Cowlishaw, Brian2022-06-102022-06-102014Cowlishaw, B. (2014). Review of the video game, Final Fantasy XIV: Level Up Forever, 2013, by Square Enix. Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy. 1(1). http://journaldialogue.org/issues/issue-1/video-game-review-final-fantasy-xiv-level-up-forever/2378-23312378-2323http://journaldialogue.org/issues/issue-1/video-game-review-final-fantasy-xiv-level-up-forever/http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/6209After a disastrous premature release, a complete design and programming team change, and a sweeping revision of battle and interface systems that continued until the very last minute, Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) is at last online for good now and humming along smoothly. This addition to gaming’s most legendary franchise is rich, beautiful, addictive, and just plain fun. Final Fantasy XIV is so very well put together, such a massive time suck, such a brilliant combination of story, franchise-history, and gameplay elements that upon close inspection its true nature becomes clear: FFXIV is a work of evil calculating corporate genius that will conquer us all. Think I’m exaggerating? Try this, if you’ve ever played a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game): name everything that ever annoyed you in those games – EverQuest, World of Warcraft, FFXI – then see how FFXIV systematically, craftily takes the edge off those irritating elements...enAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United StatesType of access: Open AccessArticle