‘Final Fantasy XV’ Trailer Released, “VR Experience” Coming to PlayStation VR

By
Paul James
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Final Fantasy fans can officially save their pennies, because the latest instalment, Final Fantasy XV, is making its way to PlayStation VR later this year – the only problem is we still don’t know exactly what form the so-called VR experience will take. The latest trailer does give us some clues though.

Sony set out their VR stall once again at their pre-E3 event in LA last night, rolling out a number of big name franchises set to appear in VR form one way or another. So perhaps it’s fitting that Final Fantasy, a franchise synonymous with PlayStation, was announced to be receiving a virtual reality experience to appear on the PlayStation VR later this year.

Details on precisely what form the VR experience will take are sketchy at best right now unfortunately. But, looking at the trailer it seems that VR-enabled interactions in FFXV is going to be ‘gun heavy’, with the VR player attacking enemies with a revolver in a first person perspective, before occasionally jumping out of that view as if on a selfie stick to view their protagonist wearing a PlayStation VR headset. In the trailer at least, you’re restricted to controlling the character implausibly named Prompto Argentum, an obvious choice for the VR experience given his fondness of firearms – a more compatible form of combat than melee for VR. Whether you’ll be able to play other characters whilst using the PSVR is not yet known.

The trailer also included hints at the type of locomotion Final Fantasy XV VR will use, with one sequence featuring the player warping between lofty locations before taking pot shots at the foe from above. This teleporting technique is by now common in first generation VR titles, and given the PSVR’s largely seated or standing focus on play, this makes a lot of sense.

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Oh and, there’s a worrying looking opening segment hinting at a VR-enabled boob-ogling section featuring one of the few main female characters in FFXV, Cindy Aurum. Lets hope this exists for a reason and not merely playing to the gamer stereotype audience.

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Final Fantasy XV is due for release in September this year, although given the PSVR’s launch window of October it’s unknown whether the VR experience will ship alongside the game.

More than that we cannot say I’m afraid, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled as we bring you the latest VR news from the show floor at E3 this week.

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Paul James
Based in the UK, Paul has been immersed in interactive entertainment for the best part of 27 years and has followed advances in gaming with a passionate fervour. His obsession with graphical fidelity over the years has had him branded a ‘graphics whore’ (which he views as the highest compliment) more than once and he holds a particular candle for the dream of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Having followed and been disappointed by the original VR explosion of the 90s, he then founded RiftVR.com to follow the new and exciting prospect of the rebirth of VR in products like the Oculus Rift. Paul joined forces with Ben to help build the new Road to VR in preparation for what he sees as VR’s coming of age over the next few years.
  • Sam Illingworth

    :( The more I see of FF XV the less interested I am.

    • Kai2591

      Ikr.
      if anything i’d play it for the sights.

      • Sam Illingworth

        What’s lkr?

        • David Herrington

          I know, right?

          • Sam Illingworth

            Tell me about it!

            But what’s ikr?

          • Kai2591

            ikr = i know right
            ;)

  • glyphery

    Yeah, I likewise wasn’t too impressed with the incongruent “male gaze” clip of Cindy in the middle of the trailer vid, which seemed inserted for the sole purpose of giving gamers an opportunity to stare at her chest.

    This seems a particularly odd inclusion considering that FF games have traditionally appealed to female players as much as male ones due to the core cast of each game being reasonably gender-diverse. Instead, the second half of the FF XV trailer seemed to focus on nothing but a group of “bros” doing the macho schtick.

    • Kai2591

      I’m glad I’m not the only one with this impression.
      I’m a dude I like women but man that was tasteless.
      maybe theyre trying to balance it out since FF15 has been really bromance heavy (which honestly suit females more i think) and now they try to appeal to the dudes; there’s a worrying lack of female mains after all.

    • VR Cat

      I agree that it is a shame there is a lack of diversity in the attack squad. I liked having female characters in my party. Hopefully there is an opportunity to add them. However, I think there is some over-reaction here about ‘oggling’. If you watch again carefully from 2:04 to 2:12 you’ll see the camera never moves, and for most of the sequence her head is in the center of the shot – it was done tastefully. Is she wearing revealing attire? Yes, but there is also a male character who is bare chested, so there is an attempt to appeal to people of both gender sexualities in that regard at least. Should all these characters be made to cover up? Opinions will vary on this. Personally I’m fine with any kind of attire, so long as it’s ‘realistic’ – i.e. if they’re wearing suits on the beach, or bikinis at the north pole that’s going to break the immersion. Of course I love that there’s a first-person VR mode, but it would be great if they could allow gamers the choice to play as a female character in this mode.