Well, keep it in mind for when you do have time, then
Reading requires time, though. I feel like I have none these days. So busy.
It's good. You should read it. I think you might like it.
Can't say that I have.
Have you ever read A Prayer for Owen Meany?
Here's some of the newer screenshots, just to make it clear what I'm talking about (SPOILER)
Well, the whole gloomy melodramatic tone is really something waaaay back in the past, because now the roadtrip thing really does give more a feeling of companionship and wonder, with lots of lighthearted banter and bonding elements really livening things up. The somber elements are still there, but they seem much more subtle, with the largest emphasis really being on the character bonding. Not to mention the gameplay looks really meaty now, with a vast world with tons of sidequests, beautiful towns, etc. I just love the feeling of it all. It looks a lot like Xenoblade Chronicles which, as you'll recall, is my favorite game of all time when it comes to the world and content, with a really intriguing setting and many classic, whimsical Final Fantasy elements to it that really make the game look incredible to me. As for the rest, well, there's been a number of writers to the games that have been changing, so you can't generalize it like that. The action RPG thing is a thing for XV because that's what Versus XIII was originally conceived as, not as a trend the series as a whole was supposed to go (I'm pretty convinced that all this time Ito is working on FFXVI that has a very different system, much more reminiscent of ATB). In general, I think Tabata has done a fantastic job polishing stuff up and being more open about these things and I really have faith for things to come. What I mostly meant when I said "future projects" was more about scheduling and stuff, because let's face it, that's the biggest issue people have had with XV since the beginning. When it comes to style - you can't expect every game to look the same. People expect Persona to be very anime-ish, and people expect FF to be hyperrealistic. That's just how it went, c'est la vie!
Eh, honestly, I've never been hyped about XV at all. I didn't even watch the 50 minutes of gameplay. There's never been anything about it that grabbed me or made me interested enough to sit through it. I watched the initial trailer, and one more section later on about the boys taking a road trip (which looked like the most boring thing I've seen in years), and finally the trailer bit about the brief section with the playable girl. That's all I've seen on the game, period. The promotional material I've seen has been largely static images which are pretentious as heck and tell you nothing about the game (except that they can render someone's face much better than they used to be able to), and which make it seem like overly dark and dramatic, which is a tone I don't think Square has ever really handled well. My comment, however, wasn't on FFXV, but Square in general (the "future projects" thing). Square only knows how to make one kind of visual style, which is hyperrealism. They only know one writing style, which is overcomplicated and nonsensical, instead of actually good. And they only know one gameplay style, which is action RPG. Everything the company used to have has been either wiped away, or given to the Bravely Default teams and Tokyo RPG Factory. Maybe you're right. Maybe XV will be awesome. I don't know that I care enough to try anymore. And if it is, it'll be a happy accident, not a trend that will continue (which is why FFVII Remake looks terrible). Because Square doesn't know what made its old games great.
I actually have a tremendous amount of faith for FFXV's story and characters, especially after seeing those initial 50 minutes of gameplay. There's just so many little nuances to all the characters that makes them feel so genuinely human that I'm more excitedthan ever to try it out.
Phooey. The initial trailer looked so good, then we've heard so little since.
