So I bought the new Videogame Magazine Edge 300#. Its Review of Final Fantasy XV...

[SweetShark]

...doesn't have a score.

Yes, I know they played "only" 40 hours and technically it isn't a review, BUT after 40 hours of gameplay, I think a person can give a score no matter what.
Don't get me wrong. I am not against reviews that don't give a "number", but if the other reviews have score on them, why not FFXV?

Also I am a little worried because maybe it is a sign that maybe the game against isn't good?
They could just easily call it a review, but the they decided not just to create hype...

 

[Hawki]

Does the review at least veer in a positive or negative direction?

 

[SweetShark]

Does the review at least veer in a positive or negative direction?

Well, to give a summary of the article. They said:
- This FF is original from the previous game.
- While you travel with the car, it is enjoyable, but you will get bored by the limited music selection, annoying to push the car to fill it with gas to the near petrol station and not be able drive off the road...
- Must find a place to sleep and get bonuses base the way you spent your night. Roaming in the night high-level monster will murder you.
- Cooking!Give bonuses if they eat their favorite food.
- New costumes you can get are limited.
- The combat is good, but with some strange decisions. Example, if you use a lot of MP, you get dizzy I think?
- 4 different types of weapons to use to overcome specific enemies types. It shows a orange damage value if it is the correct weapon.Purple the opposite.
- Team base attacks feeling good, but most of the time get interrupted by enemies.
- Battle System work well if there are few enemies. Confusing if many enemies or when you fight a boss.
- No currency from enemies. Only when you sell items. Problematic when you want to buy weapons items for you.
- Hollow script because it doesn't make you to care for the characters and events.
- Summons play an important role in the story.
- The game become LINEAR again, like FF13 after the road trip....
- Stealth Gameplay when Noctis [the main protagonist] is alone.
- "Back in Time" Function to go back in time when you were using the car to grid and finish some missions you didn't done.
- Chocobos useless because they are slower than the car [duh]. However they can be off-road, sooooooo....I don't know.
- Pimp-up your bird, but lose it when you win some races? I don't get it....

You can see clearly the person who wrote this article can easily give a score. But no, they decided to leave it like this....

 

[SweetShark]

Maybe it's best reviews hold off for now seeing as the Crown update only came out like today or yesterday. Means that any post patch reviews are missing quite a few additions. But then I guess most reviews don't take into account day one patches. Maybe that's why they're always kind of vague when it comes to performance, with performance analysis videos coming out after release.

 

[SweetShark]

Maybe it's best reviews hold off for now seeing as the Crown update only came out like today or yesterday. Means that any post patch reviews are missing quite a few additions. But then I guess most reviews don't take into account day one patches. Maybe that's why they're always kind of vague when it comes to performance, with performance analysis videos coming out after release.

Truth to be told in the article he writer don't say anything about the performance of the game. It is only about its gameplay and story mostly.

 

[meiam]

and not be able drive off the road...

What...??? What's the point of having a car if it essentially function like train?

Lot's of these things don't really make sense, hopefully the patch really will fix it all.

 

[SweetShark]

I predict a 78 meta. A lot of fans wanted this to be the resurgence of FF after the disappointing XIII. Sounds like this will be just as if not more disappointing, but for quite a few new reasons.

 

[Fox12]

I actually can't stand review scores. I'd rather just have a review.

I'll be picking it up tommorow, so maybe I'll post an update in the next couple of days

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I have not been following FFXV nor have I ever been a fan of the franchise but I think people who are are in for a big disappointment with this game. Just from what I've seen online I'm getting bad vibes from this. Not that it means much, but /v/ seems to have written it off already, and based on the clips of the game going around and the downgraded visuals... I don't know... I don't think this will end well.

 

[sageoftruth]

Does the review at least veer in a positive or negative direction?

Well, to give a summary of the article. They said:
- This FF is original from the previous game.
- While you travel with the car, it is enjoyable, but you will get bored by the limited music selection, annoying to push the car to fill it with gas to the near petrol station and not be able drive off the road...
- Must find a place to sleep and get bonuses base the way you spent your night. Roaming in the night high-level monster will murder you.
- Cooking!Give bonuses if they eat their favorite food.
- New costumes you can get are limited.
- The combat is good, but with some strange decisions. Example, if you use a lot of MP, you get dizzy I think?
- 4 different types of weapons to use to overcome specific enemies types. It shows a orange damage value if it is the correct weapon.Purple the opposite.
- Team base attacks feeling good, but most of the time get interrupted by enemies.
- Battle System work well if there are few enemies. Confusing if many enemies or when you fight a boss.
- No currency from enemies. Only when you sell items. Problematic when you want to buy weapons items for you.
- Hollow script because it doesn't make you to care for the characters and events.
- Summons play an important role in the story.
- The game become LINEAR again, like FF13 after the road trip....
- Stealth Gameplay when Noctis [the main protagonist] is alone.
- "Back in Time" Function to go back in time when you were using the car to grid and finish some missions you didn't done.
- Chocobos useless because they are slower than the car [duh]. However they can be off-road, sooooooo....I don't know.
- Pimp-up your bird, but lose it when you win some races? I don't get it....

You can see clearly the person who wrote this article can easily give a score. But no, they decided to leave it like this....

Wow. Some of those things sound really off-putting, like the linear gameplay that comes up later, the unreliable battle system, or the poor script. This game was a "maybe" for me but now it sounds more like a "maybe not".

 

[Maximum Bert]

I got that issue and while I understand that they seem to have played it a bit and so therefore should be able to review it what they have is more of an article on it and impressions rather than a proper review hence why it is in their spotlight section and not the review section.

I also expect that they are not allowed to review it yet since they would have had to play it pretty far in advance to its release to do so the argument could be made things could change although I dont believe this is a sound argument if you are unhappy with the core features however there are also good reasons why they should not be allowed to review it now i.e they have to wait until a set date so everyone can review it at the same time and thus one site/magazine cannot gain an advantage (also helps to stop shady dealings to an extent). How long before release this embargo is though is anyones guess but as long as it is before release I dont have much problem. Its when it is after the games release alarm bells start ringing.

Pretty sure they will have a proper review next issue. I dont have high hopes as both FFXII and to a slightly lesser extent FFXIII disappointed me but I like they try new stuff which is pretty rare for a huge franchise and publisher of AAA games in general. I did not like the demo I played (dream one) but they have put me off games I have enjoyed before but I have set my expectations suitably low.

I am glad the Lightning saga is over anyway and that they are moving on to new things even if I dont end up liking the new pastures as long as they keep changing it up ill be happy if not satisfied.

 

[Hawki]

Well, it's got an 86 on Metacritic, so there is that...

Will admit I probably won't get it, but I do want it to be good. Working on something for a decade or more, I can't help but want the developers to succeed.

 

[balladbird]

This is the review that was in my youtube recommends list today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FONUlbvGmY

Equally confusing, though. Saying things like "the story is well written, but subpar" "Music is excellent, but expected" "Game is amazing, but not up to the hype."

ah well, I'll be getting it tomorrow. Always planned to buy it, since it's the game that'll decide whether I ever buy an FF game again.

 

[SweetShark]

Well, it's got an 86 on Metacritic, so there is that...

Will admit I probably won't get it, but I do want it to be good. Working on something for a decade or more, I can't help but want the developers to succeed.

From the reviews I read so far it seems FFXV trying to be more appeal by being a GIANT mini-game [do many different things while you travel] with a good battle system.
However as I said even the characters are likable and make you care fr its Lore, the script is not so good to care so much for the results of the story.

 

[Cycloptomese]

The reviews I've come across have all been 8 and 9 and between. I'm hearing talk of lots of post-game content. This pleases me. I'll find out for myself when I get home tonight. I ordered it yesterday so it should be all nice and downloaded. There had better be an extra-tedious segment where I have to spend two hours running around a city with no combat happening. That's pretty much mandatory for any Final Fantasy game.

 

[sXeth]

This is the review that was in my youtube recommends list today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FONUlbvGmY

Equally confusing, though. Saying things like "the story is well written, but subpar" "Music is excellent, but expected" "Game is amazing, but not up to the hype."

ah well, I'll be getting it tomorrow. Always planned to buy it, since it's the game that'll decide whether I ever buy an FF game again.

You can have a very competently written action blockbuster, that hits all the notes such things aim for, and serves to properly carry the story from setpiece to setpiece. But its still going to be subpar on the broader scale to more dramatic character based pieces, or high atmosphere ones, or good psychological thrillers. It could also just be well-done, but very much using tropes and concepts that aren't really original.

"Expected" music can be a sort of similar idea. "Fortunate Son" and 'Born to be Wild' are all largely considered good music. But using them for a war movie/scene and a biker-based piece is prettymuch just going the obvious route.

Good game, but not measuring up to its hype-train seems pretty self-explanatory.