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Famitsu reveals new selection of Final Fantasy XIV wildlife
We learned quite a bit about the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV during E3, but there's still quite a bit left still to learn before its release later this year. One of the more obvious questions is what, exactly, players will be squaring off against on the field of battle; in a series partly defined by its memorable recurring adversaries, it's reasonable to wonder what will return and what won't. A newly translated piece from Famitsu helps answer that question, with an octet of new creatures as well as a few bits of information about changes in the next phase of testing. Most of the newly revealed monsters have a storied history in the series as a whole, and several are direct exports from Final Fantasy XI, including the deceptively fearsome Goobbue making a triumphant return. Funguar also return, although looking very different from Vana'diel's odd mushroom-frog hybrids. Each of the monsters has a brief write-up describing its size, behavior, and habitat, so Final Fantasy XIV fans would be well served by taking a look at what they're going to have to deal with during their journeys.
A translated look at Final Fantasy XIV's Guildleve system
With the coming of a little show known as E3 -- you may have heard of it -- fans of several upcoming titles are hoping for new information. Final Fantasy XIV players are no exception, but as has slowly been the case ever since the testing began, little bits of information are becoming more readily available to players. FFXIVCore has recently translated a piece from 4Gamer, taking an in-depth look at one of the central features of the game, the Guildleve. The main source of quests in the game, the system promises to be somewhere between Final Fantasy XI's Fields of Valor and the timed battlefields. Once a Guildleve is accepted by a character, they're directed to an Aetheryte crystal to begin the quest. Touching the crystal fully restores HP and MP, as well as starting a time limit and making the targets of your quest visible. A given battle can be tuned based on party size, desired difficulty, and party level, giving players a variety of options for playstyle. The full translation has more screenshots and specifics on the core of Final Fantasy XIV's questing system, and fans are encouraged to take a look in anticipation of this week's news from E3.
Europe to get boxed retail copies of Global Agenda
Digital distribution is the in thing these days. Steam, in particular, has turned PC games into something that's almost easier to buy at home rather than in the store, with a ridiculously wide selection and the promise of never worrying about lost discs. The biggest drawbacks are the download times and potentially losing your login, and what MMO player doesn't plan for those issues? But there's still something nice about a boxed copy, which is why European gamers can take joy in the fact that Global Agenda will be releasing a boxed retail copy of the game starting in September 2010. Thus far, the game has been using primary distribution through Steam, which has worked well -- but as the official statement explains, a retail box helps improve visibility. The game will launch in an English version in cooperation with Iceberg Interactive, with a German version due out a bit later. No word is given on whether or not an American boxed version will be available. It's a unique opportunity for Global Agenda, which itself is a very unique game, and success with the boxed copies likely will lead to more developing projects and more content for the game's fans.
Staying in control with Final Fantasy XIV
We're likely nearing the end of useful information that can be gleaned from the current wave of testing in Final Fantasy XIV, leaked or otherwise, but what a fruitful time it has been. The game's picture has solidified so much in our minds compared to a scant few weeks ago that we can look at much of the information-heavy translated article from 4Gamer.net and see things we're already aware of. Still, there are tidbits like the nuances of the control scheme that had been largely unmentioned before now, and another set of eyes confirming some of the cooler features is certainly welcome. While it's no great surprise that the game should work well with a controller, the change to a standard WASD setup for movement should please any number of fans. Unfortunately, keybinds for individual menu windows like character status seem currently inaccessible, though that's likely to change. We also learn a little more about the ability system -- it seems that abilities are somewhat weaker on other disciplines, although they're still usable. Combine that with a number of gorgeous screenshots, and Final Fantasy XIV fans can enjoy the most recent course of information. (Oh, and yes, another mention of the underwear thing.)
More looks inside of Final Fantasy XIV
It's a good time to be a Final Fantasy XIV fan, with testing now in full swing and information coming out an accelerated pace. While we'd been in the dark for some time, we're now moving into almost having an information glut. FFXIVCore has been hard at work translating everything released by Famitsu, and there's a lot to digest from there, ranging from confirmation of things we've already suspected to new information altogether. Aside from several screenshots of the game in action, we find out that characters will indeed have both first and last names on creation, in the style of Guild Wars and Dungeons and Dragons Online. The battle system will apparently use staggered sets of abilities rather than steady auto-attacks, something more akin to City of Heroes than Final Fantasy XI. Learned abilities can be used regardless of a character's class, allowing extensive mix-and-match play with each character. In addition to all of that, we also learn just how deep the character building is: levels allow you to improve your stats and skill levels allow access to new abilities, but almost everything is built on player choice. There's a lot for Final Fantasy XIV fans to digest, but the game is shaping up to be very different than its predecessor while retaining the same rich flavor.
Advance leaks from Famitsu and Dengeki shed more light on Final Fantasy XIV
The first round of testing is just around the corner, and for some people that means that Final Fantasy XIV is holding much more mental real estate than the just-released Final Fantasy XIII. All things considered, information is likely to start coming fast and furious as soon as the testing opens, but some advance copies of Famitsu and Dengeki Playstation have made their way into the hands of people who just can't wait another day. FFXIVCore has helpfully translated the information available, which already paints an interesting picture of how the game will play. Fighting is confirmed to be on the move, with a strong emphasis on positioning and MP conservation. We've also got some picture of how the classes will play, with Pugilists inheriting a workalike to Provoke and Gladiators inheriting Phalanx and Shield Bash, albeit with different characteristics. There's also talk about Miners and Blacksmiths working in parties, pointing out utility for gathering or crafting disciplines in groups. We've also got a little information on the Illusionist, meaning most likely that an official site update is on the way. With testing beginning soon, expect Final Fantasy XIV information to become more and more available -- but what we're hearing so far definitely sounds like a good ride.
More Final Fantasy XIV translations with developer commentary
In some games, adventurers are just regular people, albeit very well-trained and highly-armed people who are a bit dangerous to have hanging around too long. In others, however, there's something special setting them apart, even beyond the fact that they spend all of their waking lives running through muck-infested ruins. Add Final Fantasy XIV to the latter list, as fansite FFXIVCore has translated the most recent issue of Dengeki Playstation, which includes some information straight to the magazine from the developers. They make note of the fact that adventurers have a specific power to change the world, albeit one distinct from the time-travel mechanics used in Final Fantasy XI. The translation covers a lot of ground, and reveals such tidbits as the lack of any hybrid magic-and-melee classes in Final Fantasy XIV -- such abilities will come from a character's growth in multiple areas rather than a specific class such as the Red Mage or Paladin. More details on character creation are included, with the creators talking about both a more flexible creator than Final Fantasy XI and the possibility of changing elements of a character's starting armor. There are also some tidbits on the political state of the land and the three-way conflict between the adventurers of Eorzea, the Garleann Empire, and the beast tribes. Unfortunately, there's no answer to the question many of us want answered -- namely, when we can start the beta.
Preview of character creation in Final Fantasy XIV
The start of the beta signups for Final Fantasy XIV was certainly good news for the many people anticipating the game next year, but it didn't exactly pierce the fog surrounding the game. Square-Enix, of course, has always played their cards close to their chest when handing out previews, but there's still so much more to learn about the game and a number of curious people. FFXIVCore, a fansite with an active base of users translating as much new information on the game as possible, has posted a set of new scans and translations detailing that most important of processes in an MMO: character creation. While there isn't as much hard information as fans would like (and isn't that always the case), the characters on display boast a wide variety of slight differences, as noted by the article. There's also some information regarding a third force in the game's main conflict, the Garlean Empire, although details on it are scant. Still, the promise of a detailed character creator is certainly alluring, as are most of the pictures we get regarding said character creator. Final Fantasy XIV often winds up releasing news and previews in chunks, so it's best to keep an eye open for the next few days for further possible information.
More bits on Final Fantasy XIV in Connect! On translation
We have a bit of a linguistic issue when it comes to information about Final Fantasy XIV -- while no one could argue that it's not being heavily anticipated worldwide, there's the simple reality that the slow trickle of information to news magazines are going to be in Japanese. Great if you can read the language, slightly less so if you can't. But luckily, the intrepid fans at FFXIVCore have a number of people who can at least manage it well enough to bring us the latest tidbits from Connect! On magazine, which had the benefit of having some input from someone who at least briefly got to experience the game hands-on. It's already been hinted that Lancers, much like Archers, will be affected by the range of their weapons. The magazine goes into further detail regarding this -- for example, if the Lancer is too close to the enemy they'll have to swing the haft of their spear rather than jabbing with it, but they can also potentially sweep the lance like a staff to hit multiple enemies. There's also talk about the difference in tools that crafters can use and what some of the expanded features of the crafting might involve, possibly including the ability to craft multiple items at once (a welcome expansion for those familiar with crafting in Final Fantasy XI). There's still no word on when exactly we'll be seeing Final Fantasy XIV, but it can't be soon enough. Take a look at the full translation for more details, speculation, and a clearer picture of how the game is different from its predecessor.
The BlizzCon schedule, EU style
So you're excited about the BlizzCon schedule, but being the EU has you confused on exactly when everything is going down? Worry not -- reader Elnaira of EU Stormreaver has updated the schedule, as you can see above, with the EU time zone calculations done for you. He used the GMT+2 timezone (since that's where Paris is right now, and where most of the EU server times lie), so if you're not in that timezone you'll have to do your own calculations, but this may help you if you're overseas and trying to decipher exactly when the events you want to see on the server stream will take place.And the truth is that you're going to be staying up pretty late -- the conference will finish up around six in the morning there, so if you want to see all of the costume contests and Ozzy's concert on Saturday, better make sure you've got plenty of coffee and/or Red Bull on hand. And even if you fall asleep, don't worry: we'll have you covered.Update: Here's one done by a reader with Australian times on it. BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Engadget around the world
We know you've been watching closely all week, but there's more going on out there in the world of Engadget than just what we're writing about here in the States. Check it out, this is Engadget around the world.Engadget Japanese DELL to supply 56,000 PCs to Japan's "leaky" Defense Agency Sharp/Vodafone 904SH VGA handset released "Ring-Exhaust" for your mobile Engadget Spanish Solaris in an iMac OSCar - The Open Source car NTT DoCoMo's Music Porter X Links' V-Gear USB TV tuner Wireless Dynamics' RIF miniSD card SDiD 2010 Engadget Chinese CTK introduce 3369 cellphone BenQ-Siemens' CL71 and AL21 Google unveils Chinese brand name: GuGe Averatec's 3715-EH1 notebook Modeo's Smartphone Municator $149 PC made in China
