Get the mics warmed up - 2.0: you're going to need voice acting
I think we can all agree the opening of FFXIV is spellbinding. From the opening of the ship to Limsa Lominsa to Yda waking up in the forest, that great voice acting really captured the world's attention. How disappointing it was that playing through the next chapter in your story was met by dull text boxes.
The dialogue in this game is so cleverly translated into English (thanks fernehalwes & crew) that it is just a shame so much of it isn't acted out with the great voice talent procured for FFXIV.
As 2.0 approaches, Square Enix has an interesting decision to make. Do they make this the game it always should have been, or recoil even further from their great financial losses by going conservative in regards to putting even more resources into FFXIV? We all know what the noble thing would be do to, and one's thing's for sure: full voice acting would be one way to distinguish the new FFXIV from the old.
As we all know, Bioware invested over $100 million into their MMO, and truly, its great contribution to the MMO genre is the voice acting and its method of group storytelling. Next to it, FFXIV looks like the product of a bygone era, when gamers mashed the controller button to advance lengthy text dialogue boxes. Blizzard is also preparing to launch a major new MMO in the years to come. Is Square Enix ready to show the world that it is a major player in the MMO field?
Square Enix has invested many years into FFXIV, although to be fair it hedged its investment by using the same team that was constantly working on FFXI. It didn't see the financial results it needed to see that year that it posted over a $100 million loss, but let's not forget the $40 million in revenues FFXIV generated through retail sales. Let's be realistic. Expecting to sell another 600,000 copies on the PS3 is truly a longshot. FFXIV has a lot to prove to PS3 owners. FFXIV's only real chance at success is to recapture its PC market. The goal should be to get all 600,000 PC players back along with another 400,000. And if Square Enix truly wishes to command that kind of attention, it had better get with the times and start making the phone calls to the casting directors. Start warming those mics up. Because you're going to need a lot more voice acting if you want this game to really stand out. Even World of Warcraft has a lot of (bad) voice acting in its dungeons and cities.
Yoshi-P, I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I trust you know what needs to be done. It's time to make that phone call to Wada and tell him to suck it up and get out his wallet. I hope he has the balls to look the world in the face with 2.0 and be ready to challenge the major players with a strong offering.
