Final Fantasy XV

This is a tough one. I've loved the FF series through its highs and lows and I've actually come to really appreciate this entry over time. I first got it when released in 2016 and it was clear that it was unfinished. The plot was choppy and confusing, some of the mechanics were sloppy, and the level of polish really varied throughout the game. However, the relationship between Noct and the boys has always been compelling.

Many of these issues have been addressed over time with DLCs, the spin-off anime, and the CGI film. I've seen them all because I always felt there was some interesting source material here worth exploring and watching them really does elucidate a lot. The problem is, people shouldn't be asked to do that. FF7, for example, still had a confusing narrative, but the plot was intact and all the spin-offs served to enrich the story, not complete it.

In terms of the technical issues, the development was clearly an ironically epic journey. This game was ambitious, and I'm surprised how good it looked at times in 2016. Patches and 60 fps updates makes it run much more beautifully now but the variability in polish during different game areas and occasional sloppy combat is still present. However all this being said, they aimed for the stars and I'm sure took notes on what worked and what didn't.

In the end, this is a unique entry with heart but it just wasn't fully fleshed out. There's a rich lore that unfortunately demands an unreasonable amount of time and money for fans to be able to fully appreciate it. However, Square Enix has shown consistent evidence of listening to their fans (example, making this an open world entry after the feedback that FFXIII was too linear). I have hope that this will lay the groundwork for future entries to be technically better but hopefully also more cohesive from a plot standpoint.