5 reasons we are excited about Final Fantasy XV

There are just 15 days to go now for the release of Final Fantasy XV. The excitement and interest in this long awaited installment of the popular game has been building for some time and is now overwhelming for some. Out on Nov 29th the game has been designed to walk the fine line between pleasing the old fans and attracting new ones. Here we have laid out the reasons that we are looking forward to it.

Check out the latest trailer for the game here. Entitled 'Omen' it was released to celebrate the game reaching gold development and it show the first reason to be excited for the games release. The huge scale of the story, the drama and emotion are all apparent, as is the amount of work that has gone into its 10 year development.

Next we have probably the biggest update to the game. A new combat system that brings real time combat and action to a franchise that has previously used many innovative turn based systems. The real time combat will be familiar to all action gamers and despite the break with the traditional combat mechanisms we think it will still prove to be an welcome step forward for the game series.

A fantasy based on reality is the tag line for the game and this can be seen in many of the games environments. Based on real world locations such as Tokyo, Venice and even the Bahamas there is a lot about the game that draws you into the world and makes even the more the fantastical aspects feel more real. Coupled with the amazing characters and their keenly written interactions and relationships the game give you a thoroughly engaging ride through the real and fantastic at the same time.

The realism of the environments is further enhanced by another development of the game, the open world nature of the game play means that all of the rich locations, and events can be discovered and explored in your own time as you choose to do so. With no linear game play model in force you are almost immediately set free in the world and have the freedom to travel as you would like.

This brings us on to the next exciting aspect of the game which is the accessibility to new players. Although the developers have kept a watchful eye on keeping the game linked to past games and plenty of familiar touches to the design this game, with the modern combat system, reality based locations and an independent story line that doesnt require former knowledge of the game series means that it is a perfect way for new fans to discover the world of Final Fantasy.

Finally the world of FFXV is not just that which you can experience in the game. As a strong sign of their belief and investment in XV the game is being accompanied by both a feature length film and a brand new Anime series. The film 'Kingsglaive' has already been released and is a state of the art CG production that follows the journey of Prince Noctis through the eyes of his father King Regis, while the Anime series 'Brotherhood' will follow the story of Prince Noctis and his three close friends. Both of these will give more depth to the stories that unfold in the game and vastly broaden the lore of the FFXV world. Worth watching for any fans of the game.

So how about you? Are you looking forward to the game, do you already have the pre-order. Or are you still thinking about it. Let us know here or in the forums what your thoughts are on FFXV.

While you wat you can check out the special Countdown to FFXV videos.