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Dell Partners with Square
zenintrude writes "Gameforms is reporting that Square has signed a deal with Dell that will secure new Dell computers to be shipping with Final Fantasy XI pre-installed. This comes on the heels of another story involving Square partnering with nVidia, in which certain aspects/details in Final Fantasy XI will only be able to be accomplished with a geForce4 card."
Well, there are certain things a GF4 can do that older Radeons, etc, just can't do. They don't have the feature set. In that case, I don't mind so much if they use those features and then say "best with GF4" or something. But if they go out of their way to use pixelshaders on the GF4 and not support the equiv functionality on the Radeon 9700, for instance, that's just fucking shitty and people should boycott Square and Nvidia if that comes to pass. The last thing we need is another 3dfx Glide situation where games are pretty much card-specific.
nVidia has finally realized the edge it needs to put ATI under: marketing dollars. No amount of cool tech from ATI will stop the fact that Square signed this deal with nVidia. This is where the GeForce4 will get its' edge against the technically superior Radeon 9700 Pro.
It's the same way with Sony. If you can't win with better games, win with more money and an unstoppable juggernaut of a marketing department.
...these jokes are getting old.
But seriously, this could be a good thing and it could also be a bad thing. If FFXI gains enough popularity to generate the fanbase it needs in Japan, a US port (to PC) would be almost guaranteed. But, considering that nobody wants to pay (monthly) for FFXI after buying it, is giving it away free going to make people want to buy it? I think not. Take Everquest, for example-- you can pick up a jewel case copy for $10, a huge slash over what it was back in the day. I did this. And I stopped paying for it two months later, when I found that I don't like that style of game. If anything, it's going to get a huge fanbase for the first month or so and then everyone will quit.
Of course, that's all just my speculation, being a typical FF fan. See sig.
"Why Subscribe?" Good question...
I would imagine that Sony decided to bundle their pay-to-play game with Dell PCs because they sell better then their little niche-marketed Viao (spelling?).
It took someone long enough to understand how to deal with the MMORPG market, and it took Square to do it.
The thing is, rpgs of this sort are -addictive-. There isn't alot of gameplay to them, never has been. (I hold this true of games like NWN and the like; you don't actually -play- the game, you -experience- it. And this is addictive. It's also why I refuse to play them anymore.)
So what are they understanding? That 'Hey! You can give the game away for free and charge for subscription, like AOL cds!' If there's very little cost of entry, you're more likely to try it and, thus, be addicted by it. Behold, instant cash cow.
I'm just wondering why it took so long for companies to figure this out, seeing as how I've read speculation on this crap for years...
What? Don't think it'll sell? So quit trying to port XI.
"You're never ready, just less unprepared."
Square's been doing this stuff forever.. Remember Super Mario RPG? Actually, that Disney one looks kind of intriguing.. Probably pick that up for 'the kids'.
I'm just upset they're abandoning the installed FF fanbase in favor of a 'trendy' MMORPG. What made the series great was the story lines, characters, the single player experience.
Now instead of leveling up to track down Sephiroth or defeat the Ultimate Weapon, I get to have Jimmy McNutsack in his parents basement in Iowa call me a 'big gay fag homo'.
I swear to god, those things are just irc chatrooms with 3d avatars, and less intelligent conversation.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Listen, I will make this point once, so listen up. I know you guys are regular Linux nuts, but when it comes to games, you obviously don't have a clue.
;) )
The reason Square is making so many 'exclusive' deals with Final Fantasy XI is because they want this product to be a success. MMORPGs, whether the cheap ****s who won't and never will float the monthly fee will admit it, are quit good and successful games. If this is a quality MMORPG, Square could have themselves a big money maker on their hands. Not only that, but an MMORPG that is insanely popular is a great way to get consumers interested in your other console games. Even better, its a good way to convince them to buy the console where near all Square games live.
( Exception being for portable Squaresoft games. No portable Sony system. )
Square knows it needs as many people playing its MMO as possible. More subscriptions means more monthly cash, more 'friends' of possible subscribers online, etc. . They don't want barriers such as 'which gaming system you prefer' to stand in the way of addicting you to their game. ( especially with that nice monthly fee
Basically, this story means that a great number of people will play this game purely because it comes with their new Dell computer. It ensures a greater online gaming population of players, and more subscriptions for Square. Its a smooth move.
I agree that SquareSoft has pushed out a large number of the FF series games, but have you taken a look at their other offerings?
Parasite Eve? I've had numerous hours playing, but more importantly, replaying the first of that series. As for the second one, it's still a good play.
FFT? Okay the name is the same, but the play is much different and welcome to replay.
There are also a couple of other RPG titles that I've yet to buy/play (Salsa(?) Frontier, etc).
So, I'd have to say that they put out more than just FF games and those ones are quite good.
and the Irishman took the fly in his hands and yelled, "spit it out!"
They can bundle a friggin' game, but where's the JVM?
That must be part of the "real operating system" option--the one that Dell doesn't offer.