Game Evaluation Title: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Developed by: Square Unix Director/Producer:Naoki Yoshida Designer:Nobuaki Komoto Programmer: Hideyuki Kasuga Artists: Akihiko Yoshida Hiroshi Minagawa Writers: Kazutoyo Maehiro Yaeko Sato Composer:Masayoshi Soken

Basic Information Type of game: Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) Platform: PC and PS3 Minimum specifications: ● OSWindows® Vista 32/64bit, Windows® 7 32/64 bit, Windows® 8 32/64 bit ● CPUIntel® Core™2 Duo ● Memory2GB (4GB recommended for 64bit OS) ● Available space on hard disk/SSD20GB ● Graphics CardNVIDIA® Geforce® 8800 or higher, ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 or higher ● Screen Resolution1280x720 ● InternetPersistent broadband internet connection required ● Sound CardDirectSound® compatible sound card (DirectX® 9.0c or higher) ● DirectX®DirectX® 9.0c or higher

Basic Information Cont. Recommended specifications: ● OSWindows® 7 64 bit ● CPUIntel® Core™ i5 2.66GH ｚ ● Memory4GB ● Available space on hard disk/SSD20GB ● Graphics CardNVIDIA® Geforce® GTX 660 or higher, AMD Radeon™ HD 7950 or higher ● Screen Resolution1920x1080 ● InternetPersistent broadband internet connection required ● Sound CardDirectSound® compatible sound card (DirectX® 9.0c or higher) ● DirectX®DirectX® 9.0c or higher ● Price: $29.99 (PC) $39.99 (PS3) ● Subscription Fee: $14.99 /month

Game Summary Overview: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a follow up to the original Final Fantasy XIV. The game takes place after the apocalyptic conclusion of the first installment left the fictional land of Eorzea devastated. Disoriented by a time traveling escape you awake five years later in a rebuilding Eorzea and must aid in the defense of another impending invasion. Storyline: The game's storyline aids in telling the player about the events that occurred five years ago and works to unveil an evil plot that has been set in motion by a secret group of ancient magic users. Player's role: The role of the player is to aid the recovering land of Eorzea by defending the lands and uncovering a plot that could lead to their destruction. Installation: The game installs by a disc or by a download if on a PC

Game Summary Cont. User Interface: The UI uses a H.U.D approach displaying all needed actions and information right on the main screen. Many features of the UI can be turned on or off and the game also has a H.U.D customization menu allowing the user to change size and location of UI elements. Game play: User begins by creating a character choosing it's race and class which defines the user's role. The game is played in third person view using a mouse and keyboard or a game pad to control the character. The user is able to select from a set of abilities to use during combat and may also chain abilities together to cause additional damage or effects. As the player completes tasks and defeats enemies they earn experience point that will allow their character to advance gaining more attributes and abilities. As the character advances it will face increasingly harder tasks and enemies. The game also features group play where a small group of players is required to carry out and complete certain tasks.

Game Summary Cont. Scoring: The game uses and experienced based system rewarded to the player by defeating enemies or completing tasks. Certain aspects of the game reward bonus experience based on difficulty and time of completion. Artwork: The art was well done they kept it fairly simple with good detail giving it a good clean look with some flash and flare during combat to liven things up. Sound and Music: Their music is mainly some simply melodies with some more upbeat ones used during more intense moments. Combat also features weapon sounds and character voicing such and grunts. Special Features: The unique feature about this game is that the user is able to switch their character's class by simply changing the weapon their character is holding. Bugs: Some enemies can get stuck and prevent the completion of a task and some NPCs stop responding.

Game Review What's good: The artwork makes the game visually appealing while the combat system keeps the player engaged and the story keeps them interested. What's bad: Thought the music is decent it tends to feel very repetitive. The game is also very segmented which leads to a lot of loading screens. Compared: The game compares fairly well with similar games using some familiar elements which most players seem to like. Better/Worse: I find it a better game in the aspect that one character can be used for multiple classes, however the amount of loading that is done during game play can get rather irritating. Audience: The game is intended for the teen and up based on difficulty and content which is well suited for that age range.

Summary Strengths: The strengths of this game are it's good art, engaging combat and intriguing story. Weaknesses: The repetitive music and large amounts of loading are the main weaknesses of this title. Improvements: Combined areas to lower the amount of loading during area transitions. Worth the money: Overall I believe the game is worth the purchase if you don't mind a monthly fee because it does have good overall game play and story.