Final Fantasy XIV: Sony’s Biggest Surprise Yet?

At today’s E3 press conference, SCEA showed that they still have amazing looking exclusive titles and they are ready to unleash them on to the world. One of the most surprising announcements, if not the most surprising announcement of the show was Sony’s unveiling of Final Fantasy XIV. As heads turned and people muttered words of confusion, a trailer showcasing amazing visuals, beautiful environments, and new characters introduced us to the new world of Final Fantasy XIV. With Final Fantasy XIII not even released, and Versus XIII information scarce, we didn’t think the world was even ready to hear about the fourteenth installment. Sal actually thought Jack was joking and was going to show some Versus XIII footage when he mentioned Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy XIV will be a PlayStation 3 and PC game, a massively multiplayer online RPG scheduled for 2010. This new game has generated a lot of buzz in only a matter of hours, (we at SCRAWL are extremely excited) but we have a lot on our mind too. The first Final Fantasy MMO, Final Fantasy XI generated a lot of hype up to it’s release, but didn’t exactly stack up to the success of big name MMO’s such as World of Warcraft. We’re hoping with the power of PlayStation 3 at their side, Square Enix will deliver a full Final Fantasy online experience this time around. One we should of gotten with the first game, but just how would Square Enix accomplish this?

Final Fantasy XI did not deliver as we had hoped. The online game felt a bit uninspiring, as well as colorless and bland. The world did not seem like a Final Fantasy world, plagued by uninspired action and meaningless quests, it did not draw us into the world that felt like Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy XI, although, was originally released on the PS2, and was designed to bring a revolutionary experience to the home console gamer. With the advances made in the industry since then and the growth and successes of MMORPG’s such as World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, Square Enix can learn from them. Now the company also has the PlayStation 3 hardware to work with, too. We have high hopes for Square’s next venture into the online gaming world.

If executed correctly, Final Fantasy XIV can be the next best online RPG to rock the gaming world. With Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and even Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Square Enix could be looking at an amazing 2010 – 2011, and the PlayStation 3 could be in for the time of its life. I have a gut feeling this is going to be one of those hit or miss titles, and I sure hope it’s a hit.