I do want consistent framerate, and I'd prefer stable 30 to constantly fluctuating 40-60, but what I _really_ want is stable 60 or higher.
Agreed on all counts, I prefer the locked FPS and the higher image quality especially, it looks so glorious! Overall input lag is very low too, motion blur is top notch, like Jedi Survivor, so doesn't even seem that low framerate anyway.
The only thing I didn't like were the Quick Time Events... other than that it's really good. FF16 is the only game that can challenge TotK for GOTY, realistically=
@@moon_orbit you have not played it yet though. And Zelda was amazing but they still have tons to learn in storytelling (despite ToTK having a decent one for once). Anyway, I believe it is too early to say which one will get Goty
12:23 I would strongly disagree with "wondrous world full of exploration", the weakest point imo is exploration and side quests, but nice review
Best review I’ve seen on this game and honestly nothing beats a Jones narration.
GameTrailers nostalgia ☺️
It was just a boring list of things. Wasn't much of a review
@@youtubesucks1821 Just a vague negative comment. Wasn’t much of a criticism.
@@Fr33climb A review should tell you if a game is fun and give you a sense of whether you, personally, would enjoy it or hate it. This review did none of that, it's a bad review.
The above paragraph is the same thing as my original comment only in more words. Your inferior brain will accept the above paragraph while still considering my original comment "not much of a criticism".
Nothing about the original comment was negative, I was literally describing the video. And it wasn't vague either. I said it's just "a list of things" and was "boring". That is exactly what it was, blame the video for that criticism, not me.
You're just another braindead fanboy, not much of a response.
They are the best about not spoiling unnecessary story information and covering every other facet of the game. Plus, you know when they review it they actually finished it.
I might be late here, but the guy who did this review, used to be the guy who did the Game Trailers reviews on their website right? He was one of the best, extremely professional.
Yeah, voice as smooth as silk, Brandon Jones the game trailers guy.
Yep! Michael Damiani wrote the review but Brandon Jones still does the VO for most (if not all?) of EZ Allies reviews
Yep, after Gametrailers got shut down by their latest owners (who infamously laid off 70% of the staff literally the day after acquisition,) many of the top people from there went on to make EZ Allies.
Yeah this channel is a lot of former GameTrailers people who formed their own company after it got shut down.
Good to hear that this game doesnt make the same mistakes 15 did, at least is a complete story this time around.
Yes, that sudden speedy pace after getting on the boat and just the abrupt change in plot was insane.
It felt like to incomplete games bolted together, with neither being all that compelling. It’s the first FF since I started following the series at VI that I couldn’t be bothered to finish.
15 is the cringiest
@@fugamantew agree, also, it has way too much filler.
Yeah 15 was the weirdest paced game ever, just like skipping over the entire plot of Kingsglaive in a short cutscene near the start, then the story was pretty good up until and including Altissia and then once that chapter ends and get on that train it just feels like they're rushing to finish it.
Haven't even finished the video and have to comment on how wonderful the "active time lore" system sounds. It sounds so obvious and simple but seemingly nobody (including me) ever thought about it. I was nervous about how much lore and characters would be in this game that would be too hard for an adult with a full time job to appreciate because I will forget everything every time I get back to playing.
Sounds like the logical next step from games that have in game codexs /glossaries. Came in very handy during my half year playthrough of tactics ogre reborn, but I still had to go back and findthe info to begin with. This takes that extra step out.
I'm still shocked how many people celebrate this system. It's a glorified in-game wiki and an excuse to put a lot of interesting information into a very unexciting dictionary format, rather than putting it into the actual dialogue or cutscenes. It could be a practical addition, but really boils down to a very lazy storytelling tool. Imagine if two of the middle seasons of Game of Thrones had been cut out and instead you had to read up on all the plot on wikipedia....
Jesus guys, everything in this review proved that your reviews should be the industry standard. It was that good!
I am revisiting this one year later and I don't agree with you statement. Review is ok, but it doesn't mention any problems that XVI has like performance, lack of meaningful exploration, very basic RPG elements etc. XVI is still one of my fav games ever, but if we are talking about industry standards review should be objective and talk about both strong and weak points of the reviewed produt.
Nice to see a nonremake single player FF be amazing again. Business Unit and Yoshi aren’t playing around!
Yoshi P and the squad are the only ones keeping square afloat on their titan sized shoulders.
If you can look past the obvious shortcomings of 15 theres an incredible game in the Royal Version
@@MrSPW93 honestly couldn’t stand the combat. Too automatic if that makes sense. Maybe Royal improved that part idk. FF7R was amazing
@@CarurossTheSecond218 7R was something else. Rebirth expanding combat will be something special. I don't think Royals updated combat would change your mind but its definitely more fun than OG. Ability to switch to the other party members is great
@@MrSPW93 xv was amazing
The most consistent criticism I'm hearing about the game is framerate and early-game sidequest. But other than that, it's an overall amazing game. Well worth the wait.
Also, framerate problems are a common day 1 issue. Those issues are almost always fixed in future patches.
If you play on performance mode you don't really get that issue in most areas except for places with complex geometry like Rosaria or Dalimil
@@GrahamChapmanare they fixed now?
It feels surreal to actually have an FF not disappoint, it brings me such a joy I can’t describe.
Sure most of the big ones ended after the PS2 era... But XIV is great. VII Remake is great. XIII was a misfire on story but the combat was great. Didn't touch the sequels.
XVI coming out strong is exciting for sure though.
nice to see someone admit it
@@BakanoJutsu And like 15 is divisive, but it's still got things to love in there.
This game looks great, but the small text is a deal breaker for me. So many games have minuscule text and it's frustrating to have to strain my eyes. Infuriating.
@@AyoulI love the overall story of ffxv, but hate the fact that it was chopped up into individual packages. Had it all been in a single game it very well could have been one of the definitive entries, up there with the likes of 6, 7, and 10.
Damn, this game is yet another banger this year in a year STACKED with them. This year might turn out bettter than 2018 and others.
What a time to be a gamer. We're eating good this year.
Zelda Hogwarts diablo street fighter final fantasy lies of P starfield mortal Kombat Alan Wake spiderman WE EATIN LIKE DIANE KEATON
@@jesse1086RE4 Remake…and dark horse contender Redfall 😂
I am sure this will win game of the year awards that is managed by Geof
For me nothing comes close to 1991 and the launch of the Super Nintendo. Super Mario world, FZero, pilotwings, Castlevania 4, sim city, actraiser, legendary game after legendary game that i still play regularly today
hifi rush, dredge, armored core 6
As a 31 year old playing games , this brought me back to being a kid shouting at screen and gett8ng amazed. Real game of the year!
CBU3 showing once again why they have made one of the best FF stories to date
Tears of the Kingdom runs at 20 FPS and no one bats an eye. FF16 spikes between 30-60 only in certain areas of the game and it gets dinged for it.
not to talk about storytelling, voice actors and so...
Becuas3 everyone automatically defaults to grading on a curve for Switch games.
Is this the same voice behind the gametrailers reviews?
The demo already made me care about Sir Tyler and Sir Wade. The characters so good!
FINALLY a great mainline final fantasy. The demo was absolutely amazing.
The full game was alright. Better on the 2nd playthrough when you understand more what the story is about.
13 and 15 were fine
I hope we will see Ben Starr at the FFXVI Spoiler Mode 🤞
Is the voice actor for Cid same for Lorath Nahr
Revisiting this review after beating the game. I agree with the review. The combat is some of my favorite of all time, and i found the overall story, world, main missions, and bosses to all be consistently amazing. To me its one of my favorite games of all time with some issues that are more design/pacing related that hold it back from some more polished 10/10s. I love this game and so far its my goty.
It has some negatives, but they are outweighed by an unforgettable campaign and engaging combat. The performance mode is definitely lacking, and i would have been okay with any visual cuts necessary to maintain better frame rate like sony’s first party offerings (and even Ff7R). Side content doesn’t always have good rewards so casuals will not know which they should prioritize. The in game cutscenes can be jarring. Exploration can feel slow with unnecessary caps on movement speed and animations for mounting/dismounting chocobo. Game would have better without chests in general as any good accessory is mostly gated to main missions which could be spoils, and you can consistently craft best upgrades with mats from quests/hunts anyway.
That said can’t recommend this game enough to anyone on the fence. Especially final fantasy/god of war/devil may cry fans.
Legit the only review that matters to me and that I've been waiting for especially after watching you guys play the demo with Ben. Not surprised to hear it's a modern masterpiece that's really only slightly hindered by its performance because I had more fun with the 2 hour demo alone than most full length games I've played this year.
I love the game so much. The only thing I cannot stand is the borderline intolerable motion blur. I tried turning up my sensitivity because the default is so low and I about threw up from motion sickness. I hope they patch it soon.
It took me ten hours to finally get used to motion blur, and so can you until they're updated.
@@futariseason1010 not everyone is you sweetheart.
4:00 "worlds and locations feel alive and with a handcrafted touch"
"The most satisfying single player FF in nearly two decades." Just what I like.😋
Active time lore itself should push this into at a 9.5
Agreed! And the possibility to fight previous enemies at any time if you missed items or if you just want to train.
Its kind of interesting that Square is so dead set against turn based combat when Atlas feels confident it can resurect a ps2 game faithfully with just a few tweaks.
Love the "the wire" references on that trophy
Wish I had a PS5 for this, but it will likely be some months, if not a year before I can grab this (unless it drops on PC sooner). Either way, this is the most hyped I've been for a FF since the 90's.
I used to want to wait PC ver but I could not resist it 😂
Good luck. While I have a PS5 and pre-ordered the collector's edition of XVI, I hope the PS5 exclusivity deal doesn't last too long; I don't like it when people who can't afford all the latest consoles don't get to play a great game.
Ff16 coming in strong and hot. Great review!
Just finished this game about an hour ago. Spectacular. I loved it.
I'm getting lots of Tales of Arise vibes playing the game, and Clive also reminds me of Alphen.
So the only negative to the game is the performance and not being a stable 60 fps? That's over all pretty good to hear. I wonder if it will be a 10/10 for me. I hope it's a huge seller but with how stacked this year has been and people's wallets already hurt, I've been worried it may not sell as amazing as it should.
Holy shit, GOTY 2023 is stacked! What a year!
Glad FF is back. Whatever happens it is my GOTY😊
Me too
Damn Yoshi-p the savior of final fantasy series, he did it twice.
Between FF7Remake and FF16, I'm glad Final Fantasy is finally back among the leaders in gaming again.
The years following the Square Soft and Enix merger were a mess to be sure, with internal power struggles and company politics messing up a lot of games. Wada was a disaster. The less I say about Yosuke Matsuda the better. But things are finally kinda starting to look up.
Really been one hell of a year for video games
I remember when people thought there was was only one tiny hub and no additional towns in the game 😆Boy were we dead wrong.
My issue with the performance is the motion blur... gives me a headache at times.
I didn't even make it to the end of the review yet and I think Damiani just sold me a PS5. I really haven't been paying attention to this game despite being a long time FF fan but I think I need to play this.
How this game is getting lower scores than TOTK is beyond me.
It seems that creating a whole new game from scratch, having incredible cutscenes, all characters and NPC with voice actors and an AMAZING story are things that count less than frame rate LUL (still loved the review but not the final score)
Well totk is one of the greatest game of all time. On the other hand this is a good video game. So that is why totk is getting higher score.
@@hododod246 don't get me wrong, I loved ToTK but (personal opinion) I would not speak of "one of the greatest games of all times". The new mechanics were super cool as well as the extent of the open world. But the story is faaaar from being perfect (despite being better than before), the graphics and the system they use could be much better performing and the voice acting/cutscenes are almost non-existing.
@@hododod246how is it one of the greatest games of all time when half of it is recycled + the combat is still very subpar. It’s a great open world game but honestly it’s not better than elden ring or botw
@@Nyla_emotes I know people have to constantly say this, but you should really stop caring about scores, especially if you’re fine with the content of the review itself as you say you are.
Not only are game opinions and experiences subjective, but scores themselves are totally arbitrary and ultimately meaningless when you start nitpicking a “9.5 vs a 9.0”. Like, some people use different scales or use more of the scale than others, i.e. we might enjoy a game the exact same amount but I give it a 7 and you give it an 8.5 because those numbers mean different things to each of us, and because those numbers don’t actually mean anything at all.
I'm usually not one to complain about scores but watching this overly positive review and seeing a 9.0 from Damiani and then remembering he gave Ni no kuni 2 a 9.5 makes me thing review scores are completly meaningless😅
One of the only two channels whose reviews I trust. Now I'm gonna pre-order
what's the other one?
ACG maybe?
Skillup? Acg? Sacred Symbols?
Definitely not IGN or GameSpot
@@SaHOG Actually, IGN's FF16 review was written by Mitchell Saltzman - friend of the channel.
Good work, Easy Allies. A trustworthy review as always
Amazing review as always
People are not giving this a 10 becuase of the same performance issues that they ignored when reviewing other games who had the same issues, like ToTK.
Its really annoying. I knew this was about to happen.
I wouldn’t necessarily say reviewers are being hypercritical. You have to keep in mind the hardware the games are developed on. It’s honestly a miracle that Totk doesn’t run at 10 fames a second with everything that is going on. With FF16 it’s pushing the PS5 but the hardware is much more capable. Both games are like the Mona Lisa, one was made with high quality expensive paint and the other was made with crayons. And yet Somehow the crayon Mona Lisa still looks as good her paint’s counterpart.
That game also got dinged for performance issues. -Bloodworth
@@RojoProXthen that’s a review on the system, not the game. And the switch is a last Gen console so there’s no excuse.
@@EasyAllies it did, and I thank you guys for it while other sites like ign ignored ToTK issues to give it 10. To me, if the ffxvi is anything like the demo, it deserves a higher score than ToTK.
Great review picking up a PS5 now.
You're almost always right with your reviews. So im sold.
Great review!
So happy we still get the Jones VO, miss that hunk.
Phenomenal review as expected from the team. ThanQ ❤
Quick Question : where is Mr. Ben Moore? Been a while since his last review!
Ben left Easy Allies about a year ago. His wife got a job back home, and they had to rush to move back before her start date. -Bloodworth
@@EasyAllies WoW!!! I never knew that!!!
I will definitely miss him a whole lot!
if it’s not too much to ask, Show him this message for me :
“I’ve always admired your outstanding and remarkable literature, it helped to improve my Fluency in English more than you can imagine.
Wish you nothing but the best Mr. Ben on your future endeavors.”
And ThanQ Mr. Bloodworth for your time
@@hishamhassan6426 from what I’ve heard in their streams they haven’t really had contact with Ben since he left and only occasionally see him logging into steam or something, he’s focused on settling into his new life
This year have been a year of nostalgia. With titles like Resident Evil, Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, and Final Fantasy bringing their best for 2023.
The Japanese devs are carrying this year so hard. They all brought their A-game with their legendary long-standing franchises
I'm so confused. I cannot believe how many people drank the kool-aid on this thin, boring, button masher with a good soundtrack and visuals.
Mainline FF is back baby!! Loved the game, but I do hope pure action combat isn’t the sole future for the series
Great review, was fun to watch and listen to.
Yoshi P is a literal god
He truly embodies the SE spirit from the 90s: be innovative, focus on story, have a message, include amazing music and be extremely passionate about what you do. This truly seems like what we were patiently waiting for during all these years since their golden age :)
Hail our Lord Yoshi P
The only thing I wasn't sure about from the demo was the combat (everything else was excellent), the switch to action focused doesn't bother me at all it's just it didn't feel that deep. Granted it's only the first two hours of the game which is basically a tutorial and just teaching you the mechanics. But given the Devil May Cry combat director is involved, I hope it opens up a bit more.
11:38 Smash World of Light begins
What did they dock a point for?
The real Game of the year
This !!! ❤
Bro it is not even in the race. This game is amateur compared to totk.
@@hododod246 totk is boring af
@@hododod246 The last two Zelda games are the most overrated games of all time. Old Zelda games were masterpieces. Sorry but TOTK has terrible melee combat, you just hit enemies with a stick while FF XVI combat is amazing, it surpassed DMC V as the best hack n slash combat ever created. Sekiro and the new God of war games though have still the best melee combat that's not hack n slash. Tears of the kingdom is also a Minecraft simulator, puzzles suck, weapon durability it's still not fully fixed from Breath of the wild, fusing as a solution sucks, voice acting is bad, and finally it's unacceptable for a 2023 game to be 30 fps with such unacceptable textures, shadows, anti alaising and resolution. Just leave the image of the game still and everything around you is shimmering and blurred. Zelda is a 6/10 game at the best case senario. FF XVI is at least a 9.
It'll probably grab some RPG category ones, though I think Baldur's Gate III has a big chance of stealing its thunder.
I hope the story of this game teaches the other Sqaure Enix teams on FF projects how its done.
FF XVI CHARACTER CAST > FF XV CHARACTER CAST (while XVI still did not unfold the full potential of their designed characters)
FF XVI COMBAT SYSTEM > FF XV COMBAT SYSTEM (both combat systems are still not satisfying the community)
FF XVI SOUNDTRACK > FF XV SOUNDTRACK (both titles soundtrack had been good, though)
FF XVI STORYLINE > FF XV STORYLINE (both titles storylines are average)
FF XVI GRAPHICS > FF XV GRAPHICS
FF XVI EXPLORATION < FF XV (both titles treasure chest game was too random)
FF XVI SIDEQUESTS < FF XV SIDEQUESTS (both titles side quest game had been boring, except Pitioss Ruins in XV)
FF XVI DISCUSSION >>> FF XV DISCUSSION
FF XVI is the better project and more interesting, but still not the Final Fantasy title, the community wants to experience.
they were smart to release a demo - I didn't care for this game before, but I immediately pre-ordered the game after playing the demo - it's that good
Same, absolutely was just "oh OK, a mature FF sure go for it, meh" FFXV made me a little skeptical. Oof that demo though. Granted, prplogue was funny due to all the country names and other keywords with no idea what's what but that combat and the effects, Music and voice acting not being that bad sold me
@@zashimi1345 You can press the touchpad during any cutscene (and gameplay too maybe, not sure) and it gives you short descriptions of all parties, characters and places in that cutscene/chapter.
I wonder if the decision to release the demo was influenced by the pre-order numbers being so low compared to previous FF titles, even when accounting for the low ownership rate of PS5's, that the SE brass were reportedly "slightly panicked." I can almost guarantee those numbers shot up after the demo.
@@omegagilgamesh most likely yeah, cuz I'm sure a lot of people felt how I felt - oh, a generic medieval FF game *yawn*
The demo has been planned for quite some time. In fact, I don't think they could have put one out so quickly if it were a reaction. -Bloodworth
Just for some Performance issues a 9/10
Why not 9,5 or 10
Only zelda games allowed to have that issue
@@kouji0031🙂
I totally expected lesser scores for zelda because they have the same openworld layout for parts but they gave it a 10.
Franerate issues which are gonna be patched day 1 is a 9 which is surprising coming from Ez allies. 😅
@@zarpspawn3508 yes you’re so right
Idk why your guys are complaining about a 9. It's a fantastic score.
Man idk about this game. All the reviews are amazingly positive but the demo really did nothing for me.
Ok. You're allowed to not have an affinity for a game everyone else seems to love.
As someone who is highly apathetic to BOTW, and as a result didn't bother getting TOTK, I get you.
i remember that in FFXV I finished the game without equipping any stronger gear is it the same here?
There are three gear slots with stat boosts, sword, cuff, belt. Then three upgrade accessories that you collect that make certain moves more powerful or give a raw Stat boost.
@@edwinleskin3112 ok so in order to progress and not have a difficult time You need to equip better gear? In FFXV I played with basic equipment and QTEs did all the job, I hope is not the case here
@@loading2463 There's two modes - Story focused and Action focused. They're both the same difficulty, the only difference is Story focused gives you some optional gear that lets you auto dodge, auto heal, auto combo etc. but if you're finding this mode too easy you can always remove
Story focused is an easier difficulty entirely. You get the optional accessories even with the action-focused difficulty. However, they take up slots in your inventory like any other accessory, and you only have three equipment slots to use between those items and standard accessories that buff your stats or single abilities. -Bloodworth
This is great! Hot off the press 🔥 FF is back in stately fashion 🎮
Im so glad Square removed most of the RPG elements from one of the best RPG series
Great review Damiani! I really REALLY can't wait to play this
I've been in love with his voice talking about final fantasy since forever.
can we change outfit in this game?
yes but you can only choose between 2 outfits.
Lorath?
Great to hear Finchy from the Office
He's come a long way and has a great voice, crazy to think he was around 30 years old in the office guy has such a deep voice and looked older haha, UK Office is GOAT
is this the game trailers vo guy?
Awesome review as always!! Love how quick you guys posted it!
Imo FF16 is a masterpiece ❤
Dead space
RE4
Wo Long
Star wars
Diablo 4
FFXVI
Next we have
Spiderman 2
Starfield
What a Great year in gaming .
Street fighter 6 too. And Super Mario RPG coming this year
Did you enjoy tears of kingdom?
Jones to a game review is what Attenborough is to a documentary: the gold standard.
Reviewer clearly played the game in performance mode (or at least captured this in that mode), and all combat looks smooth AF. You can even tell when the game is off combat and immediately the FPS drops. Definitely gonna be my mode of choice for that smooth combat.
Also yes, I don't need them telling me they played in perf mode, I can see 60 fps immediately. As can you lol.
2 questions I'd be grateful if you answered
1.Do you have any choices, and does the story branch at all?
2.Are there any truly surprising twists?
1. No branching choices. At least in the Main Quest.
2. I would say there weremsome suprises… though i personally didnt find them bery. good
1. No the story is linearly character driven, would be cool to have choices considering the complex nature of the game world politics, but the ending doesn't dissapoint. Plus no Final Fantasy gives you choices it's always a premade story.
2. There are a few interesting twists that you wouldn't expect , nothing mind blowing but cool.
11 and 14 were online, I wonder if 17 will be? Maybe some kind of hybrid.
Please fucking not, we finally got a great single player mainline FF after the horrific 13 trilogy and half-baked 15.
I doubt 17 will be online with the
7.0 expansion to 14 still on the horizon
What kind of moronic logic is that?
This year's GoY discussions will be 🔥
About 1/3 of the way through and this is already one of the best games I've ever played. My top 3 FFs for sure along with FF7 and FF8.
I was hoping for a brad review since combat was my only worry from the demo. Felt a bit shallow in the demo and I know it was mainly tutorial stuff but it doesn't seem to get much more complex.
Same for me. Apparently it doesn't evolve that much.
It will get stale quick for me, for sure.
Glad I'm not alone in that thought. The bosses were too easy and spongy as well.
I was interested in the story so I'm still considering getting the game.
Sekiro, God of war, Bloodborne, DMC V and now FF XVI. The top 5 games with the best melee combat i have ever played.
I'll still wait for a sale. Back when GT was still around, the review of XIII was also similarly glowing.
Just preordered. Between the demo and these reviews, I know I’m gonna love this game.
Just ordered a PS5, preordered the game and japanese limited edition gamepad + PS5 covers 😁
Is the entire game really dark or is it just the clips they've chosen?
More of a dreary Dark Souls /bloodborne game , not a cheery bright Horizon Forbidden West graphics .
i think Lost Odyssey on 360 had something like the active time lore.
Is it worth it if you didnt fancy god of war like gameplay or game of thrones typed series?
This is closer to Devil May cry combat than GOW
6:25 DOWNTOWN CLAY DAVIS?!
Not sure how much I can trust these reviews. Game looks fine, but then again Easy Allies also gave 4.5 stars to FF XV (equivalent to a 9) , and FF XV was very ... meh. I finished it and 2 weeks later I couldn't remember one single detail about the story
Not that it matters, since I haven't even played the game and can't judge it as of now, but why do you describe the game as a 10/10 experience and than give it a 9/10? The only negative I heard in the video was something about some towns not being at 60FPS. Is that something to subtract an entire point for? Are you holding back for some reasons or did you subtract points for something which wasn't mentioned in the video?
0:45, well, that all but confirms what I suspected happens at the end of the battle we see before the flashback sequence.
Great review and performance issues well highlighted. Any news on patches from the developers?
I will wait for the PC version. 30fps is a no go and it can't even hit a steady 60fps in 720p.
Hope they review Trails into Reverie if they can review other long Jrpgs.
This game was INCREDIBLE. A generation defining game in my opinion.
Of course I’m happy about the FF series continuing to thrive in the modern era but still disappointed about the change in direction with its combat as it continues to evolve throughout the years.
Lets goo FF I knew this game wasn't going to disappoint!
So, game is perfect except it doesn’t maintain a 60fps in performance mode, which seems to lead to a 9? Interesting.
Personally, I will play it in graphics mode. There is absolutely nothing wrong with 30fps. Before anyone starts talking about input, let’s make something clear. We don’t know if they are processing input at 60 or 30 fps (a lot of games actually have different update rates for different game loops). Also, you can only mash a button so many times per a second, so the response time will be instant whether 60 or 30. The main issue I have with fps is when a game targets 30 or 60 and does not maintain it and you notice that the game is not running smoothly. Doesn’t seem to be an issue at all in graphics mode.
But, at the end of the day, the 60 fps gatekeepers are going to be disappointed as more games are built for only modern consoles (PS5, Series X) and they are locked at 30fps (due to the fact that it doesn’t matter how much power you give a AAA developer, they are going to use it and then some, because they are always trying to make things bigger and better).
I just want things to be bigger and better with the framerate. I do want consistent framerate, and I'd prefer stable 30 to constantly fluctuating 40-60, but what I _really_ want is stable 60 or higher.
Agreed on all counts, I prefer the locked FPS and the higher image quality especially, it looks so glorious! Overall input lag is very low too, motion blur is top notch, like Jedi Survivor, so doesn't even seem that low framerate anyway.
The only thing I didn't like were the Quick Time Events... other than that it's really good. FF16 is the only game that can challenge TotK for GOTY, realistically=
Zelda will be Goty, I don't see this winning
@@moon_orbit you have not played it yet though. And Zelda was amazing but they still have tons to learn in storytelling (despite ToTK having a decent one for once). Anyway, I believe it is too early to say which one will get Goty
@@Nyla_emotes Yes, but by seeing the scores in metacritic I think Zelda has the advantage. I'm not team Zelda btw.
The QTE’S are literally pressing one button lol. And the timing is incredibly forgiving.
QTE should not be apart of gaming. Easily my biggest pet peeve