I got the PS3 beta codes recently for FFXIV: ARR. After half-a-day of downloading, I finally got the chance to play it. And wooooow! The game's awesome! Because I need to follow the NDA rule, I will not post any screenshots (even though I have some off-screen photos) and I will just give my impression to this high profile MMO title from Square-Enix.
It Looks Great
Even on the PS3 the game looks great. The game runs on a new game engine. Obviously the PC version is superior with its latest specs, that's why the graphics on the PS3 is on the low side, but it's still beautiful, wandering the streets of Ul'dah and the wilderness outside its walls are eye candy. The UI has been revamped to become user-friendly. It's cleaner and more presentable. I'm surprised that even using a controller, it's easy to navigate through the menus and HUD.
Plays Better Than Version 1.0
I didn't get the chance to play the old version, but this one plays better and faster than v1.0. I got in the game without a hitch. New features have been added to this game from the simplest (jumping through obstacles) to grandest (FATE system). The PS3 version framerate drops from (30fps to 25fps) when lots of stuff is going on, but it doesn't hinder the gameplay experience, the controls is as sharp as ever. I didn't experience any lag on the server I was on (Behemoth... awesome)
Controllers FTW!
The game plays well using a controller. And it seems the game's meant to be played by using a controller (of course using Keyboard and Mouse is a good way to play too). It's easy to use the skills/macros/emotes and other actions and assign them on the hotbar (the command shortcut bar on the HUD) Selecting targets can be done by pressing Left and Right on the d-pad and Up and Down when selecting your character and party members. Press Circle to select the closest target and press again circle to confirm, X for cancel, Triangle for jump and Square access the map, the menu's subcommand and can also be used to assign the commands to the hotbar. Press the START button to access the Main Menu, the SELECT button is used to navigate the HUD. And of course the Left Stick is to move the character and Right Stick rotates the camera. Access the commands through the crosshotbar by pressing L2/R2 and using the face buttons and d-pad to use a command. To select another hotbar set, press R1 and the facebuttons and d-pad. You can set-up up to 8 commands on one set, and you have 8 hotbar sets to experiment your commands on.
Controllers FTW!
The game plays well using a controller. And it seems the game's meant to be played by using a controller (of course using Keyboard and Mouse is a good way to play too). It's easy to use the skills/macros/emotes and other actions and assign them on the hotbar (the command shortcut bar on the HUD) Selecting targets can be done by pressing Left and Right on the d-pad and Up and Down when selecting your character and party members. Press Circle to select the closest target and press again circle to confirm, X for cancel, Triangle for jump and Square access the map, the menu's subcommand and can also be used to assign the commands to the hotbar. Press the START button to access the Main Menu, the SELECT button is used to navigate the HUD. And of course the Left Stick is to move the character and Right Stick rotates the camera. Access the commands through the crosshotbar by pressing L2/R2 and using the face buttons and d-pad to use a command. To select another hotbar set, press R1 and the facebuttons and d-pad. You can set-up up to 8 commands on one set, and you have 8 hotbar sets to experiment your commands on.
Well these are my impressions (so far...) I played the beta for 15 hours straight (I'm level 13 at this time) without any errors/crashes and latency issues. I haven't played any MMOs for 9 years and this is the time to play one again and it's FFXIV: ARR.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn release date is August 27, 2013 for the PS3 and PC and will soon arrive in PS4 in 2014.
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