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True Fantasy Live Online - Still Xbox's Killer MMO App?
Thanks to XBN for its in-depth preview of Level 5's Japanese-developed Xbox MMORPG, True Fantasy Live Online, the long-in-development Microsoft funded title which is finally "hitting Xbox Live in early summer 2004." The piece points out that Level 5's RPG portfolio "...is stunningly impressive; in addition to Microsoft's Fantasy, the studio is developing the Dark Cloud series for Sony and Dragon Quest VIII for Square Enix", before speaking to chief game designer Akihiro Hino, who "believes it's possible to play and enjoy a noncombat character without fighting for the entirety of a lifeline in Fantasy", and the article ends by boldly claiming: "Fantasy already has more environments, enemies, vehicles, items, skills, classes, monsters, pets, and foods than any console RPG to date." Are you remotely, significantly, or excessively excited about this Xbox Live exclusive title?
pay them to do it.
Is there a free way to make first and second party games?
This is not unusual at all. Nintendo is probably the only one who doesn't, but Sony does this all the time. It's a good way to test the waters with a developer, as Sony has often contracted out games and then bought the studio. In fact, Sony did very much the same thing with Guerilla Studios to make their "Halo-Killer", and then just recently bought them out. I think EA did the same thing; hired out Blackbox for a game or two and then bought them out. Happens all the time. Suddenly it's weird because Microsoft is doing it?
Half the time the PC versions of the XBOX games are crippled. Notably, many many XBOX games have co-op multiplayer abilities. None of the PC versions have this ability. :(
Halo PC has no co-op.
Lord of the Ring PC has no co-op.
Doom3 PC will not have co-op, but XBOX version will (makes me sad).
I would be quite interested in this if there was no additional charge except for the XBox Live subscription. In fact, I would be very interested in this game. I've always wanted to play a MMORPG like Star Wars Galaxies or Final Fantasy XI, but I can justify 15+ dollars a month plus the cost of my internet connection. What does XBox Live cost now? 50-60 bucks a year? I'm in. This article doesn't talk about subscription costs, though.
-my other sig is your mom
Damn, I KNEW we couldn't go one frickin /. article on a cool Xbox game without an obligitory troll.
And to answer your question, the Xbox provides the best of both the PC ports (games for XBox are ported to PX and vice versa, a la Knights of the Old Republic and Splinter Cell : Pandora Tomorrow), and console ports (There are very few multi-console games that don't look or play the best on the XBox, excepting SSX Tricky and Sonic Heroes), plus a bunch of stellar titles that are only on XBox (Ninja Gaiden, Project Gotham Racing 2, for example.) Xbox live is just the icing on the cake.
It's currently the best console out there in my eyes, with a Gamecube a close second (The genius of the first party games and some of the other third party games is unparalleled, but it needs more 'in the middle' kinds of games), and the Playstation 2 a distant third (I'm not that big of a fan of RPG's, a lot of the multiplatform stuff is better on Xbox, online play is a joke compared to XBL).
And I am quite looking forward to this game. I loved Dark Cloud, and I've played the hell out of Phantasy Star Online already.
And take your trolling elsewhere. We XBox fans have heard your rheteric to death, and quite frankly, we're sick of it. You're doing the equivilent of walking into a gay bar and calling someone a fag. Good thing you can't get a black eye on the internet, eh?