TGS: PlayOnline and Final Fantasy XI impressions

   With Kingdom Hearts ruling its booth at the Fall 2001 Tokyo Game Show, Square was content to keep PlayOnline and Final Fantasy XI in video-only form. What they showed wasn't very informative--okay, it wasn't informative at all. But just so you don't feel left out, here's what TGS showgoers saw at Square's promotional video:

   A lot of Square employees talking about taking gamers and the Final Fantasy series online. Some cheesy real-life footage about how easy PlayOnline is to use and how much fun it is for gamers. Fun fact: this is the fourth batch of no-name actors they've hired to push PlayOnline; gamers have been subjected to the Spring 2000 TGS video, E3 2000 video, The Other Side of Final Fantasy video, and now this. Some exciting movies of Tetra Master! Cards are now heavily animated and explosive. Unfortunately, the original version of Tetra Master in Final Fantasy IX was unplayable due to unfathomable amounts of random, mathematical nonsense. It remains to be seen if the PlayOnline version's rules vary in any way.

   Finally, we reached the meat and potatoes of the promotional movie: Final Fantasy XI! The movie begins with some dramatic pans over still screen shots. Finally, we see some brief clips of characters running through towns, talking to each other, and otherwise generally standing about doing nothing. Names floated above characters' heads, as in the lobbies of Sega's Phantasy Star Online. Nary a single enemy or battle was to be seen; moreover, when more than six or so characters were on the screen at once, the frame rate became noticeably jerky. Finally, the new logo was introduced: the four Amano characters appeared rapidly and one-at-a-time, followed by the logo and subtitle. The movie ended with "Coming Soon on PlayOnline," a non-system-specific line that leaves the door open for other platforms.

   Square seemed content to let PlayOnline and Final Fantasy XI stay in the shadows while Kingdom Hearts grabbed showgoers' attention. However, with its upcoming software projects rapidly dwindling in number, Square can't keep Final Fantasy XI and PlayOnline out of the spotlight forever. For now, however, Square's online plans and software remain as nebulous as they have been for the past several years.