And last but not least, SQEX released the new tracks for Ul’dah! Again I hope that “the old one’s” are not lost and will still appear somewhere in the game. Don’t want the awesome work of Nobuo Uematsu go to waist! But the new ones also sound awesome of course ^^/

Of course I also had to try this one out to see if my computer still will be able to run the newest version of that game as good as the previous one:

And so I got 6625 points on the highest settings! According to the official webpage that means my computer will be able to run it on a Very High Performance: Easily capable of running the game. Should perform exceptionally well, even at higher resolutions.

So not maximum but hey, my processor is already I think three years old and in computer-time that’s ages. So I can be happy that I will be able to run it on high settings with still good performance. At least during the benchmark I never noticed anything too laggy or anything that didn’t run smoothly :3

I would like to start this episode with a renewed version of one of the pictures that actually brought me to FFXI. It’s already a few years ago when I saw a news-post in a game-magazine showing some screenshots of the newest FINAL FANTASY part XI. One of the pictures showed the gate to San d’Oria in East Ronfaure and I was really impressed by that huge wall and the flags and the wood and everything! I just had to remake that picture to try to show you how awesome it was to me.
There were more pictures in that news-post and I will try to remake them as well so stay tuned for more ;D

The few next pictures I show you actually happened all during a small journey to the Arrapago Reef for a Weapon Trial. Because I was absent from FFXI for a while I really wanted to enjoy the boat ride and the whole world again. So Instead of just using a Staging Point I traveled there by boat and walking.
On the boat trip from Aht Urhgan Whitegate to Nashmau I took the chance to make these two pictures, the first one showing Mount Zhayolm and the second the Alzadaal Undersea Ruins.

The way then lead me through Caedarva Mire. Of course it was raining again. My character couldn’t get any more wet and thus I walked directly to the small pond where I could make that nice picture~

Last but not least I made it to the Arrapago Reef! And luckily the weather was perfect for the Weapon Trial I was working on – Dark Fog. Always creepy that reef but somehow I like the look of it.. if there wouldn’t be all these monsters XD

Because I forgot to take a Warp Scroll or any of that sort with me and because I didn’t want to loose EXP I traveled back out of the reef and up to the Azouph Isle Staging Point. The weather didn’t change much in the meantime, there way was no more rain but the fog was still hanging low over the trees.

And so I was back in Aht Urhgan Whitegate again and could finish my Trail with a fast warp to Jeuno!

This picture was taken during a nightly airship ride from Jeuno to Bastok. The sky was nice and clear and I could get a nice view to the present Grauberg! Yes indeed, this mountain you can see is Grauberg in the present! Think about it and you will notice that it’s the case!

The journey on the airship where I could see Grauberg in the present made me think about another thing I could try.. a comparison of past and present places! Because of that I took the first chance I could get and made this little comparison of the Cavernous Maw in Sauromugue Champaign [S] and the present Sauromugue Champaign. I think it did turn out quite well ^^/

And I’m already at the last picture for this issue again~ Back to the roots, back to the basics, here the hot springs in South Gustaberg! Nowadays it’s a pretty calm place but years ago when I started my adventure that place was completely crowded with people! Why you may ask? because of a certain monster called Leaping Lizzy and its boots. Some may don’t know that but in early years it did drop different boots, such which were not “Exclusive” and could be sold at the auction house. And they got sold. For ridiculously high prices! No wonder that place was always so crowded with people trying to get these boots and sell them for profit. Actually I’m both glad and sad that this got changed. Glad because it’s now a lot easier for anyone to get these boots since there are no more campers here for profit, sad because you must camp it yourself and spend a lot of time and can not easily buy it in the auction house if you actually have the money ready ^^; And you cannot sell or give them to friends in case you already have them and don’t need them again…

Okay so that’s it for today! Of course I will keep this series running and with the new expansion that is about to start soon there will be even more areas that are screaming for screenshots! I just hope SQEX will be able to solve the problem of the European download market in time~

SQEX released another music-video featuring tracks from FFXIV-ARR, this time from Gridania and the surrounding areas. The special thing about them however is the little blog-entry SQEX made with the video. In it they say that there will be different music tracks for each area depending on the time (and maybe even the weather)! I am really looking forward to it and what we can hear in that video is surly first class music as we love it ^^

Only thing I want to state out is, that I hope they did not abandon the original music from FFXIV. The tracks they had before also are really great and I hope they reappear somewhere in the game at a certain time and weather condition~

Here now the fifth and last batch of the #recollection. Dalamud will now have the most important role and will be seen the most on these screenshots. I tried to capture it in all its different stages, from the first appearance over the star-shower and aurora till the final storm.
But I also would love to show some areas I did not yet include in the previous posts. Be surprised and enjoy the pictures.

As you may know, the end started with some thing new. A red moon appeared on the sky. No one really knew what was up with it and it’s red color actually was very appealing.

Inside the cities you may could see the moon but the life continued on as always. For example here in the beautiful hall of the Thaumaturge guild.

Outside of the cities it slowly started to change.. The weather for example became more violent. Here a strong sand storm in Thanalan.

So far it always turned morning again. And it always stayed beautiful~

 On the way to the Ferry Docks in Thanalan.

Right before the Ferry Docks.

From these Ferry Docks you could see that small island and I always wondered who might live in that house.

 Then suddenly, the Garleans built a new fort in Mor Dhona called Castrum Novum. And the moon got a name: Dalamud

 Not long after the Garleans had built the fort the sky started to change again.

 A star.shower and beautiful aurora started to change the sky and color it with red and green and white and blue. Here Ul’dah shown with that shower.

 Also during the night it continued and in the cities more and more people now noticed that something was about to change. It was frighting but also so beautiful at the same time.

Life went on but the cities started to prepare for a battle. Here the smiths in Limsa Lominsa which started to work harder than ever.

In all parts of the cities you could see that something was about to happen..

Here a nice shot taken during the training with the guns deep in down in Limsa Lominsa.

 And then it was clear. The battle would take place in Mor Dhona. The sky again changed. First it rained.

 Then a last bright night..

 Followed by a beautiful morning. It was like a beautiful farewell and good luck from Mor Dhona.

 Because soon after the sky turned black again. One big thunderstorm covered the whole land. In that last hours I noticed these flags over Limsa Lominsa which were still hanging there and waving in the wind. I knew as long as these flags are waving there, it was not over. They were a beautiful sign on strength to me. They kept hanging in the strong wind and even though they had to twist and turn with it everyone could see that they wanted us to keep our place.

And then the final stage.. Dalamud was about to crash unveiling its dark secret which you now know… Bahamut

That’s it. FFXIV was over with that last picture. But our story is not! The Real will get Reborn soon and we will keep looking in the new world for the most beautiful places! Come with me and let us discover a new world!

Another new video appeared! This time it even features BETA content! But wait.. it’s not about what you see but what you can hear! SQEX released the new music for Limsa Lominsa and the surrounding La Noscea area. Really great tunes! I am just worried about the old ones that they will disappear now >_<; I mean there was such a lot of effort and work put into the old tracks already and I would really get a bad mood if they disappeared completely.

Together with that video they also mention the new FINAL FANTASY Vocal Collection CD that will soon hit the Japanese  market. I did pre-ordered one for me and will tell you how the FFXIV-track Answers on the CD sounds like ^^/

Square Enix announced a new Music CD for FINAL FANTASY XI today! It will feature the music of the soon to be released new extension Seekers of Adoulin.

There’s also a new page online where you can listen to one of the new tracks already as background music. Also you get links to various shops where you can preorder the CD.
Of course I had to take the music already and save it for me ;D
You can listen to it here:

I’m really looking forward to a great new extension and great new music!

What a surprise we got! Out of the blue we get a video from Nintendo showing the two newest Pokémon editions for Nintendo 3DS called: Pokémon X & Pokémon Y

Additionally they opened a small website with the video and a few screenshots.

Of course we also got the look at new Pokémon and the communities all over are going cray already again over the three new starters ^^

As promised by SQEX, we got a little surprise last Monday with the release of the opening video of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn

Also they opened this website where you can apply for the beta-tests! If case you own FFXIII for PS3 you may also still have the beta-code for the PS3 version and can now finally enter it!

The beta is said to start in mid to late February. Also we surly will be able to get a benchmark around that time to test if our computers are strong enough for the new game-engine.

A new trailer and a brand new website leads the adventurers into the lands to the west, to the far away continent of Ulbuka and the city Adoulin.

On the new website we find lots of pictures of Adoulin and the surrounding landscape.

Also they show us already some of the new monsters we’ll have to deal with~

I’m sure excited about the fifth expansion and will probably get it just for the eye-candies XD
SoA will be released 27th March, 2013 and only comes for PC and Xbox 360! Due to the limitation of the harddisk-size of the PS2, there won’t be any PS2 version!