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Reviewed by Ian Johnston
Byline: Square Enix delivers yet another epic roleplaying experience.
The Final Fantasy series had a rather humble beginning on the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in Japan in 1987 - and in the U.S. in 1990 - the first Final Fantasy was a very basic, straightforward RPG by today's standards. The second and third games in the series (which are the fifth and sixth in the series in Japan), made their debut on the Super Nintendo. They were both landmark RPG's in their heyday and are highly sought after even now, demanding prices above and beyond their original retail price.
A few years later, in September of 1997, Final Fantasy VII was released for the PS1 in America. It quickly helped cement the PlayStation's hold as the gaming system of choice for the masses and became one of the most popular RPG's ever released. With a lineage like that Final Fantasy XI had a lot to live up to. Not only that, but given the PS2 version's hefty $100 price tag, it needed to be something really special. After all, how many games are truly worth $100? Considering the fact that most games can be beaten in short order and don't really have a tremendous amount of replay value, it would be hard to justify spending $100 on 99% of them, regardless of quality.
However, in Final Fantasy XI's case, the $100 price tag is money well spent. Simply put, FFXI is one of the most engrossing, involving, compelling RPG's ever made. It's one of those rare games that pulls you in and doesn't let go; a game where hours seem like minutes and there's always something new to see and do. The game's polish and production values are so good that you may be left wondering how this game was possible given the limitations of the PS2 hardware.
What's initially most striking about the game is its visual splendor. The environments you can explore are so humongous, varied, and detailed that you can wander around for hours and still only see a fraction of all there is to see. The game world, known as Vana'diel, is composed of four major regions. They are the Republic of Bastok, the Kingdom of San d'Oria, the Federation of Windurst, and the Grand Duchy of Jeuno. Each region is home to one of the different types of characters you can play as. Bastok is home to the giant Galkans and the Hume, San d'Oria is home to the Elvaan, Windurst is where the diminutive Tarutaru and the cat-like Mithra are from, and Jeuno is neutral.
Each region is an aggregate of many different, often disparate, locales that are interconnected. You can go from an arid environment like the Valkurm Dunes into a forested area like Western and Eastern Ronfaure. These environments are so striking not only because of their enormity, but because of how detailed they are. You can watch miniscule blades of grass fly along on the wind in the Konschtat Highlands, marvel at the beams of sunlight penetrating the canopy of trees in Western Ronfaure, or enjoy the flowing currents of the Zanbibi River in East Sarutabaruta. If you ever look skyward you may even notice the clouds slowly moving (provided you can see any) - a very nice touch indeed.
None of the environments are static whatsoever, so you'll always feel like you're immersed in a thriving ecosystem. You can even watch your character's chest extend and distend as he or she inhales and exhales. The characters themselves animate so well that you'd think they were motion captured. The only time the animation seems a bit too limited is during combat. Each character has two or three attack animations, which aren't really very impressive to look at. And considering how much time you have to spend fighting, it would have been nice if the battle animations were more detailed. Nevertheless, the character animation is extremely well done for the most part.
Each area is also populated with plenty of creatures to fight, so you'll have ample opportunity to put your combat skills to the test. Combat, however, can be fairly tricky. Different areas have enemies of varying strength, so it's never a good idea to simply walk up to an enemy and attack it, unless you're certain you can defeat all the enemies of a given area. By using the "Check" command, which informs you of an enemy's strength relative to yours, you can determine whether or not to fight. The different enemy classifications are "Too weak to be worthwhile", "Easy prey", "Decent challenge", "Tough", "Very tough", and "Incredibly tough". Fighting any enemy classified higher than "Decent challenge" is a gamble, particularly if they are "Very tough" or "Incredibly tough".
Therefore, fighting enemies that are a "Decent challenge" or weaker is fine if you're on your own, but fighting the tougher enemies requires a party. When you form a party you have to try and get players that are no more than one or two levels above or below you. The game utilizes an experience point penalty when players are in a party, so if you're in a party with someone who's a level 20 Warrior and you're only a level 12 Warrior you're hardly going to get any experience points.
The typical party makeup consists of three or four players that directly fight the enemy and one or two characters that keep their distance from the fray and heal the others. The different character classes are Warrior, White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Monk, and Thief. These are known as Standard Jobs. You can take on what are known as Extra Jobs upon reaching certain levels or satisfying other conditions. The Extra Jobs are Ranger, Summoner, Bard, Dark Knight, Paladin, and Beastmaster. You can also change your Standard Job at any time, though you get bumped back to level one. Once you reach level twenty in your primary job you can also take on a Standard Job as a sub-job. For example, a level twenty Warrior could also be a White Mage simultaneously.
The enemy AI is also very, very good, so incorporating strategy when fighting is a must. Some creatures, like Goblins and Quadavs, will attack you without provocation. If a "Very tough" or "Incredibly tough" creature is chasing you and you're on your own, your only option is to run and hope you can get to another area before they kill you. Another player may intervene on your behalf, but if they don't you just run and don't look back. Other creatures, like Sheep and Hornets, won't usually attack unless you attack them first. However, if you do attack them and end up disengaging because they're too tough, they will chase you until you either escape to another area or die. The more intelligent creatures, like Goblins and Quadavs, will even occasionally try and lure you towards their friends so they can gang up on you.
Text commands can be entered at any time, many of which are accompanied by an animation, such as poking, sitting, crying and waving. Some text commands, like dancing, only have an accompanying animation for certain character types. Galkans won't visibly dance, but Tarutaru will. Each command word is preceded by a backslash, such as /wave and /sit.
Thankfully, you can set macros, so you don't have to type the command in each time. You can even set lengthy, multi-lined macros that will announced what you're going to do before you do it. This is primarily to coordinate efforts with other players when you're in a party. For example, if you need to cast Provoke to force an enemy to engage you rather than a weaker party member, you can set that to a macro with an announcement that you're casting should you so desire. This is true also for special attacks, which you acquire as your proficiency with your weapon of choice improves.
You acquire weapons, armor, and just about anything else you need from shops, auction houses, enemies, or other players. Enemies will drop items that you can use or sell, you can trade with other players, or you buy and sell at a fixed price or at auction. Auction prices vary from region to region based on supply and demand, so it often pays to know where to sell and buy specific items. That can save you a lot of money, which is known as Gil. You get Gil by fighting enemies, selling items, or completing quests.
The attention to detail evident in the graphics is also apparent in the music and sound effects. Each area has its own distinct music, which really adds to their uniqueness. All of the tracks were composed specifically for the game too; no licensed music whatsoever. They do an excellent job of setting an emotional tone for the various areas. For example, the music in West Ronfaure is very whimsical, bringing forth thoughts of Robin Hood or Monty Python. In contrast, the music in Palborough Mines is quite tense, thereby evoking a feeling of nervousness as you peer to see what's around the next corner. There's also some standard battle music that's very fast paced and striking, but after you've heard it for the millionth time you'll probably stop noticing it.
Similarly, the sound effects are fantastic. You can listen to the sound of your footsteps, which change depending on what you're walking on, the sound of a river's rushing water, or the wailing winds of a sandstorm to name just a few. The multitudes of enemies also make their own distinct sounds, most of which are during battle. Your weapons clash as they strike an enemy, and the thump of your body as you collapse after dying is unmistakable. Every character can heal by simply "resting", which is accomplished by pushing in the left analog stick. It takes a while for your hit points to replenish, and you have to find a safe place to rest or you could be attacked.
If fighting and exploring were all you could do in the game it would still be a blast to play, but they're just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In every main region there are specific missions and quests you can go on. Missions are usually fairly involved, while quests can be as simple as finding a particular NPC (non-playable character) or fetching a certain item. The number of missions and quests you can go on is quite significant, so if that's all you did you'd be busy for a long, long time. Considering that said missions and quests often take you to different areas, it's important to be strong enough to survive in those areas. There are some places that you simply shouldn't venture around in alone unless you absolutely have to or you have other people to party with.
And it's those players that make Final Fantasy XI such a phenomenal experience. A lot of online games are filled with players that cheat, are rude, or are downright nasty. The culture in FFXI is nothing like that. Other players will guide you to your destination if you're lost. They will draw a pursuing enemy to them so that you can make a hasty retreat. They will even contact other players they know that can resurrect you if you happen to die. It's the kind of community of gamers that every online game should have. It's people having fun with other people in an environment of comradery and mutual respect. It's a sense of selflessness that FFXI players have - a true willingness to befriend and help their fellow players.
The game does have a few flaws, but they're so minor as to be virtually insignificant. For example, when shopping at one of the many auction houses, it would have been nice to have been able to search for a specific item by name, or even to sort the items in a particular category alphabetically or by price. Since there are so many items for sale at the auction houses, and because you'll invariably spend a lot of time at them buying things, a search function would have expedited the buying and selling process. Also, if you happen to be in an area that's full of other players, there can be substantial lag.
There is also quite a bit of popup in the open areas, but it's almost always way, way in the distance. Traveling is somewhat frustrating too at times since you can spend well over an hour just going from one location to another. In certain instances this can even involve a fifteen-minute boat ride. Running around and exploring is fun, but if you need to get somewhere because you're meeting someone, need a specific item, or simply have business there, the lengthy travel time can be burdensome.
Once you reach level twenty you can learn to ride a Chocobo, but in order to do so you have to spend actual hours earning its trust and doing various other things for it. If you're stuck running around on foot there is a cruise control function of sorts. By pressing L1 after you begin to run you will keep running without having to hold up on the left analog stick. Then it simply becomes a matter of steering your character in the direction you want to go in.
Another notable absence is the lack of voice chat, ala Socom 2. The only way to communicate with other players is through text chat, which is all but unusable unless you have a USB keyboard. Even with a keyboard it's a hassle because you have to stop playing in order to type. What's really nice about the chat though is the different forms it takes. You can purchase what's called a Linkshell and have a private chat with you and whomever else you want on it. You can switch to party chat for when you're in a party or public chat, which is seen by all the players in your vicinity.
Highs:
Great graphics, excellent music and sound effects, involving gameplay, fantastic community of players, tons to see and do.
Lows:
Traveling can be very time consuming, minimal popup at times, leveling up can take a long time, some significant lag, $100 price tag, reliance on a keyboard for communication, no voice chat, $13 monthly fee after free trial.
Verdict:
Any avid gamer will attest to the fact that, every so often, a games comes along that totally engrosses them. These are the kinds of games that you play for hours and hours on end; the games that you think about playing when you're not playing them. They are the "just fifteen more minutes" games and the games you rush home to play. Final Fantasy XI is undoubtedly one of those games.
It is so involving and addictive that perhaps Sony and Square Enix should consider putting a warning label on the box, something like "Caution: life altering game contained within". There is a somewhat understated warning about not neglecting school, work, family, and friends that is displayed before you start playing, but it's something you could easily miss if you don't bother reading everything. That said, if you love RPG's this game is a must have, without question. It may cost you upwards of $160 if you have to buy a keyboard and Network Adapter, and there's a $13 a month charge to play after the trial period expires, but it's money well spent. The game is just that fun.
99%
Copyright © 2004 Ian Johnston
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