Bit Cultures writes: It was ten years ago that I discovered a genre known as the Massive-Multiplayer Online game. If you’ve read any of my past work, it’s no secret that I possess an unadulterated love for the Final Fantasy series. Needless to say, it’s a little strange to look back and see that I was unaware of a little game called Final Fantasy XI Online for the first three years of its existence. I was known for being a bit too selective with my gaming tastes at this young age of fourteen (good grief). Fortunately, I held hard-headed friends close to me that would help me see the error of my ways. Here are some nostalgia-laden stories for fellow players, or those who simply hold that one game close to their heart.
The latest update for Final Fantasy XI Online, the 'November Update', is now live across all platforms where the game is playable.
Can't believe this game is still getting updates 21 years after it launched. That's crazy! XI remains the only main numbered FF that I haven't played.
At the time, it was an amazing game if you had a good Linkshell and/or friend to play with.
A MMOROG that actually required teamplay to be played.
Easily one of the best games ever. As you said, it had the caveat of NEEDING a good group to play with, but I've never had memories/experiences like that in ANY game since.
I've been chasing that experience since I stopped playing it, and the closest I've come to is FFXIV. And even that is still vastly different.
Played the shit of this 20 years ago. Getting the Serket ring was epic. Idk how many mornings we spent camping before we finally got the pull and I won the roll upon defeat. It was great solo, but you really need a good link/squad for some of the notorious monsters....
@Seraphim
I loved those camping hours for every NM of interest.
Leaping Lizzy or what was it's name. Damn, so many days and nights 😅
And first time you got attacked by the Kraken on the boat, omg...
To get more engagement with his article, and drive clicks. DUH!
(Thanks, I'll go ahead and report that).
Wish they'd release it for PS4, 5, Xboxes and Switch - it ran on ps2 and still works on potato PCs so should run well everywhere
Live service games are vehemently criticized and companies need to rethink & prioritize respectful game design for consumer benefit.
Gabe says not being publicly owned is a huge part of what makes Valve so successful.
"The whole point of being a privately held company is to eliminate another source of noise in the signal between the consumers and producers of a good."
Looks at Destiny 2 > I used to go into a store to find a game. Now I go into a game and find a store.
"Bungie reportedly expressed concerns over how engaging The Last of Us multiplayer project was"
Bungie at GDC "Beware of overdelivering, quality doesn't matter, a live service being fast is more important than quality"
meh
I remember that headline about Bungie and Factions. I’m not a Bungie guy, but I am a Factions guy. Can’t help but wonder if their GaaS input will be to my liking. 🤔
I always thought Destiny would be better if Bungie built the game and then handed it off to another company to run it.
That's kind of the GaaS whole thing, though. This is like telling wolves to stop behaving like wolves.
Was looking at the top games in my country as per the PS Store and it’s overwhelmed by service games. Blood is in the water.
The issue is that journalists mostly ignored this issue as it was arising. Games like Overwatch were considered exciting until lesser news websites and organisations began taking opinion pieces on the problem. From then it’s just gotten worse.
A lot of “game journalists” are just extensions of the corporate PR teams. Remember when Bungie flew people out to Bungie HQ and showed them the 4v4 multiplayer in Destiny 2? Everyone who attended said this was the best decision for multiplayer. Less than a year later, Destiny 2 went back to 6v6. Everyone who attended said this was the best decision for multiplayer.
The issues are so prelevant, that I just immediately skip over the majority of GaaS games, hardly any are worth the time. The mainstream media glossing over the issues is nothing new, you always have to wait a few months for the real reviews or opinion pieces (that tends to include video game reviews as well).
This is why I won't spend money on a lot of these games, not only do they nickle and dime you at every opportunity, but a lot of these games have a very short life span, not many of them survive for multiple years like Fortnite has.
I also feel like most MMOs in generally are more aqueduct in terms of content, for what you pay, I feel like a lot of them give you a decent amount to enjoy.
SQUARE ENIX® announced that the January version update for FINAL FANTASY® XI Online is now available. #FFXI #JRPG #MMORPG @SquareEnix
I think I speak for the entirety of humanity when I say this update announcement doubles as a reminder that this game still exists.
I'm honestly surprising it's still going. I have some of my most fond memories in gaming on this game. And I've been gaming for over 25 years.
I wish I had the time to keep playing it, but I just can't. Good on SE continuing to support it after all this time.
Good article. I never played XI so I almost skipped over this, but the underlying message is good and I can highly relate.
I have fond memories of several games throughout my life and they don't necessarily have to be your favorites...
WoW ruined all MMOs and turned them into Theme park crap.
FFXIV suffers from this.
I LOVED FF11. It was my first MMO and still my favorite (before they turned it casual). Waiting around for that party invite (tho my main was a pally so I didn't wait long) using sneak and invisible praying that it would last long enough to get by those damn goblins lol. Parties that focused on pulling and killing ONE mob at a time. Ahh yes the good old days...