User Reviews
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 Final Fantasy XI |  4.9
0 comments |
by  angel_tamer
from Brooklyn, , United States | Aug 12, 2004 |
THE GOOD:
Character interaction is twofold: there are non-playable characters that can tell stories or assign simple quests (most of them are fetch quests) and of course the online interaction with other FFXI players. Character creation is straight-forward, and the player can choose from five different races (each race having slight advantages and disadvantages in certain statistical areas) and customize their appearance. In reality, the appearance modifications are far too limited, and many of the players will end up seeing a double of them once, twice, maybe even a few times a day. This is one area I wish Square-Enix had put more thought into; with the vast world and various areas to explore in FFXI, one would think the character creation system would be littered with nuances and specifics to be altered to the player's desires.
THE BAD:
One issue that bothered me was the lack of a completely customizable control scheme. Though there are several options in terms of control, Final Fantasy XI's predetermined methods may not be to every player's liking. Controlling the character with the mouse proves sloppy, and it becomes necessary to use a traditional WASD style of control. SUMMARY:
Leveling up a character's job class is as simple as stepping outside a city or town's boundaries and engaging an enemy in combat. Early on, it is best for players to engage in solo combat to maximize the amount of experience they get. As time presses on, though, it becomes necessary for a player to group with five other characters and form a full party (each party is limited to six members, though alliances can be formed of multiple parties). These six adventurers will travel to popular dungeons or spawn areas for characters their level and do battle, working in tandem to vanquish the Shadow Lord's various foes and increase their skills, abilities, and experience. Battling is much like every other MMORPG; clicking on the enemy to engage, and based on weapons, statistics, etc., the character automatically physically attacks. Depending on the job class a character can use MP to cast spells, summon avatars, or even use special moves. Combat can become somewhat repetitive, but this is the case in every MMORPG; and when this happens, FFXI has dozens of options for the player to keep interested. One can fish, goldsmith, mine, or even learn how to cook. Much like combat abilities and jobs, these skills also gain experience and levels, and players can do things such as create armor or cook food (which are useful for status boosts) and make some extra money by selling their wares.
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| s0 wHutS 1T li|<3? |  4.7
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by  Jedah
| Jul 8, 2004 |
I've been a fan of FFXI since it first became mainstream with the release of FFVII on the original PSX. I have since played the majority of the games, and have become a huge fan of the series and other RPGs in general, which have proven to be deeper than I had ever expected upon initial assumption of the genre as a whole. This title, however, made me more sceptical towards the direction the game was taking the series, albeit for a single outing (for now, at least).
When I first entered the world of Final Fantasy XI, I was overwhelmed with the vast number of people that were present on my world. I found it frustratingly difficult to control my characters movements, initially, but this was quickly resolved by changing the configuration of control to "compact", which enabled me to use the WASD setup for movement. No sooner had I been online, had I been sent messages by veterans of the game asking if I was either a mule or an actual newbie to the game. I had looked up commands while the game was updating (which clocked in at roughly 2.5 hours), so felt reasonably comfortable with talking to people in private chat (aka /tell) or just talking in /say. I was helped out by being escorted to the gate of San d'Oria which led me to a zone where I could battle monsters for experience (EXP).
At first, I was very excited while I was levelling solo, but it eventually became a chore killing so many monsters around the same areas. By the time it became an utter drag, it was time for me to head to Valkurm and join parties. This game somewhat forces you to join parties from level 12 onwards. Getting EXP any other way would have been such a pain, and so slow, I would have wished for there to be an emote for /killself. Joining a party in Valkurm Dunes was nowhere near as bad as I had first perceived it to be. It was a refreshing change to killing the same things for hours upon end, and it helped me learn party dynamics and configurations, which jobs worked well, and which wouldn't. On the whole, I've heard alot of complaints about Valkurm Dunes, but I've had great experiences there that have helped me learn alot of information that have constantly been helpful from that point onwards. For me, partying was a turning point, as this was a wave of completely fresh FFXI from this point on.
The economy in FFXI is a constantly changing and developing one. There is a place in each major town/city known as an Auction House (AH), where you trade your items to other players, and here is where the majority of your money is made throughout the game. There are also guilds to join where you can improve certain crafting skills to make items and then sell at the AH. There are so many different ways of making money in this game, its unbelievable, but nobody should assume it is an easy task to raise enough money to buy armor for the next ten levels. With careful thought, it can be, but practise and learning to play the market will really help.
One thing I must say, is that you might tire of killing the same thing with a different name. For example, a low level mob in the Ronfaure region is a Goblin Fisher. Later in the game, you come across Goblin Butchers, which effectively use the same model, but appear to be slightly bigger and are higher level. I have never had a problem with this, but would find it alot more preferable if the same pallette wasn't used over and over.
When you reach level 18, you have the option (but more of a necessity) of getting what is known as a sub-job, which is basically a support job for your main. For example, a Warrior (WAR) might find it beneficial from using Monk (MNK) for the added stats that may help WAR tank (to hold the monsters attention) better. This sub-job can not be more than half of your main job, so it becomes capped if your WAR is 20, your MNK can be no higher than 10, despite it being levelled further in most cases. However, every two levels your main gains, your sub gains a single level. This allows you to access the sub-jobs abilities and traits when that sub-job has reached the appropriate level. When using a sub-job, it is best to think of what works well with whatever it is you are doing at the time... for example, you may be soloing, so using a sub of White Mage (WHM) would be helpful to heal and reduce downtime. However, when in a party, using WHM as a sub for a melee job wouldn't be helpful for the party at all... as your party should have a dedicated healer anyway. It is best to consider your role within the party when deciding what sub-job you wish to use.
Battle is performed in real time, which is very different to traditional Final Fantasy games. With the battles being real time, it would put off alot of console RPG fans, but I will say that I would have the battle system no other way, and I'm a turn based fan myself. It gives the sense of timing certain attacks, spells and abilities crucial to your own and your parties survival. Which can be, at very frequent moments, very exhilirating.
At level 30, you have the option of accepting quests that allow you to level an advanced job. These jobs are basically specialist jobs, some of which include Ranger (RNG), Ninja (NIN), Paladin (PLD), Dark Knight (DRK) and Summoner (SMN).
On the whole, I have been very pleased with this purchase. There's so much I've done so far, and so much I've yet to do. When logging into the game, I do not feel daunted at the fact that I might have to wait for a party for a longer than necessary period of time, as I'm always going to have people online to talk to while I wait. The social aspect of this game is also incredible. You have the option to be in what is referred to as a "linkshell", which is basically a chatroom for whoever has the same linkshell equipped. These are Final Fantasy XIs verison of guilds or clans.
As with every other MMORPG, you pay a monthly fee. In this case however, it is money well spent, as the servers are constantly updated and every effort is made to remove known glitches. That said, there are VERY few glitches and bugs in this game, and the fact that this game was first released in Japan early-mid 2002, giving this game enough time to have any issues ironed out.
If you're not sure if you want to play this game or not, there is a free month trial period included when you buy the game, so pick it up and give it a try to find out for yourself. In my opinion, this game is great for FF fans and MMORPG fans.
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Graphics: 4/5 - It is apparant that this game was made for the PS2, but still it is very aesthetic. I have a Radeon 9800XT, so its not like my PC is underspecced. I've played some better looking MMORPGs, namely Lineage II, though that said, FFXI still looks good. Some of the magic/skillchain effects are beautifully done.
Sound: 4/5 - I'm not a fan of the music in most of the places (the bagpipes in San d'Oria is a total killer eventually), but the sounds, especially while in battle, are awesome.
Controls: 4/5 - It took me a little while to change the configuration to something I was comfortable with. Once I had changed it though, I was happy.
Lasting Appeal: 5/5 - As said in a previous review: Its a MMORPG, so it never ends. There's always something to do and will keep you busy for months, and potentially years.
Gameplay: 4/5 - This is really dependant on whether you take a liking to the way the game plays. I feel that there is so much stuff to do in the game that there's enough to keep everyone interested. |
| 10 out of 14 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| Final Fantasy XI Review |  3.2
0 comments |
by  Wei Nan
| Apr 13, 2004 |
THE GOOD:
1) Play on-line with friends, family, or complete strangers.
2) Word translator button for English and Japanese.
3) On-line currency that you can spend in the world of Vana'diel.
4) Buy or sell items in the Auction Hall or tag yourself as a wandering merchant.
5) Gain levels and learn new abiliies to help you flourish your battle skills.
6) You can set up macros so that you don't have to do the same action repeatedly.
7) Wide ranges of lands, areas, and humongous cities/towns.
8) Very challenging to level, so it keeps you busy.
9) It's an RPG... hands down.
10) A wide variety of character looks.THE BAD:
1) The only way to heal manually is to type /heal.
2) Takes some time to download and update the files.
3) Cannot move with "letter" buttons, only with the numeric keypad.
4) Automatically begins to type when you accidently hit a "letter" key. SUMMARY:
Overall, this game is great. At the beginning of your experience, you may seem to become bored, but forget the boredom and level. As you become farther into the game and higher into the ranks, you will become seriously addicted. The story-line doesn't uncover itself until further into your quests and missions. A great game for all RPG'ers, and an almost perfect game for the harcore RPG'ers. |
| 7 out of 11 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| YES |  4.8
0 comments |
by  FFmaniac
from PITT, , | Oct 31, 2003 |
THE GOOD:
The Graphics, the battles, the trading, the people... just about everythingTHE BAD:
$13 US a month + 1 dollar for every other charecter, sometimes lags. Hard to access gil SUMMARY:
This is really the first MMORPG other than runescape and this thing is just amazing. If you have dial-up avoid this it will drive you mad. I have DSL it laggs a little but not too much. The battle system is very good they have every thing plotted down even the amount of time between consecutive attacks you make. The level up system is very good too. Every time you go up one level you get the old fashion IX music its sweet. The airships even though i haven't had the privellage to ride one yet look awsome. And the chocobos are here too. They have also brought the mogs back but i'm still yet to find their purpose. There is usally a fairy helpful enviorment to answer your questions or help you through out the game. Also the multiple ways to sell things is good too with the bazzar, auction house, and trading. Also the attention to detail is nice with the sounds and the way the make each charecter look. My one main problem is the gil. It is very hard to come by at all untill you get real strong and group with people to fight monsters. You will have trouble with money and stuff for a while so get use to the default equipment. Overall this game is one of the best so far and very hard too quit so if you got the money go buy this thing now. If I failed to answer any of your questions I recomend going to www.square-enix-usa.com to learn more about this increadible games. |
| 15 out of 21 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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| An Awsome looking game | 4.7
0 comments |
by  ice dragon
| Oct 25, 2003 |
THE GOOD:
everything but......THE BAD:
13$/month (no big deal)and online only SUMMARY:
For People who like rpgs and for some that dont, this game is going to be awsome. Yeah yeah there is a 13 dollar/month deal but thats a very fair asking price for such an great game. It uses all the good qualities of all current online rpgs (phantasy star online, Diablo II, Everquest etc.) and puts them all together. You can have 17 more players play with you. And play with other playes all around the world (all thanks to a language translator). You and your friends can form clans and strive to become the best in the game. Its an online only game only so you will need an internet connection. So if you are an Rpg fan or are new to this type of gaming (and even if your not) buy/try this game. I know i will.
For more info about this game look around neoseeker its the anwser to all your gaming needs |
| 8 out of 16 people found this review helpful. | Did you find this review helpful? YES NO |
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forums
4.46/5.0