So as TGS 2014 has drawn to a close, some disheartening information has come to light about this game. I suppose the writing was already on the wall, but the game shown at E3 2013 and TGS 2014, is not the same game from the 2011 trailer (to this day my most-watched trailer of all time).

When they decided to rebrand it as FF15 and move it to current-gen consoles, they overhauled the entire game's design. #Tetsuya Nomura actually hinted at this in an interview during last year's E3, but the example he gave was very minor. He said that previously, Noctis' death would mark a Game Over, but now that the game had become a mainline entry, they were considering the addition of a down-but-not-out mechanic. And lo and behold, the TGS trailer does indeed show that such a mechanic has been implemented.

He did not, however, go into the complete overhaul the combat had gotten. As it turns out, the game is no longer a hack 'n' slasher. In fact, it's kind of debatable whether it can still be considered an action game. From Hajime Tabata's description, it sounds a lot closer to #The Last Story, where a lot of the combat is handled automatically.

There's an Offense button and a Defense button. Holding down the Offense button makes you auto attack, whereas the Defense button makes you auto dodge. You will no longer be able to manually cycle through his individual weapons, and instead the game just picks the right weapon based on context. You will no longer be able to swap between the different party members (though we all pretty much knew that from the 2013 trailer), and seeing as neither the 2013 nor 2014 trailer showed any characters jumping or performing aerial combos, it can be assumed the ability to jump has been removed as well.

FF15 was always my dream action game. When I saw that initial 2006 Versus XIII trailer, mere months after playing my favorite game of all time, #Kingdom Hearts II, I felt I knew exactly what I was getting. And with each new interview and trailer, my own expectations were only cemented. I was expecting the most intense over-the-top hack 'n' slasher of all time. I mean, the ending sequence to KH2 was the craziest thing out there at the time, so it made sense that same team would deliver something even more amazing on the PS3. Not to mention how they were also aiming to turn it into an interactive version of #Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which Nomura also directed. Even the 2013 trailer seemed to show we were still on track to getting that, but now... I'm just not so sure anymore that's the case.

More than anything though, I feel sorry for Nomura that he will never be able to complete his dream game, as it seems the project has been ripped away from him in the same way that happened to Yasumi Matsuno during the development of FF12. It's gonna be quite sad when the opening credits roll, and it's Tabata's name under Director, with Nomura merely getting a Character Design credit, as well as Concept & Story. That's probably how it's gonna go.

When it was announced that Tabata had taken over, they tried to sugar-coat it, making it seem like he was just there to put on the finishing touches. The fact is, he had already been directing it alongside Nomura since 2012, and the game is currently 55% finished from the moment they overhauled it.

The phrasing they used for Nomura's involvement seemed oddly specific. They said he was done with his duties, which included stuff such as character design and world building. I mean, yeah, his tasks does include those things, but shouldn't it include so much more than that, given that he's the main guy? Well, now it seems that maybe he had already been downgraded to an advisory role 2 years ago, and they just weren't willing to announce it until now.

Geez, what a mess. I guess we will never truly find out what exactly happened these past 8+ years, and who exactly is to blame for it. At the very least my excitement for #Kingdom Hearts III has been increased by a lot, knowing that some of his gameplay ideas might make it into that instead, just as rejected Versus XIII ideas made it into #Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

But even the KH series already has a second-in-command, Tai Yasue. I hope Nomura's job at Square Enix isn't in jeopardy, and this isn't his final job there before he's shown the door. Or who knows, maybe he will choose to leave himself, with KH3 marking the end of the 8-game Xehanort Saga.

If he does leave, I hope he gets another chance at making the game of his dreams. Or maybe he could try his hand at making a shooter. Interestingly, the scripted stuff in FF15 was actually inspired by his love for shooters, in particular #Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (lol, I know, right?). Honestly, I really don't care for that style of game, but if Nomura were to make one, I'd certainly be there to play it.

@Pape Badiane So what exactly makes someone a "Game Industry Vet"? (good to know before I start tagging a bunch of people with it that shouldn't be)