Final Fantasy XIV

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Square bravely attempts an accessible MMO

Just like in FFXI, you choose from a selection of races when creating your character. These are the Hyur, who are similar to humans; the Elezen, who are a bit like elves; the Lalafell, tiny humanoids with superior intelligence and agility; the Roegadyn, who are huge, powerful brutes; and the Miqo’te, a race of cat-like creatures. Your appearance is determined by your job, although you’ll be able to customise your looks with additional armour.

The Field Worker may carry an axe, but it’s mainly used for felling trees, not slicing Cactuars in half. Field Workers harvest herbs and plants, mine for precious ore and chop down trees. These materials can then be sold for a profit at stores in cities and towns, or to other players using the Craft Worker job. Players with craft working skills can make an absolute mint by using materials gleaned from Field Workers to create new, otherwise unattainable weapons and armour. This makes them priceless to Fighters who haven’t got the skills to craft their own kit.

It’s all set in a totally new world called Eorza. After a long and brutal war, the world is at peace leaving thousands of soldiers and mercenaries without work. This leads them to become full-time adventurers for hire, forming guilds and seeking their fortune by performing odd-jobs, killing monsters, and hunting down hidden treasures.

FFXI failed because the PS2’s network was a mess. But now nearly every PS3 and PC user is hooked up online, and the steps Square Enix have made to make the game easier to play for newcomers and solo players should make this a fantastic first introduction to MMORPGs on PS3, introduce PS3 and PC players to cross-platform play, and at some point down the line, even invite 360 owners to the party.

Sep 28, 2009