Forspoken (Review): This is a MESS… and I can't tell if I like it

A game created by the wrong group of people. A could have been, but isn't. Seems like a reach game for someone who had the chance and went "why not". Money put into this could've been given to the homeless.

While this review seems more fair than others, it is still mostly too harsh. The biggest point I disagree with is the discussions around Frey. Yes she wanted to escape her world, but that doesn't mean she wanted to be thrown into an dying, apocalyptic one. Yes she wanted to feel important and needed, but that doesn't mean she wants to play savior to people who locked her in chains, and treated her like a monster when she was lost, confused, hungry & desperate. It doesn't even mean she feels qualified to be the hero. Its like Frey is not allowed to be complex or have nuance to her character.
That said, the review sort of hints at what I think is most true about this game: the beginning is rough but it gets better the more you play it.

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Well, for me it looks like an average game since the first time I saw it. Gonna wait for at least 50% off, I think I will have fun (but the Cuff seems really annoying, but I have to see this by myself). My main complaint for this game is the optimization for PC (which I need a better GPU to be able to play… which doesn't make sense) and the price. It's just a normal game. But who was making a lot of noise about it were incels (and most weren't even bringing up the real problems of the game, just calling it "woke" – a stupid word).

“Why didn’t she pick up the bag of money?”

The one phrase muttered by all who played this game. Hell, some streamers were ready to charge into the other room with the cat in hand to get that money since they were that annoyed by it.

A lot of Final Fantasy 15 issues can be broken down into development hell. FF15 started off as FF vs 13 in 2006, then got scrapped completely and rebranded to Final Fantasy 15. Characters were taken away, stories completely changed, new director, art style, engine, you name it. If we compare the stories between FF15 and Forsaken, we can see similarities. Noctis didn't want to be king, Fray didn't want to be a savior. Noctis was born into royalty and everyone had high expectations for him, but he failed because he just didn't care (at first). No one had expectations for Fray, she was a nobody living on the streets doing petty crime, and she didn't care what others thought. The main difference between Fray and Noctis is that Noctis was changed as he slowly lost everything that was important to him. His Dad died, his future wife died, the buff friend disappeared, the responsible friend went blind, and the nice caring one isn't even human, he's a literal Empire test tube baby. Noctis eventually realized that everything was his fault and had he been a man sooner, perhaps none of that would have happened. When he loses his powers, that's when he SHOULD have given up, but he pressed on, BY HIMSELF! He picked himself up, made it to the crystal, and met up with his friends who never turned their back on him, even though they should have many times. Noctis earned his redemption arc.
But what about Fray? Fray is just a horrible person. One could justify her rotten attitude due to her living situation in New York. But after Fray is transported to another world, all she wants to do is go home. Go back home to what?? She finally got surrounded by people who literally told her "we like you, and we need you" and she treats them like crap. When that one girl's Dad dies right in front of her, she's like "I don't give a da** about this world, it can burn for all I care." She only changed her mind AFTER she lost her powers. Unlike Noctis, she never did anything on her own after she arrived in Athia. When Noctis lost is powers (the dreaded chapter 13), you were all alone, doing all the fighting yourself, no teleporting, no magic, no support, just your sword and potions. You had to run from all these crazy monsters, and you didn't get your powers back thanks to the power of friendship. Fray literally got her powers back because her Dad's name is Al. After treating everyone like crap, she gets rewarded in the end. That's not even a character arc. Guess what happens when Noctis gets his powers back? He literally gets transported into the crystal, only to have what he tried to protect forcefully taken from him, all according to Ardyn's plan. Fray is just gifted her powers back because of love and friendship, and she's the chosen one >_>.
This game's biggest letdown is the story and the characters. I wonder if they went through their own kind of development hell, because this character makes no sense.

FF15 seems like it was way better than this. then again it also took another year of constant updates to be anywhere remotely to the vision they wanted

I'm 10 days late to the discussion but I had Aiden Pearce Syndrome with Frey and Cuff. The unlikable nature of their writing is baffling.

This game with a character creator and a silent protagonist probably would’ve fared a lot better. A solid 7 game that people HATE because, honestly…it’s just too damn annoying lol

Any game that takes a long time not to hate simply isn't worth it. We're spoiled for choice. I'll just replace it with something I like immediately.

Great video. Thanks for going into depth for a game most people are dismissing. I haven't played it yet but, ouf, seems like a ride, for better or worse.