Welcome to this first istallment of 3³ Gaming NEWSday. I have a few news items I'd like to bring to all of your attention. As I am just starting this whole news thing here on the blog, I figured I would start out slow and just share with you what I have reported on EnixOrigin. I will also make sure to link you to the actual articles themselves, because it gives our site the hit, and hits are good. And don't worry, I will only use articles that I wrote for the site. Maybe in time if I require more writers on this blog I will allow for articles authored by others. But for now, what I write for the site is what I will post here.
XBOX Gold members get a treat this January by getting the opportunity to download and permanently own two Square Enix titles with their Games with Gold program. It is a great way to pick up these titles if you don’t already have them. Read more to find out which ones you can play for free for life.
The game Sleeping Dogs, a Square Enix title set in Hong Kong, is available for free with Games with Gold from January 1 through January 15, 2014 on XBOX Live. In Sleeping Dogs, you play as an undercover cop who is trying to take down the Triads. Normally priced at $19.99, it is an excellent opportunity to pick up this game.
And starting on January 16, and running until the end of January, you can get Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for free with the Games with Gold program as well. In this game, you can either trek alone or with a friend as you face undead enemies while dodging deadly traps and collecting artifacts. You can nab this Games with Gold game for free instead of the $14.99 you would normally pay.
You only have a limited time to download each of these titles, so be sure to get your free downloadable copy. And unlike PS+ games you get for free; with Games with Gold, the free games are yours forever. Remember, Sleeping Dogs from January 1-15, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from January 16-31.
With the recent release of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Version 2.1 Patch titled A Realm Awoken, there will be a Free Login Weekend starting January 11, 2014, and ending January 13, 2014. This is a great opportunity to explore the world of Eorzea if you haven't done so in a while, as there have been quite a few changes since the game first came out. For more information on if you qualify for this free login, and some thoughts about the game from one of EnixOrigin's staff members who's also an avid player of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, continue reading.
The recent patch 2.1 for Final Fantasy XIV brought the new Crystal Tower 24-man raid, more difficult encounters with primals, PvP battles in the Wolves' Den, and more. In order to let players who maybe haven't played in a while a chance to get back into it and experience all of these changes. the Final Fantasy XIV team has announced a Free Login Weekend for players that may have stopped for whatever reason.
In order to qualify for this Free Login Weekend, you must have previously purchased and registered Final Fantasy XIV and whose service account is set as inactive during the campaign period. *Please visit the “FINAL FANTASY XIV: Mog Station” to confirm the status of your service account.
The campaign period lasts from January 11, 2014 at 08:00 GMT to January 13, 2014 at 08:00 GMT. And if you need to download the client software, you may do so here.
Vox, a staff member of the EnixOrigin forum, has been playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn since the Summer of 2013 during the beta phase. He was kind enough to talk with me about his experiences in Eorzea and what he likes about Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. When asked about the changes the recent patch brought, Vox had this to say:
I asked Vox what his personal experience has been like playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and how it compares to other MMOs because he has been a MMO player for a long time. His response was
So get out there and take this Free Login Weekend opportunity to reacquaint yourself with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. With these recent patch 2.1 additions to the game, it is definitely worth another play.
Square Enix and mobile game company gloops, Inc. are teaming up for what is rumored to beDestiny VIII. The pair have released a teaser site giving that more will be known on January 8, 2014. Continue reading for speculation on what it could be.
Among Square Enix’s most famous titles, are a group of equally famous mobile games. gloops, Inc. is similar known for its social games. So, one can speculate that this Destiny VIII will be a role-playing game with social game aspects. Some other sites are thinking it might be a game that incorporates characters from Final Fantasy VIII. Square Enix has dabbled in social games before. One of my favorites was Knights of the Crystals back at the end of 2011, a card battling game that made use of of Facebook friends also playing.
Among Square Enix’s most famous titles, are a group of equally famous mobile games. gloops, Inc. is similar known for its social games. So, one can speculate that this Destiny VIII will be a role-playing game with social game aspects. Some other sites are thinking it might be a game that incorporates characters from Final Fantasy VIII. Square Enix has dabbled in social games before. One of my favorites was Knights of the Crystals back at the end of 2011, a card battling game that made use of of Facebook friends also playing.XBOX Gold members get a treat this January by getting the opportunity to download and permanently own two Square Enix titles with their Games with Gold program. It is a great way to pick up these titles if you don’t already have them. Read more to find out which ones you can play for free for life.
The game Sleeping Dogs, a Square Enix title set in Hong Kong, is available for free with Games with Gold from January 1 through January 15, 2014 on XBOX Live. In Sleeping Dogs, you play as an undercover cop who is trying to take down the Triads. Normally priced at $19.99, it is an excellent opportunity to pick up this game.
And starting on January 16, and running until the end of January, you can get Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for free with the Games with Gold program as well. In this game, you can either trek alone or with a friend as you face undead enemies while dodging deadly traps and collecting artifacts. You can nab this Games with Gold game for free instead of the $14.99 you would normally pay.
You only have a limited time to download each of these titles, so be sure to get your free downloadable copy. And unlike PS+ games you get for free; with Games with Gold, the free games are yours forever. Remember, Sleeping Dogs from January 1-15, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from January 16-31.
The recent patch 2.1 for Final Fantasy XIV brought the new Crystal Tower 24-man raid, more difficult encounters with primals, PvP battles in the Wolves' Den, and more. In order to let players who maybe haven't played in a while a chance to get back into it and experience all of these changes. the Final Fantasy XIV team has announced a Free Login Weekend for players that may have stopped for whatever reason.
In order to qualify for this Free Login Weekend, you must have previously purchased and registered Final Fantasy XIV and whose service account is set as inactive during the campaign period. *Please visit the “FINAL FANTASY XIV: Mog Station” to confirm the status of your service account.
The campaign period lasts from January 11, 2014 at 08:00 GMT to January 13, 2014 at 08:00 GMT. And if you need to download the client software, you may do so here.
Vox, a staff member of the EnixOrigin forum, has been playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn since the Summer of 2013 during the beta phase. He was kind enough to talk with me about his experiences in Eorzea and what he likes about Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. When asked about the changes the recent patch brought, Vox had this to say:
The game itself feels like a whole new world. Once you hit end game before you were pretty much left with only 2 dungeons to do over and over again. That became extremely boring and you had to do these to get the proper currency to get better gear. But with the new patch they have installed tons of new dungeons and multiple more engaging ways to receive said currency. Making the overall experience just fresh again.
Before patch 2.1, leveling up to 50 was very tasking on a player; and in between major quests where you did not meet the level requirement, you had to do what was called " Fate Grinding", where you join other players in the open world and do the open world events as a team over, and over, and over again to get exp. But with 2.1, they have added more missions and more features to the Dungeon system, including increased experience.
Before if you were a damage class, you'd be sitting in the waiting queue for a dungeon for 40 minutes up to an hour or more! But they added the new Duty Roulette system where any player can join any dungeon at random and they receive rewards for it as well. This adds a bigger player pool for people to play with, which means the queues aren't as long anymore. Not to mention you get a ton more exp from them now. So if there were any classes you wanted to try out that you never had the chance to because leveling up seemed far to tasking , it's been made achievable.
Also they added PVP to the game and if you are the type to instead of fighting kobolds and dullahans you want to fight another player or challenge 4 players to a match, that new option is available to you. I personally haven't played much of it but its like a entire other community waiting for people to jump head first. There are so many new things to try out, learn, and experience with this new patch; and I'd strongly suggest any old players to at least give it a chance and come see it.One particular new feature in patch 2.1 is the Crystal Tower. It is a 24-man raid that focuses more on the teamwork side of the game, rather than solo dungeon crawling. As Vox told me...
Upon walking in it may seem intimidating at first due to it's large size. It's very challenging to both the new player and the more hardcore player depending on what class they chose to use. Each class has a role they are responsible for in the raid. It's really heavy on team work and communication.Vox himself has quite a few characters in Eorzea, including a Level 50 Summoner named Edward Elric and a Level 50 Tank called SonicThe'hedgehog. He even taught me a few things about the different kinds of characters. I had no idea that there were non-battling character classes in Final Fantasy XIV's world; like the Culinarian, that cooks food to gives players certain boosts and increases; Blacksmiths that make weapons and armor; Miners that mine crystals needed for item crafting, and Alchemists that make potions and magewear.
I asked Vox what his personal experience has been like playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and how it compares to other MMOs because he has been a MMO player for a long time. His response was
...it has been rare where I actually genuinely care about the story and progression of the world around me. A majority of MMO stories are just fodder to get you into the world. You really don't care much. You're only focused on getting stronger, and buying the bigger sword money can buy. But Final Fantasy XIV is just amazing at the core. The story is entertaining, it has plot twists and I actually couldn't wait to do the next mission to find out what happened next. Comparing it to any other MMOs I've played, they are lackluster at best. I can tell that Square Enix has taken a lot of time to get this game right. They put in tons of hard work and it shows.And as for his favorite part about the game, his reason on staying with the game for this long, the reason is clear.
It's a combination of all the aspects of the game really, but if I had to pinpoint one thing it would have to be the world itself. I enjoy being inside the world with my characters, leveling them up alongside the story with the NPCs, watching how my actions impacted the world and what changed because of the missions I took on and how powerful I've become from where I started. I'm the type of player to just love watching my progression and comparing to where I am now to where I came from.And if that wasn't enough to get you interested in playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, whether during the Free Login Weekend or anytime, Vox told me that the story of the game really gives players "the feels". There are characters from all throughout the Final Fantasy Universe, including Lightning, Cid, and others. Finally, Vox said that if you are the Midgarsomr server, feel free to add his characters SoncThe'hedgehog and Edward Elric if you need tips and tricks of the trade while playing. He is more than happy to help out anyone, and is willing to play along with any who ask him to join their party.
So get out there and take this Free Login Weekend opportunity to reacquaint yourself with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. With these recent patch 2.1 additions to the game, it is definitely worth another play.
And that's all of the gaming news I have for you this week. I hope some of you take advantage of these opportunities for free gaming experiences. If you want, leave a comment below telling me how the games are. I like hearing about gameplay experiences almost as much as I like playing myself. Well, that's all for this week's NEWSday. Come back on Thursday for the first Gaming Review.
Michael, aka me3lingual
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