Raccoon Reviews: Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae

Summary

Episode Duscae is straightforward. Early on with the road trip, Prompto wrecks the Regalia, the four-seat convertible that's presumably owned by the Caelum family. The Regalia is at Hammer Head getting repaired by its head mechanic named Cindy. Unfortunately, the repairs cost 25,000 gil...Money which Noctis does not currently have.

Coincidentally, the Duscae region has a bounty on Deadeye, a half-blind Behemoth who's been causing havoc, and the locals have put a price of 25,000 gil on the beast's head.

So what's the purpose in defeating Deadeye?

Characters

Honestly, I haven't laughed so much while playing a demo before. It felt like I actually was venturing alongside Noctis and his entourage. Not only were the strong relationships evident in writing, but with its subtlety in facial expressions.

One of my favorite scenes in Episode Duscae would be with Cindy. Once she repairs the Regalia, Noctis and his entourage hop in, ready to leave. While sitting in the backseat, Gladiolus mentions to Cindy how the next time he returns to Hammer Head, it won't be about repairs. Cindy, oblivious to what Gladiolus is implying, says that she'd have no problem upgrading the vehicle instead.In the background, Prompto is laughing after Gladio basically gets shot down.

Then, Prompto asks Cindy if it would be alright to call her anytime. She exclaims that her grandfather would love having someone to speak with. Afterwards, Noctis laughs and Prompto slouches over in rejection.

Besides that scene, there's amusing banter between the main characters.

Prompto: Wide open fields make me wanna run around.

Gladio: How about a foot race?

Noctis: How about acting your age?

Gladio: Afraid you're gonna lose?

Prompto: So, what would you want to be reborn as?

Gladiolus: Easy, I'd want to be me.

Prompto: Wow, what a cool answer!

Gladiolus: Heh, yeah, I know.

How I feel about the main characters so far...

Noctis: I just love how lazy Noctis is. It seems all he looks forward to is sleeping. Even the other characters joke about it. I kinda wonder why he's always so tired...Could it relate to his powers that allow Noctis to foresee death?

Prompto: Besides Noctis, Prompto has always been my favorite because he's a happy-go-lucky skirt chaser with a chip on his shoulder. It's unclear about his past except that he's a fugitive on the run and wields a firearm that's banned from the Lucis kingdom.

Prompto and Noctis met sometime in their school days. I hope to see a flashback about their meeting since I'd like to know how old they were.

Ignis: So, up until recently, I loathed Ignis since he was first unveiled during the Versus days. First off, his full name is Ignis Stupeo Scientia which sounds like the Ignorant Stupid Scientist. I don't know about you, but I don't know any scientists who are stupid. That sounds like an oxymoron.

I also find it odd how Noctis, Gladio and Prompto all get along great, and then you have Ignis who is rather distant. It's known that Ignis' Japanese voice actor is Mamoru Miyano who's known for voice acting villains and anti-heroes in anime. During a Versus XIII trailer in 2011, we're shown a scene where Noctis speaks to Ignis about revenge and Ignis is clearly biting his tongue.

Do you see where I'm coming from? Why I have loathed this character so much? It doesn't help either that Ignis wears glasses and speaks in a British accent. I still personally say that he will betray Noctis given an artwork contained in Duscae's ending, but I will speak about that in awhile.

Reading this you may wonder, "Why do you suddenly like Ignis? It's rather odd you now like him considering you believe that he will betray his childhood friend."

Well, I like Ignis because it's evident that he's overlooked and unappreciated by his friends. Ignis acts as a chauffeur and a cook, but does anyone ever thank him? No, not in the demo at the very least. I sense that tension is build up inside Ignis, yet he tries to act cool, emulating everyone else's mannerism. It's something I'd expect a strategist to do.

Not to mention, I find Ignis to be extremely attractive. Tall, dark haired and smart? Yes, please! I'd gladly offer Ignis some nice company. Even walking clichés need to be loved.

Gladiolus: Gladio has always been my least favorite character out of the entourage since the Versus days. For no particular reason, but so far, I just find him kinda boring. I mean, at the very least, he does seem somewhat egotistical and grumpy, but it's nothing to do with why I don't like him...Can't actually pinpoint on why I don't like him, honestly.

Voice Acting

This would probably be my biggest grip with Final Fantasy XV so far. Particularly with its English voiceover and Square Enix's localization approach.

For eight years, we've heard Noctis speak in Japanese. His voice sounds eloquent yet precise. How I'd imagine a young prince should speak. When we were introduced to Noctis' English counterpart during Jump Fiesta back in late December, I couldn't get into his voice. Noctis sounded like a Batman wannabe. Now, I like Batman just as much as everybody else, but really? Like we don't have enough deep, gravelly voices in video games? Not to mention how Noctis sounds similar to Gladiolus.

Anyways, after playing Episode Duscae, I now find Noctis to sound rather sexy...His voice makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. I'm not sure why, but Noctis sounds coherent and less Batman-like when bantering with his buddies. I'm not sure who his English voice actor is, but I think I have an idea on why Noctis has a deep voice. It could reflect his brash and cocky attitude...Something that I feel will backfire on him.

Then, we have Ignis who speaks in a fake English accent. Not even the Queen's stereotypical accent sounds anything like Ignis. Up until recently, I hated Ignis. For many reasons, but I will just say that his English accent just proves one of the many reasons why I disliked Ignis for years. He's a walking cliché. Granted, JRPGs are loaded with clichés, but Ignis definitely stands out compared to the other main characters.

Not to mention how the localization team has changed his dialogue. I only understand tibits of Japanese, but there is a big difference between "Are you okay, Noct?" in Japanese and "Careful, Highness!" in English. The Japanese dialogue seems more appropriate given how Ignis is Noctis' closest childhood friend. The English dialogue, on the other hand, portrays Ignis rather distant. Perhaps intentional since you should keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

The voice I like in both Japanese and English is coincidentally the one that everybody else finds annoying; Prompto. I personally don't find him annoying, but rather energetic and lively. His voice suits his personality and appearance. I actually wanna cuddle with Prompto given how adorable he is...And maybe even kiss him.

Gameplay

When Final Fantasy Versus XIII was renamed Final Fantasy XV, it was announced that it would be the first action role-playing-game in the series' numbered titles, leaving veteran fans enraged and perplexed about the game's direction. It didn't help either how Hajime Tabata (Final Fantasy XV's director) wanted to make the game more casual for newcomers and wanted to eliminate complex combos.

With Final Fantasy XV, I do want to make it more casual. Of course the depth of the game is going to be there, but I want to make it so players can easily experience the satisfaction of the depth of the game.

I myself am not getting any younger. I don’t want to be frantically pushing buttons. I also want to utilize the intelligence of the hardware spec, and not have to go through too much hassle or trouble in order to execute moves.

This led to numerous fans believing that Final Fantasy XV's gameplay would be press A for awesome. I can, however, confirm that this is not the case. From what I have played, XV is a reminisce of Kingdom Hearts and Dark Souls.

Like, Kingdom Hearts, Episode Duscae is about strategy. You need to think about what kind of weapon would be suited to take down an enemy and where exactly would you attack this said enemy since it might have a weak spot. When you defeat an enemy, you gain experience points and possibly a bonus depending on how long it takes for you to defeat a certain enemy.

However, you do not level up automatically. This is where Final Fantasy XV is similar to Dark Souls. The only way you level up is by sleeping. In Episode Duscae's case, you can either sleep in a campsite or in a caravan. The latter requires you to pay 200 gil, but in exchange a 1.5x multiplier is added to your gained experience points.

Personally, I like how the leveling system works. Especially since sleep is a heavy motif in Final Fantasy XV. Not only that, but it correlates with reality. In order to function, you need sleep. Now, I haven't tried it yet, but according to Hajime Tabata sleep deprivation can affect Noctis and his entourage's health.

The way it works is, if you don't sleep for long periods, you don't get a negative status – rather it's the opposite. "Buffs" are statuses with positive effects, and you stop getting those. Basically, things like increased spirits or feeling good or other added bonuses stop getting applied if you don't sleep for long periods of time. Camping is one of the base features of XV. It's a world where time passes from morning to night, so in order to have Noctis and the others who inhabit it be more than just puppets, but living characters players can feel empathy towards, if you have them remain awake all the time, I thought it would be more effective if that was a bad thing.

Final Fantasy XV may be similar to Kingdom Hearts and Dark Souls, but it stands out on its own. When your health hits zero, you do not automatically die. Instead, you can no longer attack because you are exhausted and wounded. To emphasis on your critical state, the life bar becomes red and if you continue taking damage until you’re at zero again, it's over. However, in that time, your buddies can revive your health which allows you to fight once more.

The closest thing I could find to demonstrate the critical state.

While, spells are not available in Episode Duscae, MP is still very important. When you're in a battle or about to enter one, Noctis can warp to a higher ground and even hang from a metal tower. It's very useful to warp since it saves time from walking, but it's rather disappointing how you cannot warp outside of conflict. I hope this will be fixed in Final Fantasy XV because I would love to warp my way across a region.

Besides warping, Noctis can dodge. Something I'd suggest players to do when battling the gigantic Behemoth. But, just like warping, dodging requires MP. You can, however, jump without losing any MP. Though, it's nothing really special, in my opinion. You can jump on rocks and over parking poles, but you cannot jump on vehicles...I was hoping you could specifically jump into the bed of a truck just so I could hitch a ride.

Also, I do hope that the jump ability can be upgraded in the final product. Specifically to a high jump and maybe add aerial combos.

Though, I was quite pleased about an ability which was in Versus XIII. The ability is called Armiger. In order to use the said ability, you need to collect three Armiger Weapons that are scattered throughout the Duscae region. There's actually one more Armiger Weapon (making it four in total), but Noctis already has it (the Aqesior) equipped in the beginning of the demo.

To trigger Armiger with the PS4 controller, press L1 and R1. It should summon four swords that encircle Noctis to greatly enhance his battle capabilities...Does this ability sound awfully familiar to you?

Compared to...

Now besides Noctis, his buddies can execute special techniques. Prompto has Stasis Bullet where his bullet can freeze an enemy. Ignis has access to the Cure spell which he can use as many times to heal you and allies when damaged. Gladiolus has Brave Slash which greatly damages an enemy.

Graphics

Compared to the October's Active Time Report, Episode Duscae was definitely downgraded. Especially with the vegetation.

Gallery

It should be noted that Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae is ran on Luminous Engine 1.5. Hajime Tabata already confirmed that the final product will be running on Luminous Engine 2.0, so the graphics will obviously improve.

So my question is, did the October walkthrough feature a different built? Aliasing is certainly an issue, in my opinion.

Also, I would like to point out another problem. It was confirmed that Episode Duscae is 30 FPS (Frames Per Second), yet the framrate tends to drop when you least expect it? I'll admit, I'm one of the people who can't tell the difference between 30 and 60 FPS, but I could certainly see the framerate drop with this demo. It's hard not to notice.

Camera

Naturally, when I first gained control of Noctis, I tried to zoom in on his booty...Unfortunately, you cannot do so. As a firm believer and follower of the Bootyism religion, I am very disappointed in this. If you are gonna have hot men as the only main party members in your game, then please, let us ladies appreciate the sight, let us savor the glorious booty. I'm even willing to pay for a DLC where Noctis and his buddies wear nothing but speedos. So, Hajime Tabata, if you are reading this, then please stop being such a tease. Thank you.

But, besides that complaint which breaks my heart, I do highly suggest that the camera should be fixed. The camera is too close behind Noctis, making it impossible to see enemies that are approaching you and enemies that you're already attacking. Turning the camera's sensitivity to five helps a bit, but it's still severely limited.

Soundtrack

With the main menu featuring the night sky along with the moon, and an instrumental version of Somnus Nemoris being played in the background, it truly felt like I was reliving the Versus XIII days.

Besides indulging in nostalgia, I also enjoyed Yoko Shimomura's Chocobo Theme.

Given how Wiz's Chocobo Post is set in the country, Yoko did a great job with the harmonica and the acoustic guitar. It suits the idyllic nature that Noctis is overcome with.

Unfortunately, there aren't many new songs in the demo, but I do have one complaint. There's no music when you venture across the Duscae region. I hope that the finalized game will have music for each area. Just like Xenoblade did. Without music, walking seems awfully boring. Especially since you're walking for kilometers in complete silence.

Summon

Ending

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olQJhSE2lr4

Episode Duscae's ending is depicts religious artwork. Many people were rather disappointed that the ending didn't reveal any computer-generated imagery, but Duscae's minute long ending revealed a lot, in my opinion.

I would like to share everyone a screenshot along with captions that someone included.

It illustrates summons that we will most likely stumble across in the final product. There is something that I would like to point out. Siren is usually perceived as a singing fairy in numerous Final Fantasy titles, but in Greek mythology, Siren is a mermaid who lures nearby sailors with her enchanting voice. Personally, I don't think this is farfetched. If anything, I would love to see this rendition of Siren. I could never understand why she was portrayed as a fairy for so long.

In the artwork, we see Etro blessing four men. Let's assume that these men are Noctis and his entourage. Noctis in the middle as a Jesus-like figure with Prompto and Gladiolus as his loyal disciples. Then, we see Ignis who's clearly in pain. Perhaps a Judas-like figure?

Anyways, I'm still confused about Final Fantasy XV's timeline, but it seems that Idola decimated Insomia during the peace treaty signing. With the Shakespeare influence, many fans, including myself, have speculated for years that Regis would die early on in the story...That seems very likely, unless if the radio was propaganda.

Personally, I believe Regis' death was foreshadowed since 2011's Versus XIII trailer.

Particularly with these two quotes

An act of love by the last king.

You're not fit to be king.

With the last quote, it was confirmed that Regis was not referring to Noctis. So who else could Regis be referring to? Well, in 2013's E3 trailer of Final Fantasy XV, we see a man who shares a striking similarity to Regis.

And this lookalike even received his own screenshot in the trailer.

Final Fantasy XV's Claudius?

Somewhat unrelated to the demo's ending, but since we're discussing Shakespeare, let's say Noctis and Stella/Luna are Hamlet and Ophelia. Granted, Romeo and Juliet is a more suitable comparison, but go along with it. We know Ophelia has a brother named Laertes.

Since 2008, we've seen Noctis' main rival (besides Stella/Luna, of course) to be a white-robed man. In 2013, we can clearly see that this white-robed man has blonde hair...Stella/Luna's brother, perhaps?

Which brings me to my next case. We have confirmation that Luna's full name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. With this, I almost accepted Lunafreya was Stella renamed, but I noticed something that would contradict previous information.

Last month, we were shown city concept art, one which depicts Noctis in his tuxedo from the Versus XIII days.

During Versus XIII, Roen originally designed Stella a black cocktail dress for the peace treaty where she meets Noctis for the first time. The production team, however, changed Stella's dress to be completely white. For a valid reason, in my opinion.

Hiromu Takahara originally wanted her dress to be black, but the production team changed the color to create a greater contrast with the black suit Noctis wears in the same scene.

In Duscae's artwork, Luna dons a blue sparkly dress. But, blue and black don't contrast each other. It's the opposite, actually. If Stella was renamed Luna, then wouldn't the white dress seem more appropriate? You know, given how the moon is white and shines in the night sky.

When Luna was first unveiled during 2014's Tokyo Game Show, a ring was clearly seen on her left hand. We've never seen Stella wore a ring before, but I would like to share an interesting tidbit from Nomura himself.

The only and most important adornment Noctis will use is a ring on his right hand and it’ll play a central role in the story of the game.

People thought the ring was scrapped because we've never actually seen it. In the demo's artwork, we can clearly see Luna carrying a ring.

This is probably what Luna wanted to give Noctis as inferred in the 2014's Tokyo Game Show trailer.

I believe Stella and Luna are sisters and that we will see both at the peace treaty. It seems Luna is clearly on Noctis' side and Stella is supposed to be his unfortunate enemy. Shortly after Luna gives Noctis the ring, she gets killed. Thus, Stella blames Noctis for her sister's death.

Also, there is something about the radio announcement that bothered me. Clearly, Noctis pronounced dead was a lie, but how come nobody at the Duscae region seemed to recognize the prince? I mean, the region is close to the Lucis Kingdom. Shouldn't someone have been able to recognize Noctis? It's not like he's incognito or anything.

Verdict

After nearly a decade, it's nice knowing that Final Fantasy XV is no longer vaporware. It's a game that actually exists. But, it's quite obvious that XV is not even close to completion with its development. Episode Duscae was released so Tabata could take fan input into consideration and implement changes into the final product.

I'm glad that Tabata cares about the Versus XIII fandom, but I do hope that he won't walk on pins and needles with the fans. It's one thing to change the camera and fix the framerate issues so fans can play Final Fantasy XV smoothly, but it's another thing when you rewrite the actual storyline just to please others, in my opinion.

Personally, I've had such a blast with Episode Duscae. It's only supposed to last fans three-four hours at most, yet I've already poured seventeen hours into the demo, and I'm still not even done. I intend to level up Noctis and his entourage to ninety-nine. Noctis is already at level fifty-two while his buddies are a level ahead, so it shouldn't take much longer.

I'm really excited to play Final Fantasy XV. Especially since I want to see if any scenes from Versus XIII are still intact. I've already decided that I'm gonna buy a PS4 collector's edition of Final Fantasy XV along with buying the inevitable PC version.

I already want to jump inside my television and join the boyband on a wild adventure. They seem like a really cool bunch, and I have a crush on almost everybody except Gladiolus...For a reason that's undetermined.

Overall, I'd rate Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae a 7/10. It's a fun demo, but it certainly has its flaws.

That said, expect my actual Final Fantasy XV review to come out at least one month/two months after the North America release. I intend on delving into a deeper analysis of the full game and thoroughly discuss specific spoilers.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully Final Fantasy XV will be released sometime in 2016.

And remember, when Lightning strikes, don't let it Noct you down.

Well Damn Sami, you've managed to completely slam dunk me in the reviewing department with a single review...and I've been doing this for 3 years. ^_^

A very well written blog. You've pretty much covered all the essential points. Hell, I have never played a final fantasy game in my life, and yet reading this review kind of got me excited(even with the 7/10 score :P), which isn't something that happens easily, and frequently since I don't move out of my comfort zone when it comes to trying movies, games, comics, etc I don't generally gravitate too. Basically, awesome job!

Also, Gladiolus seems like a character I'd like in general , can't imagine why, though. :)

How do you feel about this outing being more Bro centric compared to 13 ? What happened to 14 ?

Not into these games, but fantastic review.

@mrdecepticonleader: I the only one thinking Sam needs to take a cold shower? :P

wow, fantastic work.

@dccomicsrule2011: Why come on a BLOG just to post that?

@jonny_anonymous:

LAL.

It was just a bruh, I do it whenever I read long blogs that, my friends have made.

This is a great review.

Woo! Nice stuff Sammy, have been looking forward to this for the last two months!

My favorite parts of your review was where you focused on why you like the characters, for two reasons. Characters have always determined how much I enjoy a Final Fantasy game, its my main attraction and thing that endears me to the game, so its reassuring to know this game has interesting characters. The other reason was because I was slightly apprehensive about 15, I was worried they were trying to make the characters too uniform and grounded, visually they are, but seeing you talk about the idiosyncrasies and character quirks and subtler and nuances each has, that gives me hope. If you like them, chances are I will.

Hopefully the final release of the game will have better booty tracking mechanics, games like Mass Effect have amazing booty tracking mechanics, and Noctis and his bros should definitely get as many costume changes as Lightning got heh heh.

Again great stuff, thanks for giving such a detailed review. I probably won't get to play the demo so your review is all I have to hold me over until the game release and its done a great job at that.

Ugh I can't wait for this game!

I haven't played these games in a long time, but the game play looks awesome, I might have to jump back into it.

Its such a shame you don't write reviews more often but I just love how much passion you put into these words ^_^

I am really looking forward to play this game whenever its out. I hope its still on in the PS3/Xbox 360 by the time its released or in the case its out on PC, its a good occasion to turn PC Mustard Race xD (that is if the Witcher 3 doesn't do that earlier)

While I enjoy everything you pointed out and explained in the finer details, there is one thing I dislike about the game. The fact the playable cast is all-male :/ I would have loved if Cindy or Luna were available to spice things up but oh well, at least there is enough manservice to satisfy female gamers xD

Hmph. Interesting...

@theacidskull - Oh no, TAS and Caio are best reviewers on ComicVine! :D I greatly look up to both of you guys.

And wow. Three years already? =O I remember seeing your reviews when you first started out on here! Crazy how long it's been. O__O

You still write comic reviews, by the way? I haven't seen any recently. D:

Hahaha. Thank you. ^__^ Honestly, I'm certain FF XV will at least be just as good as the PS2 FF games. Am just hoping that the writing will be good. Have been skeptical with the localization changes. =/

Gladio and TAS - BFFS! :D

At the very least, I know Gladiolus is Noctis' bodyguard and he does care a lot about his friends. ^__^

@darling_luna - I don't mind it, honestly. I mean, we had X-2 which was all female so why not have an all male cast?

I can see why some people are annoyed with the decision, but there's a chance that we could still get female guest characters in the party. It just sucks that the only character that you can control is Noctis. =/ It would have been cool controlling Stella/Luna if she were to temporarily join your party.

And XIV's an MMO. I played the free trial back in December. It's very fun from what I played, but it's monthly fee is what I'm skeptical about. Y'know, being a broke college student and all, lmao. But I'm hoping to jump back into it soon. :) My character actually has a cat ears and a cat tail. So kawaii.~

@mrdecepticonleader - Thanks, Mr. Deception! ^__^

How have you been, by the way? :)

@ostyo - Lmao! Thank you, my friend. ;)

At least I think that was a compliment...xD

@dccomicsrule2011 - Lol!

Let's get crazy! :D

@jake_fury - Thanks, Jake! ^__^

How have you been by the way? =O

@jonny_anonymous - Oh, it's okay. DC is one of my best friends. xD He's very kind.

Did you read my 'Ending' section? I think you would find it interesting.

@shadowswordmaster - Thanks! ^__^ Glad you like it.

@sc - Sean! :D *hugs* Nice to see you, hehe.

You know, I may have hated Ignis for so long, but at the very least, I can say that he is interesting. I mean, clearly he has his own agenda. Like you said, the bros look visually uniform, but each one has a distinctive personality?

Hahaha, yes! :D I love Miranda's booty in ME. <3

Maybe Noctis can wear a tight pink tutu! :D Imagine him fighting in that...XD

And thanks, my friend. Your kind words are truly appreciated. :)

Were you gonna pick up Type-0, by the way?

@buttersdaman000 - Butters! Have not seen you in the Gaming Thread in awhile.

Hehe. You're excited for XV as well? I hope you can play its demo. I believe if you purchase a digital copy of Type-0, you can play the Duscae demo for at least two months...After that, it disappears from your harddrive. 0.o Not sure why.

@ccraft - Honestly, I think you really should. :)

It seems to me that Enix has been on the right track since A Realm Reborn.

Which was the last FF game you've played?

@dragonborn_ct - Thank you, Caio! <3 Reviewing with you has helped tremendously with my writing. I know how passionate you get with reviewing. :)

Hopefully you'll be able to play it! I know it's not confirmed yet, but like you said, PC seems very likely to happen. Can you just imagine the mods? xD Modding Noctis into Luna, hehehe.

I can understand what you mean. =/ Tbh, I don't like how Gladiolus is eye candy? Just seems kinda forced with that? >__>

I at least hope we can get females as guests in our party. It would be cool fighting alongside Stella/Luna. But if not, I would like to see XV-2 be an all female party. :D I'm sure they'd all be wearing white as well, lmao.

@korrasami - Thanks! :) Love your username, by the way. <3

@samimista: LAL. Jokes aside, nice review you got here Sam - love the extreme detail and formatting of it all.

Even if it was like reading an novella. :P

@samimista: It would have been cool controlling Luna if she were to temporarily join your party.

: O I'm in da game ? *holds up wand*

Oh cool cool I don't play MMOS so of course I didn't know about 14

Hahah! It's you, Kitten! <3

I'm surprised you don't play. I mean, the original XIV was garbage, but it got completely redone. Now, it's a very popular MMO.

I'm getting a PC built really soon, so I might just buy XIV during a Steam sale.

Lmao! Thanks, man. :) I really appreciate it.

I can probably guess, but I'll just ask anyways, were you gonna review any of the new Star Wars comics?

@samimista: Hehe anytime. ^_^ And merci. :3

@samimista: *puts stickers on your computer* Nyan

@samimista: I did see it, very interesting. STill not sure what to make of the whole Regis\Clone-Regis Luna\Stella stuff yet.

Great review though =)

@samimistasaid:

Lmao! Thanks, man. :) I really appreciate it.

You're welcome, Sammy. ^-^

@samimista said:

I can probably guess, but I'll just ask anyways, were you gonna review any of the new Star Wars comics?

I would, but my main problem is laziness. I've planned several blogs across a broad array of subjects, but I lose attention to quick, and don't feel like writting anything when that time comes around. =/

@samimista: It was FF7, I don't need to play 7-14 to play FF15 do I?

As humble as always, Sami ^_^ <3

Yeah, time flies, doesn't it?:P

I do, but it's more rare and lengthy this time around, what with all the external work I have to do. :)

Yeah, seems a pretty big jump from the previous games, which may have some consequences. Hope it works out

Haha, I can see that happening :)

Haha yeah it's been a while! I haven't really been playing many video games but the hype for FF XV is too real lol i've been waiting almost a decade for this!! I was thinking about getting the demo, but decided against it lol I wanna play it for the first time in full

This is an awesome review! Nice work, sweetie <3

Am still kinda skeptical, been burned a few times by FF and felt a little let down by some of their more recent efforts. Definitely wanna give this a chance though :)

@samimista: @dragonborn_ct: You two are more like minded than I thought... Perverts :P

Exactly. I feel the same way. That is probably the reason why I kept reading on.

@samimista Awesome review.

"Like, Kingdom Hearts, Episode Duscae is about strategy." Lol Wut.

Hello, @samimista! Unfortunately, I couldn't read the entire review because I hope to play the demo soon if I ever get into the games, so I thought I'd hold it enough till then :) I read some of this, though, and the amount of humour, passion and insight you put into your reviews is fabulous! I mean, sure, you don't review much, but when you do, it's great!

Final Fantasy XV looks awesome and I hope I can play that once it's out, so I hope to play the other games before. I was wondering where I should start, so I decided the best person to ask would be my friend Sammi! If you've got any idea where I, as a newbie, can start, let me know :)

Good day!

- TAS

@theamazingspidey: Hey, dude! Sorry about late response with email. Haven't really been online lately, but I will respond to it sometime tomorrow. :) I actually gotta share something with you.

Ah, no worries! ^__^ It's refreshing seeing users who are not familiar with FF reading my review.

Hmm, it's hard to say because every Final Fantasy is different? But something tells me that you would like IX and XII. Would start out with those two.

XII plays like an offline MMO with how open world it is. Lots of sidequests as well. It takes inspiration from Star Wars. You even got a Han and a Chewbaca in it, LOL.

While VIII is my favorite and is known to be a love story, I personally feel IX did a better job with its love story. IX is about a princess who wishes to be kidnapped by a thief. It's a really cute game, in my opinion. The art style is very chibi-like, but cartoonish sorta fits with IX since its like a fairytale? Though, IX does have its dark moments. It questions one's existence and the actual meaning of life.

Well, Kingdom Hearts does require strategy with certain bosses and enemies. Just look how it is with defeating Sephiroth, lol. I've rage quit so much with him.

Anyways, XV was always intended to be similar to Kingdom Hearts with its combat system. XV's original director is also the creator of Kingdom Hearts. Though, since XV has a new director, it's somewhat distinct from Kingdom Hearts. The final product is supposed to feature a gambit-like system from XII

...This way I can assign Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus to assassinate Mickey Mouse and blame it all on Sora! >=D Kingdom Hearts III ending confirmed.

@terry2012: Ah, wow! Thank you so much. ^__^ Really means a lot.

I actually felt a bit odd posting a video game review on a comic site, but I'm glad people enjoyed it.

@ostyo: Hahaha, Caio and I make very good friends. xD

@buttersdaman000: Hahaha, damn right! :D It's been a long wait.

Still hoping the Stella and Noctis fight happens. The 2008 trailer is easily my favorite. ^__^

You have Steam by the way, mate?

Thanks, sis!

I think we've all lost hope with the XIII trilogy, but at least XV is going in the right direction. No Lightning so far is a start, LOL. I know XV is still connected to XIII's mythology, but I hope terms like L'Cie and Fal'Cie won't appear in XV. I've played XIII, XIII-2, and Type-0 yet I still don't understand what the hell those terms are. xD

I know you don't have a current gen console, but were you gonna play XV eventually?

@theacidskull: <3 Thank you, Skully!

Ah, I was wondering because I don't seem to get notification about reviews anymore. =/ Not sure why. Well, if you ever do post any new reviews, let me know. I love hearing about your opinion. :)

<3 Gotta love Korra and Asami.

Not a clone, but a younger brother.

Actually, Regis' possible brother greatly resembles Lionel Luther. xD

Ah, I'm actually surprised you were gonna consider reviewing the new Star Wars comics. Tbh, I haven't bothered reading one yet.

But can't blame you. Reviewing can be time consuming. Fortunately, with mine I had a lot of fun writing. Specially since FF is my expertise. ;)

@samimista: You are welcome.

@samimista: Got that one track mind for booty and abs, eh? ;P

@samimista: Your'e welcome :) I have been okay. How about yourself?

@samimista:

Ah, I'm actually surprised you were gonna consider reviewing the new Star Wars comics. Tbh, I haven't bothered reading one yet.

That's because I couldn't wait to bad mouth Disney if they sucked. :) Needless to say, the New Star wars Universe is looking pretty good so far. That being said, I'm still a tad bit depressed about how they did away the EU, but, I guess it was a good business move? Though that doesn't make me feel any better....:(

But can't blame you. Reviewing can be time consuming. Fortunately, with mine I had a lot of fun writing. Specially since FF is my expertise. ;)

So true. It's also easier for you, than I, because you sport the advantage of being far better with words than myself, intinsically. :P

@dccomicsrule2011: I've read the first issue of the main book and the first three of Darth Vader. I liked the latter a lot more, although I didn't like the third issue as much.

@xwraith: Is Marvel doing the Star Wars comics now?

@dccomicsrule2011: Damn, if you say they're good, I guess they must be. 0.o Just still salty about Mara. >__>

Hahaha! For sure, man. ;)

What do you think about Cidney?

Should she work at our waifu cafe? =O

Ah, I've been doing well! :) Just glad the weekend is almost here. :D Am gonna have a TMNT movie marathon...Least the old TMNT movies. I still haven't seen the new one. xD

@samimistasaid:

Damn, if you say they're good, I guess they must be. 0.o Just still salty about Mara. >__>

Haha. I got a strong feeling that Mara will be returning in the new Canon. I think she's too popular not to be added. She revered by EU fans as if she was a character in the OG trilogy.

@samimista: They started doing them in January.

Nice review. Sam

@samimista: We definitely need that Southern Belle. *NOD*

Cool. I still haven't seen Age of Extinction yet. I will watch it eventually, they aren't the sort of films one really rushes out to see ;)

@samimista: Nice review late to the party though. I liked your analysis on Ignis, him betraying the party wouldn't be much of a shocker the way you put it. Gladiolus was actually my favorite out of the party, well only because he wields a big sword lol. But yeah overall the characters, world, everything looks nice, especially that summon, that summon has gotten me very hype to see what the other summons look like. If Ramuh looked gorgeous imagine Bahamut.

Hey, Marshall!

Glad to see this got bumped, actually. I wanted to share some recent FF XV related news. I was debating whether or not to post it on here or the Gaming Thread, but here seems more appropriate. :)

So you got to play the demo? Am glad you enjoyed it!

Hahaha, I think I may have been a bit harsh about Ignis, but I do hope he won't be cliche as he seems in the final product. The laboratory line had me loling.

Will say, Gladiolus is very handsome. :) It looks like he has a giant bird tattoo etched across his chest and arms?

Ah, man. O___O Bahamut is my favorite FF summon. It would be cool if you could ride him.

Tbh, I doubt it'll happen, but I'd love to see a male Shiva in XV. Especially since Shiva is actually a male in mythology. Though, Shiva in mythology (I wanna say Hindu, but I cannot recall) is not associated with ice.

And about what I wanted to share, it seems Tabata and co. are listening to the fans.

I'm actually rather relieved to hear that Noctis' Batman voice will not be in the final product. I was warming up to it in the demo, but I do feel his voice should sound more eloquent. Like Lelouch from Code Geass.

And Episode Duscae will be receiving a patch next month which fixes camera and framerate, along with adding new features, I believe.

I'm hoping at E3, we can hear Noctis new voice direction, but I guess we'll see.

Love your icon by the way, Marshall! ^__^

@samimista: Thanks I got use to the gritty voice Noctis had, he seems pretty laid back so in a sense his voice kinda fit. Shiva being a male would be cool, I just can't wait to see what the other summons are gonna look like. Hope those rumors are true, can't wait to see what their gonna add to the demo, should be pretty good. I heard Noctis might be added to next Dissidia after the next game releases, hopefully we get a ps4 release on that too.