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Shipping this week: horn of plenty edition
Before you ask, yes, we are angry that Joystiq stole our idea for this week's new games post. We're trying to manage our anger though, so we've been screaming into a pillow for the last three hours. Thankfully the Fancast has already been recorded, so our pristine voices remain intact. Anywho, we are faced with yet another week of incredible games. Rock Band is finally here, as is Mass Effect. You can even nab Avatar and snag 1000 gamerscore in minutes. If that's not something to be thankful for, we don't know what is. Behold this week's releases below. Rock Band Mass Effect College Hoops 2K8 Avatar: The Burning Earth Final Fantasy XI Online: Wings of the Goddess Final Fantasy XI Online: Vana'diel Collection 08 If you've got the scratch, we suggest that you go forth and rock. Who knows, maybe you can even get your family to join in during Thanksgiving dinner. [Via Joystiq]
DS Daily: Handhelds and MMOs
We know a lot of DS owners who also play WoW MMOs. Are you among them? Back when this blogger was caught up in the throes of Final Fantasy XI, a quick bout of something-or-other on the DS was perfect filler for all the time spend waiting -- for airships, for people to gather for events, for time to pass, etc. Particularly convenient were "chore" games like Nintendogs or Animal Crossing. Waiting for everyone to get it together before you rolled out to fight a big nasty? Get your daily fruit-picking done while you wait. People still not there? Dig some holes. Etc.Now, it's been a while since we've been caught up in an MMO, but we're sure that some things haven't changed, and that waiting is still part of the drill from time to time. Were we alone in filling the moments with a second game, or do some of you DS owners take this route?
Austin GDC: Live at the Hiromichi Tanaka keynote
Hiromichi Tanaka is the executive officer of Square Enix and the producer of company's entry into the MMO market, Final Fantasy XI. This morning at the Austin Game Developer's Conference he's going to be talking to us about the challenges of cross-platform design with a design post-mortum of Final Fantasy XI.11:06 AM CST: We were supposed to get started at 11AM CST, but the event seems to be running fashionably late.11:08 AM CST: Introducing Hiromichi Tanaka speaking on Launching Final Fantasy XI on Multiple Platforms.
Those are the lamest achievements ever
The hip and trendy kids over at G4's The Feed put together a list of what they think are the 17 lamest Xbox 360 achievements to date. Horrible games like Bomberman Act Zero and NBA Live '07 made the list as well as our favorites like Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas. We agree with most of their picks, but really agree with hating NBA Live's "Online With 1,000 People", GRAW's "Committed (Multiplayer)" and FFXI's ridiculous "Reach Level 75 with each character class". We guess this article made us further realize that there are truly lame achievements out there and that we have to be careful. Remember, friends don't let friends spend days on end trying to earn lame achievements. It's one epidemic that we can stop.[Via Digg]
New Square-Enix MMO bound for 360, not PS3? [update 1]
Update: After doing a little digging, we've uncovered the source of this story. Tanaka's comments come from an interview with Pro-G, so it looks like the upcoming 360 MMORPG from Square-Enix is the real deal, folks.Say it with us now: "whaaaaa?" Coming from our friends at Xboxygen (they're like, totally French), is a dandy of a rumor: Square-Enix is currently developing an MMORPG for the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. Perhaps the most interesting part of the rumor, the game may not make it to the PS3 at all. Hiromichi Tanaka, director and executive producer of Final Fantasy III for the DS, reportedly made this announcement in a recent interview: "We're working on a next generation MMORPG for the Xbox 360 and Vista but a version for the PS3 is possible."Assuming this is true, we can only guess as to what the MMO will be. Considering that Final Fantasy XI is already available for the 360, it's not too much of a stretch to assume it might get a sequel. Still, the important thing is that Microsoft may be getting more Square-Enix love in the near future. Could a legitimate Final Fantasy be in the works as well? We can dream, can't we?
Square Enix blames Wii friend codes for lack of FFXI [update 1]
Friend codes. Nintendo's self-imposed restriction on online gaming has been a burden to many who want to play with their friends without having to share a different 12-digit friend code for every game. When the Wii was revealed to have a console-specific friend code, we thought Nintendo had somewhat listened to the community's grumblings. When Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first online Wii title, launched in Japan with friend codes, we realized the folly of our optimism.Square Enix's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka empathizes, highlighting the friend code system as the primary reason they haven't brought an online game like Final Fantasy XI onto the console. In an interview with Cubed's Adam Riley, Tanaka reveals that the RPG powerhouse is now in negotiations with Nintendo about "resolving this point of contention." A publisher of Square Enix's magnitude does not necessarily guarantee Nintendo will listen, but perhaps Nintendo will ease off or at least allow exceptions for some titles.Then again, Final Fantasy XI on the Wii would surely be profitable even if gamers were required to enter over 300,000 12-digit codes to fully experience the world. That's how much, we suspect, Wii owners our clamoring for Nintendo to join the rest its brethren in this generation.[Update 1: As White Rose Duelist and others have pointed out, Pokemon Battle Revolution's extra friend code might be an exception and not a rule, and Elebits is a cited example where one can exchange in-game pictures with Wii friends. However, as we do not have any other details from impending online games, and Nintendo has not readily clarified, we're just not sure.]
11,500 Final Fantasy XI accounts banned
Square Enix has again taken action against Final Fantasy XI cheaters, banning more than 11,500 accounts, in turn, removing roughly 5 billion Gil from in-game circulation. The mass crackdown has affected users on all platforms (PC, PS2 & Xbox 360), as administrators targeted a range of illegal activities: Use of 3rd-party tools to enhance character movement (approx. 1,100 accounts banned) Use of 3rd-party tools to bypass game mechanics (e.g., timing of ability use) (approx. 6,400 accounts banned) Engaging in Real Money Trading (RMT) (approx. 4,000 accounts banned) See also:FFXI cheaters hit with ban stickFFXI customers axed for using third party tools
FFXI cheaters hit with ban stick
Cheaters beware! If you think taking advantage of others is the way to go, take this latest bit of news as a mild warning. More than 2,000 players within the Final Fantasy XI MMORPG universe have had their accounts either suspended or terminated recently because of the use of some "third-party software tools."The FFXI group released this notice to potential bad boys and girls: We would like to take this time to remind our players that the use of any third-party tools will not only destroy the in-game balance, but will also encourage RMT (Real Money Trade) activities. We will continue to take strict actions against those individuals that we have confirmed to have used such tools. We always have a real sense of satisfaction when cheaters get caught. Some of us have even gone so far as to not play PC games at all online because of rampant exploits being used -- we're looking at you CounterStrike. Listen folks, stop this already. You are ruining everyone's gaming experience and we hate you.
Square Enix likely to introduce achievement incentives into FFXI on Xbox 360
According to GalbadiaX.com, the next update of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360 could introduce gamerscore points into the aging MMORPG. To date, FFXI is the only 360 title without points, which, technically, Microsoft requires publishers to include in Xbox 360 games, dispersed throughout at least five game-related achievements.If you view Final Fantasy XI details on an Xbox 360 gamercard, you'll notice that the game has been updated with 32 "secret" achievements. However, these achievements are not yet active, but are speculated to become fully integrated with the next FFXI update, which will also include changes to Besieged and chocobo breeding.
Final Fantasy XI sequel revealed
According to Japan's Nikkei Net (via IGN), Square Enix is working on a sequel to Final Fantasy XI. The upcoming MMORPG is being developed for PC (Vista), PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Prior to this revelation, Square Enix had hinted at a new MMO project, previewing a trailer featuring a 'next-gen' MMORPG engine. However, at this time, it's unclear if the FFXI sequel is indeed the game that will utilize this engine.[Thanks, Master X]
June 27th says: "No Live for you!" [update 1]
PlayOnline has announced that Xbox Live servers will be down on June 27th from 2:00 'til 6:00 PDT for maintenance. It looks like this will only affect PlayOnline, but it might mean no Live for anyone. No word has actually come down from Microsoft about Live being down so, who knows? The announcement mentions that those already connected to PlayOnline will stay connected, but once you disconnect you won't be able to access PlayOnine until the maintenance is finished. So, 360 Final Fantasy XI fans (both of you) better connect now before it's too late. [Via Xboxic] Update: Reader bigC24 let us know that the Live outage is official. Check out Major Nelson for details.
Where's the love for console MMOs?
One genre was conspicuously absent from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft's E3 press conferences -- the humble massively multiplayer game. We at Joystiq are on the lookout for innovation in MMOs, and what better platform to push the genre to its limits than next-gen consoles? Yet few developers seem to be taking the bait.While some console MMOs are under development, the PC is definitely the platform of choice, and nothing we saw at the keynotes has changed that. With the investment in connected online services for the next generation of consoles, it's a surprise that the MMO isn't getting any attention. Perhaps translating gameplay to console platforms is holding developers back, or perhaps it's just too early for the genre to come into its own. Either way, it will be interesting to watch the few console MMOs that are launching soon, as well as Final Fantasy XI, to get some hints of what the future holds.
FFXI beta players have 13 days left
According to 1up, the Final Fantasy XI beta for the Xbox 360 will end on April 2, leaving gamers with just under two weeks of free play from today before they have to think about parting with their cash. The retail release of the game isn't until April 17th, but the switch from beta to retail will be more pleasant for FFXI players than other MMO beta testers.Unlike in many previous MMOs, the characters created during the FFXI beta will transfer straight across to the retail version of the game, presumably thanks to the game's established release on other platforms. Gamers who have been playing FFXI for free for the last couple of months will now have to decide whether it's worth the cash, or whether the enforced cold turkey before the game's release will be enough to break the habit. Although further MMOs could be in the pipeline for Xbox Live, FFXI remains the only massively multiplayer title on the Xbox 360 platform in the immediate future.
