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Square Enix unveils Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection: Abyssea Edition
Final Fantasy XI is one of the longest-running MMORPGs still going strong, weighing in at nine years of ongoing adventures in Vana'diel. Now, in the interest of drawing even more adventurers into the fray, Square Enix is releasing the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection: Abyssea Edition. For the price of $19.99, players get the original Final Fantasy XI, all four expansion packs to date, and all add-on packs such as A Shantotto Ascension and the new content introduced in Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea, and Heroes of Abyssea. If this sounds like a sweet deal to you, just slow down for just a minute and hold your Chocobos. Final Fantasy XI is also renowned for its rather steep leveling curve, so in order to ease new (or returning) players into the grind, Square is including in the Ultimate Collection the in-game item Destrier Beret, which provides a multitude of buffs for the aspiring adventurer, including HP and MP regeneration, boosted experience gains, and even an auto-resurrect for when things go awry. So if you're looking to step into the shoes of an incredibly adorable Tarutaru (or, you know, any of those others), just hop and skip your way on over to the official Final Fantasy XI site.
GameStop throws its hat into the digital distribution ring
As brick-and-mortar stores are struggling in this day and age, digital distribution has been taking off into the stratosphere. Seeing where the winds of change are blowing, GameStop has announced that it is joining the ranks of Steam, Amazon and Direct2Drive by offering a digital distribution service through its website. If players are comfortable sacrificing a physical box copy in exchange for the speed and convenience of a digital product, GameStop's service will allow them to purchase and download games, trials, expansions and various add-ons in the comfort of their own home. Players will be allowed to install the game on one to three PCs, depending on the product. Unfortunately, because the service is being handled by a third party, GameStop gift cards and certificates are not accepted as payment. GameStop's downloads page features a number of MMOs for purchase, including Need for Speed World, LEGO Universe, Aion and Age of Conan. If you haven't given Final Fantasy XI a whirl, the Ultimate Collection is on sale for $9.99 in both boxed and digital form.
Become a Square-Enix member, win an autographed Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection
The game might be no spring chicken, but Final Fantasy XI is still an overall success, and has more than a few accomplishments under its belt. It's a successful MMORPG on a console, has its own fan convention, has eight years of history, and clearly has made enough an impact to have two subsequent Final Fantasy games with clear ties to it. All that being said, though, it's possible that you may still not have played it, despite a variety of excellent deals available. If you fall under that header and want an excuse at checking it out in anticipation of Final Fantasy XIV, or if you're a longtime fan hoping for a unique piece of memorabilia, Square-Enix is giving away an excellent little incentive. Register as a Square-Enix member by February 22nd, and you have a chance to win one of four copies of the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection -- signed by the game's producer, Hiromichi Tanaka. Fans eagerly anticipating Final Fantasy XIV will likely recall that registering for the game's beta also required a member account, so this only further sweetens the deal. If the chance sounds appealing, it's well worth the few minutes it takes to register.
Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection coming in November
With ostentatiously lengthy titles such as A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born, we can't blame you for not being able to keep track of the expansions for Final Fantasy XI. By the end of this year, the game will have received seven content additions in the form of retail expansion packs and downloadable add-ons. Fortunately, Square Enix has decided to bundle all of these together in the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection for PC and 360, which is set to hit North American store shelves on November 10 with a slim $20 price tag. Seems like an odd move, considering one of these add-ons isn't even out yet. Still, with a new bundle of joy on its way, Squeenix is probably getting antsy about last year's model.
