When I'm riding chocobos across the beach at dusk with my three friends and hunting iconic Final Fantasy monsters in a huge, picturesque open world, feels like nearly everything I could want from a modern Final Fantasy.

This troubled history is one of the reasons Final Fantasy 15 is so difficult to pin down. For a series universally known and loved for its emphasis on storytelling, can I recommend a Final Fantasy game despite its unsatisfying story

George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, is the sort of writer whose work is unlikely to ever feel irrelevant or unimportant. Although his writing is only explicitly mentioned a few times in Orwell, the game questions modern surveillance techniques and the security of...

Convincing characters and plot; Thrilling "aha" moments; Impactful choices and discoveries; Your job hits the right note between feeling important and hugely invasive

Some rules feel arbitrary; A few glitches and crashes require rebooting the game; Text logs of phone conversations feel unnatural

Baz hits the road in Final Fantasy XV, the long, long-awaited next core entry in the revered series.

The group's dynamic is great; As always, FF's world design is top notch; Beautiful scenery; Link attacks are satisfying

The English voice performances are dire; It relies on external media to tell its story; UI issues; Boring side quests; Combat instability

Final Fantasy XV represents a bold change of direction for the iconic, longevous franchise. Booting up Final Fantasy XV, the screen simply reads "a Final Fantasy for Fans and First-Timers".

Final Fantasy XV is a game, first and foremost, about friendship. When we first saw the iconic JRPG's new group of black-clad boyband buddies – all anime hair, baby faces and open jacketed ab-flashing – we'd have never guessed they could be so endearing.

"Simply put, it's a must-have for fans of the series, as well as for those who are looking to get into the franchise for the first time." © 2016 Square Enix Inc, Square Enix. All rights reserved.

Gorgeous graphics; a beautiful score; fluid and fun combat system; fantastic main characters; and stellar performances (particularly that of Ray Chase

Not much character development outside of the main party; underutilized villain; technical hiccups; repetitive side quests; and a boring first act

It all starts on the road with a broken down car. A group of four friends on the way to a wedding are now stranded in the outback after living in the massive city of Insomnia. It is from these humble beginnings that our adventure unfolds, a prince without money forced to now work for his dinner.

Amazing graphics | Impressive dungeons | Tragic; heartfelt story

Cindy | Not being able to choose your summon | Interact and jump on same button | Long load times

Final Fantasy XV is a rare and fascinating phenomena in gaming. A game with a multitude of problems that could (and should) easily degrade the whole package into a disappointing mess.

The open-world design of the first half of the game, with its myriad quests and details, shines brilliantly and hearkens back Final Fantasy's golden days. However, the linear second half lacks the optional content that makes the first part genuinely fun to play through.

A large open-world environment that's filled with iconic monsters to hunt and quests to undertake; Excellent soundtrack, visuals, and attention to detail; Simple, but enjoyable, combat system

Sloppy, poorly paced story; Horrible camera work; Linear second half and bizarre gameplay changes make finishing the game a chore