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Final Fantasy XIV prepares for a sheep-filled year
Every year, Final Fantasy XIV rings in the new year with a new animal-themed kabuto, and this year is no exception. With the Year of the Ram swiftly approaching, it's time for that most humble of Eorzean denizens to grace the helm, the diminutive sheep dotting the landscape and bleating all over. That means a new sheep-themed hat, a new sheep minion, and the usual assortment of housing decorations for those who want them. Coming hot on the heels of the rather involved Starlight Celebration, this event has a quest chain which kicks off in Limsa Lominsa to unlock the various seasonal rewards. Players will also be able to purchase additional decorations and the like through seasonal vendors, as is tradition. So ring in the new year with visitors from the Far East and get ready for your own personal woolgathering sessions.
One Shots: The frozen sea
It's not too often that I see Final Fantasy XI (yes, XI) screenshots tossed my way, but I have to say that this one is right up there with its MMO successor. This landscape is also very much in line with the current season in the northern hemisphere. "Here is the seemingly serene zone of Al'Taieu in the sea, which is only accessible after doing part of the Promathia storyline," reader Ben submitted. Is it so serene that one might freeze to death while admiring its tranquil beauty? Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's big fanfest reveals
Christmas came early for the forward-looking Final Fantasy XIV player this year. I know some people are upset at the fact that there were more revelations in the Japanese fan festival than in the ones in Vegas or London, but the timing is different. (I'd also point out that the expansion was announced in Las Vegas.) We've gone from having only a dim view of what's coming to having a pretty clear picture of what awaits through the next few month. One of the things that awaits is, of course, endless yelling about Machinist. Because boy. So let's start unpacking the stuff we learned from Tokyo. I say "start" because there is no way to get everything in one column, certainly not with deadlines and other considerations to take center stage. It's going to be a few months, but there's a lot to chew on just about 2.5, even if we ignore all of the expansion stuff, which I have no intention of doing.
Final Fantasy XIV introduces two new jobs and new races for Heavensward
The last Final Fantasy XIV fan festival of the year is going on now in Japan, and the event's keynote speech has already contained big revelations for the game's first expansion, Heavensward. Players can look forward to the first new race for the game, the Au Ra, a race of dragon-esque people from Othard. It's been established that heretofore masked NPC Yugiri belongs to this race, and she will be revealing her face in patch 2.5. Fans were also treated to preview footage of the Dark Knight in-game as well as two new jobs, the Machinist and the Astrologian. Astrologians are a new style of healer, drawing cards from decks to aid party members while debilitating enemies. Machinists are ranged DPS with a single large handgun and a style of play based on laying down turrets and paying attention to positioning. The keynote also contained information on the next multi-part raid and the Collector's Edition for the game, currently scheduled for release in spring of 2015.
Curtain Call DLC channels Chrono Trigger, SaGa, FF14, Secret of Mana
Just last month, Square Enix released what it stated was the last planned DLC for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. The developer's plans thankfully seem to have changed however, as a report from Dengeki Online (as translated by Siliconera) notes extra, impending DLC tracks featuring tunes from Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 14 and the SaGa series. A bulletpoint outline is available after the break for this batch of tracks, which will arrive on Japan's 3DS eShop on December 24 for 150 yen apiece (though "Ultima" and "Hard to Miss" will be free for the first two weeks). Square Enix hasn't shared plans to bring the DLC encore stateside, but hopefully it will succumb to the gift-giving spirit and spread the love.
Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest games discounted on mobile
If you've been jonesing for some retro-styled RPG questing but stopped short of buying your favorites when you saw Square Enix's premium mobile game prices, your patience has paid off. Many games in the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises are now available from iTunes and Google Play at steep discounts as part of Square Enix's Mobile Holiday Sale. Starting this week, you can pick up remade mobile ports of Final Fantasy 1 and 2 for $3.99 apiece. Final Fantasy 3 through 6 are up for grabs at $7.99 each, and Final Fantasy Tactics is currently on sale for $6.99. Dragon Quest series fans get some love with price drops for Dragon Quest 2 ($2.99) and Dragon Quest 8 ($12.99). If SNES throwbacks are your thing, you might also want to grab Chrono Trigger at $4.99 and Secret of Mana for $3.99. Sale prices are in effect through January 5. [Image: Square Enix)
Final Fantasy XIV is now offering a PlayStation 4 two-week free trial
Final Fantasy XIV may be intriguing you ever since it won of our Most Improved MMO of 2014 this past week. If you haven't bought into it yet and have a PlayStation 4, then you now have a free option to sample this acclaimed title. Square-Enix announced today that it has begun to offer a 14-day free trial on the PlayStation 4 before requiring a subscription. There are a couple of caveats for these trial accounts, however; players can level only to 20 and have a few in-game activites restricted for the duration of the two-week trial. [Source: Square-Enix Press release]
Final Fantasy composer records symphonic album at Abbey Road
Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is crafting an album of symphonic music from the Final Fantasy series, to be recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and released digitally in early 2015 through Merregnon Studios. The album plays off of the Final Symphony concert series, which features songs from Final Fantasy 6, 7 and 10. "It is always an honor to hear my work being performed live on stage, but in bringing Final Symphony to Abbey Road Studios I hope that many more people will now be able to enjoy the outstanding arrangements that Merregnon Studios has become famous for," Uematsu says in a press release. "To work with the London Symphony Orchestra in a studio that has played host to many of my own personal, musical heroes will be a very special experience." Uematsu will supervise the album's production. Working alongside Uematsu is Final Symphony concert conductor Eckehard Stier and solo pianist Katharina Treutler. The Final Symphony concert series began in May 2013 and toured through Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. This album is the second collaboration between Merregnon and X5 Music Group, following the game music concert series Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo, which features music from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and other classic games. [Image: @vgmconcerts]
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's Eternal Bond
Weddings in MMOs always feel like content aimed directly at me. However many side benefits might exist, weddings are fundamentally roleplaying tools, ways for people to mark themselves as bound together in a virtual space that serves no purpose beyond character establishment. So even if I weren't planning on taking part in the marriage ceremony in Final Fantasy XIV, I'd be happy it existed for that reason alone. Of course, since my actual real-life wedding was objectively the best day of my life and the best possible wedding, there's no way that the Eternal Bond setup could quite match that. But for roleplaying purposes, my character was engaged, so I was still looking forward to it. All that's left is to take part in the actual ceremony, but there's a lot of stuff to be looked at about how it's handled thus far and what's praiseworthy or just plain baffling in the setup stages.
Final Fantasy XIV rolls out the Starlight Celebration
You could be forgiven for not remembering the imminent Starlight Celebration in Final Fantasy XIV. After all, there are weddings to worry about now. But it's back again, and like most holidays in the game, it brings with it a new outfit and a new minion for players to procure. Even better, it also brings a variety of housing decorations to help turn your room, house, or guild hall into a festive wonderland. A stuffed qiqirn is appropriate for any house all year round, after all. The celebration starts on December 18th and runs until December 31st, with a main questline as well as daily quests for event rewards. Another batch of goods will also be made available to players starting on December 24th, so you'll want to be ready for more as the event rolls on. So take a little time away from wedding planning and relic weapon upgrades to celebrate the reason for the season. Also to unlock fake moustaches; that's pretty great.
Final Fantasy 15 demo exclusive to day-one copies of Type-0 HD
Final Fantasy 15's demo will be exclusive to those with a copy of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, Square Enix revealed. In fact, the publisher confirmed via PlayStation Blog that the demo is "intended to be a special gift for those of you who purchase early," so only the first shipment of Type-0 HD will include the "Episode Duscae" demo. In September, reports began circulating that Square Enix would offer the Final Fantasy 15 demo in 2015. Episode Duscae will feature around an hour's worth of narrative content, and thorough explorers will get around three to four hours of gameplay out of the demo. Square Enix stressed today that the publisher is "never going to release [the demo] as a stand-alone piece down the line." Square Enix also divulged details on Type-0 HD's $100 Collector's Edition bundle. The Collector's Edition includes a steel book case, 15-track song collection, 200-page manga set during the events of the game's opening moments, 80-page art book and five collectible cards. Those that pre-order the Collector's Edition will gain access to Final Fantasy 15's demo as well. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will launch on March 17, 2015. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy XIV has 2.5 million registered accounts
At the very end of Final Fantasy XIV's Eternal Bond trailer on Tuesday, there's a small line imploring watchers to join 2.5 million adventurers worldwide. The last official word from the game on numbers was two million registrations back in April. It was easy to miss that line at the end, but it was caught by blogger Syncaine, and we reached out to Square-Enix to confirm that the game has indeed passed the 2.5 million mark in registrations. Registered accounts is obviously not the same thing as active subscriptions, but it's still a milestone for the game, especially with an expansion on the way in spring of next year. That's good news for both the Final Fantasy XIV team and the players who will have plenty of other people to adventure with.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster officially confirmed for PS4
Update: Square Enix confirms stateside prices for its two JRPG PS4 ports: Final Fantasy VII gets a tag of $16, while X/X-2 HD Remaster is priced at $50. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster blitzballs onto PlayStation 4 next spring, after Square Enix confirmed the news following this week's leak. The publisher said this morning it's porting the re-release, already out on PS3 and Vita, to Sony's latest console with "system-exclusive features." By the way, that note about system-exclusive features goes for Final Fantasy VII too. As for what those features are, we'll have to wait and see. We're also waiting for word from Square Enix America, but the company's European branch revealed regional prices for the two ports. The remaster of the two Xs comes in at £40/50 euros, and it's on its way to store shelves as well as PSN. Final Fantasy VII, meanwhile, is downloadable-only (not cloud-based but Cloud-based), and its Euro-price is £13/16 euros. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy XIV adds weddings with Patch 2.45
Whether you're a roleplayer or just someone who likes planning weddings, you'll be happy to know that Final Fantasy XIV's patch 2.45 has added the option for everyone to get married to a partner of his or her choosing. The Ceremony of Eternal Bond is now available in the game, complete with special outfits, rings, and premium options for those who want a bit more spice to their ceremonies. Because who wouldn't want a moogle officiating the ceremony? Patch 2.45 also includes further developments in the Zoidac Weapon quest chain and a new set of postmoogle quests. Dragoons have also been buffed with the removal of most positional requirements and several shorter recast timers, while Ninjas have slightly increased TP costs and a reduction to damage buffs from poisons. The patch is available now, but for those of you who can't download and start playing right this moment, we've included the Eternal Bond trailer just after the break.
The Mog Log: A tourist in Final Fantasy XI
I don't write much about Final Fantasy XI in this column, but those with some knowledge of its history know that wasn't always the case. There are long stretches of the column that have focused on Final Fantasy XI's trials and tribulations. It's just that as I've said many times over, there's not a whole lot of point to talking about FFXI on a regular basis now. While Final Fantasy XIV keeps getting bigger and better, FFXI is slowly and quietly declining. But that doesn't mean you can't take a trip back. A few weeks back, my wife and a dear friend floated the idea that the three of us could try heading back to Final Fantasy XI, exploring the game from the start, completely fresh all over again. It would be very different from how it had been before. And true to form, it certainly has been. The game is very different now from the one I remember, and it's interesting to look at why, even from the perspective of someone just about to hit 20 for the first time on a single class.
Final Fantasy 7 coming to the PS4, not a full remake
An upscaled version of Final Fantasy 7 is coming to the PlayStation 4 in spring of 2015, Square Enix announced as part of the PlayStation Experience keynote. While this is good news for Final Fantasy and PlayStation fans, it's not the oft-rumored, infamous full remake of FF7 that many have clamored for. Instead, it is the currently-available PC version, ported to the PS4. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts music from Tokyo Philharmonic
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra recorded Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo, a live album of classic video game music, during its two days of sold-out shows in 2012. The performance includes orchestral renditions of music from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross – and the full album is now available worldwide on iTunes, courtesy of X5 Music Group. Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura says of the new album, "Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo is a wonderful experience – I cannot imagine a higher appreciation of my work." Hear "Fantasy 1: Kingdom Hearts," the only track released in full to the wide and wild internet, below. It's a fairly spectacular feast for the ears and heart.
The Mog Log: The two-way community street in Final Fantasy XIV
If there's one thing that hit me after the live letter this weekend, it's that the Final Fantasy XIV community is kind of a mess. I've been working around this game since before it launched, and there have always been weird issues going on with the way the community has worked. Part of this is because the game's community has a weird sort of isolationist streak, as if the online installments of this particular series are the only online games in existence, but part of this is also a matter of dealing with a community team that reports to bosses who aren't speaking the same language as the US playerbase. Community management is a two-way street, and this weekend's antics served to remind me of how many elements of this really need to be addressed. So let's talk about how both the players and the community team can improve our overall culture from both sides.
Perfect Ten: Mobile apps to enhance your MMO lifestyle
We're living in the age of smart phones, when there are more cell phones than there are people on this planet. I can't go anywhere without seeing people constantly whipping out their little rectangular companions for the constant stream of information, social connection, and Candy Crush interludes. While MMOs aren't making great headway on these devices, in part due to the limited input scheme, several wise studios have made good use of the mobile market to give players a way to keep in touch with their games even while AFK. Today we're going to count down, count up, and count sideways 10 official mobile apps that will enhance your MMO lifestyle.
Choose My Adventure: The final Final Fantasy
It's amazing how time flies when you're punching things. Just a few weeks ago our Choose My Adventure-forged Final Fantasy XIV pugilist was an aspiring adventurer with no pants; today, she's a certified hero (still with no pants). It's been an impressive ride to say the least. Square Enix has done some things so phenomenally right it's hard to believe the studio botched the game so badly the first time around. Final Fantasy XIV is definitely a traditional fantasy MMO. But it makes enough changes and innovates in enough places to make itself feel unique and compelling. If I had to pay a subscription for a game (which I hate doing), FFXIV would be the one to get my credit card number.
