Persona 5 PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Some wouldn't like to admit it, but it's not often that a Japanese role-playing game has the weight to make waves in the current climate of our industry – at least, not here in the West. But of course, like everything in life, when something good is destined to come along, it all comes at once. After almost a decade of as little information as possible, we're finally getting somewhat regular trailers detailing Final Fantasy XV, and, as we should have probably guessed, Persona 5's gone and taken the Internet by storm with its recent gameplay trailer, providing our first look at what the release will actually entail.

Suddenly, Japanese RPGs are at the forefront of the industry's Western media once again, even leading some to jump the gun and claim that this is the beginning of a new JRPG revolution, despite the fact that the genre has never abandoned us of its own volition – but that's a point for another time. What's strange, though, is how the arrival of Persona 5's footage has forced something of a divide between a few core gamers, as they turn to Square Enix's upcoming creation, and declare that it's been blown out of the water by Atlus' attempt.

Final Fantasy XV PS4 1

To understand where this thought process is coming from, we need to quickly take a look back at Final Fantasy's lineage. Travelling back to the PSone era, a company that was then called Squaresoft was at the top of its game. Final Fantasy VII had introduced an entirely new generation to RPGs, while Final Fantasy VIII and IX managed to capture the hearts and minds of many players, despite the fact that they never quite saw the same level of success. Even on the PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy X proved to be yet another hit, but it was with Final Fantasy XII that a noticeable rift had appeared within the fanbase, and subsequently, the series' first foray into HD with Final Fantasy XIII proved to be easily the most divisive main instalment in the franchise's history.

Within what was seen by some as a terrible time for the Japanese console development scene, the series' thirteenth iteration marked a low point in fans' faith, and the franchise that so many had grown up with had been dealt a rather crushing blow. A property with such a long legacy of success isn't very easy to kill off, however, but any momentary lapse is usually enough for something else to try and fill the gap.

Persona 5 PS4 PlayStation 4 2

By this point, Persona 3 and Persona 4 on the PS2 had garnered universal critical acclaim, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Shin Megami Tensei's relatively unheard of sub-series was really starting to go places. A set of titles that felt unique and self-assured, Persona was beginning to fill a gap for a lot of Western Final Fantasy fans that felt disheartened with Square Enix's more recent creations.

That's not to say that the publisher isn't doing right, though. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a brilliantly made MMO, and from what we've seen, Final Fantasy XV looks like it could be rather bloody good. For a series that has never truly rested on its laurels and is always looking to try something new, Noctis' journey appears to be another step in a different direction once again, but then, why does a tale involving four guys in a car suddenly seem so mundane after witnessing Persona 5's flourish of unspeakable style?

Final Fantasy XV PS4 2

That's precisely the question that's currently sweeping the minds of many an armchair analyst. Persona 5's trailer was superb – so superb, in fact, that it makes you think about where the genre is actually heading. It seems so confident in its own identity that it's hard to place any doubt in the thought that it might end up anything less than stellar, while Final Fantasy XV's prolonged – and clearly quite troubled – development immediately instils a sense of caution. We suppose that it's testament to how important the build-up to a title's launch is, but still, that doesn't stop The Phantom's romp from looking and sounding amazing.

Of course, we're only typing all of this because we want to feast on your delicious opinions – this is a talking point, after all. It also goes without saying that for all we know right now, both of these games could turn out to be rubbish, and although we highly doubt that will be the case, it's worth remembering now – before anyone inevitably brings it up – that this is all based upon footage of titles that none of us have even played.


So, has Persona 5's perfect trailer put a dampener on your excitement for Final Fantasy XV? With the two releases likely a long while off yet, we don't see why you can't be eager to get your hands on both, but that's unfortunately not how the internet works. Choose a side, vote in our poll, and then shout at us in the comments section below.

Has Persona 5's trailer made you less excited about Final Fantasy XV? (66 votes)

  1. Yes, it looks much more interesting39%
  2. Hmm, I'm excited for both42%
  3. No, Final Fantasy XV still has my undying attention12%
  4. Bleh, I'm not interested in either of them6%

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