So, we have been playing Final Fantasy XIV, re-released last year, a considerable time after its incredible nose-dive into the sun shortly after its initial release. So far so good. There still aren’t enough quests for my tastes, and some odd prohibitions that I can’t see the point of. Why tie unrelated side-dungeons to the main questline, so you only get access after reaching a certain quest, even if you are the right level? Why can’t we take a too-low team into a dungeon? Why can’t we try with three people? These latter pushings of the challenge envelope are something I have always enjoyed, despite often being punished with much death for my audacity. It’s those radical moments when you actually manage to pull off something unexpected that make it all worthwhile.
Revisiting Final Fantasy XIV has brought back vivid memories of Final Fantasy XI, my first real MMO, and doubtlessly where my rules-lawyery-ness about following “the unspoken rules” originates. (The tank goes first, let the tank pull, avoid getting aggro if you are not the tank, crowd control is sacred). Although recent games challenge these traditionalist MMO concepts, these unspoken rules still exist in FFXIV, along with the same snide elitism about gear. Is there something about Final Fantasy that encourages this? ‘Cause although it is definitely present in other games, I haven’t seen (smelt?) such strongly scented epeen for some time.
Anyways, playing FFXIV did inspire me to make a new movie, the idea of which was forwarded by my good friend Guildenstern (who has been dragged, kicking and scream-emoting, from one game to another over the last few years, despite the opposition of completionist tendencies). Who knows how long it will last on the interwebs, since Square Enix is apparently just as rules-lawyery about copyright as it is about gameplay.
Ah well, it’s here for now.