{"id":11704,"date":"2018-05-20T01:50:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T08:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/final-fantasy-xv-windows-edition-review-a-whole-lotta-final-fantasy-goodness\/"},"modified":"2024-01-24T17:18:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T01:18:11","slug":"final-fantasy-xv-windows-edition-review-a-whole-lotta-final-fantasy-goodness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/final-fantasy-xv-windows-edition-review-a-whole-lotta-final-fantasy-goodness\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition Review \u2013 A Whole Lotta Final Fantasy Goodness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13312\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Square Enix<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The fifteenth installment of the long-running fantasy\/science fiction crossover series, Final Fantasy, has been out since November of 2016. However, Final Fantasy XV was previously only available on consoles, which made many PC gamers who are ardent Final Fantasy fans almost come to tears. So was it worth the long wait and has Square Enix proven that they can finally make good PC ports from console-first games?<\/p>\n<p>Well, if it\u2019s any indicator I\u2019ve been glued to my computer since the PC version, titled: <em>Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition, <\/em>recently debuted. Strait off the bat, there is a ton of content packed into this game. The PC version comes with all of the content from the season pass along with lots of free updates, all combined into one gigantic package.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13311 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is the first Final Fantasy title I\u2019ve ever played but not my first Square Enix port. Not only was I blown away by how great this game is as a newcomer to the series but Square finally nailed it on producing a rock-solid console-to-port product. And others echo my sentiments. In fact, many veterans of the series say that this is the best game of the entire, hallowed franchise.<\/p>\n<p>Right away I noticed how superb the graphics were. This game is absolutely stunning when compared to games of any genre, let alone RPG ones which can sometimes have rather lackluster visuals. There is also a 4k option for all of the gamers who want an even higher-end experience. Surprisingly,<em> FFXV\u2019s<\/em> performance is handled well and I can tell that Square spent a lot of time optimizing the game.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13313 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As far as the storyline is concerned I had to go back and read up about FF games of the past in order to get up to speed. In this game, the main hero, Noctis (the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Insomnia) rounds up three of his best friends and sets out on a futuristic version of a road trip.<\/p>\n<p>Their main mission is to deliver his fianc\u00e9 Luna, the Oracle of Tenebrae to The Empire in order to try and negotiate a ceasefire between his faction and theirs. The Empire, by the way, is a gigantic superpower who is hell-bent on securing the Kingdom\u2019s magical crystal for its own murky purposes.<\/p>\n<p>So what happens? Well, (spoiler alert) the purported ceasefire negotiations were just a ploy by the Empire in order for them to attack and totally decimate the Noctis\u2019 kingdom. After learning of this betrayal, Noctis and his friends set out with a new goal.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13314 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/31.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And what exactly is their goal? To seek out the reinforcements of Lucis\u2019 former kings so that they may exact revenge upon the Empire as well as destroy the Daemon faction once and for all. The Daemons, by the way, are evil entities from another dimension which terrorize the world of FF by night.<\/p>\n<p>As with many Japanese anime-infused media,<em> FFXV\u2019s<\/em> storyline can be pretty convoluted and seemingly contradictory. At several junctures I found myself scratching my head as some plot elements were completely baffling. But I chalked a lot of it up to not being a veteran of the long-standing series. I did like the anime-inspired visuals, however, and the character and creature designs were both unique and had super-slick production values.<\/p>\n<p>The core gameplay has been completely re-worked from previous iterations. Instead of being turn-based, it is much more action-oriented like Black Desert Online or Kingdom Hearts. But instead of being relegated to lots of button-mashing as with those titles, FFXV is much more tactical\u2014you have to actually think before engaging in your mashing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13315 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/41.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In an apparent ode to the Dark Souls series, in combat, positioning is everything. In order to have the best chance at defeating the game\u2019s various enemies, you have to time their attacks and then leap in at their rear areas and attack their weak points.<\/p>\n<p>The combat itself looks spectacular, with flashy combinations spraying forth rays of radiance and arcs of flame and pure energy. Both the game\u2019s characters and creatures can also perform special, super-powered attacks which will really light up your screen\u2014your entire screen. Both action and anime fans will be right at home here.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"666\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There is a ton of content to enjoy in <em>Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition<\/em>. It\u2019s so good that I\u2019m actually inspired to go back and play previous entries. Okay, at least maybe just the last two games.<\/p>\n<p>SCORE: 87%<\/p>\n<p><em>Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition <\/em>features outstanding graphics that make its action\/RPG gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12775\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12775\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowerpc.com\/system\/Memorial-Tracer-II-15-VR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12775\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/w\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/combo_4001.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12775\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowerpc.com\/system\/Memorial-Tracer-II-15-VR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MEMORIAL TRACER II 15 VR<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cyberpowerpc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CyberpowerPC\u2019s website<\/a> to check out all of the other great deals as well!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition Square Enix The fifteenth installment of the long-running fantasy\/science fiction crossover series, Final Fantasy, has been out since November of 2016. However, Final Fantasy XV was previously only available on consoles, which made many PC gamers who are ardent Final Fantasy fans almost come to tears. So was it worth&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/final-fantasy-xv-windows-edition-review-a-whole-lotta-final-fantasy-goodness\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition Review \u2013 A Whole Lotta Final Fantasy Goodness<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":6154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2724],"tags":[2520,741,2488,2527,1225,67,2486,2542,2545],"class_list":["post-11704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4k-gaming","tag-cyberpower-pc","tag-game-review","tag-game-reviews-2","tag-gaming-laptop","tag-gaming-pc","tag-ian-kane","tag-rpg-games","tag-third-person-games"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11704"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16557,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11704\/revisions\/16557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}