Saturday, February 19, 2011

Final Fantasy XI


Final Fantasy XI (ファイナルファンタジーXI Fainaru Fantajī Irebun), also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square (later Square Enix) as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002. The PC version was released in North America on October 28, 2003, and the PlayStation 2 version on March 23, 2004. In Europe, only the Windows version was released, on September 17, 2004. An Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in April 2006 for all regions, as the system's first MMORPG and the first cross-platform MMORPG. All versions require a monthly subscription to the game and the Xbox 360 version does not require an Xbox Live Gold account to play.
The story is set in the fantasy world of Vana'diel, where player-created avatars can both compete and cooperate in a variety of objectives to develop an assortment of jobs, skills, and in-game item rewards. Players can also undertake an array of quests and progress through the in-game hierarchy and thus though the major plot of the game. Since its debut in 2002, four expansion packs have also been released, adding numerous areas, quests, and item rewards to the Final Fantasy XI world.
As of 2006, between 200,000 and 300,000 active players logged in per day, and the game was the dominant MMORPG in Japan. As of 2008, in an announcement for three additional expansions in development, SE noted Final Fantasy XI still has a strong user base of around 500,000 subscribers. In April 2009, Square Enix announced that the total number of active characters exceeded 2 million for the first time.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Final Fantasy X and X-2 Characters

Main characters of Final Fantasy X as shown from left to right: Kimahri Ronso, Rikku, Auron, Yuna, Lulu, Tidus and Wakka.
Characters of Final Fantasy X-2 as shown from left to right: Nooj, Rikku, Paine, Yuna, Lenne and Shuyin.
The tenth game of the Final Fantasy series, Square's 2001 bestselling console role playing game Final Fantasy X revolves around a summoner and her guardians aiming to defeat a creature known as "Sin" in the fictional universe of Spira. The characters were designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The game's sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, takes place two years after the events in Final Fantasy X and uses almost the same cast of characters.
There are seven main playable characters in Final Fantasy X. Tidus, a skilled blitzball star who is lost in the world of Spira after an encounter with Sin and searches for a way home. He joins the pilgrimage of the summoner Yuna who travels in order to defeat the creature alongside her guardians: Kimahri Ronso, a member of the Ronso tribe; Wakka, the captain of the blitzball team in Besaid; Lulu, a black mage; Auron, a powerful warrior and an old acquaintance of Tidus; and Rikku, Yuna's cousin who searches for a way to avoid Yuna's sacrifice in the fight against Sin. Final Fantasy X-2 features Yuna, Rikku, and Paine as playable characters. Unlike other games in the series, there are no optional or secret playable characters.
Several non-playable characters important to the story such as Tidus' father, Jecht, members from Rikku's family and other summoners. The primary antagonists of Final Fantasy X are Seymour Guado and the other maesters of the Yevon religion, while the malevolent creature known as Sin serves as the primary source of conflict. Final Fantasy X-2 features a new series of antagonists that alternate depending on how the player progresses the story.