Luckily I never listen to your opinions on any RPG, cuz I feel differently than you every time.

So, I finally got to the final act of Final Fantasy 15, and here’s my current thoughts on what it does and doesn’t do well.

Pros:

– ABSOLUTELY gorgeous scenery to behold! The graphics are top-notch, the art style is very much Final Fantasy, and there’s not a single place that looks harsh on the eyes.

– Main story is simple, easy to follow, and well-written for the most part, though it still JRPGs about as hard as any other JRPG.

– Great sympathetic characters all around, including the main 4 of Gladiolus, Noctis, Ignis, and Prompto. They really do seem like they’ve been friends for years, and their banter is downright entertaining to listen to.

– In spite of what he looks like, Noctis is a good main protagonist. He only angsts whenever needed for the plot, and has a great sense of humor about most anything he encounters.

– Heart-pounding, non-stop action style gameplay that’s easy to learn, yet has enough depth to really get the most out of each encounter. Plus, it looks flashy as hell.

- The magic system, while weird at first, makes for good tactical options before or during battle, and fits the more action-based combat.

– Unique leveling mechanic that forces you to pause and figure out when is the right time to keep going or rest and gain experience for tougher encounters.

– Partner AI is pretty good at keeping itself alive and delivering successful tactics…most of the time.

– Leveling and advancement system is well designed and feels as though you’re growing in power as opposed to fiddling around with specific builds.

– Ignis’s cooking. Seriously, that shit makes me super hungry every time I look at it.

– Prompto’s snapshots throughout the adventure. That is all.

– Lots of side quests to gain loot from, including the return of monster hunts from Final Fantasy 12 (my personal favorite game in the series).

Cons:

– Combat camera tends to go all over the place. Doesn’t help that the lock-on isn’t as tight as in other games.

– (iffy) Voice acting, while pretty good overall, tends to go towards the campy side at times. Take it however you will.

– Partner AI sometimes stands right in the danger zone and gets KO’d too quickly.

– While well-written, the story kinda struggles by the final act, feeling a bit rushed when things start to get interesting.

– Certain awesome characters needed more development shown, especially the awesome main villain.

– Wait mode feels completely unnecessary if you’re used to action games, and too wonky if you’re not.

– Dungeons could’ve been better implemented. They feel too linear and short compared to the rest of what the game offers.

What are everyone else’s opinions, in case you played the game? I personally am loving every minute of the game, in spite of the more obvious flaws.

I would recommend FFXV over MGSV personally, considering MGSV feels extremely incomplete by MGS standards, especially in the story department. Gameplay is great, but there's not much to do with it since the open world is so lifeless apart from specific areas. FFXV has awesome combat (different than previous titles, but that's not a bad thing despite what some people say), good story (if a bit unpolished at the end), fun characters, and it just looks freaking gorgeous. So yeah, Final Fantasy gets my vote.

@vespuche: It starts to for the introduction. But then it just becomes another bog-standard revenge plot with racism and a documentary style as the window dressing. It doesn't do anything other than try to make the main character sympathetic after the first act, which...it doesn't. It just falls flat afterwards.

The gameplay is okay, but the mission structure is beyond tedious and repetitive, and the story becomes just another revenge plot after the intro. That's what really holds the game back, not the name.

No Man's Sky would definitely be the most disappointing game of the year, though I wouldn't consider it the absolute worst, as some of those other entries are barely functional by comparison. I got 30 hours out of NMS before giving up on its painful monotony.

@LuminousAether: TBH, I dont believe any game should charge extra money after already being 60 bucks. I know most games are doing it (Uncharted 4 has them), but with Overwatch, it just feels wrong on some level. That, and I dont believe the game is that great. Played the free weekend, and I was less than impressed.

I enjoy it sometimes, but I do agree its boring mostly

@drrollinstein: along with the usual bug fixes, it adds a new game plus, a bonus carnival thing that gives you specific items, Cid now upgrading multiple weapons at once, and a free holiday DLC pack to download, which has items depending on what edition of the game you have I think.

Uncharted 4

Dark Souls 3

Final Fantasy XV

DOOM

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Titanfall 2

Abzu

Furi

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (campaign)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood & Wine DLC