I would be remiss if I didn't take some time to talk about Final Fantasy 14 in this space. This won't be a full on review like other games since for one I haven't had nearly enough time myself to explore the full game and two since this is an mmo content will constantly continue to be added changing the experience. I will be however discussing my thoughts on the first month I spent with the game and the surprising revelation that after the colossal disaster which was the original final fantasy 14 this second take as it were manages to be a worthy successor to the final fantasy name and has many good reasons for any fans of the series to someday get their hands on this title to give it a try.
To start the biggest praise I can give this new version of the game is that it was clearly made with a labour of love, a love for final fantasy and the long history it has. The game is packed with nods to every final fantasy game to ever come before it. From remixes of tonnes of classic ballads, chocobos, airships, materia, magitek, ultimate weapons, the return of jobs including well known favorites like the dragoon and I could go on and on. For those well versed in final fantasy lore this game will have a lot of nostalgic value alone. And the game to go with it isn't half bad either.
 |
| Of course no final fantasy game would be complete without Cid making an appearance =) |
Let's start with the battle system. The closest comparison is the battle system found in final fantasy 12 but its been greatly refined and now features more freedom to avoid more powerful attacks and to actually use the benefits of range combat. In my brief experience I focused a good deal of time on my main class of a black mage but did dabble with many other classes to get a general feel of the variety of gameplay. While most classes do boil down to using a few abilities over and over each class has unique tweaks to the gameplay. The pugilist for example uses various hand to hand forms of combat but the pattern you use with these attacks will provide different bonuses to your attacks and abilities, the black mage has to balance fire and ice spells to keep your mp regenerated while taking every opportunity to triple your attack power when you can while balancing out using side abilities like sleep to help in difficult situations and the other classes all have other various unique attributes to them. In the end there is more variety then first meets the eye that's for sure and I've barely scratched the surface of many of the classes available. Then you can further tweak those class choices by adding job classes later in the game for even more variety adding in fan favorites like the dragoon, monk and summoner jobs. Suffice to say there are lots of different options to fit your style of gameplay here.
When it comes time to actually join parties the game turns to a more traditional formal of dps, tank, and healer format, the holy triangle of mmo's. Thankfully the unique class choices talked about above help augment the experience and it helps keep things fresh. In my time I actually enjoyed the moments I had to work with others in parties for the most part. There was only one time I found a party that was totally inadequate to continue on with. Most groups had a good understanding of their role and really enhanced the dungeons keeping the excitement going while taking down some of the more challenging bosses I encountered. And there are numerous opportunities to do this since there are well over ten dungeons already set in the game and as you progress you will find many unique challenges that require some actual thought to defeat the boss and not just a boring point and click scenario.
 |
| Just one of the intimidating bosses you'll come across in your adventures |
The graphics on the ps3 version were good but with the expected launch some time next year on the ps4 as a free upgrade I imagine they will look gorgeous on next gen based on what I have seen on the pc versions. The art design has some whimsical flair while keeping traditional final fantasy looks and there are endless armour choices to fully customize how your character looks in the world to your liking.
Along with all that there is a main storyline you can follow as you travel up to level 50. While not as in depth as a traditional final fantasy single player experience the story does have some stand out moments and I'm left wishing it could have been fleshed out more since I think the basis of the storyline in this game certainly beats some of the poor choices made in the last few rather forgettable stories told in the final fantasy universe.
The music in the game is excellent, so many classic tunes redone in perfect fashion with unique twists and a few standout new entries that fit right in with the high standards from games in the past. On the audio front while the voice acting is serviceable when present much of the game has to be read which is a shame since the main quest felt like it deserved more voice over work then given and is one of the few flaws currently found in the game to go along with parts of the storyline that require some grinding to reach a new level and continue on.
 |
| Even the dragoon job makes a triumphant returns! |
Considering where this game first started with the horrible failure that was its original incantation there have been great strides made to improve all aspects of the game and fans of final fantasy or mmo's will really love what is offered here. There are tonnes of things I haven't even mentioned in this brief summary including the crafting options, the atmosphere of the world, the myriad of side quests, class quests and so forth and so much more. The game is not lacking in content to start and is sure to be given more in the coming months. The biggest issue for most fans might be the dreaded words of a subscription service which is indeed found in the game and requires a monthly fee. This certainly will cause me to only want to play the game a few times a year most likely to check out new content and for some that may not be an option since to get your money's worth you do have to spend a lot of time with the game. Hopefully perhaps in the future this game will become free to play so everyone can give it a try. For now all I can really say is if your a fan of final fantasy, if the opportunity arises you should really give this game a try even if you are scared by the idea of an mmo. There are truly a lot of things to be found her for traditional final fantasy fanatics and right now its the best one I've played probably since final fantasy X a long time ago which is saying something. Hopefully this is a sign of square-enix getting this franchise back on track and that future games in the series will be shown the same love and care that this game feels like it has now that its been redone. This truly has been the surprise of the year in terms of gaming for me and was a real treat to play the first time around. Hopefully when I return to the world of Eorzea next year I have just as much fun the second time around.
Anyway currently playing new batman and assassin's creed titles right now so in the next month hopefully ill have some more traditional reviews for those interested. Bye for now
