Sheesh… FINAL FANTASY XIII just came out here (Gia’s playing through it as we speak) and the hype machine’s already turning for FINAL FANTASY XIV. This makes me think of how an election won’t even be done before reporters start speculation on how the next election, four years down the line, will play out. How sixth grade was supposed to prepare you for seventh grade, which, in turn, was supposed to prepare you for eighth grade. Where was the grade that existed for itself?!
But I digress…
So, according to Kotaku, if you’ve purchased FFXIII, you can register your copy’s serial number for a chance to play the Beta of the FFXIV MMORPG. I stress that it's a chance because the opportunity is NOT guaranteed. No no no… not so fast, kemosabe. To participate in the Beta, you’ve got to jump through some hoops for Square first. You have to answer a lengthy questionnaire (although the result’s more fun than it is for the kind you fill out to work at Best Buy) about your internet speed, your router, whether you’ve played MMO’s before and, if so, if you were a guild leader. Then you leave your fate to the cruel whims of their selection process, since it’s your answers themselves, not the speed at which you make them, that will determine whether or not you get to play the beta.
Fret not, though… every customer of the Playstation 3 does get a FFXIV in-game item. Apparently Square ran a similar deal in Japan later last year, but I can’t vouch for how it played out, as I don't know anybody there. It’s going to be a long while before this game is even announced for consoles in the US, so if you’re just dying to play it, you’re going to have brave the dread tedium of a form application for your shot. Happy answering!
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia Comics. Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this March - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com .
