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Alright, Era. I'm tipsy so now I'm popping the question on y'all. FFXIII or FFXV? Which do you prefer?
- Thread starter Quinton
- Start date
I think XIII is an objectively better game. It's polished as hell, has great music, and most importantly, it actually feels complete. I actually don't mind the cast either, especially Fang and Vanille. The combat was really fun once it opened up. The OST is highly underrated and infinitely better than XVs idc what anyone says.
XV felt like a bunch of ideas thrown at the wall to see what would stick. Almost like everything was made in parallel by different groups and slapped together at the last second. It's possibly the least cohesive game I've ever played and honestly feels a bit amateur hour. It's just so unpolished and janky, the limitations were obvious from the get go. Subjectively, I had no interest in jpop boy band bro's going on a road trip either. Didn't feel like an FF game at all.
XV felt like a bunch of ideas thrown at the wall to see what would stick. Almost like everything was made in parallel by different groups and slapped together at the last second. It's possibly the least cohesive game I've ever played and honestly feels a bit amateur hour. It's just so unpolished and janky, the limitations were obvious from the get go. Subjectively, I had no interest in jpop boy band bro's going on a road trip either. Didn't feel like an FF game at all.
There is not a single thing XIII does better than XV. Combat, presentation, world design, progression, traversal, voice acting, everything. I neither understood nor enjoyed the story in XV, but at least it has the courtesy to stay the fuck out of my way for most of the game's duration. XIII is terrible and in your fucking face all the way through.
I don't hate XIII either. The battle system is neat and I love the art. But it has nothing else going for it.
I don't hate XIII either. The battle system is neat and I love the art. But it has nothing else going for it.
Neither one is worth playing. Better things to do with my time. Worst games in the franchise by far, and FFVIIR will determine if I just quit the series. Less trash is XIII by a sliver
I actually enjoyed playing XIII, and XV was a mess. XV is the only FF game that I genuinely dislike. So I voted XIII
Same here, lmao.
I'll never forgive SE for teasing us with greatness with the FFXV reveal trailer, and then delivering such a disjointed, bland mess.
Can we talk a bit about the elephant in the room? I usually hate gatekeeping, but it's frustrating to see people fancy themselves big fans of the series pretend FFXIV either doesn't exist or actively dismiss it as "not a real Final Fantasy game" with incredibly poor reasoning. As someone who couldn't care less about the MMORPG genre in general, I'll say FFXIV is a top tier Final Fantasy experience. It made me regret missing out on FFXI during its prime.
But they don't come off as a J-pop boy band in the game? I feel like this is some of the most shallow surface level criticism being aimed towards the game, often by people who never or barely played it (and if they did, they certainly did not pay attention to the plot). I'd argue it's the most genuine depiction of actual friendship in any Final Fantasy game to date. And it's by far the strongest point of the game's narrative. It's a modern and refreshing take on the four warriors of light concept. Heck, their relationship greatly overshadows the so called romance of the game, which is nothing more than a plot device.
But they don't come off as a J-pop boy band in the game? I feel like this is some of the most shallow surface level criticism being aimed towards the game, often by people who never or barely played it (and if they did, they certainly did not pay attention to the plot). I'd argue it's the most genuine depiction of actual friendship in any Final Fantasy game to date. And it's by far the strongest point of the game's narrative. It's a modern and refreshing take on the four warriors of light concept. Heck, their relationship greatly overshadows the so called romance of the game, which is nothing more than a plot device.
I had a way better time with XV than XIII, I actually finished XV opposed to XIII because I actually cared about the characters and liked the world, even if the story telling was flawed. Also even if the gameplay was pretty mindless but still more fun than the one of XIII
I'd like to hear impressions of FFXV from people who beat the game in its current state along with all of its DLC episodes.
XV all the way. XIII was a mess in almost every way - Restrained in gameplay and exploration for almost the whole game, the story nigh-requires reading the datalogs, and the sequels just heap even more mess to story. XV's flaws are mostly in the storytelling, which is alleviated somewhat by the care given to the characters and the DLC.
I actually like 13. The battle system is fun and offers a surprising amount of customization despite the "plays itself" complaints, 15 just feels like ass. 13's story is nonsensical but the characters are fun, 15 is mostly just boring and it feels like interesting moments happen outside of the main story. I really don't mind 13's linearity at all since I actually like linearity in games, though 15 had a pretty competent open world for what it was worth too.
I think 13 is a great game overall, 15 just feels very rough around the edges. It's not something I'd call horrible but I don't like it much at all.
I think 13 is a great game overall, 15 just feels very rough around the edges. It's not something I'd call horrible but I don't like it much at all.
For me XIII has more redeeming qualities, mostly the presentation. The music is great and the tracks are more memorable than the operatic tracks of XV that often blur together for me.
The enviroments are very linear of course but can still be awe inspiring like Eden, Pulse or Nactilus. The battle system doesn't really open up fully until you can explore Pulse but I still find it more relaxing than warping all over the place like an idiot in FFXV. At least in the original release having only one character for a FF game was a terrible idea so was the limited amount of magics.
XV may have some freedom and tries an open world (for half of the game) but it isn't worth much when so many side missions are just collecting boring things. XV also has the really shitty stealth/horror section later on. I like at least two party members in XIII, Sazh and Fang, and none of them in XV. The story whilst confusing I felt had more striking world building like the memorable image of Cocoon floating over Pulse, the purges and the brands of fate. Wheras XV seemed to be a more generic story about demons invading, a clash of Kings and star crossed lovers.
I appreciate XV has two pretty towns but that's still rather rubbish for the scale of a FF game, also it has a charming villain with Ardyn but overall I find XIII easier to swallow.
The enviroments are very linear of course but can still be awe inspiring like Eden, Pulse or Nactilus. The battle system doesn't really open up fully until you can explore Pulse but I still find it more relaxing than warping all over the place like an idiot in FFXV. At least in the original release having only one character for a FF game was a terrible idea so was the limited amount of magics.
XV may have some freedom and tries an open world (for half of the game) but it isn't worth much when so many side missions are just collecting boring things. XV also has the really shitty stealth/horror section later on. I like at least two party members in XIII, Sazh and Fang, and none of them in XV. The story whilst confusing I felt had more striking world building like the memorable image of Cocoon floating over Pulse, the purges and the brands of fate. Wheras XV seemed to be a more generic story about demons invading, a clash of Kings and star crossed lovers.
I appreciate XV has two pretty towns but that's still rather rubbish for the scale of a FF game, also it has a charming villain with Ardyn but overall I find XIII easier to swallow.
Had rather great time in FFXV (aside from the terrible side missions and hunts) until Chapter 9 and everything after was so short and rushed it ended before ruining every good moment up until then. In FFXIII I just couldn't invest in any character enough to push forward.
Not a fan of DLCs that should have been included in main game but at least I paid only for season pass rather than additional 2 sequels for a complete FFXV experience.
Not a fan of DLCs that should have been included in main game but at least I paid only for season pass rather than additional 2 sequels for a complete FFXV experience.
XV has a lot more going on that I like conceptually or just wish there was more of. It's not a complete vision but I appreciate the ambition.
XIII I lost interest in early on. I get the battle system appeal but the cast and environmental limitations wore thin quick.
XIII I lost interest in early on. I get the battle system appeal but the cast and environmental limitations wore thin quick.
FF13 was at least finished but the product there is just not good. 15 is at least fun before it falls apart
This one's easy: 15. It may be less mechanically involved and full of busywork, but I genuinely love exploring the world and meeting all the characters, while 13's setting is just a bummer (and for a good chunk of the game, a line). While I'd much rather play 13's late-game content than 15's (it's inarguably a better combat system), there's something to be said about how 15 managed to keep me engaged and enthralled through the first half of the story without much complaining on my end, while 13's first half bored me away.
15 also has the best soundtrack out of all the Final Fantasy games I've played.
15 also has the best soundtrack out of all the Final Fantasy games I've played.
I love FFXIII, I like FFXV.
XIII has way more of what I want from FF; amazing presentation, a sense of an actual journey, storyline is a major focus, etc.
XIII has way more of what I want from FF; amazing presentation, a sense of an actual journey, storyline is a major focus, etc.
Neither is a very good effort as a whole, but I prefer the lesser stink of XV even though I played XIII for far longer (perhaps that's the reason).
XV is the third best selling game in the series, only VII and X are more popular.
I mean...
you can "like" or "not like" what XV does, but it's at least a complete, coherent story- even if some of that experience was drip fed by post release updates.
XIII was a mess from start to finish and the narrative is literally incoherent. XIII even got two sequels to explain what was happening there and STILL ended up an inexplicable dumpster fire.
you can "like" or "not like" what XV does, but it's at least a complete, coherent story- even if some of that experience was drip fed by post release updates.
XIII was a mess from start to finish and the narrative is literally incoherent. XIII even got two sequels to explain what was happening there and STILL ended up an inexplicable dumpster fire.
I actually enjoyed XV despite it's flaws and will gladly play it again. I didn't get far into XIII before I stopped but for some reason I really don't want to go back and keep playing it.
A choice between my 2 worst FF games.
I think I go with XIII. I can't stand the gameplay and performance of XV despite liking its freedom more. Both games fail at world building, though XIII actually feels like more of a journey while XV was supposed to be a road movie game, lol. They done goofed.
XIII ran and looked beautiful, the controls were spot on as well. The battle system was pretty fun too. Its just the rest, the characters, story, world building and lack of downtime thats completely shit. XIII was the dark ages of FF, when Type 0 was seen as a good game. Yeah no, then there is some serious shit going on.
XIV 2.0 is the best FF since XII for me.
I think I go with XIII. I can't stand the gameplay and performance of XV despite liking its freedom more. Both games fail at world building, though XIII actually feels like more of a journey while XV was supposed to be a road movie game, lol. They done goofed.
XIII ran and looked beautiful, the controls were spot on as well. The battle system was pretty fun too. Its just the rest, the characters, story, world building and lack of downtime thats completely shit. XIII was the dark ages of FF, when Type 0 was seen as a good game. Yeah no, then there is some serious shit going on.
XIV 2.0 is the best FF since XII for me.
XV. XV is a good game, just not good for Final Fantasy. XIII is a bad game by any series' standards.
They're both bad games but no one in XIII is as cute as Prompto, so XV takes it.
In a way, for me, it kinda doesn't exist.
I'm sure it's great, but I will simply never pay $13 a month for a game. It's just not happening. So, knowing this, the game occupies exactly zero space in my mind. It might as well be one of a billion niche, untranslated, japan-only games that I usually never even hear about. The chances of me experiencing their content is equally remote.
In a way, for me, it kinda doesn't exist.
I'm sure it's great, but I will simply never pay $13 a month for a game. It's just not happening. So, knowing this, the game occupies exactly zero space in my mind. It might as well be one of a billion niche, untranslated, japan-only games that I usually never even hear about. The chances of me experiencing their content is equally remote.
Looking back at 13 i liked it quite a bit. Would have loved if if was more open but it didn't hinder me from enjoying it. It features my favorite battle system of any FF. Never felt it was simplistic and that you could just press A the whole time and win. Quite to the contrary i found the boss fights really challenging.
Soundtrack is ace, especially that battle track. The story was bleh but that's almost every FF for me. The story is almost never the reason i enjoy them. I was mixed on the characters, but didn't dislike any of them to the point i couldn't enjoy their interactions. Sash was my favorite. Really liked his relationship with his son. Overall good game.
Now FF15 is my favorite FF of all time. Yes, despite all the shortcomings it has, in the end it still managed to make me feel for my party. Their voyage was always engaging and their chit chat never got boring. Shit i even did a lot of the post-game just so that i could hear more of their banter. The four are my favorite party of any FF, and Noctis even my fav protag. When you look at him without knowing his personality you would think for sure he falls into the emo category of characters but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I just loved his sassy nature.
In Ardyn this game also has my favorite antagonist, even beating out Sephiroth. It was endlessly entertaining to watch his peculiar mannerisms, and all his interactions with my party were quite enjoyable.
The ending itself was a homerun for me and really brought out the feels, even with the story leaving a lot to be desired.
This game has a lot of shortcomings like i wrote in the beginning. The biggest one for me are Luna and her brother though. With her brother i never understood his change of mind, it didn't feel like it made sense to me. Luna herself and her devotion to Noctis felt more creepy than like real love. I didn't care for her death at all. These two characters were just two big misses.
Lots of peeps didn't like the open world and felt the quests were more busywork than anything else. With the quests i agree for the most part but when it comes to the open world i don't. To me it enhanced the game a lot. I often times drove the Regalia to the destination instead of fast traveling, just listening to the music on the way. I felt it made world feel more real for the lack of a better word. Though, i love open worlds so i'm quite biased in that way.
I could say a lot more about this game, both positive and negative, but i end here because i already made this longer than i wanted. Anyway, shortform is i love this game, a lot.
Soundtrack is ace, especially that battle track. The story was bleh but that's almost every FF for me. The story is almost never the reason i enjoy them. I was mixed on the characters, but didn't dislike any of them to the point i couldn't enjoy their interactions. Sash was my favorite. Really liked his relationship with his son. Overall good game.
Now FF15 is my favorite FF of all time. Yes, despite all the shortcomings it has, in the end it still managed to make me feel for my party. Their voyage was always engaging and their chit chat never got boring. Shit i even did a lot of the post-game just so that i could hear more of their banter. The four are my favorite party of any FF, and Noctis even my fav protag. When you look at him without knowing his personality you would think for sure he falls into the emo category of characters but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I just loved his sassy nature.
In Ardyn this game also has my favorite antagonist, even beating out Sephiroth. It was endlessly entertaining to watch his peculiar mannerisms, and all his interactions with my party were quite enjoyable.
The ending itself was a homerun for me and really brought out the feels, even with the story leaving a lot to be desired.
This game has a lot of shortcomings like i wrote in the beginning. The biggest one for me are Luna and her brother though. With her brother i never understood his change of mind, it didn't feel like it made sense to me. Luna herself and her devotion to Noctis felt more creepy than like real love. I didn't care for her death at all. These two characters were just two big misses.
Lots of peeps didn't like the open world and felt the quests were more busywork than anything else. With the quests i agree for the most part but when it comes to the open world i don't. To me it enhanced the game a lot. I often times drove the Regalia to the destination instead of fast traveling, just listening to the music on the way. I felt it made world feel more real for the lack of a better word. Though, i love open worlds so i'm quite biased in that way.
I could say a lot more about this game, both positive and negative, but i end here because i already made this longer than i wanted. Anyway, shortform is i love this game, a lot.