AbyssWalker

@hippie_genocide: That doesn't bother me. It's something about the way he moves in combat while he's focusing on an enemy. It seems stiff. It also feels like his attacks are lacking impact. Still very interested in it and these aren't big deals at all, just expecting more polish from Sucker Punch.

Am I the only one who thinks his animations look a bit stiff? Something about the way he moves and the way combat flows is really bugging me.

This is one of those games where it feels like it was made just for me. I thought 2016 was good but I've fallen in love hard with this one. The combat loop of health, armor and ammo just clicks with me. I enjoy the platforming, it never felt finicky or a chore to me. I love how dumb and over the top the story is because the Slayer doesn't care at all, if he was invested in it it would be lame. I also really like Battlemode even though connection seems to play a big factor in it, though that could be because of our current situation. My only complaints are there are some cutscene where I found myself asking why couldn't I just do that instead of it being a cutscene, and the fact that Bethesda.net doesn't have any friends list so playing with friends is nearly impossible, though that isn't id's fault at all.

It's a damn shame that the FOX Engine will probably die off after Survive because it is a damn great engine. This is also one of those games that I really wish had save slots, making a backup on the PC isn't difficult but it is a bit annoying. Glad that other people are still enjoy it, I still think about it fairly often.

As a side note, I really wish they would rerelease 4.

@cerberus3dog: Ah thank you, this is something I've been wanting to look for so here goes. They added a lot more scenes with Luna, just about any time the game cuts away from Noctis it's to show a scene with her. It's usually her talking to either Gentiana or Ravus and they do help to build her and the others up a bit more. There are also more scenes in the past with young Luna and Noctis so you do see their relationship built up a bit. It does seem like he hasn't seen her in a very long time and the thought of finally seeing her again is fairly present. Ravus is also expanded upon more so his motivations and sudden change make more sense thanks to Episode Ignus.

Going into the game I knew that the episodes would fill in some of the blanks so that definitely effected my feelings towards those moments. When I saw Gladio got a new scar I just figured "Cool, his episode will probably explain that." Ignis being blinded was a little different, I didn't really care for the details of that so much as how did things deescalate once Noctis fell unconscious. Shit hit the fan in Altissia pretty damn hard so I felt that I didn't really need to know how he was blinded. That leads into Chapter 10 and Gladio being a dick though and that is definitely the shitiest part of the game. It makes you hate all of them for a moment cause Gladio is just being so undeservingly antagonistic and having to fucking wait for Ignis makes that chapter take forever.

After playing Episode Prompto I really got the sense that coming to terms with his origins is really something he had to do. His friends are always going to love him no matter what so them just brushing over it like that in the main game makes sense. Granted the episode definitely could have been longer and really delve into his psyche but I really didn't expect it to. Plus I don't think he's really fun to play as he is so I really wouldn't want that episode to last much longer.

Insomnia and the end of the game were also expanded in this new version and while it's still not as much as I would like it does decent job of tying everything together. You get to see and reconcile with the more important side characters, (and there's a phone call with Iris that's kinda sad when you know how the game ends) for the most part. You get a quest to help Cindy with something but you don't ever see her.

From what I've read they added a ton of documents to the game that weren't in the original version. Every area has some lore for it and there's plenty of things detailing the Six, the Ring, the Lucis line, and the Crystal. They are presented as excerpts from story books which is kinda neat. These definitely should have been in the game from the start as from a story stand point it makes sense that none of this is explained; the characters know this world so there's no reason for them to be there for a exposition dump or two. Something like that works when the info is there to find somewhere but it sounds like it wasn't before.

It really does feel like we got the finished game with this version, it does suck for people who picked it up when it first came out. They did announce four more episodes recently with the first being Episode Ardyn, it's a safe bet that one will be about Aranea. So there may be some more blanks for them to fill in with these but as it stands now I'm satisfied with the story. If there is anything else you want to know then let me know.

@fatalbanana: Oh I also forgot to mention something, I don't know if you're playing with a mouse and keyboard or a controller but with a controller I found that type 2 is much better than type 1 and I never switch control types in games.

@dochaus: I found that the only really important detail from the movie was that some of the Kingsglaive colluded with the Empire and betrayed the King (I read a synopsis, I really don't want to watch that movie.) I don't think that was mentioned in the main game at all but it is mentioned in Comrades. I just figured the Empire finally overwhelmed the city but traitors works too.

@zirilius: I just hated Gladio's attitude in Chapter 10, I didn't mind that main story didn't explain how Ignis lost his site and Prompto totally works as the guy stuck in the middle of Noctis's and Gladio's headbutting. The only thing I didn't care for about Chapter 13 was the length for Noctis's route but of course I had the benefit of having the buffed version of the Ring from one of the previous patches. If his path was shorter but a bit harder than it was I wouldn't mind that at all.

@fatalbanana: You get Armiger once you get 3 Royal Arms which doesn't take too long. Character switching is actually something you unlock from the techniques ascendancy tree.

@fatalbanana: I had completely forgotten to mention the movie and the anime. A friend of mine told me they weren't really necessary to enjoy the game fully so I skipped them and I don't feel like I missed out on anything, though I understand how you feel. I felt the same way with the combat at first but I definitely got a feel for it and really enjoy it despite how simple it is. The combat really evolves too once you get Armiger mode, Armiger unleashed and once you unlock the ability to switch characters, though you do need to play their episodes to fully unlock their potential. It does feel like you get stuck in animations longer than you should which makes parrying difficult but you'll get a feel for that as well. And driving around while listening to music is enjoyable but they left out the two best songs from the X soundtrack which makes me very sad. Driving is even better once you get the off road version of the Regalia, the controls aren't half bad which really surprised me.

I can keep the game at a fairly stable 60 but as I only have a GTX 960 I have to turn a lot of options down. The game still looks great though and 60fps is a must for me so I don't mind so much. Even though I have it disabled the AA options are really disappointing, though I suppose playing in 4K or with a high resolution scale is the best solution for aliasing. Thanks for sharing!

Since I'm sure the new releases for XV brought in a lot of first timers like myself I thought it would be cool to get a discussion going. Our experience with the game is going to be pretty different from those who played it when it first came out and that is a rare and interesting thing in gaming. Having beaten the main story the other day I find myself really eager to discuss it which is rare for me. Note that there will more than likely be spoilers at some point so if you haven't beaten the game yet you should of course do that first.

When the game first came out the general impression I got was that there was a lot to like about it but a lot to dislike as well. Several of my friends would tell me just how much they liked the characters and the world but hated the story beats. One of them even drunkenly presented some insane power point like presentation she made on it during New Years. Most reviews reflected those sentiments as well. In my time with the game however I am finding little to dislike. So little I can list them: Gladio's ridiculously aggressive attitude towards Noctis in Chapter 10, the Assassin's Festival might never come back and the fact that Prompto isn't very fun to play as. Those are really the only problems I have with the game. There are some oddities with the story at first, like why doesn't the Empire just go after Noctis right away since they seem to always know where he is and why do they wait until he makes a pact with the Gods to kill them. Once Ardyn's identity and plan are fully revealed (in Episode Ignis) it all falls into place. I also felt the ending was just fine and the fact that people clamored for a different one is absurd.

Ultimately I am really enjoying my time in XV. Over 50 hours in and there is still plenty to do, not even taking Comrades into account. At this moment I don't know what all the additions and changes are to the story so I don't know how they effected my enjoyment of this game but as a first timer to the game I love it. It might even be my new favorite FF game, it's too soon to tell though. I certainly would like to go more in-depth with my discussion but I am currently strapped for time.

So let me know what the rest of you first timers (or even second playthrough with all the new stuff) thought about the game.

I would add platform exclusive content, which can sometimes be pre-order bonuses. Not being able to actually get all the content of a game because something, no matter how insignificant, is on another platform drives me up the wall. Or something like Kratos in MK9. I got the PS3 version because of that even though he was kind of a shit character and I had way more friends on the 360.

EDIT: Retailer specific pre-order bonuses are also bullshit.