When I think about Final Fantasy, it takes me way back to the days when my cousins and I would sit around on a Saturday, plowing through soda and potato chips while playing Nintendo. The title of the game is one that just about everyone, no matter the age, can associate with in one way or another. This week I was doing some reading and Final Fantasy came up. The article was news related and stated that the PS3 version of the game, Final Fantasy XIV finally had a release date window.
Now, a release date window is not as good as a simple release date and let me tell you why. The release date window means that during this time, the game could be released, or it could be postponed again. Most gamers and industry folks really would rather hear an exact date, even if the date passes by without a release. I think that it is a “warm, fuzzy feeling” type of thing. The announcement came from game producer, Naoki Yoshida and it stated that “Between October and December of 2012, we plan to integrate the current service and the coming PlayStation®3 version into the all-new FINAL FANTASY XIV. At this time, a second free trial period will also be offered.“
The initial release was not exactly one to put in the history books and for those that spent the money on the Collector’s Edition, the relaunch will have to be something pretty special. The three month window given for the PS3 version is also the same time frame as the release of Version 2.0 on the PC.
Reviews provided online are seemingly bad for the game and I as I read through some of them I wonder what happened to video games over the years. Granted, the Nintendo’s and SEGA’s of the world have transformed into full home entertainment systems, but what about online gaming? Did the MMORPG world ruin gaming as we used to know it? Now we log into an expansive virtual world where just about anything can happen and you can play with all of your friends as well.
Developers and game producers are forced to “keep up with the times” and push content out as fast as they can since gamers can level up like champs and demand is high for something that is not boring. Maybe developers get pushed too far and what they churn out is just not up to par compared to what it could be if given more time to develop. We’ll see how the relaunch goes and if gamers are happy with the PS3 version before we get too crazy at this point. If you are waiting for the PS3 version all you can do is cross your fingers for now.
