final-fantasy-xiv posts

While today was supposed to be the day that anyone could try out the upcoming MMO Final Fantasy XIV from Square Enix, it looks like plans have changed. The open beta test for the title has been postponed due to, according to the developer, the discovery of "critical bugs" in the beta build. A new date for the open beta test has not been announced but a new schedule for the beta will be revealed "at a later date."

It's currently unknown if the delay of the open beta will translate to a delay in the release of the final game which is currently scheduled for launch on September 22 for owners of the Collector's Edition version.

[Via Massively]

Developer-publisher Square Enix's second big MMO game, Final Fantasy XIV, is getting ever closer to its planned release in September. This week the game's official Twitter web site announced that the closed beta test for the game will be ending today. However the open beta test should begin sometime in "early September."

There's no word yet on how Square Enix will handle sign ups for the open beta but it's clear that there will be a fairly short window for players to participate. The game is set to officially launch on September 30 for people who purchase the Standard edition of the game. People who buy the more expensive Collector's Edition of the game will be able to play online on September 22.

[Via Massively]

Download Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark (172 MB)

How would you like to wear a pair of the above hottest fashion accessories around? Well in this case you can't. Those fine shoes you see above are reserved for Final Fantasy XIV characters. In fact, Hermes' Shoes are only worn by characters in the upcoming MMO that have players who have a subscription to Square Enix's last MMO Final Fantasy XI.

That's just one of three special bonuses that fans of the earlier game in the series can access by subscribing to Final Fantasy XIV. In addition to the exclusive in-game item players can also save $5.95 a month on their Final Fantasy XI subscription. Finally (pun not intended) Final Fantasy XI players can have their character and world name transferred to Final Fantasy XIV to be used for that game's character name. The game itself is due for release in September.

One of the big MMO launches scheduled for the fall of 2010 is Final Fantasy XIV. Developer/publisher Square Enix's second MMO game will enter a market that is far more crowded than when the publisher launched Final Fantasy XI way back in 2002.

This week the game's official web site has revealed the final system requirements for Final Fantasy XIV. The requirements for the game actually go into more detail than most PC games including settings for texture quality, depth of field, buffer size and more. You can check out if your PC can run the game after the jump:

Square Enix's second venture into the MMO world is close to letting some outsiders try out the game for the first time. Today Square Enix's Japanese Twitter page announced that the closed beta test for Final Fantasy XIV will start on Saturday July 10. The test will likely start with a small and select number but more beta testers will likely be added in the weeks to come.

Square Enix recently announced a release date of September 30 for the regular edition of Final Fantasy XIV. In addition a special collector's edition of the game with lots of extras will be released on September 22.

[Via Shacknews]

Square Enix's announcement that Final Fantasy XIV would be a new MMO game shocked attendees back in June 2009 at E3. Today the publisher announced that the PC version of the game now has a release date of September 30 (a PS3 version has also been announced but it's not due out until March 2011. Ahead of the official launch comes word that the beta testing for the game will begin sometime in early July. Monthly pricing will be $12.99 a month with 30 days of free gameplay out of the box.

But that's not all. Square Enix has also announced a Collector's Edition for Final Fantasy XIV ([pictured above) that will be released for the price of $74.99. People who order the collector's edition will be able to sign onto the servers eight days before folks who get the standard $49.99 edition. Extras include an exclusive in game item called the Onion Helm which "accelerates character recovery after falling in battle." It will also come with a concept art book, a behind-the-scenes DVD and more. The standard edition also comes with its own in-game exclusive pre-order item, the Garlond Goggles, "which increases the speed of skill progression."

[Via email press release]

Final Fantasy XI has attracted its fair share of detractors. Decried for being to grind-heavy, not friendly enough to new players, and having ridiculous bosses (such as Absolute Virtue), it has a fairly negative reputation. In spite of this, or because of it, Square Enix is making a new MMO with Final Fantasy XIV. They seem to be trying new things, if this trailer is any indication, so we're looking forward to the upcoming release.

Download HD Final Fantasy XIV E3 2010 Trailer (187MB)
Check out all Final Fantasy XIV downloads

This benchmark uses graphics and characters from Final Fantasy XIV Online to measure how well the game will perform on your system. It supports both high definition video that includes 1920x1080 resolution and 5.1 surround sound. There is also Japanese, English, German and French language support included.

After downloading the benchmark, unzip the contents to a destination folder. Then run FFXIVBenchmark.exe to start the benchmark. The benchmark does not represent an official demo of the game.

Download Final Fantasy XIV Benchmark (172 MB)
Check out all Final Fantasy XIV downloads

With the start of E3 2010 just a few days away now, the list of games that will officially be shown at the show next week continues to grow. We have already gone over the first person shooter and action games we most want want to see at the show. Today we go over the many RPG and RPG related MMOs we are most anxious to see.

While there are a few notable exceptions on this list (NCsoft won't be attending the show and Blizzard won't be showing the next World of Warcraft expansion pack at E3) there are still quite a few upcoming RPG and MMO titles that will be on display at the event. Check out the list of games we want to see after the jump:

Square Enix's long running fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XI was thought by some to be dying. Indeed there were a few Internet rumors running around recently that the game would be shut down this year to prepare for the publisher's next MMO Final Fantasy XIV. However this weekend Square Enix announced plans to release three more downloadable mini-expansions for Final Fantasy XI in 2010.

Each mini-expansion (Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea and Heroes of Abyssea) will cost $9.99 and will add new monsters to fight and new items to collect for high level players of the game. The first of the mini-expansions will be available for download later this summer.

And what about Final Fantasy XIV, which was announced to many surprised gamers at E3 last year? Our sister site Massively reports that Square Enix revealed during their VanaFest 2010 fan event that the beta test will begin on March 11 with a limited number of people being invited to try out the game. It's still scheduled to launch later in 2010.