We're now a few weeks into 2017 and most of the "Best Of 2016" lists have come and gone, but here at The Loud Table we never got the chance to go through our games of the year (for me personally, the roadblock was managing holiday retail coupled with closing a store- my cruel mistresses). This past year saw a litany of high quality releases from big developers and indie studios alike and while this list doesn't comprise the full scope of what I played throughout 2016, these are my personal top picks of the year.
Very few games had as much riding on their shoulders this year as Final Fantasy XV. Having been bogged down in development hell for nearly 10 years, shifted lead directors and development team staff, changed what platform it was being developed for and hell, even changed from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to a full blown new numbered entry in the franchise, things were looking grim for the title and possibly the franchise at large. It's with a happy heart that I can list Final Fantasy XV as one of my favorite games of the year. This is the reinvention that the series needed to stay relevant with the modern, western gaming community, while still staying faithful to long time fans. Though Final Fantasy XV is a complete overhaul of the franchise, it still feels like a Final Fantasy title. The world is massive, the enemies are otherworldly, the story is grandiose but everything is still focused into a cohesive package.
Focusing on struggles of the Crown Prince Noctis of the Kingdom of Lucis and his band of cohorts, Final Fantasy XV is a story of friendship. The game picks up with Noctis and his friends Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto leaving their kingdom's capital city on a road trip to meet up with Noctis' fiancee Luna. Things quickly take a turn for the worse and, without spoiling anything, Noctis and friends must set off on an epic journey to retake their homeland and save the world from darkness. While that's a rather tropey setup for a fantasy RPG, it's the brotherhood between Noctis and the gang that take the forefront in the game's tale. The banter between the group is entertaining and informative. I quickly grew to know each of them and the whole of the story was made much richer through their friendships.
The biggest difference between Final Fantasy XV and its predecessors is in combat. Tossing turn based combat to the curb (let's be honest here, Dragon Quest always did it better anyway), FFXV presents players with one of the slickest real time action systems I've ever played in an RPG. Though Noctis fights alongside his three friends in battle, players only control the Crown Prince. I chose to use Wait Mode, a system that pauses time when the player stops moving, allowing for tactical decision making and scanning of enemy weaknesses. Hits feel powerful, smooth and natural. Spells are massive and disregarding of what they destroy, friend or foe. Notctis' signature teleportation powers are sleek, allowing the player to jump from enemy to enemy in the blink of an eye. Whether out in the sprawling open world or deep into one of the games many large dungeons, combat always felt intense and never like a chore or a stepping stone to something more engaging.
Featuring a fantastical but believable world, a beautiful and emotional soundtrack, combat that's new but still fits in with the Final Fantasy moniker, instantly relatable characters and an engrossing story, Final Fantasy XV is a must play for new players and long standing fans alike. It's not perfect, as there are some plot holes (though I had no trouble piecing things together, use your brains and imaginations, people), but the good far outweighs the bad in this fantasy epic for the ages.
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