To give my views on the transition from Versus XIII to XV, my interest in versus XIII originally stemmed from the involvement of Nomura and the Kingdom Hearts team. Kingdom Hearts was and is still to this day one of my favourite game series. I saw the initial trailer for Versus XIII and i was hooked from then on in. From memory, i can remember waiting for TGS each year to hear about any progress or see a new trailer. Whilst trailers were released, i was unsure how much progress had been made and if Versus XIII would ever see the light of day. I can remember rumours started to fly around that it had been cancelled or that it would be re-anounced as Final Fantasy XV. Being honest, the rumours didn't surprise me and i was fearing the worst.
In 2013, I was sat in work trying to avoid any announcements from Sony's E3 press conference until i could get home to watch it. On my dinner break i stumbled across the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3. I was shocked, didn't believe it was real and couldn't wait to get home to watch the press conference. I can remember when Nomura came on screen to show a new trailer for versus XIII. I was shocked by it's scale, how epic it looked and the soundtrack. It then transitioned into Final Fantasy XV and i thought it looked something special. The announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3 directly followed and i'll be honest, it didn't have the same impact on me. Final Fantasy XV was all i could think about after that trailer.
I then continued to follow it's development and heard the news Nomura was stepping down as director and handing the reigns fully over to Tabata. At the time, i didn't really know what to make of it. I put a lot of faith in Nomura and i knew little about Tabata at the time. I then saw the new trailer from TGS i believe the following year and i was having my doubts. Was this project straying too far from Nomura's original vision?
I think the turning point for me was playing Episode Duscae. Fighting the goblins in the caves, finding deadeyes lair and the combat system all made it begin to click for me. I then summoned Ramuh and was generally in awe, the first time since the E3 2013 trailer.
Whilst remembering how the project started and being thankful to Nomura, from that point onwards, i started to believe in Tabata and where FFXV is ultimately heading towards. I've appreciated Tabata's openness about the development, the ATR's and taking on board fan feedback for Episode Duscae for example. I now look forward to the games release and i'm thankful to Tabata and the development team for all their hard work and efforts.
In many ways I'm in agreement. I wanted very much to see a full Nomura directed Final Fantasy game and the fact that it was set to be the darkest got me very interested.
But, as for Tabata, I actually liked him better when he was not the director of this game. Or at least the sole director of it. I enjoy what he's done with the gameplay and that he's willing to be open about the development. But for me, after rereading so many of his interviews and seeing so many of his contradictory statements, I can't say I think he's a great director. I think there is such a thing as being too open and in many cases, Tabata has been that. And it hasn't always been a good thing, such as how he explained Stella's removal.
Look, there's a reason that is always gonna hang over his head and it's because it just feels so unnecessary, no matter what. And I've seen many fans annoyed by his latest reveal about the reason she was changed. It didn't sound like he was trying to be respectful, it sounded like he was blaming us for her not being able to be in the game. That's the impression so many got from it and the fact that Luna has gotten a mixed response from so many even after Kingsglaive showed more of her isn't making the loss of Stella any better.
Where am I going with this? Well, basically it's just that while I am still looking forward to the game, I'm apprehensive because it feels like it's going to be a mess when it comes to the story. I'm not making a snap judgment on this, there are a lot of good elements to the game, but there's also a lot of elements that just don't fit. If Cindy wasn't supposed to be a sexualized character, than why is it that so many scenes featuring her have her in some way ogled by the camera. If Luna is as strong as you say, why is it that our first look at her was of her looking passive and weak willed? And why would you say she doesn't need saving when she needed to be saved by Nyx at some point? I know she does other stuff, but it's just an example.
Over all, there's nothing wrong with people who who are absolutely fine with the changes and people who can't stand them. It's too early to tell if these will be valid or not and I hope to be proven wrong. But, I still don't trust Tabata's vision and I can't honestly say I want him to do another big Final Fantasy game. I think he's better with spinoff games.
Clothes are actually great too, by far the best Roen ones. And the stubble/beard is another nice addition.
