When you think of classic Japanese RPGs, you’re going to be thinking of the Final Fantasy series. That’s a no brainer. The first game in the chronology was released back in 1987 to well received sales and acclaim, and each new addition to the franchise continues to cement the overall series into the hearts of hardcore video game fans the world over as it continues to innovate and surprise fans and critics alike. One of the best and most challenging things that the developers of the franchise continue to wow people with is their commitment to keeping each new game fresh and exciting while simultaneously keeping them distinctly “Final Fantasy.” This is a very difficult thing to accomplish, and many other developers have failed doing so in the past. Many gamers will be able to recall one of their favorite series going good for the first few installments before falling flat on its face when the developers try to “switch things up.” This has been played out in the industry numerous times, and many of those times have resulted in the complete destruction of a previously enjoyed series, so just how has Square Enix managed to stay successful at this for almost 30 years?
There’s no one real answer. In many cases, it’s a delicate balancing act that’s accomplished by having truly dedicated developers carefully experimenting with the game series they’ve loved and have grown up with to deliver an absolutely mesmerizing final product. Some gamers have held their breath with the recent announcement for Final Fantasy XV, as they’re no doubt thinking about those other series who have attempted to change and failed. One important thing for these gamers to realize, though, is that Square Enix are masters at updating old their old IP into a new generation, and this new Final Fantasy, while different, will be just as exciting as some of the titanic and well-beloved additions to the series such as FFVII and FFX. Modern game developers must change in order to meet demands for high quality games and make enough sales to fund the next installment, therefore this new breath of life to the series will have both hardcore FF fans and newcomers alike equally enthralled. Let’s take a closer look at just what specific changes are coming in #XV.
FFXV Roadtrip
Medieval Meets Metropolitan: Grand Theft Fantasy?
The overall ‘aesthetic’ of Final Fantasy has been rather hard to put into words. There have certainly been images of classic medieval fantasy in the series, as well as Japanese historical imagery. Some games features castles, some feature trains, and some even feature futuristic floating cities. Developers at Square Enix are masters at combining different time periods and imageries and Final Fantasy XV will be no different. The cities we’ve seen for this 15 installment have a very Roman, neoclassical look to them with white walls, heavenly statues, large pillars, and domes, so at first glance, you may feel some familiarity to the period piece Assassin’s Creed. Where it differs, though, is that there are also modern day looking cars, skyscrapers, guns, and some other distinctly 21st century (as well as maybe even 22nd century!) additions.
This combined with the fact that the FFXV setting will be completely open world has a lot of gamers drawing comparisons to the titanic Grand Theft Auto series, which emphasizes open, sandbox style worlds where players are able to wreak havoc and explore to their hearts content. While the over the top violence and mindless slaughter that the GTA series is known for looks like something that Final Fantasy XV isn’t going to emulate too closely (the series has never been about blood and guts), this open world style of play will really give players the opportunity to discover the FFXV world at their own leisure and have it really come to life.
FFXV Party Combat
Real Time Combat Finally Gets to Take Its Turn
One of the largest and most talked about changes coming with the newest addition to the series is the move to real time combat. Final Fantasy has been a long time user of the classic turn based style fighting system ever since its debut, but with #15, they’ll be moving towards a much more streamlined style of attacking that’ll have players engaged at all times. Some long time fans are concerned that this move could indicate that this makes the game too similar to western RPGs that have been released in the past few years, but with Final Fantasy’s unique and fleshed out stat/combat system being the basis for this action oriented combat, we’ll be able to see a very unique and fleshed out system that doesn’t ‘copy’ western RPGs so much as innovate on existing concepts.
Some examples of this include the amazing monster and boss battles and we’ve seen, which look like something out of the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Colossus game that was released last decade. The player will be able to actually climb on top of these gigantic monsters and go for specific weak points in order to kill them. These bosses are often gigantic compared to the character which really gives a sense of scale in the world, and in addition to that, they’ll be able to fully interact with the environment during each fight which makes gameplay extremely streamlined and engaging.
Other interesting looking innovations include the wall fights. The player can take the protagonist and have them jump onto the side of the building and actually fight enemies in a vertical setting, which is a very interesting take on the traditional Action RPG. Aside from that, the fact that guns are being brought back into the series has gotten a lot of long time fans excited. They’ve been in the series before, but never so much in the forefront as is being shown with FFXV. This meshes well with the fast paced combat that’s been shown so far, and it really gives the developers a lot of freedom when it comes to all the different types of battle tactics that can be used: engaging in short range, medium range, long range, and melee combat will all require different considerations to be made.
FFXV Open World
Art Imitates Life, Final Fantasy Imitates Reality
Final Fantasy games have almost always been trendsetters when it comes to overall aesthetics and graphics. This was most apparent in their move from 2 dimensional sprites to 3d character in Final Fantasy VII, which is today considered to be one of the best Final Fantasy games to have ever been released. This dedication towards video game beauty is certainly coming back to the forefront with Final Fantasy XV, which will feature the most up to date graphics technology in the industry. It won’t just be pretty pictures, either, as it will be used in conjunction with a ton of detailed sequences that’ll have gamers feel like they’re stepping into the real world each time they play the game. As a real person would, the game’s characters will be able to do things such as take a break from adventuring and stopping in at a local gas station or even stopping somewhere to pickup food for a night out camping. This full scale interaction with the environment will really allow players to get their minds fully developed in the game’s storyline and plot.
In addition to the detailed graphics, the environment will really work in synergy with the open world that Final Fantasy XV promises to deliver. As mentioned above, this is similar to the GTA series. Powerful graphics combined with complete freedom to explore and interact with the environment leads players to feel immersed in a fully realized and almost living world.
The “Final” Fantasy Series Is Just Getting Started: A New Era
While it’s titled “XV,” there have been a ton of additional deviations from the standard Final Fantasy games over the years, including sequels like X-II and standalones like Final Fantasy Tactics. A series of this magnitude for just about any other game developer would likely mean stale, unimaginative games that have had every possible good idea already squeezed from them. Final Fantasy has bucked this tradition multiple times throughout its almost 30 year reign as unquestioned champion of Japanese RPGs and the series will do so again with its 15th installment.
It’s ironic that a game referred to as “Final” Fantasy has had so much success in creating sequels year after year and if FF15 is only half as good as it’s been shown to be, then there will be tons of more Final Fantasy games that’ll be brought to us in the coming years. 15 in particular seems to be doing quite a bit to not just appease hardcore fans of the series but also newcomers as well, which means Square Enix is anticipating a gigantic success financially as well as critically. With the MMORPGs that the series has been releasing for the past couple of years, many fans simply cannot wait to get their hands on this new single player RPG experience. The wait is almost up, as the game has been thought up, created, and is now being expertly polished, so gamers will be able to get their hands on it very soon.
Final Fantasy XV is slated for release on both the Sony Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. This has upset some PC gamers, but when asked about the possibility of a PC release, the developers had said that they weren’t sure about the PC version and wanted to wait to see just how popular the game actually is before making any concrete decisions. With that said, we can assume that if it sells well (it should sell very well taking a look at all of those great features), we can guess a PC release could come somewhere between 6 months and a year down the road after the initial console release, although that’s just estimation at this point.
As far as when the game will actually be released on consoles, no official announcement has been made. There have been many rumors going around in regards to a job posting that was made by Square Enix that has lead many analysts to expect a definite 2015 release, with a fairly strong possibility for August. For those who just can’t wait, Square Enix has a three to four hour demo available earlier this year for gamers who buy Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (NA release March 17, 2015; EU release March 20). Make sure to pick up a first run edition, as they’ve said reprints won’t have the demo.
Credits: Special thanks to Timothy Herrera for the great write up.
If you want to check out more Final Fantasy XV news, guides, reviews and more, just go to ffxvguide.com. There you will see and know all things Final Fantasy XV.
source : http://webjunkiesblog.blogspot.com, http://reddit.com, http://twitter.com
0 Response to "[howto guides] Final Fantasy XV Overview: History, Development, Gameplay, and Release Date"
Posting Komentar