I think Pyro's actually stopped doing the Power Rangers writeups, we had another reader who offered to do Hexagon, but we haven't hashed out everything for that yet.
Pretty much. Those episodes will air on schedule ITTL.
Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
- Thread starter RySenkari
- Start date
- Status
I think Pyro's actually stopped doing the Power Rangers writeups, we had another reader who offered to do Hexagon, but we haven't hashed out everything for that yet.
Pretty much. Those episodes will air on schedule ITTL.
Actually, better than IOTL. Arthur didn't get butterflied and there are a couple of original TTL shows that are doing quite well too. One of them is a puppet-based show that's sort of like Sesame Street but a bit more subdued and for slightly older kids, it's called The Treehouse and it takes place up in a huge treehouse where these Fraggle-like puppets hang out with elementary school kids. It's got music and animated shorts and it's one of the most popular shows on the channel. Then there's a 2-D animated show called Ducklings about three young ducklings who live on a pond, who walk and talk when the kids who live nearby aren't around. It's kind of like Hamtaro with ducks, but not quite so cutesy and somewhat more educational. Reading Rainbow is still around. And we also get Liberty's Kids, though not until fall 2003 (a year later than IOTL). This is kind of a way distant into the future spoiler, but remember Inez Delgado? One of her first major voice acting roles is as the voice of Flora on a PBS Kids animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery-winning Flora and Ulysses (which still gets written ITTL). It debuts in fall 2015 (two years after the release of the book) and immediately becomes a major hit, one of the biggest shows to hit PBS Kids in many years, with cross-demographic appeal.
Oh, I forgot to mention Nick Jr. It's still around and doing well. There's still Dora The Explorer, and Blue's Clues is still around... with Charlie Day as the host (having taken over from Steve after Steve left to pursue a music career). Blue's Clues lasts several seasons longer due to this, the show's ratings actually go UP after Day joins the show.
(Authors' Note: Charlie Day joining Blue's Clues was Clorox23's idea, which we thought was really neat so now it's canon.)
Wow. No Pokémon on KidsWB pretty much means it dies earlier. What ever happened to Jackie Chan Adventures?
And Fox Kids surviving a bit longer... but undoubtedly the programming block has to be up for sale. I'm surprised Saban isn't being sold to Disney.
And Fox Kids surviving a bit longer... but undoubtedly the programming block has to be up for sale. I'm surprised Saban isn't being sold to Disney.
Jackie Chan Adventures is sadly butterflied away. Batman Beyond did survive though, it was probably the last really popular show on the block. As for Saban, it's still kicking thanks to a more successful Power Rangers and a partnership with Sega to produce toys for some of its properties. It's hanging on by a thread but MIGHT get bailed out.
YES!
Okay, while that is good, does this mean It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is butterflied?
First off, I love that Charlie Day is doing Blues Clues that's hilarious. On PBS, what about Zoboomafoo and the Kraft Bros.? Or Zoom?
A world without that show would be, as Frank would say, trash.
Brandon Mull won't be an author ITTL. He MIGHT end up doing comedy as a career though.
Christopher Paolini is young enough that his writing career would be massively vulnerable to butterflies. As of December 2002, his science fiction novel Timereaders, about people who have the ability to see the future and travel into alternate timelines, is just hitting the bestseller charts.
James Patterson is still an author, and is doing less fantasy novels and more crime novels, at least as of 2002. He may branch out more into fantasy later on, so Maximum Ride is still a possibility.
Rick Riordan is a writer on ABC's Setsuna, Inc. He's still writing the Tres Navarre novels as well.
Unfortunately, yes. However, Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton are still writing together, so who knows what they'll come up with?
Zoboomafoo is still around, and the Kratt Bros. are still doing animal shows. Zoom doesn't exist, but the format does in the form of a show called Natti's Place, hosted by a young woman named Natalie ("Natti" for short) who leads a group of kids in a series of short skits and lessons. It doesn't last as long as OTL Zoom does because The Treehouse is a similar but much more popular show.
That was technically the first 2003 update, though it's basically New Year's Day 2003 as far as where we are in the timeline right now.
Deleted member 100251
@RySenkari
Thanks!
If Max Ride ends up still being a thing ITTL, I wouldn't mind helping out by writing about it.
Interesting to see where Brandon Mull might be going. Also nice to see that the other three are still writers.
Thanks!
If Max Ride ends up still being a thing ITTL, I wouldn't mind helping out by writing about it.
Interesting to see where Brandon Mull might be going. Also nice to see that the other three are still writers.
We'll let you know!
Oh, now I'm getting nostalgia feels.
It is a possibility but right now we can't say.
More then 321 Contact , I hope Where in the world is carmen Sandegio get revies.In my different channe timeline Ombam convies PBS to Reviel Carmen has part of rise to the top
Winter 2003 (Part 1) - The State Of Console MMORPGs
Star Trek Online
(Authors' Note: The idea for the Massively Multiplayer version of Star Trek Online was originally given to us by Paradox-less, though he initially proposed the game as an offline RPG.)
Star Trek Online is an MMORPG released for the Xbox and the PC in January 2003. Unlike OTL's game, which came out in 2010 and initially required a fee, Star Trek Online requires no monthly fee (though you do have to be an Xbox Live subscriber to play the game). The game includes both space shooter and third-person shooter elements, as the game includes both ship-to-ship combat and individual on-foot combat. There are a number of scenarios that can be played alone (and indeed, the early part of the game is played alone), though players can also team up with others on most of the later missions, and can also team up with squads of players in ship to ship combat missions (there's nothing approaching the scale of combat in OTL EVE Online, though when there are many players on each side, some of the space battles can get pretty spectacular). The player starts out as a space cadet, and undergoes training in Starfleet Academy, which serves as the game's tutorial mode. After finishing the tutorial level, the player is put on the Kobayashi Maru test before graduating from the academy and becoming an Ensign on a ship. The player can choose to serve on a ship with CPU crew members for scripted missions, or to join a ship with other players who may have achieved higher ranks. Either way, the player is able to work their way through the ranks to eventually become captain of their own ship. Once the player becomes captain, they have the option to crew their ship with their online buddies or to choose CPU crew members (or a mix of both). In addition to the game's original scenarios, which involve a new invading faction known as the Seccators (which players are able to join, providing the impetus for PvP combat), players can choose to relive scenarios from classic Star Trek series and films (and again, players can choose sides during these scenarios).
Star Trek Online gets a considerable amount of pre-release hype, due to being one of the Xbox's first sci-fi based MMO games. Initially, reviews are fair to good: the game's original scenarios are criticized for being fairly unimaginative compared to the scenarios from the classic series, and the PvP space combat has some hiccups. As time goes by and developers add more content to the game, it improves, especially once players are able to start as Klingons, Vulcans, or Romulans, options which are added to the PC version first and then come to the Xbox in late 2003/early 2004. Star Trek Online never develops a large online community, but it does have a devoted fanbase, and sales are about what the developers expected, with the PC version outselling the Xbox version 3-to-1.
-
Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2
Rather than create a slightly upgraded version, as with OTL's Phantasy Star Online ver. 2, Sega instead creates a sort of "expansion pack sequel" to the original game. Retailing for $39.99, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 features all of the previous game's content, with about 50% more missions added. New character classes are selectable, there are two new difficulty modes, and the level cap is doubled from the original game as well. While the final boss remains the same, there's an added "bonus boss" that serves as sort of the final boss of the new content, adding more storyline details to the original game and also teasing a possible new single-player Phantasy Star as well. The new content is "walled off" from the old content, so players of Vol. 2 and the original can still play with one another, but people with the original game can't play any of the new quests (though a downloaded update does allow them to view the new items and they also have their level cap raised). While the game's release does cause some controversy that Sega is "double dipping" those who purchased the original game, the company does offer a limited time special trade-in promotion where people can trade in their old game to get Vol. 2 for $14.99, alleviating some of the controversy. All in all, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 gets a positive reception, and brings more people into the PSO fold. Indeed, the game remains the most widely played console-exclusive MMORPG worldwide (though "console exclusive MMORPG" is a very small genre at this point) with hundreds of thousands of players and more coming in every day. The release of the game generates the largest Katana hardware sales spike since Sonic Neon, illustrating the popularity of the game and the drawing power of a unique experience to get people to purchase the Katana. Vol. 2, which is released in North America on the same day as Star Trek Online, outsells the Xbox version of that game on launch day 2-to-1 in the States...and that's with the disadvantage of being an expansion pack sequel to a previous game.
-
Wil Wheaton: Let's check out some of the new content in Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2. Now, I can't actually team up with Minya on the same Katana, so she's in another room so we can party up and kick some butt together. The game doesn't have voice chat, but we've got monitors here so that's how we're talking live to each other.
Minya Oh: *in split-screen with Wil* Hey there! *waving* My character's not all that powerful, but there are some new beginner's missions too, so we'll get in on one of those.
Wil: Minya is always holding me back.
Minya: Oh, I'm sorry, I don't play as much as you do. I don't sit in my room in the middle of the night guzzling down soda pop and pizza and level grinding way past my bedtime like you do.
Wil: We can go PvP right now.
Minya: *laughing*
Wil: Okay, Minya just picked up the Steel Combat Boots. Those are new, those weren't in the old PSO.
Minya: I just got a nice defense boost from these, nice!
*They continue playing, the current dungeon is a large red cave with lots of fire-based bad guys and there are a couple other parties exploring the cave as well.*
Minya: We're not alone in here!
Wil: Maybe we can get somebody to join us.
Minya: That'd be nice because I'm only level 3. *kills a fire bat* Level 4, all right!
*They continue to play until they run up against a giant fire-breathing frog monster*
Wil: I'm gonna let Minya kill this thing because if I was fighting it, I'd kill it real quick because of my high level.
Minya: *taking a beating* Maybe you should jump in!
Wil: No, I think you're okay.
Minya: *in critical health* Aaaaaaah!!!
*Another player jumps in and starts attacking the frog*
Minya: Oh... CriticalJackal77 saved me!
Wil: He is really whaling on that frog!
Minya: *gets in a few hits of her own, soon the frog goes down* All right! Level 5, too...oh, level 6!
Wil: That was pretty good, and we got some good items too.
Minya: So yeah, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 is a lot of fun, and don't worry if you didn't play the original because this is pretty much the original but really significantly improved.
Wil: We're going to keep playing PSO for a little bit longer, so join us after the break when we take on a more advanced mission and hopefully Minya doesn't get killed!
-from the January 22, 2003 episode of Epic on G4
-
Mindy Kaling: Nintendo has begun revealing its online plans for the upcoming Wave console, set to be released here in North America this March. The system released last month in Japan to rave reviews and record-breaking sales, but Nintendo's online network, the first official online network for any Nintendo console, hasn't gone up yet, leaving many players wondering when they'll be able to play with their friends around the world.
Patrick Clark: Now, Nintendo has revealed that Sony, their hardware partner for the past decade, will be a major player in their online strategy. The company's upcoming online network, which doesn't officially have a name, will be free, like competitor Sega's SegaNet service, but unlike Microsoft's Xbox Live service, which charges a yearly subscription. Players will get to create their own screen name and jump into a general online lobby in which they'll be able to compete with players in any online compatible game, including Mario Kart: Double Dash!, Killer Instinct 3, and Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame.
Mindy: Most intriguing for Nintendo's new system is the possibility that classic Nintendo games may be made available for download. This, following rumors that Sega will be opening an online store offering classic Master System and Genesis games for download on the Katana. Rumors that Sega and Apple have recently been entering into business negotiations may be related to this download service, which could open up the possibility of an iTunes-like store for online titles. While Sony's Ken Kutaragi has mentioned the idea of downloading classic NES, Super NES, and Super Nintendo CD games to the Nintendo Wave's hard drive, neither Nintendo nor Sony has made any mention of a download service thus far.
Patrick: Nintendo has announced that its online service will be ready for the North American launch of the game, meaning that Japanese players will have to make due with local multiplayer for the next couple of months until the Wave's official release on American shores.
Mindy: Sony has also announced the development of an online multiplayer game for next year, based on the Navy Seals. The idea, which Sony has had in the conceptual stages since 2000, was initially pitched as an offline shooter before being shelved to free up developers for oft-delayed adventure title Carpathia. We may hear more about the upcoming game at this year's E3.
-from the January 27, 2003 episode of G4 Weekly News
-
Blizzard's upcoming World Of Warcraft, scheduled for release sometime next year, is definitely the most intriguing new MMORPG to be announced in quite some time. With a massive world and the strength of the Warcraft lore behind it, the game is set to become the most popular online multiplayer title on the market when it's released, and Blizzard hopes to create a game that will stand the test of time, as Sony's PirateQuest and EA's Ultima Online have done. It'll also have to compete with what's considered to be 2002's best MMORPG: Castle Ruin, which is growing rapidly in monthly subscribers and has become the #5 MMORPG overall. While the scale of Castle Ruin's somewhat claustrophobic towns doesn't compare to what Blizzard has in mind for WoW, its addictive gameplay and intense strategizing, which its players have compared to the finest tabletop RPGs, have made it somewhat unique among online RPGs, which typically tend more toward a hack-and-slash feel. However, Blizzard is hoping to make World of Warcraft the most accessible MMORPG ever made, and while impressed by Castle Ruin's deep strategic gameplay, don't feel the need to compete with the game on such a deep level. Instead, they're seeking to create a game that's easy to learn but impossible to leave. Only time will tell whether their new game has what it takes to compete with the big boys.
World of Warcraft has been confirmed to be a computer exclusive game, which may disappoint console diehards seeking a hardcore MMORPG experience. Star Trek Online is looking to quench some of that thirst for Xbox players, and Phantasy Star Online, which just received an update that should be hitting stores as you read this, is the most popular console MMORPG ever released. But Squaresoft is looking to bring a true MMORPG experience to both the console and the PC, and Final Fantasy Online is perhaps the most ambitious MMORPG ever attempted. Combining classic Final Fantasy worlds with online gameplay, Final Fantasy Online is scheduled for a late 2004 release and will hit the Wave first and the PC in 2005. The early screenshots look spectacular, and they're from the Wave version of the game, which looks as good as anything we've seen on PC (demonstrating the Wave's incredible power). It looks to play similarly to the upcoming World of Warcraft, and it seems that the two games are on a collision course to compete not only for the title of best MMORPG of 2004, but perhaps best overall game. The game was originally conceived as Final Fantasy XI, but, said series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, an employee at Square convinced Sakaguchi to keep the online series separate from the main numbered series, saying that "this is a completely unique experience and should be treated as such". The employee was later confirmed to be Tetsuya Takahashi, who is doing some scenario work for the game, and is at work on another original RPG for the company, also set to be released next year.
MMORPGs have been among the biggest PC hits of the last decade, and now the genre is poised to take the console world by storm. With all three next-generation consoles capable of online gameplay, the internet is about to make its mark on gaming in a lasting way, and it's the RPG that's leading the way to this revolution.
-from an article in the February 2003 issue of GameInformer magazine
(Authors' Note: The idea for the Massively Multiplayer version of Star Trek Online was originally given to us by Paradox-less, though he initially proposed the game as an offline RPG.)
Star Trek Online is an MMORPG released for the Xbox and the PC in January 2003. Unlike OTL's game, which came out in 2010 and initially required a fee, Star Trek Online requires no monthly fee (though you do have to be an Xbox Live subscriber to play the game). The game includes both space shooter and third-person shooter elements, as the game includes both ship-to-ship combat and individual on-foot combat. There are a number of scenarios that can be played alone (and indeed, the early part of the game is played alone), though players can also team up with others on most of the later missions, and can also team up with squads of players in ship to ship combat missions (there's nothing approaching the scale of combat in OTL EVE Online, though when there are many players on each side, some of the space battles can get pretty spectacular). The player starts out as a space cadet, and undergoes training in Starfleet Academy, which serves as the game's tutorial mode. After finishing the tutorial level, the player is put on the Kobayashi Maru test before graduating from the academy and becoming an Ensign on a ship. The player can choose to serve on a ship with CPU crew members for scripted missions, or to join a ship with other players who may have achieved higher ranks. Either way, the player is able to work their way through the ranks to eventually become captain of their own ship. Once the player becomes captain, they have the option to crew their ship with their online buddies or to choose CPU crew members (or a mix of both). In addition to the game's original scenarios, which involve a new invading faction known as the Seccators (which players are able to join, providing the impetus for PvP combat), players can choose to relive scenarios from classic Star Trek series and films (and again, players can choose sides during these scenarios).
Star Trek Online gets a considerable amount of pre-release hype, due to being one of the Xbox's first sci-fi based MMO games. Initially, reviews are fair to good: the game's original scenarios are criticized for being fairly unimaginative compared to the scenarios from the classic series, and the PvP space combat has some hiccups. As time goes by and developers add more content to the game, it improves, especially once players are able to start as Klingons, Vulcans, or Romulans, options which are added to the PC version first and then come to the Xbox in late 2003/early 2004. Star Trek Online never develops a large online community, but it does have a devoted fanbase, and sales are about what the developers expected, with the PC version outselling the Xbox version 3-to-1.
-
Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2
Rather than create a slightly upgraded version, as with OTL's Phantasy Star Online ver. 2, Sega instead creates a sort of "expansion pack sequel" to the original game. Retailing for $39.99, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 features all of the previous game's content, with about 50% more missions added. New character classes are selectable, there are two new difficulty modes, and the level cap is doubled from the original game as well. While the final boss remains the same, there's an added "bonus boss" that serves as sort of the final boss of the new content, adding more storyline details to the original game and also teasing a possible new single-player Phantasy Star as well. The new content is "walled off" from the old content, so players of Vol. 2 and the original can still play with one another, but people with the original game can't play any of the new quests (though a downloaded update does allow them to view the new items and they also have their level cap raised). While the game's release does cause some controversy that Sega is "double dipping" those who purchased the original game, the company does offer a limited time special trade-in promotion where people can trade in their old game to get Vol. 2 for $14.99, alleviating some of the controversy. All in all, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 gets a positive reception, and brings more people into the PSO fold. Indeed, the game remains the most widely played console-exclusive MMORPG worldwide (though "console exclusive MMORPG" is a very small genre at this point) with hundreds of thousands of players and more coming in every day. The release of the game generates the largest Katana hardware sales spike since Sonic Neon, illustrating the popularity of the game and the drawing power of a unique experience to get people to purchase the Katana. Vol. 2, which is released in North America on the same day as Star Trek Online, outsells the Xbox version of that game on launch day 2-to-1 in the States...and that's with the disadvantage of being an expansion pack sequel to a previous game.
-
Wil Wheaton: Let's check out some of the new content in Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2. Now, I can't actually team up with Minya on the same Katana, so she's in another room so we can party up and kick some butt together. The game doesn't have voice chat, but we've got monitors here so that's how we're talking live to each other.
Minya Oh: *in split-screen with Wil* Hey there! *waving* My character's not all that powerful, but there are some new beginner's missions too, so we'll get in on one of those.
Wil: Minya is always holding me back.
Minya: Oh, I'm sorry, I don't play as much as you do. I don't sit in my room in the middle of the night guzzling down soda pop and pizza and level grinding way past my bedtime like you do.
Wil: We can go PvP right now.
Minya: *laughing*
Wil: Okay, Minya just picked up the Steel Combat Boots. Those are new, those weren't in the old PSO.
Minya: I just got a nice defense boost from these, nice!
*They continue playing, the current dungeon is a large red cave with lots of fire-based bad guys and there are a couple other parties exploring the cave as well.*
Minya: We're not alone in here!
Wil: Maybe we can get somebody to join us.
Minya: That'd be nice because I'm only level 3. *kills a fire bat* Level 4, all right!
*They continue to play until they run up against a giant fire-breathing frog monster*
Wil: I'm gonna let Minya kill this thing because if I was fighting it, I'd kill it real quick because of my high level.
Minya: *taking a beating* Maybe you should jump in!
Wil: No, I think you're okay.
Minya: *in critical health* Aaaaaaah!!!
*Another player jumps in and starts attacking the frog*
Minya: Oh... CriticalJackal77 saved me!
Wil: He is really whaling on that frog!
Minya: *gets in a few hits of her own, soon the frog goes down* All right! Level 5, too...oh, level 6!
Wil: That was pretty good, and we got some good items too.
Minya: So yeah, Phantasy Star Online Vol. 2 is a lot of fun, and don't worry if you didn't play the original because this is pretty much the original but really significantly improved.
Wil: We're going to keep playing PSO for a little bit longer, so join us after the break when we take on a more advanced mission and hopefully Minya doesn't get killed!
-from the January 22, 2003 episode of Epic on G4
-
Mindy Kaling: Nintendo has begun revealing its online plans for the upcoming Wave console, set to be released here in North America this March. The system released last month in Japan to rave reviews and record-breaking sales, but Nintendo's online network, the first official online network for any Nintendo console, hasn't gone up yet, leaving many players wondering when they'll be able to play with their friends around the world.
Patrick Clark: Now, Nintendo has revealed that Sony, their hardware partner for the past decade, will be a major player in their online strategy. The company's upcoming online network, which doesn't officially have a name, will be free, like competitor Sega's SegaNet service, but unlike Microsoft's Xbox Live service, which charges a yearly subscription. Players will get to create their own screen name and jump into a general online lobby in which they'll be able to compete with players in any online compatible game, including Mario Kart: Double Dash!, Killer Instinct 3, and Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame.
Mindy: Most intriguing for Nintendo's new system is the possibility that classic Nintendo games may be made available for download. This, following rumors that Sega will be opening an online store offering classic Master System and Genesis games for download on the Katana. Rumors that Sega and Apple have recently been entering into business negotiations may be related to this download service, which could open up the possibility of an iTunes-like store for online titles. While Sony's Ken Kutaragi has mentioned the idea of downloading classic NES, Super NES, and Super Nintendo CD games to the Nintendo Wave's hard drive, neither Nintendo nor Sony has made any mention of a download service thus far.
Patrick: Nintendo has announced that its online service will be ready for the North American launch of the game, meaning that Japanese players will have to make due with local multiplayer for the next couple of months until the Wave's official release on American shores.
Mindy: Sony has also announced the development of an online multiplayer game for next year, based on the Navy Seals. The idea, which Sony has had in the conceptual stages since 2000, was initially pitched as an offline shooter before being shelved to free up developers for oft-delayed adventure title Carpathia. We may hear more about the upcoming game at this year's E3.
-from the January 27, 2003 episode of G4 Weekly News
-
Blizzard's upcoming World Of Warcraft, scheduled for release sometime next year, is definitely the most intriguing new MMORPG to be announced in quite some time. With a massive world and the strength of the Warcraft lore behind it, the game is set to become the most popular online multiplayer title on the market when it's released, and Blizzard hopes to create a game that will stand the test of time, as Sony's PirateQuest and EA's Ultima Online have done. It'll also have to compete with what's considered to be 2002's best MMORPG: Castle Ruin, which is growing rapidly in monthly subscribers and has become the #5 MMORPG overall. While the scale of Castle Ruin's somewhat claustrophobic towns doesn't compare to what Blizzard has in mind for WoW, its addictive gameplay and intense strategizing, which its players have compared to the finest tabletop RPGs, have made it somewhat unique among online RPGs, which typically tend more toward a hack-and-slash feel. However, Blizzard is hoping to make World of Warcraft the most accessible MMORPG ever made, and while impressed by Castle Ruin's deep strategic gameplay, don't feel the need to compete with the game on such a deep level. Instead, they're seeking to create a game that's easy to learn but impossible to leave. Only time will tell whether their new game has what it takes to compete with the big boys.
World of Warcraft has been confirmed to be a computer exclusive game, which may disappoint console diehards seeking a hardcore MMORPG experience. Star Trek Online is looking to quench some of that thirst for Xbox players, and Phantasy Star Online, which just received an update that should be hitting stores as you read this, is the most popular console MMORPG ever released. But Squaresoft is looking to bring a true MMORPG experience to both the console and the PC, and Final Fantasy Online is perhaps the most ambitious MMORPG ever attempted. Combining classic Final Fantasy worlds with online gameplay, Final Fantasy Online is scheduled for a late 2004 release and will hit the Wave first and the PC in 2005. The early screenshots look spectacular, and they're from the Wave version of the game, which looks as good as anything we've seen on PC (demonstrating the Wave's incredible power). It looks to play similarly to the upcoming World of Warcraft, and it seems that the two games are on a collision course to compete not only for the title of best MMORPG of 2004, but perhaps best overall game. The game was originally conceived as Final Fantasy XI, but, said series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, an employee at Square convinced Sakaguchi to keep the online series separate from the main numbered series, saying that "this is a completely unique experience and should be treated as such". The employee was later confirmed to be Tetsuya Takahashi, who is doing some scenario work for the game, and is at work on another original RPG for the company, also set to be released next year.
MMORPGs have been among the biggest PC hits of the last decade, and now the genre is poised to take the console world by storm. With all three next-generation consoles capable of online gameplay, the internet is about to make its mark on gaming in a lasting way, and it's the RPG that's leading the way to this revolution.
-from an article in the February 2003 issue of GameInformer magazine
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