Xbox 360 Games - Final Fantasy XI
Xbox 360 Games - Final Fantasy XI, Review Part I
by Andy Eddy
With the launch of Final Fantasy XI Online on Xbox 360, Square-Enix adds yet another platform for its long-running, massively multiplayer online (MMO) RPG, joining the PC and PlayStation 2.
The game also marks the console’s first MMO, giving Xbox 360 owners an opportunity for a second life in the persistent world of Vana’diel. There they can meet up with hundreds of the world’s residents—computer-controlled AI characters and those manned by players from around the globe—for conversation, quests, combat and more, 24/7.
However, Vana’diel has been around for a couple of years now, with Xbox 360 players somewhat like immigrants just off the boat from the homeland far away. What’s alien to the newcomers, others have been experiencing for some time. Will this new world, already well-established and -researched, offer enough for the neophytes or will it be a case of overpopulation in a land that’s been plundered and is now obsolete?
The good news is, there’s plenty of room and resources for everyone. As with most MMOs, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI from here on) offers a gigantic world, with a constant spawning of creatures, potential combatants and chat-mates (real and AI) to keep players busy. If you want to discover, you’ll have hours of roaming ahead of you before you’ve covered all of Vana’diel. If you want to smash and bash critters, there are acres of four- and two-legged antagonists waiting for you to start swinging. And there are hundreds of quests to be triggered by finding the right conversation to start.
Still others are content to minimize their conflicts in favor of the social and role-playing aspects of the game. If that’s the case and you’re looking for a graphics-driven chatroom experience, there are plenty of residents who’re happy to oblige you.
Perhaps best of all is, the Xbox 360 version of FFXI comes with the base game as well as the three expansion packs that were released over time to PC and PS2 players: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia and the Treasures of Aht Urhgan, which was released to all FFXI players the same day the Xbox 360 version shipped.
The downside, though, is that many of the veteran Vana’diel inhabitants have been here for some time, and there are plenty of online sites (such as Final Fantasy Vault) where you can find every tidbit, non-player character and quest documented down to the smallest detail. Okay, that can be good or bad depending on whether you’re satisfied seeking all this out on your own or if you’re the type who’ll opt for a cheat sheet the second you feel stuck.
And for those inexperienced in MMOs, the game also brings a monthly subscription cost. Granted, you don’t need to have an Xbox Live Gold account (which brings with it its own price), as FFXI is playable through the free Silver account, there’s a $12.95/month cost to keep your “Content ID” active. (Buying the game brings with it a free 30-day starter subscription.)
With all those on-the-surface considerations, what comes up on your screen when you load it up on your Xbox 360? (continued)
by Andy Eddy
With the launch of Final Fantasy XI Online on Xbox 360, Square-Enix adds yet another platform for its long-running, massively multiplayer online (MMO) RPG, joining the PC and PlayStation 2.
The game also marks the console’s first MMO, giving Xbox 360 owners an opportunity for a second life in the persistent world of Vana’diel. There they can meet up with hundreds of the world’s residents—computer-controlled AI characters and those manned by players from around the globe—for conversation, quests, combat and more, 24/7.
However, Vana’diel has been around for a couple of years now, with Xbox 360 players somewhat like immigrants just off the boat from the homeland far away. What’s alien to the newcomers, others have been experiencing for some time. Will this new world, already well-established and -researched, offer enough for the neophytes or will it be a case of overpopulation in a land that’s been plundered and is now obsolete?
The good news is, there’s plenty of room and resources for everyone. As with most MMOs, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI from here on) offers a gigantic world, with a constant spawning of creatures, potential combatants and chat-mates (real and AI) to keep players busy. If you want to discover, you’ll have hours of roaming ahead of you before you’ve covered all of Vana’diel. If you want to smash and bash critters, there are acres of four- and two-legged antagonists waiting for you to start swinging. And there are hundreds of quests to be triggered by finding the right conversation to start.
Still others are content to minimize their conflicts in favor of the social and role-playing aspects of the game. If that’s the case and you’re looking for a graphics-driven chatroom experience, there are plenty of residents who’re happy to oblige you.
Perhaps best of all is, the Xbox 360 version of FFXI comes with the base game as well as the three expansion packs that were released over time to PC and PS2 players: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia and the Treasures of Aht Urhgan, which was released to all FFXI players the same day the Xbox 360 version shipped.
The downside, though, is that many of the veteran Vana’diel inhabitants have been here for some time, and there are plenty of online sites (such as Final Fantasy Vault) where you can find every tidbit, non-player character and quest documented down to the smallest detail. Okay, that can be good or bad depending on whether you’re satisfied seeking all this out on your own or if you’re the type who’ll opt for a cheat sheet the second you feel stuck.
And for those inexperienced in MMOs, the game also brings a monthly subscription cost. Granted, you don’t need to have an Xbox Live Gold account (which brings with it its own price), as FFXI is playable through the free Silver account, there’s a $12.95/month cost to keep your “Content ID” active. (Buying the game brings with it a free 30-day starter subscription.)
With all those on-the-surface considerations, what comes up on your screen when you load it up on your Xbox 360? (continued)
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