E3 2010 was a pretty crazy time for everyone, but Colin and I managed to find some time to sit down and speak to two of the key figures behind Final Fantasy XIV; Hiromichi Tanaka, the game's director, and Yasu Kurosawa, the game's community manager.
We thoroughly enjoyed the chance to chat with them and ask them about their upcoming game - they seemed pretty happy too. You can check out the full interview over at GamingUnion.net, our parent site, but here's a little teaser from the interview.
Gaming Union: In Final Fantasy XI, people felt it took a long time for the story to get going - especially with the later missions. Is this something you'll be addressing in Final Fantasy XIV?
Rejoice everyone, for Final Fantasy XIV actually has a concrete release date, well three actually. What's important though, is that Square Enix have delivered on their promise of a 2010 release, for the PC at least, and it's closer than many anticipated. We'll be able to get our grubby hands on Final Fantasy XIV within mere months and I for one, really can't wait!
I was a huge Final Fantasy XI fanatic, and it was actually the first and only MMO that I've played properly during my long gaming life. However, there came a point where I just didn't find the game fun any more - I'd done pretty much all there was to do and it was time for my little Tarutaru to retire. Square Enix had teased a sequel for quite some time through the guise of Codename Rapture. However, when they officially announced the game as Final Fantasy XIV at E3 last year, I couldn't have been happier.
After learning more about their plans for the game, my interest has only grown, and after playing it at E3 this year, in 3D no less, my anticipation for the game probably couldn't get any higher. Final Fantasy XI was a bit arduous, but it looks as though they're going to try to allow Final Fantasy XIV players to be more flexible with their time. No more waiting 4 hours for an EXP party, we hope. Either way, I really hope members of the Final Fantasy Union/Gaming Union community will take to the game. There's nothing better than playing an MMO with people you know and experiencing the game's story with them.
Continue reading the full staff blog after the jump.
Alrighty people, it's Friday, that means the end of a news week. Starting this week, we'll be doing a weekly news roundup for those that may have missed something during the week. Last week saw quite a bit on Fabula Nova Crystallis, what with the interviews with director Hajime Tabata, on how Agito isn't high up on their priority list. Famitsu also interviewed Tetsuya Nomura, revealing several screenshots as well as confirming that it'll be at the Tokyo Game Show.
Anyone who's been following Final Fantasy XIV will be aware that the game features exactly the same races as Final Fantasy XI, albeit with different names.
However, speaking at E3, Hiromichi Tanaka, director of Final Fantasy XIV has hinted that more races could be added. "From a game design point of view, we do have other races already prepared, but during the development process we had to put priority elsewhere and due to the schedule we had to give up. In the future, if we have enough man power, it is very possible to add it to the game" he said.
Hopefully they can get some extra staff in because it would definitely be great to see some additional races in Final Fantasy XIV.
Earlier today we got wind of Final Fantasy XIV's release date and true to their word, Square Enix revealed that the PC version will hit retailers on September 30 this year. Unfortunately, the PS3 version got pushed back to March 2011.
In a press release, Square Enix finally revealed the pricing and subscription plans for the MMO. The PC's regular edition is set for a $49.99 while the collectors edition for $74.99. The most important bit though, is the subscription fees, which is a lovely $12.99 per month. Wow, keep in mind that that's a couple of dollars cheaper than another certain MMO.
Those of you looking forward to the new adventure in Eorzea can set you calenders for September 30. Make that September 22 if you're planning on getting the collectors edition as it offers 8 days early access to the game.
If ever there was a video which showed how much a game can change, it's the video that's viewable in the full story. It details the changes between Final Fantasy XIV in Alpha and Final Fantasy XIV in Beta.
Those with an observant eye will instantly notice that the lighting has been dramatically altered in the Beta. Areas which initially looked quite bright now have much more character. Changes have also been made to the textures, as the floor definitely looks more detailed.
Hopefully Square Enix can make even more changes to the game before its apparent 2010 release on the PS3 and PC.
Due to the "closed" nature of Xbox Live, the director of Final Fantasy XIV, Hiromichi Tanaka, has said that Square Enix's latest foray into the MMO space will not be made available for Xbox 360 owners. Square Enix and Microsoft were in talks, however neither could come to a mutual agreement.
"The main reason why we couldn't go with Xbox 360 was the Xbox Live system," said Tanaka to Eurogamer. "[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.
Other MMOs have also faced the same problems with Microsoft's online service. In wanting to keep their service closed and controlled, third parties aren't able to "freely design different business schemes." Ironically, Final Fantasy XI is still available on the 360.
Last year, Square Enix claimed that Final Fantasy XIV would be released in 2010, but since then they've been pretty quiet about the game's release. However, in an interview with RPGSite.net, they have reaffirmed their statement.
Hiromichi Tanaka, the producer of Final Fantasy XIV said "Yes, that (2010 release) is the plan. In fact, we were planning to bring the Director, Komoto-san to this interview as well, but he had to remain in Japan to work on the game, so it is really at a critical finishing stage at the moment. We hope you and your readers will enjoy the game when it arrives later this year!"
Hopefully things go as planned, because Final Fantasy XIV is shaping up to be a great title - one that MMO fans, and fans of Final Fantasy should definitely check out.
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