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ReviewsKingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV: The Kotaku Review
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is what you’d get if you took two hours of JRPG cutscenes and edited them into a movie: It’s oddly paced, confusing, and full of corny dialogue. It’s also surprisingly fun to watch. As a standalone movie, Kingsglaive is kind of a mess. Most of the plot threads are left unresolved,…
By Jason Schreier Published August 26, 2016 -
Only Half Of Final Fantasy XV Is Open World
The second half, says FFXV director Hajime Tabata, goes linear. In a recent interview with Famitsu (via Siliconera), Tabata talks about how the game is structured. Tabata explains that the game’s chapters go from zero to 15. But here’s where things get interesting. “As for Final Fantasy XV’s structure, it has both an open world…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 26, 2016 -
The $270 ‘Ultimate’ Version Of Final Fantasy XV Doesn’t Come With A Season Pass
To be fair, the $90 ‘Deluxe’ edition of Final Fantasy XV doesn’t contain a DLC season pass either, but then it’s not calling itself ‘Ultimate.’ Answering questions as part of a Gamescom event, game director Hajime Tabataconfirmed the fears of fanswho laid down $270 for the incredibly limited version of Final Fantasy XV. While they…
By Mike Fahey Published August 18, 2016 -
Square Releases An Hour Of New Final Fantasy XV Footage
Straight out of Gamescom, here’s a ton of new footage from the freshly delayed Final Fantasy XV, which will be out on November 29 for PS4 and Xbox One. There’s driving, chocobo riding, fishing, and lots of other promising activities. PSA: Skip the first two minutes if you don’t want some vague story spoilers. Looks…
By Jason Schreier Published August 16, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Japan Still Makes The Best Train Games
There is no competition, and no country is better. Japan is the unrivaled king of train games. Case in point: Famitsu and 4Gamer report that Taito is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Densha de Go! (Go By Train!) arcade series with its most impressive arcade cabinet yet. Square Enix’s VisualWorks is overseeing the graphics,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2016 -
Q&A: I Am Setsuna Director Talks Feedback, Snow, And Why There Were No Inns
Why were there no inns in I Am Setsuna? What’s up with the lack of world map? And will the team’s next game have a bit more… variety? After finishing Tokyo RPG Factory’s debut game a couple of weeks ago, I contacted Square Enix in hopes of chatting with the folks who made it, and…
By Jason Schreier Published August 4, 2016 -
Yet Another Final Fantasy Game Comes To Mobile Today
Today marks the release of Mobius Final Fantasy, yet another ridiculously titled FF game that Square Enix is putting on iOS and Android. The game just went live, so I haven’t had much of a chance to check it out yet, but Square says it’s got “in-depth character customization, ongoing live events, and HD graphics…
By Jason Schreier Published August 3, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Square Enix Is Making A RPG FOR…Apple Watch
Cosmos Rings, according to Famitsu, will be the “world’s first RPG” exclusive for Apple Watch. Even though, as Mike Fahey points out, there are other RPGs for the Apple Watch… The game, which uses the Apple Watch’s pedometer function, will be available through the App Store and the Watch App Store. Takehiro Ando, who created…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 21, 2016 -
Reviews
I Am Setsuna: The Kotaku Review
The name “Tokyo RPG Factory” conjures a dreary image. An assembly line for role-playing games, perhaps, where dozens of masked workers flank a conveyor belt, smashing together parts: an oversized sword here, a Firaga there, a melancholy hero to tie it all together. Every day they must crank out a new RPG to be shipped…
By Jason Schreier Published July 19, 2016 -
There’s A New Final Fantasy Game Out On Mobile Today
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, which may or may not intentionally have an “XVI” in its title, launched today for iOS and Android. It’s a free-to-play RPG with towns, NPCS, turn-based combat, and an actual story I’ve poked around in Brave Exvius a bit and found it to be overwhelming albeit kinda fun. It’s reminiscent of…
By Jason Schreier Published June 30, 2016 -
How Final Fantasy XIV Stays Weird
Somehow, Final Fantasy XIV has become one of the best Final Fantasy games in recent memory, thanks to a bunch of winning factors that elevate it from the ranks of MMO dreck to a game that’s worth playing even if you’re by yourself. One of those factors: It doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sure, there…
By Jason Schreier Published June 29, 2016 -
Surprise: Adventures of Mana Appears On Vita
Here’s a nice little surprise for RPG fans who don’t like touch controls: Adventures of Mana, the Final Fantasy Adventure remake that came out earlier this year for smartphones, is now on Vita. Square Enix decided to surprise-release the port this morning with no fanfare or advance warning. It’ll cost you $14. I haven’t played…
By Jason Schreier Published June 28, 2016 -
Star Ocean V‘s Camera Is So Bad, I Can’t Play It Without Getting Sick
The fifth Star Ocean comes out today, and if you get motion sickness easily, you probably shouldn’t play it. Here’s a video I shot walking around a field in Star Ocean V: Integrity and Faithlessness without touching the right joystick. I didn’t manually move the camera at all. Just for kicks, I also set all…
By Jason Schreier Published June 28, 2016 -
How To Deal With Dragon Quest VII And Final Fantasy XV Coming Out In The Same Month
You have probably noticed, being the lovely JRPG connoisseur you are, that September is going to be busy. In just that one month we’re going to see new entries from two RPG titans: the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII, on September 16, and the boy band simulator Final Fantasy XV, on September 30. So…
By Jason Schreier Published June 22, 2016 -
An In-Depth Q&A With The Director of Final Fantasy XV
We’re nearly three months away from the launch of Final Fantasy XV, which means there’s a whole lot of pressure on director Hajime Tabata. This summer, Tabata and his large crew at Square Enix will spend their waking hours optimizing and polishing the fifteenth Final Fantasy in hopes of getting everything as stable as possible…
By Jason Schreier Published June 20, 2016 -
Final Fantasy XV‘s Director Says He Found Out About Scorpio At Microsoft’s Conference
The director of Final Fantasy XV says they haven’t worked with the new consoles from Microsoft or Sony yet. In fact, he says he found out about the upcoming Project Scorpio while sitting in Microsoft’s green room. During an interview at E3 earlier this week, FFXV director Hajime Tabata told me he got to find…
By Jason Schreier Published June 18, 2016