Final Fantasy XVI

[Andrew NDB]

Looks OK. More action stuff like the last game... this time going full medieval. I suspect "Game of Thrones" was the full-on inspiration for this.

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[neatoman]

Wow, we really are up to 16 main titles... Unless you count the handful of direct sequels at which point there are... 19? 21? Or the spin-off games that aren't sequels, then it's... Does anyone actually know?

Seriously, does anyone know how many Final Fantasy games there are aside from the main 16? Even Wikipedia turns out unhelpful here.

[Andrew NDB]

Wow, we really are up to 16 main titles... Unless you count the handful of direct sequels at which point there are... 19? 21? Or the spin-off games that aren't sequels, then it's... Does anyone actually know?

Seriously, does anyone know how many Final Fantasy games there are aside from the main 16? Even Wikipedia turns out unhelpful here.

Let's see (I'll edit this list if I forget any)...

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Adventure (a FAKE Final Fantasy game, this is Seiken Densetsu 1 in Japan, the predecessor to Secret of Mana)
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning's Return
Final Fantasy: Dissidia (a little confused as to this)

Then there's the many versions of remakes of the first bunch of games. Also, I know there's a variety of cell phone spinoff stuff. I wouldn't look too far into that, though.

[neatoman]

If they released a direct sequel to the original game, would that be Final Fantasy I-2 or just Final Fantasy 2?

[Andrew NDB]

If they released a direct sequel to the original game, would that be Final Fantasy I-2 or just Final Fantasy 2?

It might be Final Fantasy IX. There were interesting ties between it and 1.

[CyberCubed]

Square should have dropped the numbering after the PS1 era, or PS2 era at the latest. There's a reason Nintendo doesn't call it, "Legend of Zelda 18: Breath of the Wild," or "Super Mario 27"

After a while you just drop the numbering. Most third party franchises do the same. Resident Evil is probably one of the few that still keeps the numbering in the mainline series.

[neatoman]

Square should have dropped the numbering after the PS1 era, or PS2 era at the latest. There's a reason Nintendo doesn't call it, "Legend of Zelda 18: Breath of the Wild," or "Super Mario 27"

After a while you just drop the numbering. Most third party franchises do the same. Resident Evil is probably one of the few that still keeps the numbering in the mainline series.

Dropping numbering is usually done to disguise how many entries there actually are in the series. It's basically a meaningless gesture taken to prevent consumers from feeling overwhelmed.

When it comes to Zelda, numbering could be confusing because while the games do connect, the stories are told out of order and it's hard to pinpoint the exact relation between the entries. Nobody really cares when it comes to Final Fantasy because everyone knows the games don't connect.

[Andrew NDB]

Square should have dropped the numbering after the PS1 era, or PS2 era at the latest. There's a reason Nintendo doesn't call it, "Legend of Zelda 18: Breath of the Wild," or "Super Mario 27"

I kind of wish they kept numbering in place. In all series. Spinoff stuff is fine, but it should be crystal clear what the "core" games are.

i.e., Mario.

Mario Bros. (1)
Super Mario 1 (2)
Super Mario 2 (3)
Super Mario 3 (4)
Super Mario World (5)
Super Mario World 2 (6)
Super Mario 64 (7)
Super Mario Sunshine (Eight)
Super Mario Galaxy (9)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (10)
Super Mario Odyssey (11)

With the spinoffs beginning with Super Mario Land and so on. No, Super Mario RPG wouldn't be a numbered one.

[neatoman]

I kind of wish they kept numbering in place. In all series. Spinoff stuff is fine, but it should be crystal clear what the "core" games are.

i.e., Mario.

Mario Bros. (1)
Super Mario 1 (2)
Super Mario 2 (3)
Super Mario 3 (4)
Super Mario World (5)
Super Mario World 2 (6)
Super Mario 64 (7)
Super Mario Sunshine (Eight)
Super Mario Galaxy (9)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (10)
Super Mario Odyssey (11)

With the spinoffs beginning with Super Mario Land and so on. No, Super Mario RPG wouldn't be a numbered one.

What about Donkey Kong, Land 1/2, 3D Land/World and NSMB?

[Andrew NDB]

What about Donkey Kong, Land 1/2, 3D Land/World and NSMB?

Spinoffs/side things/guest spots.

[sdp]

How is Donkey Kong a spin-off? Mario Bros is a spin-off of Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros is a spin-off of Mario Bros. Nintendo counts the Super Mario Bros mainline games starting obviously with SMB1 and the anniversaries from that date as well.

In Japan Super Mario World does have the subtitle Super Mario Bros 4. But Yoshi's Island is no longer considered a sequel to Super Mario World but a spin-off, in Japan it never had the subtitle SMW2.

Also Nintendo considers Super Mario 3D World Mainline but they don't stop there, the New Super Mario Bros games are all mainline games, as well as the 3DS Super Mario 3D Land. The two Super Mario Land Game Boy titles were considered mainine at one point but for the past two anniversaries they haven't acknowledged them.

[Leo656]

Thus, why it's best not to over-think these things in the first place.

[Andrew NDB]

How is Donkey Kong a spin-off?

It is, in the same way there's Puss'n Boots 1 and now there's Puss'n Boots 2. It's Donkey Kong 1, guest-starring Mario. Just like there's a Donkey Kong 2 and 3 and so on. I guess Donkey Kong Country would be Donkey Kong 4?

"Super Mario Land," "Paper Mario," "Luigi's Mansion" and such, those are the spinoffs.

[Andrew NDB]

Another trailer. Or something.

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They seem to be downplaying the Game of Thrones influence in this one, but we know it's there from the last trailer. Just looks like more FF XV. Smash smash smash.

[Andrew NDB]

Story trailer:

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[Andrew NDB]

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[Andrew NDB]

Got it. Played it for about an hour. I'm really hoping I'm just in the middle of some kind of extended prelude/prologue, because this is 95% movie and 5% me getting to do anything. And I can see already the "overworld map" is just destinations you can click on and "fast travel" to, like since FFX. Lame!

Battle system feels exactly like FF XV, which is to say it's still full-on Kingdom Hearts. A little "impressed" with how far they were willing to go in this one with the F words and blood. So far, good voice actors and good main characters, not like FF XV.

[CyberCubed]

I don't have the game but I played the demo and really don't like the western realistic fantasy route they went with it, they basically tried to copy Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

Final Fantasy was always, "anime" and there's basically no anime here. Granted I don't need leads with purple hair sticking up in the air and making catch phrases and poses like you usually see, but it's just odd. There's no anime tropes here at all. Almost feels like a western developer made a Final Fantasy game.

[Andrew NDB]

Maybe 10 hours in. I'm really disliking this game. There's 0 exploration and just running down corridors to get to the next batch of enemies or 5 minute movie scene (that it sometimes has you mash a button to try and make you feel like you're involved somehow. This is a doubling down on the very worst aspects of FFs since FFX.

[CyberCubed]

Maybe 10 hours in. I'm really disliking this game. There's 0 exploration and just running down corridors to get to the next batch of enemies or 5 minute movie scene (that it sometimes has you mash a button to try and make you feel like you're involved somehow. This is a doubling down on the very worst aspects of FFs since FFX.

FF7 remake was pretty similar. The second part should be more open.

[Andrew NDB]

FF7 remake was pretty similar.

Pretty much, but that was at least a bit more interactive. This is just a damn movie.

[Andrew NDB]

Getting close to beating this sucker, finally. So it's pretty funny. 90% of the game is like this pseudo Game of Thrones-like deal, where the kingdoms and heavy hitter bad guys are kind of getting whittled down until it's just a couple, and then not even them... and then out of nowhere the endgame becomes exactly like FF X and FF XIII! It's "oh no, it turns out our religion is a lie, our God is evil and we must kill him!" Just rinse and recycle again. I haven't beaten it yet but I hear it ends in a big suicide melodrama like FF XV did, too? What is it with Japanese this past decade with suicide and killing God?

[Bahamut810]

Getting close to beating this sucker, finally. So it's pretty funny. 90% of the game is like this pseudo Game of Thrones-like deal, where the kingdoms and heavy hitter bad guys are kind of getting whittled down until it's just a couple, and then not even them... and then out of nowhere the endgame becomes exactly like FF X and FF XIII! It's "oh no, it turns out our religion is a lie, our God is evil and we must kill him!" Just rinse and recycle again. I haven't beaten it yet but I hear it ends in a big suicide melodrama like FF XV did, too? What is it with Japanese this past decade with suicide and killing God?

Killing G/god(s) is a JRPG staple.

[Andrew NDB]

Killing G/god(s) is a JRPG staple.

Gods sure, but THE God in these cases.

[Andrew NDB]

Beat it and the DLC. I have to admit, my tone has changed on the game overall. Yes the quests are extremely stupid (all just fetch quests, or talk to this guy over here and then this guy where over there, maybe fight this monster over here too), it is wayyy too simplistic (bascially you're a party of 1 with occasionally some NPCs and a dog that is useless unless you constantly mash commands at it), it offers only the ILLUSION of exploration, but the story did win me over in the end. And the character growth. Everything was earned here.

Ending was solid. There was a death... but it wasn't the nonsense that FF XV's end was.

Also, I wasn't screwing around unnecessarily and my gaming time was like 60 hours somehow.