We're glad to see that players are taking us up on our invitation to show off worlds we don't often get to see here on One Shots. Yesterday we were treated to the bizarre fashion stylings of a flying ninja, and today we're given a look at nighttime in Final Fantasy XI. This star-filled screenshot comes to us from Focant, who writes in to tell us a bit more about this scene: Nighttime in Jugner Forest during the calm between Orc attacks on the outpost held by San d'Oria. The sky in the most recent expansion Wings of the Goddess is by far the most vibrant in the game to date. Rarely will you journey into the past and not be in awe at the beautiful land that also happens to host the bloody and horrendous Crystal War.

If you've spotted a screenshot here that showed off one of the cool aspects of a zone, but somehow missed another part you think is pretty cool too, why not send your own viewpoint in? We're always on the lookout for more screenshots - especially of games we don't see as often as we'd like. Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and what game the image is from. We'll do the rest, and you'll get the credit!

Moogles. A rich, noble race that's been around for ages. Sure, their contributions to society are overlooked -- such as their dedication to keeping your house clean, changing your jobs, and acting like a save point in oh so many Final Fantasy worlds. But that doesn't mean that this race has many more things to share with society.

Things like haunted mog houses, engagement rings, and... um... mogfia bosses? What's going on here?

It's a Moogle Kupo d'Etat, the next add-on expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI! Just like the first pack, A Crystalline Prophecy, this expansion will once again provide a short storyline and an augmentable item at the end, all for the low price of 10 bucks.

This time around, it's the headpiece for the sets! The Champion's Galea, Anwig Salade, and Selenian Cap are all up for grabs once the mini-expansion is completed.

The add-on pack will be available for pre-order on July 5th, and will most likely roll out with the next version update later in July. Check out our gallery of some of the scenes from the upcoming pack, as well as our look at the new items!

My second week returning to Final Fantasy XI has come to a close. It's strange; I thought I was going to be a lot more frustrated with the game by this point, but apparently, I'm not. In fact, I've gotten halfway to level 16 on my Warrior. Check out week one if you'd like to read these in order.

It probably helps that I'm listening to podcasts and chilling on my bed/floor as I play. Having a wireless controller really frees up my ability to move around while playing an MMO. Sure, there are nice things about getting your groove going on the PC, but you can't prop up some pillows and kick back while killing some Clippers.

Now that I mention it, I killed so many Clippers this week that I could make a mountain of crab cake and live atop it as a king wearing a crown of crab claws.

A class action lawsuit has been filed earlier this week against Square-Enix North America for intentionally deceiving customers regarding hidden penalties and fees associated with the PlayOnline and Final Fantasy XI service.

The suit, filed on behalf of Esther Leong of San Francisco, is seeking over 5 million in damages. The suit also goes on to specifically list the penalties for the late payment of fees, the interest charges for unpaid fees, charges that occur while the game account is suspended, termination of game service for unpaid fees, and the termination of game data due to the late payment of fees as the specific causes of this lawsuit.

In Square-Enix's defense, however, the suit also lists the standard monthly subscription as being intentionally decieving. Final Fantasy XI's case does, in fact, say that additional online fees would be required and it also has a large sticker announcing "Free subscription for 30 days!" on the front of the box -- something more than most online games provide regarding their subscriptions.

We have contacted Square-Enix, and are currently waiting for their response to this matter.

[Via IGN.com]

Summer has arrived, July is only just around the corner and with it comes the gaming drought. This seems an opportune time to explore an old favorite, write about it and try to make it as interesting as possible. I figured, what MMO is less known about and more curious than Final Fantasy XI?

Plus, I'd never played it on a console, so this had the potential to be a semi-new experience at the very least. Something about that prospect has always intrigued me -- playing it the way it was originally designed. sorta. I mean, I did purchase the Xbox 360 version.

My goal with this idea is to crack open the sometimes mysterious world of Vana'diel to people who wish they could spare the time and patience to experience it themselves, but otherwise cannot or will not. But before that, a little bit of back story is required and I also need to actually get to those juicy story and boss bits.

Ah, rumors. We know the game was just announced, but there are three major reasons this rumor carries some weight. For one, Final Fantasy XIV has a 2010 release date, which makes sense considering the development team claims to have been working on the game for nearly five years now. Also, the dev team has expressed that they'd like to have a longer beta than the one Final Fantasy XI had -- one which was only around four months long.

The biggest piece of information regarding this rumor is its source -- discovered by newly built fansite Eorzeapedia -- of several Square Enix Europe job listings for new game testers and game masters. The listing is very clear that any applicants are required to have "good knowledge" of Final Fantsy XI, which ostensibly already has these jobs filled. If new people are being hired, it means the more seasoned team are being shifted to the developer's other MMO, namely Final Fantasy XIV. According to those listings, the new game masters begin work in early September.

Loose reasoning? Maybe just a little, but when considering the release date, development time and this new information it all seems to make sense. We'd love to get our hands on some FFXIV beta action any time this year, especially as early as September, so here's hoping it's true!

We know a decent amount about the general direction Final Fantasy XIV is headed. It'll be very pretty, have a similar-yet-different job system and feature all the classic trappings we've come to expect from the series. Oh, and PlayOnline is going bye-bye, which is something to be happy about.

Specifically, we know that the developers are aiming to create an MMO that allows many more styles of play than Final Fantasy XI does, meaning solo players who prefer both short and long term sessions will find the game accessible this time around. Final Fantasy XI is of course notorious for being one of the hardest MMOs around, and it's earned that reputation. And while the game has seen its share of difficulty smoothing, it's nowhere near as inviting to new players as, well, just about every other MMO on the market, really.

So does the prospect of a friendlier, safer and assuredly more accessible Final Fantasy interest those of you who wouldn't touch its predecessor with a ten foot Gunsword? Will you be looking out for further information or simply ignoring Final Fantsy XIV while you wait for something else to grab your attention?

74 people just woke up today and nearly fainted at the keyboard when they logged into Final Fantasy XI. Yes, that's right, the Mog Bonanza numbers have been revealed, along with the grand total of all of the prizes.

This year's lottery netted over 6,000,000 marbles sold across all of the FFXI servers, resulting in a grand total of over 12 billion (yes, billion with a B) gil being spent on the contest. As we stated earlier, the grand prizes of gil were influenced by the amount of gil in the contest, which resulted in some pretty intense amounts being offered to winners.

In short, 74 people now have the ability to claim the grand prize of 85,738,149 gil from their local Mog Bonanza moogle. Interested in the other prize amounts and winning numbers? Read onwards and we'll spill all of the stats on the winners.

Readers of Massively, ask not what your Final Fantasy XI nation can do for you, but how you can best tweet for your nation! Oh, and did we mention that there's fabulous prizes?

FFXIclopedia and Square-Enix have teamed up for a fun Twitter oriented contest, giving away three real life replicas of the nation rings in Final Fantasy XI. These nation rings aren't just cheap replicas either, as each ring is made of silver and retails for 115 bucks!

All you have to do is simply follow @ffxiclopedia and tweet why you support #windurst, #bastok, or #san d'oria in the form of a sentence. The contest will run until July 4th, and winners will be chosen on July 5th. The three winners, one from each nation's supporters, will win a replica of their nation's ring -- so choose your support wisely!

The city of Al Zahbi, the jewel of the East, is besieged on all sides. Her enemies build their reinforcements, storm through the outlying regions, and then beset their rage upon the walls of the city itself. But there is one hardened group of adventurers who will not let them pass -- who will not let the city fall. The Siren server.

Congratulations to the Siren server of Final Fantasy XI for having over 2,000 successful defenses of Al Zahbi without losing the city once! Yes, that's right, Siren is undefeated when it comes to stopping the hordes of beastmen from tearing the city apart. In fact, out of all of FFXI's 32 servers, they are the only undefeated server.

This also means that Siren has never lost the city in over three years of gameplay. Al Zahbi was released in the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack, which arrived to all territories in 2006. So cheers to you, Siren, for three years and 2,000 defenses of Al Zahbi. Keep that Astral Candescence safe!

Yes, yes, you're all clamoring about Final Fantasy XIV, but let's get real here people and get to the present. Final Fantasy XI isn't dead yet and it's getting itself a nice version update.

The upcoming version update will bring a new slew of Wings of the Goddess missions as usual, but players will also be able to look forward to seeing brand new areas of past Vana'diel being made available, more job adjustments like what was done with the White Mage, more additions to campaign and Moblin Maze Mongers, and even more that's still being kept secret.

The update is currently being scheduled for late July, but more information about the update will be released in the coming weeks. Keep your eyes peeled for more new things coming to FFXI!

So, unless you've been under a rock, you probably heard Sony squeeing in happiness about Final Fantasy XIV Online, otherwise known as just FFXIV. This is indeed the next MMO that Square-Enix has been hiding from prying eyes, and unlike the indications we got from the company a year ago, this is another Final Fantasy Online.

The reception, however, is quite mixed. Some people, like myself, are really psyched up for this next release in the online series. Others, however, are questioning why make a game like FFXIV when you already have FFXI. Why not just keep on working on FFXI? Don't we all remember how bad sequels work out in the MMO market? Why tempt fate by making a sequel?

Personally, I think the creation of this game is a good idea with all things considered. Final Fantasy brings a different perspective of play to the market -- one that it desperately needs at this point in time. What am I jabbering on about? Come on, follow me, and let's talk about why FFXIV is a good, good thing.