Final Fantasy XIV

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Final Fantasy XIV
FFXIV.png
Final Fantasy XIV Cover Art
Developer(s) Square Enix PDD 3
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Director(s) Nobuaki Komoto
Producer(s) Hiromichi Tanaka
Artist(s) Akihiko Yoshida
Composer(s) Nobuo Uematsu[1]
Series Final Fantasy
Platform(s) PlayStation 3[1][2][3]
Microsoft Windows[1][2]
Release date(s) Microsoft Windows

Collector's Edition

Standard Edition

PlayStation 3

  • JP May, 2011
  • NA March 31, 2011
  • EU 2011
Genre(s) Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s) Multiplayer
Rating(s)
Media Blu-ray Disc, DVD

Final Fantasy XIV (ファイナルファンタジーXIV Fainaru Fantajī Fōtīn?), also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series, released in September 2010[6] for Microsoft Windows and it will be released on March 31, 2011 for PlayStation 3.[10] The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and is developed and published by Square Enix. The game takes place in a land called Hydaelyn, mainly in a region named Eorzea, which will have a contemporaneously aesthetic blend of science fiction and classic fantasy elements.[11][12] The game was released in Japanese, English, French, and German.[13]

The first stage of alpha testing began on March 11, 2010. This was announced at VanaFest 2010, an event to commemorate the eighth year of Final Fantasy XI.[14] The second stage of alpha testing began on June 10, 2010. The PlayStation 3 release of Final Fantasy XIII contained a key for a chance to access a beta, to be held later in the year.[15] Beta testing officially started on July 13, 2010.

The cheaper "Standard Edition" PC version was released on September 30, 2010, while the "Collector's Edition" was released about one week earlier, and servers officially launched at 18:00 PDT on September 21, 2010. The PS3 version is estimated for March 31, 2011.[6][16] The game has sold 630,000 copies worldwide as of September 30, 2010.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The battle and job systems will be different from the one previously used in Final Fantasy XI, which utilized experience points and level-based progression. Final Fantasy XIV is being designed to utilize a skill-based progression[17] system similar to that of Final Fantasy II. Character races will resemble and allow players to create avatars similar to ones in Final Fantasy XI.[11] Group play has been de-emphasized, and now solo and group play have been balanced.[11] Weapon use will alter "character development".[11]

The North American official website[18] was updated October 7, 2009 and explains about the Job System, also known as The Armoury System. By wielding different weapons and even crafting tools, players will be able to take on the role of their choosing such as Gladiator or Thaumaturge. In general, the different roles are divided into four disciplines: Disciples of War (masters of combat arms), Disciples of Magic, Disciples of the Land (gatherers of material resources and students of the natural order), and Disciples of the Hand (crafters who invest their creative ingenuity in synthesis and industry). The crafting system will be a part of the Armory System; when a player decides to wield a Blacksmith hammer, their appearance will change and they will become a blacksmith. The same goes for harvesting tools; a player will be able to equip them and their appearance will change. They will then take on the role of a resource gatherer.

Square Enix is looking for a way to allow users to transfer their game names to the new MMORPG.[11] The developers say that, in addition to Final Fantasy XI, games that have also influenced Final Fantasy XIV include World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Diablo and Warhammer Online; however, they have also stated that their most important influence is player feedback.[11] Chocobos will also return, but in a different role than in Final Fantasy XI.[11]

In a DVD included with the September 2009 edition of Famitsu magazine, Nobuaki Komoto announced that while Final Fantasy XIV will include XI's job system, it will return to focus on weapons and skills, and will not have experience points or a leveling system. This would have been the third time since Final Fantasy II that the series had seen this kind of change. However, as revealed by game-play footage during the first open Alpha tests, players will accumulate experience points towards a player "Physical Level" and skill points that will accumulate toward a particular disciplines "Rank Level". The players physical level will affect attributes such as HP (health/hit points), MP (magic/mana points), while attribute points accumulated with each Physical Level can be used to adjust character attributes such as strength, intelligence, dexterity and other similar basic stats. There are no specific job-levels though, as seen in FFXI. The setting will also be changed from that of XI; while still set in a "high fantasy" world, the setting will be more modern than that of its predecessor and will include higher technology. The game will also include races "familiar" to players of Final Fantasy XI, but with new names and "other changes."[19][20]

[edit] Plot

Eorzea's nations used to be constantly at war with each other until fifteen years ago when the Garlean Empire, a mysterious nation from the east, razed the mightiest of the city-states, Ala Mhigo. The nations decided to band together if they were to repel the invaders, but the Empire never came, leaving a state of détente throughout the land. The resulting peace has led to a wide swath of soldiers and mercenaries suddenly without a job, and so they are now forming guilds and going by a new name: adventurers.[21][22]

[edit] City States

[edit] Characters

So far there are five playable races in Final Fantasy XIV, all similar to the races from Final Fantasy XI. The goal of the developers was to create an atmosphere of aesthetic familiarity to players of FFXI.[11]

Hyur (ヒューラン Hyūran?): A race that is more or less human. They are divided into the Midlanders and the Highlanders. The Midlanders place a heavy emphasis on education, and are generally considered to be the most cultured people of the world. Physically larger and bulkier than their Midlander cousins, the Highlanders once governed the grand city-state of Ala Mhigo, which was invaded and razed by the Garlean Empire. With their homeland destroyed and their numbers decimated, the Highlanders now eke out their existence as mercenaries. While the Midlander clan offers both sexes as playable characters, only males of the Highlander clan are playable.
Elezen (エレゼン Erezen?): An elf-like race and the original inhabitants of Eorzea. They are divided into the Wildwood and the Duskwight Elezen. The Wildwood live in the forests and possess a keen sense of sight - a contributing factor in their unparalleled expertise as archers. The Duskwight are a reclusive clan who dwell in caves and caverns, which has given them a heightened sense of hearing. The two clans seem to dislike each other immensely.
Lalafell (ララフェル Raraferu?): Physically diminutive humanoids of high agility and intelligence from the southern regions. They are divided into the Plainsfolk and the Dunesfolk. The Plainsfolk are a very earthy clan who thrive on the prairies. The Dunesfolk literally live on the backs of enormous beasts of burden and are known for wearing gemstones in their foreheads that signify their zodiacal signs.
Roegadyn (ルガディン Rugadin?): A physically large and muscular race who hail from the northern regions. They are divided into the Sea Wolves and the Hellsguard. The Sea Wolves were once a band of fearsome pirates, but have since largely abandoned that lifestyle; presently they are normally employed as sailors or naval mercenaries. The Hellsguard dwell in a volcanic region and are said to be masters of the magical arts, guarding the gateway to Hell itself. Only males of this race are playable.
Miqo'te (ミコッテ Mikotte?): Cat-like humanoids who are divided into two religious sects: the Seekers of the Sun, who are dedicated to the sun goddess Azeyma the Warden, and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon, who are dedicated to the moon goddess Menphina the Lover. Only females of this race are playable. Also, player character Miqo'te are not limited to the two aforementioned goddesses; they may follow any deity of their choosing.

[edit] Classes

The Classes are divided up into 4 "Disciplines". The Crafting Professions such as Gardeners and Blacksmiths have been included as classes, and the character will change into that job if it has the specific item equipped (i.e. If the character equips a hammer, he or she will become a blacksmith). Below is a list of classes available at launch.[23]

Disciples of War

Disciples of Magic

Disciples of the Land

Disciples of the Hand

[edit] Development

Screenshot from a concept video of the game, as shown at E3 2005

Final Fantasy XIV, previously codenamed Rapture (ラプチャー Rapuchā?),[24] was first mentioned in August 2005, when Square Enix announced they had begun working on a new MMORPG, but neither confirmed nor denied that it was a sequel to Final Fantasy XI, or that it was Final Fantasy-related.[25] Hiromichi Tanaka, producer of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, stated in April 2006 that developers were working to make Rapture a worldwide release for the PlayStation 3 and Windows Vista,[26] before announcing in February 2007 that the game was being developed for Xbox 360 and personal computers, and that it could be brought to the PlayStation 3 at some stage as well.[27] Square Enix announced at GDC 2008 that the new MMO was being targeted at all aforementioned systems and hinted that Mac and Linux clients would not be out of the question.[28]

On June 2, 2009, at the Sony E3 Conference, Final Fantasy XIV was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows through a trailer mixing pre-rendered CGI and actual in-game sequences running from the Crystal Tools engine.[11][29] The game will be produced by the same team working on Final Fantasy XI, including Hiromichi Tanaka, and will be directed by Nobuaki Komoto.[29] Akihiko Yoshida is the art director, and Nobuo Uematsu is composing the music (marking his return to the game series since he departed Square Enix after Final Fantasy X).[1] The game will have cross-platform servers between PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows, making all servers accessible from any country. The game will be beta tested for longer than the 4 months that Final Fantasy XI was.[11] The PlayOnline system will not be used for the game, but a solution is in the works for those wishing to easily switch between FFXIV and FFXI.[30]

An Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIV was considered, being announced to be in talks with Microsoft to bring the game to the system. However, in an interview with Eurogamer, Tanaka stated that, "The main reason why we couldn't go with Xbox 360 was the Xbox Live system. [Live is] different to the normal internet environment, so when we wanted to introduce this game in the same environment as Windows PC it had to be PS3, so that was our choice. Microsoft has a different point of view: they want to have a closed environment for Xbox Live. We're still talking to... We couldn't come to an agreement on Xbox Live."[31] FFXI was only allowed by Square Enix onto Xbox Live as it only required a Silver Xbox Live membership, therefore was not considered closed as did not require any additional fees to play. Tanaka has recently reaffirmed that development on the Xbox 360 is considered "on hold" and that there are "no plans" to continue development unless the situation with Microsoft and Xbox Live changes.[32]

The PlayStation 3 version of the game will be released later than the PC version, owing to the limitations on system memory, the adaptation to which Tanaka described as taking longer than originally expected.[33]

[edit] Alpha/beta stage

In April 2010, Final Fantasy XIV entered into its alpha testing stage, which involves players from different parts of the world logging on at different times and testing what the development team at Square Enix had created. Square Enix had said that about 10% of the game was playable during the alpha phase. The alpha test ended on Saturday, June 19, 2010, after 11 weeks; the beta testing is being conducted in phases for developers to adjust game-play and technical issues reported by testers. Phase 1 began on July 10, 2010, and phase 3 ended on August 25, 2010. Open beta was announced to start on August 31, 2010; however, it was postponed due to "critical bugs" that needed to be fixed. Square Enix later announced that open beta would commence September 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT).[34][35][36] Open beta ended September 19, 2010, at 8:00 EST.

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the video game Final Fantasy XIV was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. The Theme song Answers was sung by Susan Calloway. The music was well received and in reviews noted as being one of the only good parts of the game along with its graphics. Final Fantasy XIV is the first Final Fantasy since Final Fantasy IX to have a score completely composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

A selection of tracks from the soundtrack was released in two volumes with only 8 & 9 tracks, respectively:

[edit] Licensing

On September 21, Square-Enix announced they had partnered with third-party peripheral maker Snakebyte (via Sunflex) to produce an official Final Fantasy XIV licensed gaming controller for the PC that would launch on September 30 alongside the retail edition of the game.[37]

[edit] Reception

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 50 out of 100[38]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com D+[39]
Game Revolution D[40]
GameSpot 4.0/10[41]
GameSpy 2/5[42]
GameTrailers 4.2/10[43]
IGN 5.5/10[44]
PC Gamer US 30% [45]
Cheat Code Central[46] 4.2/5

Final Fantasy XIV sold 190,000 copies in Japan, 210,000 copies in North America and 230,000 copies in Europe as of September 30, 2010.[47]

Critical response to the game has been almost unanimously negative. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot gave the game a 4.0/10. He called the game a "step backward for the genre", citing a bad interface, quest restrictions, and numerous other problems upon release.[41] The game has a score of 50 out of 100 on the review aggregator site Metacritic, based on fifteen reviews.[38] IGN gave a 5.5/10 (mediocre).[48]

PC Gamer gave it a 30% rating, reviewer Tom Senior writing that "the kindest thing that can be said about the Final Fantasy MMO is that it has a good intro movie".

Game website Cheat Code Central was more favorable, giving the game a positive 4.2/5 rating, but also initially noting they "can't recommend that you spend $50, and then $12.99 a month after the first 30 days, on a title that has as many flaws as FFXIV does."[38] This sentence was later removed from the review.[46]

[edit] See also

Book:Final Fantasy series
Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.


[edit] References

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  2. ^ a b c d "Results Briefing Session - The Fiscal Year Ended 31 March 2010". Square Enix Holdings. http://www.square-enix.com/eng/pdf/news/20100518_02.pdf#Page=19. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
  3. ^ "Final fantasy xiv Press Release". Square Enix. 2009-06-03. http://release.square-enix.com/news/j/2009/06/nq6nzldaj.html. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  4. ^ http://jp.finalfantasyxiv.com/#/about/game_info
  5. ^ http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3180197
  6. ^ a b c d "Final Fantasy XIV dated". MCV. 2010-06-30. http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39797/Final-Fantasy-XIV-dated. Retrieved 2010-06-30. 
  7. ^ http://jp.finalfantasyxiv.com/#/about/game_info
  8. ^ http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3180197
  9. ^ "Final Fantasy XIV". British Board of Film Classification. 2010-07-28. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ADM271178. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
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  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dunham, Jeremy (2009-06-04). "E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV - What We Know". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/991/991483p1.html. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  12. ^ Ralph, Nate (2009-06-03). Wired.com "Final Fantasy XIV Online Q&A Sheds Light on New MMORPG". Wired (magazine). http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/06/final-fantasy-xiv-qa/#more-12434 Wired.com. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
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  15. ^ Surprise bonus for FFXIII on PS3 | Games Industry | MCV
  16. ^ "FFXIV release: September 2010!". FFXIVBase. 2010-06-30. http://ffxivbase.com/index.php/component/content/article/30-the-community/293-final-fantasy-xiv-september-30th-2010.html. Retrieved 2010-06-30. 
  17. ^ No experience, levelling in FFXIV News | MMO | Eurogamer
  18. ^ http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/ Final Fantasy XIV Official Site updated
  19. ^ Welsh, Oli (2009-08-04). "No experience, leveling in FFXIV". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/no-experience-levelling-in-ffxiv. Retrieved 2009-08-04. 
  20. ^ Onyett, Charles (2009-08-19). "GC 2009: Final Fantasy XIV Hands-on". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/101/1015764p1.html. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
  21. ^ 1UP.com
  22. ^ Final Fantasy XIV Plot
  23. ^ http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/ Accessed 2009-10-08
  24. ^ Tong, Sophia (2009-06-02). "Final Fantasy XIV Online Trailer Impressions". GameSpot. http://e3.gamespot.com/story/6210893/final-fantasy-xiv-online-trailer-impressions. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  25. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2006-07-18). "Square Enix won't confirm Final Fantasy XI-2". joystiq.com. http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/18/square-enix-wont-confirm-final-fantasy-xi-2/. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  26. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2006-04-19). "Square Enix snubs Xbox 360, targets PS3 & Vista for new MMORPG". joystiq.com. http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/19/square-enix-snubs-xbox-360-targets-ps3-and-vista-for-new-mmorpg/. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  27. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2007-02-08). "Square Enix confirms new MMO for Xbox 360 & Vista, maybe PS3". joystiq.com. http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/08/square-enix-confirms-new-mmo-for-xbox-360-and-vista-maybe-ps3. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  28. ^ Tanaka, Hiromichi (2007-07-14). "E3 Square Enix Interview with FFXIclopedia". ffxiclopedia.org. http://forums.ffxiclopedia.org/viewtopic.php?t=5032. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 
  29. ^ a b Satoshi Nakamura, Mamoru (2008-02-18). "Game Developers Conference 2008 local report". GameWatch. http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20080225/gdc_cry.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  30. ^ "E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV - What We Know". ign.com. 2010-06-04. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/991/991483p1.html. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  31. ^ ""Closed" Xbox Live blocked FFXIV". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/closed-xbox-live-blocked-ffxiv/. Retrieved 2010-06-24. 
  32. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=260762
  33. ^ "FFXIV PS3 delay down to "memory," says Square Enix". http://www.vg247.com/2010/08/24/ffxiv-ps3-delay-down-to-memory-says-square-enix/. 
  34. ^ "FFXIV Windows Open Beta to Begin August 31, 2010". http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/28/final-fantasy-xiv-open-beta-begins-august-31/. 
  35. ^ "FFXIV Open Beta Postponed". http://www.ffxivcore.com/topic/12665-ffxiv-open-beta-postponed-square-enix-crysta/. 
  36. ^ "FFXIV Open Beta to now begin September 1, 2010". http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/index.html. 
  37. ^ "Square-Enix Announces FFXIV Controller". Playswitch. 2010-09-21. http://www.playswitch.com/Articles/bf8e43a9-22a5-4a89-9012-d6dc4344d9da. 
  38. ^ a b c http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/final-fantasy-xiv-online
  39. ^ "Final Fantasy XIV Review". 1UP. 2010-10-18. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3181961. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
  40. ^ http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/final-fantasy-xiv
  41. ^ a b "GameSpot - Final Fantasy XIV Online Review". http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/finalfantasy14/review.html?tag=topslot;thumb;1. 
  42. ^ "Final Fantasy XIV Review". Gamespy. 2010-10-11. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/square-enix-next-gen-mmorpg/1127142p1.html. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
  43. ^ "Gametrailer.com Review". Gametrailers.com. 2010-10-8. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=11432. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
  44. ^ "Final Fantasy XIV Review". IGN. 2010-10-11. http://pc.ign.com/articles/112/1123824p1.html. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
  45. ^ "Final Fantasy XIV review". PC Gamer. 2010-10-18. http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/10/18/final-fantasy-xiv-review/. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
  46. ^ a b "Cheat Code Central - Final Fantasy XIV Online Review". http://www.cheatcc.com/pc/rev/finalfantasyxivreview.html. 
  47. ^ "Results Briefing Session for the Six-Month Period Ended September 30, 2010". http://www.square-enix.com/eng/ir/pdf/20101104_01en.pdf. 
  48. ^ http://pc.ign.com/objects/842/842956.html

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