final fantasy xiv
Latest
E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup
Wait a minute, day 4 of E3 2009? Remedial math skills? E3 was only a three-day event, but our own coverage of Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 is going to last a bit longer. We've still got a number of interviews and previews lined up for you in the coming days, today included, so we hope you'll keep reading this weekend. In the meantime, here are a few highlights of Massively's coverage of E3 2009 from yesterday: Champions Online interview with Bill Roper on character customization Torchlight, from creators of Mythos, to morph from single player to MMO Rohan: Blood Feud to get crafting system in June Massively's Dragonica Online Impressions If you'd like to see more, we've got some eye candy after the jump, with galleries for Champions Online, Torchlight, Rohan: Blood Feud, and Dragonica Online.
Overheard@E3: STUNNED!
While toiling away in the press room on Wednesday, entrenched and blogging the scoops, we heard a couple of other game journos discuss the sheer magnificence of one Square Enix. Apparently, these guys were big fans.Game Journo #1: "Did you see Final Fantasy XIV?"Game Journo #2: "Yes, and I was stunned. STUNNED!"Game Journo #1: "That company is amazing. Playing their PS2 games, they looked like PS3 games."
Anti-Aliased: Final Fantasy XIV is a good, good thing
So, unless you've been under a rock, you probably heard Sony squeeing in happiness about Final Fantasy XIV Online, otherwise known as just FFXIV. This is indeed the next MMO that Square-Enix has been hiding from prying eyes, and unlike the indications we got from the company a year ago, this is another Final Fantasy Online.The reception, however, is quite mixed. Some people, like myself, are really psyched up for this next release in the online series. Others, however, are questioning why make a game like FFXIV when you already have FFXI. Why not just keep on working on FFXI? Don't we all remember how bad sequels work out in the MMO market? Why tempt fate by making a sequel?Personally, I think the creation of this game is a good idea with all things considered. Final Fantasy brings a different perspective of play to the market -- one that it desperately needs at this point in time. What am I jabbering on about? Come on, follow me, and let's talk about why FFXIV is a good, good thing.
Anti-Aliased: Final Fantasy XIV is a good, good thing pt. 2
The real beauty of all of this is that a Final Fantasy game is never truly a sequel. Each world that they create in the series is unique and tells its own story. They don't copy the same battle system from game to game, they're always looking to innovate, and they're always pushing their own boundaries. The "Final Fantasy" name is more of a pedigree than it is a continuous set of works. With all of that in mind, we can be sure that 14 and 11 will be different enough to work side by side. For these guys, it's not about the grind -- it's about the story. I think we can be certain that the new world we're about to explore will be very different than Vana'diel and follow a completely different line of thought with a new twist on their own battle system. It's not about an MMO If there's any point that makes me want this game the most, it's the fact that this game isn't being developed to be an MMO. This game is being developed to be a Final Fantasy title. I may have lost you on that, so let me explain. When many developers begin to approach their new MMO, they approach it as an MMO. They look at it and think about the grind, the world, the interactions, and the other titles in the market. They stare at World of Warcraft for hours and analyze the market so they can capture their audience. Because of this, all games seem to follow this "MMO formula." Grind, level, grind, level, grind, level, endgame. Emphasis is being put on the game and not on the experience. Final Fantasy XIV is not being developed from the perspective of an MMO -- it's being developed from the perspective of a Final Fantasy console game that just happens to be online. When you pick up Final Fantasy XI, you feel the presence of an MMO, but you also feel the presence of a Final Fantasy game. Storylines, adventuring, characters, and a rich world all seem to pop to the forefront. Even the battle system, which is an MMO battle system, screams Final Fantasy because of the way abilities, camera angles, and party dynamics work. This is what our genre needs. We do not need to make another MMO for the sake of making another MMO. We're done with MMOs. We want games that feature a massively multiplayer online component. Instead of breaking the Final Fantasy series apart so it fits into the context of an MMO, we're breaking MMO components apart to fit in the context of Final Fantasy. It will feature systems that are unlike any other MMO because they don't come from another MMO -- they come from Final Fantasy.Two other games are attempting to do this right now -- Star Wars: The Old Republic and All Points Bulletin. Part of the reason we're all excited for these two is because they don't look to be another MMO for MMOs sake. SWTOR is grabbing from Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect's playbook. APB is grabbing from GTA's playbook. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very, very good thing. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who owns Final Fantasy XI for way too many platforms. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.
E3 2009: Massively's day 2 roundup
We thought the first day of E3 2009 turned out pretty well, with announcements for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV, and All Points Bulletin. That's in addition to the packed interview schedule we lined up so we'll have plenty more to show you in the coming days. While the Massively team frantically taps their fingertips down into little bloody tater tots to bring you more fresh E3 goodness, have a look at some highlights of what day 2 of E3 2009 brought in MMO news. Massively's day one video from the E3 floor In-game footage from The Agency Platform release info for Final Fantasy XIV The Dares concert in Free Realms sets Guinness World Record Hands-on with Global Agenda Friends fix coming to Free Realms Want to see more? We've got E3 galleries to flip through for these titles and events after the jump.
E3 2009: Massively's day 1 roundup
E3 2009 is turning out to be quite a show this year and Massively is right in the middle of it all to report on the MMO news. We got a head start on E3 and reported a bit on what's happening before the Expo officially kicked off and it looks like we'll have plenty more to share with you before E3 is over. Here's our recap of day 1 in MMO news from Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, and be sure to click through to the E3 galleries we've got after the jump. Star Wars: The Old Republic world's first fully-voiced MMO Final Fantasy XIV announced Jumpgate Evolution releases E3 trailer EA to publish All Points Bulletin in 2010 PlayStation Home hits 6.5 million accounts Trion World Network unveils Heroes of Telara Boatloads of screenshots after the jump!
E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed
Today we got to spend some time with the team of Final Fantasy XIV in a seekret Square-Enix press conference at E3 and land some goodies about the game.While the team was generally tightlipped about what they had planned for their next MMO, the one thing they were very clear about was that PC users will be able to jump into the Final Fantasy experience once more. While the game is currently a console exclusive for the PS3, a Windows version will be releasing at the same time.In addition, the team did mention that they were still "considering all hardware possibilities" regarding the game. While it's not a full confirmation that the game will be coming to other consoles, it doesn't exactly write out the possibility either. Perhaps the game will be a timed exclusive, much like FFXI has done, rather than a full exclusive, but there is no clear indication that this is the path they will take at this time.So what else has the team revealed? Follow us after the break and we'll drop the other details we know on FFXIV.%Gallery-65025%
Square Enix 'considering all hardware possibilities' for Final Fantasy XIV
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Final_Fantasy_XIV_might_appear_on_Xbox_360'; The Senior Vice President of Square Enix, Shinji Hashimoto, has started the super secret Square Enix press conference today by clarifying Final Fantasy XIV's exclusivity details. The game is currently pegged for the PS3 and PC, though "in terms of other hardware devices, including Microsoft's, we're considering all possibilities." It's not confirmation that we'll see the game on the 360, but it does mean that Final Fantasy XIV could end up being a timed exclusive on the PS3. It was also confirmed that the game would launch simultaneously worldwide for PS3 and PC in 2010. They are planning to be truly cross-region and cross-platform -- a rare thing for an MMO -- but this may change depending on how the beta test works out.
This is what Final Fantasy XIV looks like
Final Fantasy XIV was quite a big shocker to come out of Sony's press conference today. In fact, it drew out some gasps from the crowd and it got them thinking SCEA's Jack Tretton made a mistake with his numbers. But no, Jack knew exactly what he was talking about, as he presented this debut trailer with a wily grin across his face. The MMO from Square Enix is very much real and will be going to both PS3 and PC (a press release confirmed the PC version later today).So, enjoy the trailer and make sure you take a gander at the 14 screen shots in the gallery below. 14, eh? What an interesting number. %Gallery-64870%
E3 2009: Final Fantasy 14 MMO coming exclusively to PS3
Just a few moments ago, we got the news here that Square Enix will be bringing a new MMORPG to the PlayStation 3 - Final Fantasy 14! As you can imagine, the floor here at the Sony press conference erupted into cheers not only at the statement that not only will the Final Fantasy franchise be coming back to the PlayStation, but that it will also be an exclusive title, not releasing on other consoles. (Kind of a reverse of last year's news, really.) For a first look (in case you happened to miss the show) enjoy a pile of pictures from the front line of today's announcement![Edited to note]: Since there has been some confusion, FFXIV is exclusive to PS3 in terms of console gaming only. FFXIV will be available for PC as well, although system requirements aren't being given at this time.%Gallery-64843% Massively is on the ground in Los Angeles this week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developments.
Final Fantasy XIV Online is due out in 2010
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/Final_Fantasy_XIV_Online_is_due_out_in_2010'; Believe it -- Sony just announced at E3 that Square-Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy XIV in 2010. The game will apparently be a sequel of sorts to XI, as it'll be the second trip of the series into the land of Massively Multiplayer Online games. It'll be available on PS3, and they called it the "only console," so a PC release is not out of the question. There's an all-CG trailer which we'll try to have soon, and no news on gameplay or really anything else. But yes, that just happened: not only did Square-Enix announce a XIV before XIII has come out, but it's an MMO... and they're saying 2010.
