User Rating: 7.5 | Final Fantasy XI (PlayOnline Entry Disc) PS2
Final Fantasy XI was a good attempt at an online Final Fantasy. In the week that I was able to play it (thanks, Sony, for the crappy HDD), I enjoyed it somewhat. First of all, the price is somewhat steep. You must spend $100 for the game and HDD, and $12.95 a month plus $1 for each extra character and for Tetra Master, the online version of the FFIX card game. Luckily, you get a free month to try it, which is fairly standard for any MMORPG. The Battle System in FFXI is good. It cuts down on Kill Stealing as no one can attack what you've engaged unless you "Call for Help." I also like how to some extent, it doesn't feel like it's turn based since sometimes you can get a hit or two in before you get attacked. The Graphics in FFXI look pretty good to the unaided eye. The particle effects for spells is pretty nice, and so is the scenery and towns. I'm glad Squeenix made the graphics look good, and not really have the gameplay suffer. I liked the PlayOnline service, 'cause E-Mail and Chat on the PS2 owns. The buddy list feature is good too, as you can tell what game someone is playing from the PlayOnline menu or ingame. You can switch between the game and PlayOnline at pretty much anytime like a PC game (you stay logged in and where ever you were before you went to POL). Another cool thing about POL is that you can customize it by changing your POL Viewer's background like you can change your PC desktop's wallpaper. Sadly, this game isn't without some connectivity problems. The game runs pretty fine on an Analog (56k) modem, except for some lag spikes. These lag spikes really aren't that bad, except for when you are in town where there are lots of people. I didn't experience alot of lag, but when I did, it usually cleared up fairly quickly. Overall, FFXI is a pretty solid game. I would have enjoyed it more if the HDD didn't die on me. If you can get over the expenses and are a Final Fantasy nut, then you will definately want to get this game. If you've never tried an MMORPG before, I would suggest EverQuest Online Adventures. I still will commend Squeenix for a job well done. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it like I wanted to.
