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Final Fantasy 15 Director Discusses Upcoming Single-Player Updates And DLC

"It is very difficult for me to select the 'best boy,'" he laughed.

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Square Enix has announced its DLC plans for Final Fantasy XV, which include a series of single-player episodes focusing on Noctis' companions. The company has also announced it will be providing "gameplay enhancements" addressing chapter 13, specifically.

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In a recent interview with US Gamer, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata went into more detail about the changes coming to the game, and why fans should be excited, not concerned.

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Now Playing: Final Fantasy XV - Moogle Chocobo Carnival Trailer

"The fans who have grown accustomed to playing traditional Final Fantasy games may feel uneasy about this unfamiliar initiative," he conceded. "That said, I personally believe the approach to updating single-player games, as we are doing with this title, will continue on in the future as a new trend." The company will be creating brand-new single-player content that allows players to not only learn more about Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto, but to control them as playable characters for the first time.

As well as the paid DLC, the game will also receive free updates which will enhance and improve it over time. Chapter 13 has been highlighted as an area that will receive significant change. Does this acknowledgment that chapter 13 requires improvement mean it was rushed? Or are these changes a response to unexpected player feedback to specific design decisions made by the team? "The direction of chapter 13's content was a deliberate decision made by the development team," Tabata said. "That said, the amount of stress inflicted on the player while running through this chapter was greater than we had anticipated. We believe resolving this issue will naturally lead to a better gameplay experience."

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The interview concludes with Tabata opting not to choose a favorite child. "It is very difficult for me to select the 'best boy,'" he laughed. "It goes to show how much I insisted we create the four characters as a team from the start to the end. As a result, I think each character is charming and likeable in their own way. But because of this, I am also now unable to select the 'best boy.'"

Final Fantasy XV is currently celebrating the Moogle Chocobo Carnival in-game, as well as the fact that it was the second-best selling game in the US for 2016, having shipped over 6 million copies.

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deactivated-67d7281a17a9b

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Maybe they'll do an update that would make the characters likable. Noct is probably the most miserable character that's appeared in a tripple A game since Watch_Dogs.

And Prompto. Good lord, Prompto.

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Taylor_Sparks

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@the7698466: All of the characters are actually likeable. This even shows when watching the five episodes.

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GunEye

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Where's the 60 FPS Patch for the PS4 Pro !?
The "December Patch".

Seems that was no more than a dreadful lie, no doubt.


Oh I know - perhaps they meant December 2020 when FF XV Remastered for PS5 will be released at 60fps 1080p,

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DEVILTAZ35

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No mention of 60 fps mode for pro or a fix to frame stepping issue . fail.

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Naylord

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Edited By Naylord

@deviltaz35: I bought this game release day ( there was a massive preorder discount) but I haven't even started because I'm waiting on that patch!

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Keitha313

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Edited By Keitha313

@deviltaz35: Consoles and 30fps go hand in hand If they were to go for 60fps they'd drastically need to optimize the hell out of the game which I assume wouldn't be easy and the graphics from trying to push it to the 60fps limit would have the game not looking as nice.

All in all it doesn't need 60fps.

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DEVILTAZ35

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Edited By DEVILTAZ35

@Keitha313: The devs already announced a december PS4 Pro 60 fps patch but i'd settle for the awful stop start epileptic like frame pacing issues to be dealt with. I deleted the game until they fix it anyway not in any hurry anymore to play it.

The point is the only way to play it effectively on the Pro is to have it looking like the PS4 version which also has frame pacing issues not apparent in the Xbox One version of the game.

This should have been a first consideration in a patch not just act like it's not there and introduce more content.

These devs clearly can't be trusted when it comes to Playstation games.

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brandiesel

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I've never had any interest in a FF game before so I haven't played one but I got this for free. I have a digital copy downloaded. Will I be totally lost since I have no idea who any characters are?

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wkadalie

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Edited By wkadalie

@brandiesel: Watch the Kingsglaive movie. Then the Brotherhood anime on youtube. The anime are really short episodes, but will give you a better understanding of the characters. The movie will give you a better idea of what is going on in the plot. You don't need them but if you have trouble following these games then watch them.

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SonyPony4eva

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@brandiesel: I've had the game since launch and I found the story to have too many loopholes and a scattered plot that makes zero sense. You'll need to look up a guide to explain the story to you lol. I got too bored with it to care, but you may enjoy it.

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OsirisEG

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I have a love/hate relationship with this game. On one hand, it was really fun, and had a lot of nostalgia --on the other hand, it was SO DAMN SHORT and DEPRESSING! The ending, and especially ***SPOILER*** the campfire scene ***SPOILER END*** actually made me not want to keep playing after it was over. I spent like 40 hours on side missions, and spent like 15 hours on main story; that's depressing in and of itself. I actually do feel let down... So much potential, wasted...

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wkadalie

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@OsirisEG: The problem with the game is the best stuff is in the open world, but a lot of people will miss it cause after they beat the game they don't come back. Flying Regalia makes traveling so much easier. And cool dungeon bosses and other cool things. Game should have forced you to do more stuff in the open world before progressing. Like making you get all the swords.

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Keitha313

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@OsirisEG: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the game was short, whilst the grind to leveling up can be long that's where most of your time can be spent but the story runs through so quick!

I miss the old styled FF games, If they could ever bring me a turn based FF that equals FF10 they'd probably have GOTY imo but they're stubborn and I doubt they will ever go back to that style considering they're remaking FF7 with this free flowing combat as Trump would say. Sad!

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AuronEdge

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@Keitha313: We're never going to see a true turn based FF again. The kids will never get behind a game that has a row of heroes lined up against a dragon waiting for turns...

They can talk about fixing the story elements, but to me it really is the combat where the game fails the most. Link-striking and the limited selection of techniques are just not fun. Crisis Core does action combat so much better than FF15. If they followed something like that, then adding many more skills and a way to switch between characters, i think they could have something.

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streetmagik

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You wrote the last line wrong. It's not the second best selling game of 2016. It was the 10th. It was 2nd in December. Did you read your own sites article? The hyperlink will take you there.

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streetmagik

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I was up til 4 in the morning at the moogle chocobo festival. Some of the activities were boring, but the setting design is amazing. Waterfalls, beautiful buildings, and the fireworks show. If you have a TV that can hit those brights in HDR, WOW!! The fireworks show was insane. I was literally squinting, it's so bright at points. It looked real, but better. Overall it's a fun start to the dlc. I'm still surprised I like the game as much as I do. I really thought it looked boring at first, but I can't put it down.

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darktruth007

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Where the PC version at

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Taylor_Sparks

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@darktruth007: I think(I'm not confirming) they stated it would come out in a year. But then again, they stated that they'd have to start from scratch

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bat725

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@akassassin11: More like Spring 2018 for $60, as I'm sure they'll be dropping DLC through the end of the year.

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Taylor_Sparks

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@akassassin11: You'll have a love hate relationship with it. The plot is a mess, most of the side quests are underwhelming and after chapter 10 it gets real short from what I've heard. But on the other hand there is many good things and charm to it like the characters (I recommend watching the short 5 episode anime to get a better understanding of the 4 characters), bosses are awesome, combat, open world, riding chocobo, dungeons, etc. As I've stated, you will have a love hate relationship with this game.

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Taylor_Sparks

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@akassassin11: No problem!

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bat725

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I'm so glad to see the success this game is having. Second best selling game of 2016? Wow. I picked it up and I'm just waiting for my strategy guide to arrive, so I can dive right into it and actually complete all the side quests, this time.

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streetmagik

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@bat725: No, it's the second best selling game in December. It's the 10th best selling game of the year, which is still great considering it didn't come out until November, and all the other huge games that released.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2016s-best-selling-games-in-the-us-revealed/1100-6447090/

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bat725

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@streetmagik: Yes, it's still impressive. Six millions units shipped isn't too shabby.

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streetmagik

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@bat725: And best of all, it's really fun. It seems like a lot of people on this page think the opposite, but I'm having a blast. I stayed up waaaay late last night going through the festival. It's beautifully designed.

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streetmagik

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@akassassin11: it's a weird game. I haven't finished it, so I can't speak of the entire game, but I'm enjoying the world and the camaraderie with the team. I also understand some people just don't like it. It's very different from other final fantasy games I've played. The combat isn't turn based, which seems weird for a FF game. The summons are mostly gone. On paper, I didn't think I'd like it. I didn't plan on getting it at all, but I got a great deal during the holiday sales. It's tough to explain because I'm still surprised I'm playing, especially considering how many other games I have backlogged. Best thing I can say is borrow or rent it. Play a couple hours and you should know enough. If it hasn't grabbed you a little bit by then, I doubt it ever will.

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papachump

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Honestly I hit chapter 5 got bored and stopped playing it, heard that the end of the game was shit from many many sources and determined to wait till Square actually finished the game to go back, but now I dont know if I ever will. Square has severely dimished themselves in my eyes with FFXV. Admittedly I did not care for XIII either but expected more than sloppy combat and a very patchwork story from XV.

Square can and should do better.

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SonyPony4eva

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@papachump: I'm shocked that you made it that far. I'm on like chapter 3 and around level 23 and wanted to die from boredom. The combat also sucks.

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Jimbowesker

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@sonypony4eva: Yeah same here, its so far from apart from any other Final Fantasy (besides the soundtrack and creatures and characters) in terms of gameplay and the awful inconsistent battle system. I think Square just needs to bite the bullet and go back to ATB fighting system. But on the other hand, I am glad this game was a success simply cuz the future of FF games depended on it. But for me the experience was extremely too boring and put far too much emphasis on fetch quests that are basically meaningless!

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Thanatos2k

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Sorry, putting paid DLC of story content clearly cut out of the game isn't going to save the trainwreck story in this game.

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Taylor_Sparks

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@Thanatos2k: They did state that they were going to fix the story in free updates

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Thanatos2k

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@taylor_sparks: They say a lot of things. Like "this was a finished product"

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djwood84

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Edited By djwood84

I am so blown away with the love this game is getting. As a Final Fantasy player since III (VI) I was very, very disappointed with this game. As a standalone title, I'd give it a 7/10. As a Final Fantasy? Even a 2 seems high.

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OmniChris

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It's pretty sad that rushed trash games like this get 6 million sales solely because of the title but games like Tales of Berseria and Persona 5 will barely be able to scratch 1 million in sales even though they are much better more complete games.

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Kodiak

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@omnichris You can say a lot of things about this game, but it certainly wasn't rushed :P

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Thanatos2k

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@Kodiak: You sure as hell can, and anyone who played it can see it plain as day from chapter 9 onward.

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OmniChris

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@Kodiak:

It's terribly rushed, massive amounts of content cut from nearly all the trailers, only 3 major events that happen in the entire game, people dying off screen, people going blind off screen, character motivations non-existant, hunts and optional bosses that are just reskined normal mobs, an open world(island) that only has 1 single town(which is fairly small) the rest of the areas are just copy / pasted gas stations, glitches galore, animations errors galore, a non balanced combat sytem that you can easily cheese right the way through(zero challenge). Sidequests that have had zero thought or effort put into them. The entire game has Ubisoft-style rush job written all over it. Zero polish.

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TickTockMan79

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Edited By TickTockMan79

@omnichris: Rushed? The game took 10 years to make.

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Meatlover92

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@omnichris: Don't play it then :)

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OmniChris

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Remember when FFs where released finished and complete? I do.

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streetmagik

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@omnichris: I get it, you didn't like the game, but why are you trolling so hard? Move on. Tales of Berseria is out, and Persona 5 is 2 months away. It will be ok.

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