TITLE | FINAL FANTSY XIV: ONLINE
PLATFORMS | PLAYSTATION 3, PC
GENRE | MMORPG
DEVELOPER | SQUARE ENIX
PUBLISHER | SQUARE ENIX

RELEASE DATES | JAPAN TBA 2010 | USA TBA 2010 | EUROPE TBA 2010
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/

Set in the world of Hydaelyn, there are several independent city-states located withing, the most notable being Limsa Lominsa, bustling port and pirate hub; Ul’dah, a desert city rich in mineral wealth; Gridania, nested deep within an ageless wood, and Ishgard, a bastion atop the mountains.

The deities which lived and indeed ruled the lands of Hydaelyn were impressed with the resilience of the men and women which walked the lands and took it upon themselves to ensure there well being. The tribes built independent city-states and the deities whom were to be known as “the twelve” looked over as they (men and women) soon became hostile towards each other.

During there own self destruction, a new threat came to the land known as the Garlean Empire which destroyed even the strongest of the Hydaelyn cities, and as quickly as this invasion arrived, they left. This acted as a somewhat wake up call to the people of Hydaelyn and so came “the age of calm”.

Together they formed an alliance in which was set to try and restore order to the people, bringing them together in this time of need and indeed preparing them for even worse things to come. Some of the higher leaders from each city didn’t take to this new alliance with open arms and resorted to villainy to survive, thus adding to the already destructive problems throughout the land. To ensure this problem didn’t get worse, several leaders from around Eorzea formed a network of guilds to help restore order and aid others.

The battle system for this latest instalment works differently from the previous online MMORPG (Final Fantasy XI). Avatars/ Characters that are created will be similar to those in FFXI, solo and group play has now been balanced and different weapons used will alter the characters development. Weapons in FFXIV play a very important role in the game, by being able to switch the type of weapon you use almost instantaneously enables you to take on different types of enemies adjusting your style of play (as well as appearance), making battles feel less strenuous and adding another dimension to how you approach battles.

In a group battle for example, you may join in on an on going fight against a certain enemy and realise that your group lacks a particular class to which would help take down them down, you can from there change into the desired class to help out. This system is known throughout the game as “the Armoury” and not only helps in battle situations but also for every day things like fishing, blacksmith work and other jobs in the game.

The jobs within FFXIV are known as “Disciplines”. You are able to choose if you want to excel in a certain skilled area or just generally make use of the armoury. Below is the list of current of classes that have been announced so far;

Disciples of War
Archer
Marauder
Pugilist
Gladiator
Lancer

Disciples of Magic
Thaumaturge

Disciples of the Land
Botanist

Disciples of the Hand
Alchemist
Culinarian
Tanner
Blacksmith
Weaver

FFXIV uses an advanced and interesting “guild system”. There are so called permits/licenses in the form of illustrated cards that match missions that your character has to complete. You can share these licenses, i.e having the card or not having it and also decide on how many that can be part of a mission.

The level of each player is mostly non-relevent, but some licenses has a certain level requirement. These wont take longer than 40 minutes to complete approx. Oh and you can carry several licenses at the same time. Some of the goals of the licenses are: Killing monsters, skilling up, raids and more. These are called “etherites” and will let you get instantly teleported to a said area.

CHARACTERS – RACES

From left to right; Elezen, Lalafell, Hyur, Roegadyn, Moquo’te

Elezen

The Elezen are a traditionally nomadic people who in former times claimed sole domination over Eorzea, their presence predating that of the other races. Believing this prominence to be ordained by the gods, they came to develop an esteemed sense of honor and pride.

Their characteristically tall, slim physiques and elongated limbs are part of a successful adaptation to the land’s various environments. Indeed, it is said that their highly sensitive ears can discern the squeak of a field mouse at a distance of up to several malms.

The Elezen perceived the immigration of the Hyur as tantamount to invasion, and as a result the two share a past plagued by warfare. At present, however, they can be seen coexisting peacefully, the exception being the reclusive Duskwight Elezen.

Lalafell

The Lalafell were originally a group of agriculturists inhabiting the fertile islands of the south seas. With the introduction of transmarine commerce, they soon found their way to Eorzea via trade routes. They are now one of the more populous races and are well established throughout the region, though they remain averse to cold climates.

The short, rotund builds of the Lalafell belie an incredible agility, and their seemingly feeble legs are capable of carrying them long distances over any terrain. Many among them are also known for possessing highly developed and cunning intellects.

The Lalafell place a great deal of significance on familial bonds, but are by no means unfriendly to outsiders. This is evidenced by the fact that they continue to share prosperous relations with all of the other races of Eorzea.

Hyur

Boasting the largest population in Eorzea, the Hyur came from neighboring continents and islands in three great migratory waves. With them they brought a sophisticated technology and complex ethos tempered by the breadth of the outside world. They rapidly became a driving force behind cultural progress, and are not widely attributed with spearheading advances in Eorzean civilization.

One of the Hyur’s strengths is the staggering variety of languages and social institutions they exhibit. This is said to account for their firm conviction in individual freedoms, though it also results in a relative lack of solidarity and group cohesion.

Two distinct groups now exist among the Hyur – Highlanders, denizens of montainous areas, and Midlanders, who reside in lower elevations.

Roegadyn

The Roegadyn are a maritime people whose largest concentrations are found in the northern seas, by way of which they came to Eorzea.

They posses enormous, muscular builds and are known for the cultural emphasis they place on competition and unflinching courage, though tender, introspective individuals can also be found.

Roegadyn in and around the Limsa Lominsa area are typically seamen putting in at port, but many have also settled permanently, becoming mercenaries, bodyguards, or even pirates by trade. Far away, deep in the mountains of Ul’dah, live mountain clans of reclusive Roegadyn known as the Hellsguard, said to have mastered the magical arts.

Miqo’te

During the Age of Endless Frost, as the seas turned to ice and passage over them became possible, Eorzea saw an influx of foreign fauna to her shores. This in turn brought the hunting tribes which subsisted upon them, the modern descendants of whom are today known as the Miqo’te.

Since then, the Miqo’te have diverged into two physically distinguishable groups — the diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon. Both groups share a superb olfactory sense and powerful lef musculature, results of a long evolution geared towards hunting and predation.

Comparatively few in number, they maintain an insular group mentality, tending to avoid contact with the other races. Many individuals lead isolated lifestyles, even when residing in the more populous cities.

Multiplayer Gameplay:

Game Mechanics Interview:

TGS 09 Trailer:

E3 09 Trailer:

It will be interesting to see just how well this game does on a console, having only briefly touched the surface with FFXI on the Xbox 360 and the PS2 (in America), there is still plenty of ground to cover for games like this. Having done so well since it was released on a console back in 2002, Square Enix have had plenty of time to work on a new style of online final fantasy game, improving on any aspects from the previous instalment that may have needed tinkering with.

With this Final Fantasy set to be the first online MMORPG on the PS3, only time will tell if can pry those hardcore fans away from the PC versions or not. Being a final fantasy fan myself and having briefly played FFXI (along with other games respectively similar to the game), I have high hopes for it, mixing (in my opinion) the best RPG game to date, with the most in depth type of genre that has the potential to last for a very long time. Its pretty much the kind of game I and many others have been waiting for.

Gladiator and Pugilist weaponry sneak peak
News comes alongside the update of the official Final Fantasy XIV site–some new weaponry has been uncovered for two of the revealed jobs of FFXI, Pugilist and Gladiator.
Gladiator weaponry is standard warrior-fare including swords (Bastard Sword, Gladius) and shields (Round shield, Lantern Shield).
Pugilists prefer to fight hand-to-hand; their arsenal includes knuckle equipment including Cesti, Baghnakhs, and knuckles.
More information as to the relationships between these weapons and their owners, available in the upcoming future, may shed light on their use in battle.
Source: Zam

FFXIV Interview at Eorzeapedia
Eorzeapedia has uncovered some new information on FFXIV via a recent  interview by Japanese gaming news Game Watch.
Some take-home points for those interested in the upcoming MMO:
• The game represented at GamesCom is a less-than-halfway done model of the final FFXIV.
• The FFXI technique “skillchain” will be a battle element of FFXIV, although in a changed form
• Enemy creatures in FFXIV will sometimes be in parties which engage adventurers collectively.
• Maximum party size is not yet defined, but the nature of parties will be that they are flexible with their number of members, rather than being a set number of empty slots to fill.
• Battles can be taken into towns.
• The number of jobs, or classes, is not yet determined, and class additions are planned for routine version updates rather than expansions.
• FFXIV is being constructed with DirectX 9 in mind.
• Console and PC graphics options will be unique to their own platforms.
Beta news:
The first round of beta tests will be worldwide with a small sample group in small sessions periodically. These initial tests will only be for the Windows versions. Tests will gradually evolve to encompass more people as technology stress is tested.

Review by Mozzage