FFXV - I was looking up at the Umbra dog chapter rewind thing works and saw that basically from ch.9 on it's completely linear and basically a whole different game while allowing you to go back to the original game. No wonder ch.8 felt like the endgame and basically every quest was available if you had the levels and most of the optional dungeons, ultimate weapons, etc...it really is the endgame for the actual game that makes up ch.1-8 and then 9-14 is just FFXIII style FFXV's story but with making more sense plot-wise, less sense progression-wise and missing a whole lot of the character development at least FFXIII had.
Needless to say, even before finishing the plot, I definitely liked the first half of the game much better. While it has jank, and oooooh boy does it have jank in a way that the game feels like it could have come out in 2006, it's at least a fun gameplay game where you go around doing sidequests and hunts and exploring while doing story quests here and there. There's a base structure to it that works.
FFXV's first half feels like one of those "developers first attempt at an open world game" like Assassin's Creed 1, Infamous, Saints Row, etc, etc... like it's solid and fun and the base is there, but it's also empty and unpolished and doesn't quite hold up in 2016-2020 era of open world games. But what that also implies is that if they tried to do this formula again with FF, they'd probably nail it with a great more fleshed out and fun open world game like how AC2/Infamous 2/SR2 etc...were. I'd be pretty excited and optimistic about another ubisoft x wrpg x jrpg hybrid open world FF after FFXV.
But then the second half...yikes. Yeah. I don't think Tabata knows how to tell a story for the life of him. And I'm not talking about the writing but how 3rd Birthday, Crisis Core, Type-0, FFXV 2nd half all share the same jumping around from scene to scene to progress the story while skipping/lacking all the between scenes that transition between story moments and develop the characters and world. I'm definitely not sad to see him gone from SE at this point.
Also I have a strong feeling that the first half open world game, which is 2006-era good was mostly what Nomura/KH's team put together over the years. Especially after KH and FFVIIr I'll give Nomura and that team the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn't be surprised if Tabata & his team basically just retooled their open world game to make it releasable and then put together this 2nd half to string together the rest of the story.
If they had another year or so of development, I wonder if they could've made a 2nd smaller open world map to do the 2nd half in. Same story beats/cutscenes but at least fill it with some places to explore, sidequests, hunts, optional dungeons to flesh it out. Also Altissia should've had some basic surrounding areas outside of the city to put a dungeon or two in and some hunts (instead of hunts in the city itself).
Anyhow will finish up the story this week for sure along with probably the episodes.