Final Fantasy XIV Online for Playstation 3 and Final Fantasy VII on Playstation Network Classics Download

Originally I wasn't a big fan of the Final Fantasy series. FFI to VI passed me by completely. I played my first ever game in the form of the MMORPG XI many moons a go. I spent a lot of enjoyable hours on it's gameplay heavy leveling system and job classes. Secondly I found an amazing use for my PSP in Final Fantasy Tactics. It's grid based style suited me just fine, especially as it gave my personal favourite, the Dragoon, a big step up in usefulness.

Following on from the XI style gameplay I bought XII just before the PAL release of the PS3 with hope in my heart. But with a cast that no-one cares about and a MP charging system that was game-breaking in this gamer's humble opinion, it wasn't completed and has been gathering dust for the past few years.

After that disappointing run I needed a reason to get back in the game with the FF series. Mainly now because I'm gaming on the PS3 and there aren't any there. And then a certain E3 announcement about a new MMO happened a long with a cult-status RPG appearing on the PSN Store. The spiritual successor to XI, XIV is on its way to the PS3 as well as the PC and I have now commenced playing final Fantasy VII for the first time.



Final Fantasy VII Impressions

I find the Active Time Battle system in this game very useful, I enjoy the game a lot more because of it. The materias are proving handy but in my experience it's taking away a lot of the characters' individuality. Other than their Limit Breaks (which remind me a lot of Street Fighter IV's Ultra combos) there's not a whole lot of reason for me to use one character over the other. They could do with an offensive version of the LB to complement it like the weapons skills in XI (and the Super combos, also in Street Fighter IV).

The plot is proving to be very good, I especially like the flashback with an inexperienced Cloud fighting a long side Sephiroth. Currently I am just leaving the Costa Del Sol so I've got Yuffie in my party. She's ... yeah, you'll know if you've played. I'm going to soldier on into the next discs (a few button presses on the PS3) and get some monsters slain.



Final Fantasy XIV Hopes and Wants

With XIV announced for the PS3 as well as the PC I now have an excuse to buy a USB keyboard. The things I'd like to see in 2010's release include a leveling system that isn't so time consuming, it's one thing to have quests that can be completed pretty quickly, but leveling up is something different. For all the skillful gameplay at your party's disposal, leveling takes a long time without dying, if you do die you're heavily penalised. All that is known so far is that the traditional system for player progression is being thrown out of the window, leaving the door open for something genre defining.

Things I'd like to keep from XI include the Weapon skills, skill chaining and magic bursts, plus a Limit-Break style attack for defensive players like the tanks. The warp and teleport systems would be useful should they return, but hopefully will be more accessible, especially if the XIV team are catering to the casual audience as has been expressed.