First Real FF-XI Playstation2 Review on Epinions (updated)

OK folks, unlike all the other reviews under this category at the moment which focus on the PC version of the game that's been out for some months, this review is actually about the Playstation 2 version of the game which came out last week. So let's get started..

About the game:
This is the latest installment of the very successful Final Fantasy series coming out of Japan, by Square Enix. This one's a little different than the past ones in a few different ways. We'll get to that later.

This game comes in a large white box (see the e-pinions item "Final Fantasy XI with" to see what the graphics look like). It contains a 40 GB Hard Disk drive with most of the game pre-installed, a CD containing the game intro animation and PlayOnline viewer, and a 163-page instruction manual.

Installation process:
This is probably the worst part of this game. The process to start playing, from cutting the seal on the box, to watching your character start walking around Vana'diel, will probably take you at least an hour, with a couple of frustrated moments during that hour.

First of all, the menu systems and the way you're supposed to install the software, get a PlayOnline user ID, and enter the 5 (yes 5!) separate registration/activation codes, are totally unintuitive and hard to figure out. And I have a master's degree in Electrical and Computer engineering, so I can usually figure out software-based installations without too much difficulty.

The way they should have done it is a gradual process -- after whetting our appetite with the intro animation, let us play for a little while, and gradually get all the online stuff setup over time. Let me put it this way -- I consulted the manual reasonably often, and the Final Fantasy XI part of the manual doesn't even start until page 76!!!

I don't recommend this installation process for the faint-hearted. But if you have an hour or two, and really love Final Fantasy, it will probably be worth it. I started playing Final Fantasy X, and got totally addicted. Didn't really like FFX-2, and sold it, but I wanted to give this one a go.

Note: You will have to have a network adapter and Internet connection, and be OK with installing a hard drive into the playstation, to get things running. By the way, what has this world come to, that games come out ON hard drives now?? I must be getting old.

By the way, don't even THINK about trying to install this game without a USB keyboard. I forgot to take home a USB keyboard from work and didn't want to wait, so I installed with the controller's virtual keyboard, but it was worse than Chinese water torture. Don't do it.

Cost:
OK, here is probably the second worst part of this game. It costs around $99 right now; I got it on sale at Best Buy for $89. It will undoubtedly get cheaper. But the real drag is the $12.95 monthly fee for the PlayOnline system, that you must have to be able to play the game at all. This is probably gonna be a deal-killer for most people, especially younger kids who might want to play but don't have a credit card (the only way you can pay), and their parents don't want to shell out the $13 per month. That sucks.

Game Play:
So, there are actually two different games that come with this system -- TetraMaster, which apparently is a card game that was on previous versions of Final Fantasy, and FFXI itself. I haven't even tried TetraMaster yet, so I won't say anything about that.

Once you FINALLY make it into Vana'diel, gameplay is good. Now remember, folks, this is an *online* game, so you are playing with hundreds or thousands of people from North America and Japan. It's really cool to be able to talk to, and get help from, others, who I've generally found to be quite friendly. Again, you need the keyboard (mouse not really necessary). I have a 1.5M/768k DSL connection, and I still see some very slight glitches, but barely noticeable. I would probably NOT even try to use a dialup, though it says you can. But anyone who can get through the installation process is probably technical enough to already have a broadband connection. :-)

The graphics are reasonably good; on par with FFX. I have only played for a couple of days, so I know there are TONS of missions and animations still waiting for me on that 40 gigger. So I can't really give a full analysis yet; maybe I'll update this later.

Conclusions:
The installation process was not good. The price was a bit high, but the monthly fee is the worst part. The gameplay seems really enjoyable so far. Verdict still out on the storyline and fun factor.

Update: More about Game Play
Here are my impressions about the game play:
After you get through the 10 or 11 menus and dialog boxes after booting, and are finally in the virtual world Vana'diel (sorry about another rant :-), you will find yourself in a 3D world. Your name appears above your head, along with symbols signifying things like you have items to trade, etc. You start out in one of three kingdoms or societies, your home which you have picked for your character.

The left analog controller makes you move around, and the right controller moves your perspective. The camera follows you around, but you have to get used to its movement, because keeping the left stick in one direction does not keep you moving in the same direction like prior versions. Movement is relative to the camera angle.

One key difference of this version is that there is no "modality" that I've experienced so far. That is to say, there isn't a specific "battle" mode that you enter and exit.

You interact with items in your world by focusing on them with the directional keypad, and then clicking the X button to choose an action. So, for instance, attacking a vulture is carried out in much the same way as opening a door. You select the item, and then the appropriate action.

Once you are engaged in combat, you are locked on to an enemy unless you specifically choose a different one, and it is real-time, not turned-based. Your character is on "auto-pilot" until the battle is over, and will automatically strike the opponent whenever it is capable, and you can also cast spells by selecting them from the menu during combat. You can also form teams with other players and attack monsters together.

When you venture outside the town center areas, you are kind of in the wilderness, and various monsters will appear. Most of the easy ones which I've fought so far will not attack you until you attack them, but I'm starting to get up in levels, and some of them will come after you so watch out!

Dying-
Unlike FFX, when you die, the game is not over. You simple lose a number of experience points, and are returned to your home. Your home is a room in your home city which is your very own, and no one else enters. You have a storage locker where you can keep items, and a cute little bunny lives in there and watches over things for you. You can also change your home from one location to another, by activating special crystals in the appropriate town center.

Alchemy-
Although I haven't explored it too much, a lot of the quests seem to be based on gathering certain types of crystals and metal ores, and using alchemy to transform them into other items. You can buy almost everything if you go to the right spot, including scrolls to teach you spells, and the ingredients for alchemy. Like I said, I haven't used this feature much, yet.

There are also various types of armor and weapons you can collect and use, as would be expected. You are initially equipped with very basic armor pieces and a dagger or other weapon, depending on the character type you've chosen.

Quests-
There are many types of missions and quests, and the online play encourages people to form teams. There are things called "linkshells" which are shells you can buy and then activate, which produce "linkpearls" that you can give to your friends and use to communicate with each other (hence "link") wherever you are in the game.

That's all for now, folks...

(P.S. The reason I answered "would you recommend to a friend" as "No" is because my friends aren't really into PS2 or FF. If you are, then I would probably recommend it to you -- if you aren't shy about the $13/mo fee).