Tag: Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 DLC stars two classic Final Fantasy enemies

Square Enix highlighted the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 DLC after weeks of teasing, and it looks like Leviathan expectations were right

Square Enix highlighted the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 DLC after weeks of teasing, and it looks like everyone’s expectations were right on the money. Creative Business Unit 3 is releasing two rounds of Final Fantasy 16 DLC, despite originally saying even one expansion was unlikely and while combat is the first one’s core, the second focuses on Valisthea’s past – The Fallen and, as fans guessed, the story of Leviathan’s fall.

Echoes of the Fallen is the combat-focused package that sees Clive, Jill, and one more person enter a mysterious tower and face a series of trials before the final quest. Echoes of the Fallen is available now, and you can purchase it for $9.99 or buy a season pass for $24.99 that also gets you Rising Tide when it launches sometime in spring 2024.

Square Enix said Rising Tide is about 10-15 hours long, and it covers the mysteries behind the forgotten Eikon. Leviathan featured in an important piece of in-game artwork and remained conspicuous in his complete absence, the only Eikon and Dominant who had seemingly died without being reborn. The Fallen, in true RPG fashion, were responsible for the ruins and old airships Clive and co. explore throughout Final Fantasy 16.

Also included in here is Omega, a recurring monster and superboss that shows up in several Final Fantasy games, including FFXIV and Clive voice actor Ben Starr’s favorite, Final Fantasy 8.

There’s still no word about the Final Fantasy 16 port, though producer Naoki Yoshida did say the development would take a while for that port.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

The best PlayStation Store Black Friday deals

We’ve rounded up the best PlayStation Store Black Friday deals, including Final Fantasy, God of War, Yakuza, and more

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The PlayStation Store Black Friday deals are live, with discounts on some of the best PS5 games old and new. There’s something for pretty much everyone, whether you want to catch up on some modern classics like Final Fantasy 7 Remake or Spider-Man before diving into new sequels or you’re looking for deals on recent hits. Most of the deals we’ve rounded up are for PS5 only, though we’ve noted where games have lower prices on PS4 or work for both systems.

The PlayStation Store Black Friday sales end on Nov. 27, 2023.

The best Black Friday PlayStation deals on Amazon so far

We’ve rounded up the best Black Friday PlayStation deals on Amazon so far, including Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, God of War, and more

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Shopping season is here again, and Amazon is kicking things off early with some hot Black Friday PlayStation deals, including a console bundle complete with Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2. You can grab Square Enix’s dark epic Final Fantasy 16 at a discount, dive into Cal Kestis’ latest Star Wars adventure, take a trip to medieval Baghdad in Assassin’s Creed, or get behind the wheel and go stupidly fast in Hawaii in Ubisoft’s most recent The Crew racing game.

There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, and we’ll be updating this roundup as more deals go live.

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Final Fantasy 16 and Diablo 4 led strong games sales growth in June

June saw a significant bump in spending growth across the games industry, led by Final Fantasy 16, Diablo 4, and strong hardware sales

June saw a significant bump in spending growth across the video games industry, led by Final Fantasy 16, Diablo 4, and strong hardware sales. Mat Piscatella, executive director of Circana, formerly NPD, said sales totals in software, hardware, and accessories reached $4.7 billion. That’s a nine percent increase over spending in June 2022 and makes June 2023 the second most profitable June on record.

Hardware spending increased 28 percent compared to last year at the same time for a total of $454 million, and the PS5 continues its streak as the year’s best-selling console.

Diablo 4 took the top spot on the software charts, with Final Fantasy 16 in second place, and Street Fighter 6 close behind. These knocked Tears of the Kingdom to fourth place from its top spot in May and put Jedi Survivor in seventh, following its stint in the top three the previous month. 

Other notables on the chart include Spider-Man Miles Morales,  which jumped up to ninth place from its previous position in 31st, helped no doubt by the announcement of Spider-Man 2’s release date during Summer Game Fest. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life debuted at number 17 and pushed God of War Ragnarok down to 18th.

On the yearly sales charts, Tears of the Kingdom remains in second place, with Diablo 4 entering at number three. Final Fantasy 16 landed at ninth place and Street Fighter 6 in 10th. Piscatella said Street Fighter 6’s launch sales were double those of Street Fighter 5.

Candy Crush Saga, unsurprisingly, remains one of the best-performing mobile games, though Genshin Impact has dropped off the top 10 list for the time being. That’s perhaps understandable, as the latest round of updates introduced no new characters.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Ranking the best Final Fantasy 16 bosses from terrible to awesome

Final Fantasy 16 bosses run the gamut from absolutely spectacular to kinda boring, and we’ve ranked them all in our boss list

Final Fantasy 16 bosses run the gamut from absolutely spectacular to kinda boring, but in true Final Fantasy fashion, there are so many of them that overlooking the less inspiring ones is easy to do. Final Fantasy 16 has over 40 main boss fights, if you don’t include mini-bosses, optional bosses, and some repeats and multi-form bosses. These range from tame battles against foes who become normal enemies later to genuinely awesome spectacles as Clive faces some of Valisthea’s biggest and most dangerous threats. We’ve ranked them all below in our Final Fantasy 16 boss list, and since it includes every mainline boss, bear in mind that there will be some mild spoilers.

 

Square Enix’s Naoki Yoshida teases Final Fantasy 16 DLC

It looks like Final Fantasy 16 DLC may be on the table after all, as producer Yoshida acknowledges the desire for more tales from Valisthea

It looks like Final Fantasy 16 DLC may be on the table after all, as producer Naoki Yoshida acknowledges the desire for more tales from Valisthea. The news comes from an interview Yoshida gave with GamerBraves just a few months after the producer said DLC would depend on fan reaction to the game.

Going into Final Fantasy 16, the one thing we wanted was to create a full complete story, something that you can enjoy beginning to end 100 percent  without any DLC,” Yoshida said. “But now we understand we’re getting feedback from players that have played the game and a lot of players want to see more. We’re taking that and then thinking about our options moving forward so hopefully in the near future we can have something that we can give to you all.”

There’s certainly plenty of demand for DLC, judging by comments on the YouTube video and on Twitter. Fans were eager for everything, ranging from backstories for the Dominants to full prequel expansions, bonus dungeons, and expeditions to other continents. 

It helps that Yoshida’s team accomplished their goal for Final Fantasy 16 so well. It’s a standalone experience, sure, but lingering mysteries and unused locations mean you’re left wanting more after the credits roll. Most fans are hoping the DLC has something to do with Leviathan, a classic Final Fantasy summon whose Eikon was apparently lost for centuries in FF 16, alongside a handful of crystals that were also lost to time.

Whatever the plan is, it sounds like any DLC is still early in the planning process, so don’t expect anything in the near future. Meanwhile, Square Enix is gearing up to launch Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 in early 2024 for PS5.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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The best Final Fantasy 16 Eikons ranked from decent to iconic

Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons are the RPG’s cornerstone, and we’ve ranked our favorites of these Final Fantasy summons below, from worst to best

Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons are the RPG’s cornerstone, the biggest battles in the game, and the source of Clive’s superhuman powers. Visually spectacular as the Eikons are, the actual abilities of these classic Final Fantasy summons don’t all stack up the same in combat. Some Eikons lend themselves to nearly every situation, while one or two others are better suited to normal enemy mobs or New Game Plus. You can make good use of all Final Fantasy 16’s Eikons, but we’ve ranked our favorites below, from worst to best.

 

Ranking every Final Fantasy Cid appearance from mid to fantastic

Final Fantasy’s Cid is a series hallmark, and with Final Fantasy 16 putting Cid at the forefront, we rank every Final Fantasy Cid role

Final Fantasy’s Cid is a series hallmark, not just present in the best Final Fantasy games, but present in literally every game in the series. Whether it’s a mobile spinoff or a full-fledged RPG, you won’t find a Final Fantasy without Cid – even if he’s just a passing mention or a loner living in a windmill. Like the series itself, Cid has evolved countless times over the decades, playing hero and villain alike and always envisioning a world that could be just a little bit better, even if the means it takes to get there are a bit illegal and probably count as war crimes.

With Final Fantasy 16 putting Cid at the forefront, we decided to rank every Final Fantasy Cid appearance.

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Final Fantasy 16 New Game Plus mode amps up the challenge

Final Fantasy 16’s New Game Plus adds two new difficulty modes, a suite of extras for the RPG’s arcade challenges and even some time trials

Final Fantasy 16’s New Game Plus adds two new difficulty modes and a suite of extras for the RPG’s arcade challenges. Final Fantasy 16 director Hiroshi Takai and combat director Ryota Suzuki told IGN a bit about what to expect from New Game Plus, including remixed enemies and even more customization options.

New Game Plus unlocks after you complete the main story on either of the two available difficulties. You can pick Final Fantasy Mode and start the game again with your level, skills, and inventory as they were when you finished the game. The level cap goes up to 100, enemies are stronger, and you’ll find quite a few new foes in places where they weren’t the first time.

Final Fantasy Mode unlocks higher upgrade options for equipment, including a higher upgrade gear that changes the name and appearance of the item, and accessory crafting, so you can customize Clive’s fighting style and bring out the most of your favorite skills.

“For example, let’s say that a certain accessory allows you to shorten the recast time for abilities by two seconds,” Takai said. “By having two of these accessories synthesized into one, that becomes four seconds. You can even go as far as separately equipping one more of these accessories, which would allow you to shorten the recast time up to six seconds. There’s a wide variation of accessories that have different effects, and synthesizing them will allow for a new layer of depth in New Game Plus.”

Final Fantasy Mode has its own arcade mode that grades your performance in every battle, complete with global leaderboards, and if that’s not enough challenge for you, then you can take on Ultimaniac mode, with even more difficult foes and a separate leaderboard for its arcade stages.

Any New Game Plus challenge, regardless of difficulty, includes Chronolith battles. These are locked behind Fallen relics that you can’t interact with during your first run of the story and function like time trial battles. You’re tasked with clearing multiple ways of enemies and a boss within 80 seconds. You can add time back to the clock by completing certain challenges during the trial, and you get a special accessory if you succeed within the time limit.

Final Fantasy 16 launches for PS5 on June 22, 2023.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Clive’s voice actor says Final Fantasy 16 saved his life

Ben Starr, who voices Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy 16, says Square Enix’s RPG saved his life in a difficult time and added depth to Clive

Ben Starr, who voices Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy 16, says Square Enix’s RPG saved his life in a difficult time. Starr made the comments during an interview with Kinda Funny Games, after a viewer asked what outside inspirations he drew on to bring Clive to life.

Starr said his work on the game coincided with his father’s death, and giving voice to Clive’s own grief and loss helped him come to terms with his own situation.

“Let’s get real,” Starr said. “This game means a lot to me. My dad died during the making of this game, and there’s a lot of loss that Clive goes through, I’m sorry to get heavy but it’s true. It’s amazing how much this game allowed me to process that loss into something good and creative.”

Starr said he wanted to vocalize as much of his pain as possible, not just to process his feelings, but to make it a memorial to his father as well.

“Clive saved my life,” he said. “This game saved my life. The last time I ever spoke to my dad was on the way to recording this game. He was the guy who first brought me Final Fantasy 8. He was the guy who supported me… who I look up to.”

Square Enix let him be as expressive as he could, and Starr said the result is a character who’s as much his father as he is Starr himself.

“I wouldn’t be here doing this if it weren’t for him, because he brought me that game… and changed my life.”

Final Fantasy 16 launches on June 22, 2023, as a PS5 exclusive.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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