Alistair's articles
FFXIV: First Impressions
By Alistair
FFXIV was released last week in the form of a collector's edition in which the lucky (or those with disposable income) were able to procure. I was excited to take home the large box and immediately install my game. The box itself is pretty gorgeous and it's got some nice cover art. The collector's edition includes:
- A security token which adds an extra numerical password that changes frequently for extra protection.
- The code for an "Onion Helm", which is sort of ugly but recalls past final fantasy traditions. It drops the KO sickness you get after dying by a couple minutes. It's handy for tougher guildleves.
- A "journal", which seems pretty fancy. It has some official artwork inside and provides a nice place to write down craft recipes or anything else you need.
- A buddy pass. You can invite a friend to play for free for 30 days but they'll need to borrow your disc to install the game.
- 30 days of free play for yourself.
The package is really nice and I love displaying it. Apparently the Japanese version comes with a large tumbler that can't actually contain anything but water, so I don't feel like I'm missing much.
The game itself took not to long to install. The updates, however, were sort of a hassle because they were lengthy. However this was quickly remedied by downloading the patch from Megaupload.
Moving past the installation and into character creation: the features are all the same from beta, though it's been said that players will be able to change their hairstyles in-game as well as adding all new styles.
Our Linkshell started on the Lindblum server, which was one of the most populated. Since then we've received several downtimes as a result. We considered moving to another, which wouldn't have been too hard, but I decided not to because of the extra members I had invited. Hopefully, even with the Standard Edition being released today, the server might eventually be fixed.
More after the jump.
Choices! What games do you choose?
We all know that during the year, the different seasons bring tons of new games to the shelves. There are few among us who are lucky enough to be able to afford as many games as they want, but what about everyone else? With so many games coming out, how do we decide which ones we buy and which ones we just pass on? Is pirating an acceptable alternative if you just cant afford it? Most of us have school to go through and probably not the most well paying jobs (I'm a deli clerk).
When I buy a game, I typically choose based on familiarity. I play way too many sequels, but that's how I like it. But even I have to branch out and try new games, always with exciting results. My favorite most recent game which stands alone has to be Demons Souls. When I'm not sobbing into my palm with frustration playing the game, I find myself being extremely satisfied with the gameplay, story and art direction.
How do you decide? Do you pick and choose which you purchase or can you deal with torrenting it online? With so many games coming out this spring/summer like several years past, can you live with skipping a few or do you have to get your hands on as many as possible?
(By Alistair)
