On November 29th, “Final Fantasy XV” was released. Now, this is exciting for two reasons. For starters, it’s a “Final Fantasy” game, and they are always well coveted by the RPG-playing community. And it’s also exciting because those who have been waiting for this game to come out have been waiting since its production was announced over 10 years ago. Can you think of anything you’ve waited for for 10 years? I certainly can, and this game is it. It’s the one gamers all over the world have been vocally praying for for 10 whole years.
Now, this game didn’t start out as “Final Fantasy XV.” Originally, it started out as “Final Fantasy Versus XII,” which was announced back in 2006. It was originally set for the PS3 but was ultimately pulled from the system because it lacked the power necessary to run smoothly. Since then, gamers were exceedingly unsure on whether this mythic “Final Fantasy” game would ever come out.
Fast forward to around 2013 and news of the game starts to spread once again. It took on the name of “Final Fantasy XV” and has become increasingly more hyped as the years went on. Years would pass and Square Enix, the game’s producer, would drop small trailers at conventions like E3, where all video game hype begins. As more information was given to us, the public realized that this was no joke. We were actually going to get this game! Of course, it had its setbacks, like everything we want in life. “Originally” slated for a release at the end of September 2016, it was pushed back yet again so that the creators could put out the best possible game. Now the question is, did the game deliver?
So, I haven’t gotten to play too much of it yet, with all the chaos that the end of a school quarter can bring. But I can firmly say that I’m glad I did all the waiting. The game is absolutely gorgeous, and there’s so much to do. The beginning places is you in a very “open-world” setting, something that those who have played games like “Skyrim” or “Fallout” should be fairly familiar with. While there’s no character creation in those games, you still get to follow some damn great characters with what I consider to be the traveling boyband of Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus.
The gameplay can be slightly confusing in the beginning, something that the game is very open about. From the start, they give you an option for an in-depth tutorial so you don’t end up dying in the first chapter. Also, I will say that is still pretty easy to die if you don’t pay close enough attention. There are certain monsters that are well above your level. I once made the mistake of pissing off what I refer to as “Bird God” and it wiped the characters from existence almost instantly.
So, with all that said, if you haven’t picked up a copy, and have the systems that allow you to play it (PS4 and Xbox 1 so far), I highly encourage you to buy the game that’s been in production for the last 10 years. And then, set up camp so you can wait for “Kingdom Hearts 3.” Happy gaming and happy waiting!
