We can all pretty much agree that I’m a geek, right? It’s not something I try to hide. But some blog posts are geekier than others. This will definitely fall into the geekier category. In it, I’m basically going to talk about a video game. You’ve been warned.

I have always been a fan of the Final Fantasy series of games. From the time the very first one came out on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, I’ve enjoyed playing them. I’m not sure what the draw is for me. I’ve tried playing similar games and become quickly bored with them.

The original Final Fantasy wasn’t heavy on the action. It’s mostly walking around from place to place, trying to build up your stats so you can face the final battle. Looking back, the only way I can think that this game would have gotten my attention would be from Nintendo Power magazine’s special edition strategy guide that came with my subscription. Maybe I read through that and thought it would be a fun game.

Well, I got it and I was hooked. I can’t say that I’ve played every single Final Fantasy related game that’s been released. Because there have been a lot. But I have attempted to play most of the main series of games. The latest of these is Final Fantasy XV

Y’all, this is a beautiful game. With the advances in video gaming technology, it would be ridiculous for the creators to come out with a game that wasn’t visually stunning. Despite the eye candy, I had a hard time getting into the game at first.

That’s because you start out controlling a guy who’s a prince. He’s traveling with his three friends/bodyguards to meet his betrothed and get married. Thing is, with their black attire and spiked up hair, they look like some kind of emo boy band. And your first task after taking control of the main character (Noctis) is to push a broken down car down the road. That is literally your first mission.

It gets better after that, though. I promise. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t have spent as much time playing it as I have. I’ve had other complaints, though. This one comes with spoilers… So if you’re ever planning to play this game yourself, look away. Come back for tomorrow’s post, it’ll be a good one.

About halfway through the game, some bad stuff happens. One of those bad things is that one of Noctis’ sidekicks becomes blind. But it happens when Noctis is separated from the group, dealing with a ginormous sea monster on his own. Well, when Noctis is reunited with his backup dancers bodyguards, the big one, Gladiolus, starts acting like a jerk toward the prince. He treats him like it’s his fault that the other guy got injured and went blind.

Eventually, they get over it. Status quo returns to normal. But it was annoying for a few hours as the creators obviously attempted to insert conflict among the heroes that didn’t need to be there.

I haven’t finished the game yet. I’m not sure when I’ll finish the thing. They’ve made it sound like I’m at a point where, if I do this one thing, it’ll lead me to the final battle with the big bad. But, a staple of the Final Fantasy franchise is the side quest. And there are many, many side quests. So I’m trying to knock out as many of those as I can find before I try to go after the endgame.

Has anyone else out there played this game? Have you played other games in the series? Let me know what you think.