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| | Title:
Final Fantasy XI
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
MMORPG
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Publisher:
Square-Enix
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Developer:
Square-Enix
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Release:
4/18/2006
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Teen (T)
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Anyone that is a true gamer knows that Final Fantasy is one of the most popular gaming series in the industry. Spanning many different platforms and going on its twelfth major game in the series, it's almost impossible not to take interest in these games. The latest addition to this massive series of games is Final Fantasy XI Online for the Xbox 360 console. FFXI is now Xbox 360's first ever massive multiplayer online game. Although it is brand new for the Xbox 360, FFXI roots all the way back to 2003 on the PC and 2004 on the PS2. So is this game a way for 360 gamers to finally get in on this action, or a lame, old, and crusty PC game that is being ported to the 360? To put it short, it is a mix of both.
The most amazing thing about Final Fantasy XI Online is that everybody in the world plays in the exact same game, or service. Whether you are playing on a PC, PS2, or Xbox 360 you will be playing in the same world. Whether you are in North America, Europe, or Japan, you will be playing in the exact same game as everybody else. That means other players could be on any of these platforms and basically anywhere in the world. This is the first time a game has created such of a wide network and allows for connectivity on so many different platforms. This is truly amazing; although, there are a few small drawbacks to this. Because not everyone speaks the same language, you can't communicate with everyone in the game.
Before purchasing this game, you need to realize the following:
• This game is online only.
• You must have an Xbox Live account. Both gold and silver accounts can play online and there are no differences.
• You must have a broadband connection to the Internet.
• You must have an Xbox 360 hard drive (doesn’t matter if you purchased it separately or not.)
• It is highly recommended that you have a USB keyboard (or at least a PS/2 keyboard with a converter,) to plug into your Xbox 360 and use.
• Retail game costs: $50
• First month of gameplay is free.
• Monthly subscription required to continue playing each month: $13
• Additional accounts can be registered for $1 each month.
Final Fantasy XI Online for the Xbox 360 includes three expansion packs in total. It includes the previous Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia, as well as the brand new Treasures of Aht Urhgan.
After you pop the disc into your Xbox 360, you will have to go through a very rigorous registration and installation process. In all, this process takes at least two full hours…seriously. The first thing that you have to do is install the PlayOnline software and then register an account with PlayOnline. This requires you to input all of your personal information and credit card info. Then you have to install FFXI; this part takes about an hour. Then you have to update FFXI, which takes about another hour. Then you have to enter a total of five 25 character codes to unlock all the expansions and get your account completely set up. You pretty much have to have a USB keyboard to use; otherwise you will be putting in loads of information with an onscreen keyboard. If you don't have a USB keyboard, it could actually take you about 5 hours to get everything set up properly. This isn't an exaggeration, it actually takes this long to install, register, verify, update, agree to terms, and whatever else.
The entire setup process is quite ridiculous and should have been streamlined for 360 users. Who wants to sit there for hours and hours entering tons and tons of information just to play a game? Not only that, but this game takes up a huge amount of space on the Xbox 360 hard drive. If you already have a bunch of demos and trailers on your hard drive, it might not even fit. If it does fit, after installing it correctly, you will only have a few gigabytes left on your hard drive.
Gameplay
After you get everything installed and working as it should, the first thing you do is create your character. The first part of this process allows you to choice your race and gender. There are a total of five different races and the main three have two different sexes. The different races range from normal looking humans, to tiny little midgets, to a giant fat beast. This is the character that you will use throughout the rest of the game, so it's important you spend a good deal of time on this process.
The next thing you get to choose is your main job. The main jobs consist of: Warrior, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, and Theif. The Mages are experts in magic. The White Mage specializes in healing and recovery spells and the Black Mage specializes in offensive spells. The Red Mage is a combination of the two and can use both white and black magic. The other races are fairly self-explanatory. The Warrior is good at fighting; the Monk is a martial artist who works well with weapons; and the Theif is good at stealing items rather than attacking somebody directly. When you first start out on one of these main jobs, your abilities will be very weak. However, once you continue playing the game you will continue to increase your experience levels. There are also a number of other and extra jobs that can be obtained later in the game and also due to the expansion packs included.
After creating your character you are thrown into the world of your choice and the game begins. From this point on is where the real meat of the game is. You could literally spend years playing this game and leveling up your character. The fact that there are numerous other real people playing the same game right along side of you just adds to the enjoyment. You can communicate with other players, form friends, and even creating parties of people. You can battle against a huge number of different enemies, trade items with other characters, obtain new jobs, travel to different worlds, and much more. However, the main point of the game is to work on the missions and quests built within the game. The missions are assignments that are given to you by your home nation. Quests are much usually much smaller tasks that are obtain from individual people in a city.
Finial Fantasy XI's strongest point is that it offers months and possibly even years of gameplay and replay value. However, if you aren't into MMO games, it is very easy to get lost and not understand exactly what you have to do in the game. If you are a big fan of MMOs and were looking into getting this game, you will definitely enjoy it.
Graphics
Compared to other Xbox 360 games to date, Final Fantasy XI probably has the worst visuals. It is very obvious that this is not a brand new game and has been on the PC for a few years. Although it's cool that it is playable in high definition, the graphics are still way outdated. Everything is not very detailed and the environment looks extremely dull. On the other hand, this Xbox 360 version does offer slightly better visuals then the older PC game. However, don't expect to be impressed by this games graphics.
Audio
The audio aspect of FFXI is nothing impressive either. The background music is often cheerful and interesting, but everything else seems to lack. There aren't many sound effects and none of them seem extremely realistic. Absolutely none of the dialogue has voices to go along with it, so you have to read everything that is going on. Although it would take an extremely long time to record the many voices of NPCs in this game, it would have added a lot to the game. Just like the graphics, don't expect to be impressed by the sound of FFXI.
Overall
Final Fantasy XI is Xbox 360's first MMO, but sadly it is nothing new. It is an older PC game that was ported to the 360 and it really still feels like an old PC game. You have to install it, use a keyboard (preferred,) and it has barely been improved. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy and have been looking into getting this game, you will enjoy its gameplay and how massive the game really is. If you are looking into getting something different for your Xbox 360, this just might be it. However, the only thing FFXI seems to have going for it is its gameplay, everything else is lacking in a big way. Overall, FFXI is a nice addition to the Xbox 360 library of games, but unless you were already looking forward to playing this on the 360, it honestly isn't worth your buck.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7 |
| Fun |
|
8 |
| Gameplay |
|
9 |
| Graphics |
|
5 |
| Audio |
|
5.5 |
| Replay |
|
8.5 |
|
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