E3 2010: Final Fantasy XIV Hands on

[Fortunefaded]

I stopped playing FFXI about a year ago. I enjoyed it overall, but the game felt dated and sloppily ported from the PS2.

I do have some hopes for FFXIV, but I'll most likely end up with TOR, since playing in the established Star Wars universe rather than a brand new Vana'diel knock-off is more attractive to me. Plus, BioWare.

Why do so many people keep refering to star wars mmorpg then act surprised that FF won't the same as it. Obviously if you are a star wars fan you'll prefer their games.

Also, FF 'universe' is established, think of choccobos, whm, rdm, blm etc, all the little quirks that are reminiscent of the FF series.

 

[JediMB]

I stopped playing FFXI about a year ago. I enjoyed it overall, but the game felt dated and sloppily ported from the PS2.

I do have some hopes for FFXIV, but I'll most likely end up with TOR, since playing in the established Star Wars universe rather than a brand new Vana'diel knock-off is more attractive to me. Plus, BioWare.

Why do so many people keep refering to star wars mmorpg then act surprised that FF won't the same as it. Obviously if you are a star wars fan you'll prefer their games.

Also, FF 'universe' is established, think of choccobos, whm, rdm, blm etc, all the little quirks that are reminiscent of the FF series.

I'm a big Final Fantasy fan. Or was, at least, for about 12 years. It kind of says something when the MMO is the game in the series that I'm looking forward to the most, doesn't it? XII was an utter disappointment, and I'm glad I didn't have any expectations when it came to XIII.

...

I think it's kind of silly of Square-Enix to not make an MMO out of Final Fantasy VIII. That world is a perfect MMO environment with the players (SeeD recruits) getting to choose a faction (Garden) and class (weapon specialization). If the game took place a short while after FFVIII ended, there's plenty of story to take advantage of for crafting missions and quests.

Cadets in Trabia Garden would find themselves helping out with the restoration of their facilities, Galbadia Garden would have the fallout of the death of their nation's president to deal with... and I'm honestly not sure about Balamb, but it'd have to settle down somewhere.

 

[Fensfield]

I think it's kind of silly of Square-Enix to not make an MMO out of Final Fantasy VIII. That world is a perfect MMO environment with the players (SeeD recruits) getting to choose a faction (Garden) and class (weapon specialization). If the game took place a short while after FFVIII ended, there's plenty of story to take advantage of for crafting missions and quests.

Cadets in Trabia Garden would find themselves helping out with the restoration of their facilities, Galbadia Garden would have the fallout of the death of their nation's president to deal with... and I'm honestly not sure about Balamb, but it'd have to settle down somewhere.

This!

While with FFVIII I was really disappointed with characters - especially Squall - its setting is my favourite of all the Final Fantasies. There was so much unique about it, from the 'close to present' tech level, to the mild school-life tint.. it felt like someone really had an idea they wanted to share.

I'd be all over an MMO set in that world. Plus it'd be nice to see Trabia properly, that place looked like the coolest of the three Gardens from the hints.

 

[Don't Poke My Bobcat]

This and the Old Republic are the two MMOs I'm keeping my eyes on.

FFXI (although the games are vastly different its the only relevant comparison) was a fantastic game, in that it was actually an MMO foremost and a single player game second.

Due to this, at least on the Siren server I fell onto, the strength of community was unrivalled. Granted my MMO experience extends only to Runescape and XI, but observing comments on others dictates that nothing else has managed to pull this off.

As a result, I'm actually concerned that XIV is boasting a more solo friendly experience. I see how frustrating it was for common classes to actually progress in XI, but I feel that to be an acceptable sacrifice for the reward you get in return.

The Old Republic looks nice, but the complaints held for FF being full of "Final Fantasy Fanboys" will ring true here also, with a probable great deal more severity.

I am reluctant to judge either though until the released versions are ready and the games proper are ready.

 

[Ridrith]

Well, the poster identified himself quite helpfully as an idiot. Jumping in an MMO is utterly retarded and helps identify the worst retards in the gaem, the ones hopping through combat. Hold a baseball bat in each hand and try to knock a home run off a T-Ball stand while jumping. Now, do it in catcher's pads and a football helmet. See if you pass out before you hit it further than ten feet. It does not look like the cool leaps in Anime and the Matrix when fifteen douchebags in a PvP fight in WoW hop arround like crippled crickets on acid. It looks like crippled crickets on acid. Sure, in your head, you might imagine yourself running up a wall to spin kick Agent Smith, but you just look like a stiff cardboard cutout mounted on a bumble ball.

You mad bro? Really though, people like to have complete freedom when it comes to their characters. I've tried to grind through and play games where I can't jump, L2, Guild Wars. I just can't bring myself to play long enough to get any where. Why? I can't even explain it, not having the option just makes it far less fun to me. I like to be able to control every aspect of my character and not being able to jump just makes the game feel cheap or even worse, a rail shooter.

 

[NamesAreHardToPick]

Haha not being able to jump makes a MMORPG feel like a rail shooter?
Whatever you're smoking, pack a bowl for me.

Jumping in any videogame not *about* jumping is stupid. The only practical use for that action outside of platforming in a videogame is basketball. Seriously how often do you jump from day to day? Not much, maybe never. Wait, I grabbed a thing off a high shelf once when I was too lazy to get a stool to stand on. True story.

The worst part is that any game with jumping has obligatory jumping puzzles. Annoying, stupid jumping puzzles.

 

[Yvl9921]

I'm sorry, why is the extremely diehard WoW fan reviewing FFXIV? Isn't this the guy that game a WoW PATCH game of the year for 2009? Of course he's not gonna say anything nice about a different MMO. Not trying to insult you, Mr Tito, but you've already shown you can't be objective when it comes to anything related to WoW.

It also seems like he knew nothing beforehand about the game, where it's at in it's development, etc. There is a *****-ton of customization on it's way regarding classes and how you use them, so reviewing this as an almost finished product is really not so good an idea.

I like how the foaming at the mouth rabid Square-Enix fanboi is defending the game by calling out the writer for being a "WoW fanboi". Maybe he considers it boring because it actually is? He's the one whose part of the industry, I think if I was going to take into account an opinion about the game it'd be his. By the way, your avatar gives you away.

I'm hardly a SE fanboy. I haven't enjoyed a game of theirs since Star Ocean 3.

I'm technically part of "the industry" too, fyi.

This guy is the guy who gave patch 3.2 of WoW (which I do play frequently) GAME of the year. This is the patch that has been hailed as "uneven at best, soul-crushing at worst" by wow.com, but he gave a CONTENT UPDATE his choice of GAME of the year because it added an extra heirloom item and a few quests. Really, don't trust his opinion when it comes to MMOs.

My avatar is Serpico from Berserk, so I dunno what that gives away.

 

[Timbydude]

Square Enix doesn't seem to get the MMO thing. It's not enough to just do what the other guy did anymore, even if you do it marginally better; that's why Warhammer Online tanked. It sounds like they're just badly copying WoW, and trying to force the Final Fantasy atmosphere into it. In a series that centers on a small group of people saving the world, the MMO format just doesn't seem to fit. FFXI was good for its time, but making a sequel to it is a mistake.

Plus, creating an MMO right now is just a bad idea; it's doomed to be overshadowed by Old Republic hype.

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

To be honest there is 3 rules in mordern FF games have phoenix down, have summonings and chocabo's...
wait fuck the first 2.

 

[Star Surfer]

Looks promising. I hope it won't be a let down.

 

[Mopbucket]

Haha not being able to jump makes a MMORPG feel like a rail shooter?
Whatever you're smoking, pack a bowl for me.

Jumping in any videogame not *about* jumping is stupid. The only practical use for that action outside of platforming in a videogame is basketball. Seriously how often do you jump from day to day? Not much, maybe never. Wait, I grabbed a thing off a high shelf once when I was too lazy to get a stool to stand on. True story.

The worst part is that any game with jumping has obligatory jumping puzzles. Annoying, stupid jumping puzzles.

You're asking him how often he jumps from day to day? Really? I suppose a really good game consists of day to day activities, such as driving to work, checking the mail, and doing laundry.

I agree with him that it feels like it's on rails that you have this character who's supposed to have at least a modicum of physical prowess, if not then near super-hero physical abilities, so their abilities should reflect that. If my character is capable of killing giant monsters, he should at least be able to clear a small ravine. Jumping over obstacles, scaling walls, swimming, and other stuff like makes exploring more fun and breaks the monotony of combat. I guess you think games should play more like whack-a-mole, but with MOBs.

 

[NamesAreHardToPick]

You're asking him how often he jumps from day to day? Really? I suppose a really good game consists of day to day activities, such as driving to work, checking the mail, and doing laundry.

I agree with him that it feels like it's on rails that you have this character who's supposed to have at least a modicum of physical prowess, if not then near super-hero physical abilities, so their abilities should reflect that. If my character is capable of killing giant monsters, he should at least be able to clear a small ravine. Jumping over obstacles, scaling walls, swimming, and other stuff like makes exploring more fun and breaks the monotony of combat. I guess you think games should play more like whack-a-mole, but with MOBs.

Yeah I'm calling out this whole "jumping" thing in videogames as a trope from Super Mario Bros, and a ridiculous criticism outside of the platforming genre. You "need" something you never ever do in real life to feel like you're in control of a character in a game, regardless of context or other mechanics? Maybe there's some useless emote that gets both of your feet off the ground at the same time... that would be plenty superhuman considering the small landfill of crap the typical RPG character is carrying in their pockets at any given time. Good job.

It ultimately doesn't make any difference on exploration either. If the designers don't want you getting from point A to point B, you can't get from point A to point B. That tree root you inexplicably couldn't just step over is now a tree root you even more inexplicably can't jump over, or drive a tank over, or fly past on a dragon.

There's nothing wrong with Whack-a-mole, or Gauntlet, or Demon's Souls, or any other adventure game where the developers give you other things to do than hopping around like a kid in a bouncy castle. Did you know Solid Snake can't jump? I've played every Metal Gear game and the thought never crossed my mind until this silly thread.

 

[Mopbucket]

You're asking him how often he jumps from day to day? Really? I suppose a really good game consists of day to day activities, such as driving to work, checking the mail, and doing laundry.

I agree with him that it feels like it's on rails that you have this character who's supposed to have at least a modicum of physical prowess, if not then near super-hero physical abilities, so their abilities should reflect that. If my character is capable of killing giant monsters, he should at least be able to clear a small ravine. Jumping over obstacles, scaling walls, swimming, and other stuff like makes exploring more fun and breaks the monotony of combat. I guess you think games should play more like whack-a-mole, but with MOBs.

Yeah I'm calling out this whole "jumping" thing in videogames as a trope from Super Mario Bros, and a ridiculous criticism outside of the platforming genre. You "need" something you never ever do in real life to feel like you're in control of a character in a game, regardless of context or other mechanics? Maybe there's some useless emote that gets both of your feet off the ground at the same time... that would be plenty superhuman considering the small landfill of crap the typical RPG character is carrying in their pockets at any given time. Good job.

It ultimately doesn't make any difference on exploration either. If the designers don't want you getting from point A to point B, you can't get from point A to point B. That tree root you inexplicably couldn't just step over is now a tree root you even more inexplicably can't jump over, or drive a tank over, or fly past on a dragon.

There's nothing wrong with Whack-a-mole, or Gauntlet, or Demon's Souls, or any other adventure game where the developers give you other things to do than hopping around like a kid in a bouncy castle. Did you know Solid Snake can't jump? I've played every Metal Gear game and the thought never crossed my mind until this silly thread.

That's just the thing- it shouldn't be a "silly emote" or be a useless tool that still doesn't allow you to get over a tree root, you should be able to use it intuitively and naturally as a tool of exploration- like how you take for granted that a game should allow you to run, crouch, climb, manipulate objects, and do other things humans do. Do you consider all of those things superfluous too? And your argument is that jumping only belongs in jumping games, so do you think running should be relegated to running games?

He's just saying it lets him feel like he is interacting with the environment in a more meaningful way.

Sure, you can name good games that don't include jumping, but that's a very tenuous argument, not to mention a universal one- name any one feature and I could probably name at least a dozen great games that don't include it. It doesn't remove the grounds for criticism, and I'm surprised I even need to explain this.

 

[NamesAreHardToPick]

That's just the thing- it shouldn't be a "silly emote" or be a useless tool that still doesn't allow you to get over a tree root, you should be able to use it intuitively and naturally as a tool of exploration- like how you take for granted that a game should allow you to run, crouch, climb, manipulate objects, and do other things humans do. Do you consider all of those things superfluous too? And your argument is that jumping only belongs in jumping games, so do you think running should be relegated to running games?

Diablo didn't have a button to make your character "run", or a stamina gauge to monitor.

Games should only put things in that are fitting and useful. If jumping isn't a major gameplay element, don't put it in. If running isn't a major gameplay element, just have characters travel at a reasonable pace. The same goes to ramshackle RPG-style character progressions in games that don't need it, loot systems that just add pointless grind to a game that's not replayable enough to warrant it, etc.

Trying to make a game appeal to everybody is wasted effort that could have been used making it more appealing to the people who appreciate its core features. At worst it compromises the core gameplay, like watching a WWII shooter where jumping is overpowered resulting in something that looks like a historical re-enactment inside a bouncy castle.

Sure, you can name good games that don't include jumping, but that's a very tenuous argument, not to mention a universal one- name any one feature and I could probably name at least a dozen great games that don't include it. It doesn't remove the grounds for criticism, and I'm surprised I even need to explain this.

It doesn't remove the grounds for criticism, imaginary features missing from a game aren't grounds for criticsm in the first place. That part of the criticsm comes off as a troll "the game I made up in my head that's just like FFXIV but better, is way better than FFXIV". Well duh, but how's that relevant to if I should spend money on FFXIV or not?

For example, in the 90s we all wanted RPG elements and online multiplayer for every game we liked... now that both are ubiquitous we realize how rarely this ends up being as engaging and fun as we imagined and the worst is when there's some noticable compromise in the offline/single-player experience in order to suit online/multiplayer. Maybe Pause is missing, for example. Maybe you have to put 50x more time into a game than it deserves to see all of the interesting stuff because it's designed to encourage MMO-levels of online play. Developers rarely do things as well as imagination would suggest.