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Nice try - but there's so many little things

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 28 / 58
Date: November 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have a lot of opinions so let me just list them plain and simple.

This is not a bad game, but it is essentially a playstation 2 game on your computer with all the good and bad things that come along with it. Let me begin with the bad so we can end on a high note.

- horribly low resolution graphics. Everything looks grainy, with the distance looking horrible - just a bunch of moving squares that make you sick. The textures are lower res and look terrible upon getting too close. So PC users, welcome back to the long gone days of big square pixels that have been gone for so long. I'm sure this game looks great on a tv from ten feet away.

- the navigation of menus and chat don't appear to have been changed either. And the manual mentions nothing about being able to use a gamepad which would be much better suited to the task. So yeah, just imagine trying to play a typical final fantasy game with a mouse... its not fun. And to bring up menus which you would normally do with a button you push things like "-" or "Ctrl I". And these menus and chat windows all take up an absurdly large ammount of the screen because of the low resolution. There is no transparency option, and there are only about eight window backgrounds to select from... no of which are subtle. And you cannot type in numbers with the keyboard. You have to use arrows to select how much gold to bid at the auction house.

- There is a lack of races, and variation in the races. Everybody is going to look about the same for the most part. There are ten different faces to choose from, of which nobody will ever really notice the difference in real gameplay

- There is no guild support. There are no guilds in town for character classes. And there are no player guilds. This is a huge mistake imo, as it makes players have even less control over their world, and is going to significantly take away from the late game. Yeah, you can use your linkshell or whatever, but why not just put in full guild support like most people would want

- Lack of zone chat make for a very solitary experience, and the fact that nobody wants to group. Zones are overcrowded, there are too few monster spawns, and monsters do not spawn often enough. Noob zones should be swarming w/ monsters so noobs can lvl up and get out. Noob zones are swarming with players.

- Its just not that fun. The game feels sluggish. Movement speed feels slow. Characters can only manage to swing at a monster every couple/few seconds. The difficulty in leveling up - it feels equivalently slow as everquest - makes combat boring as initial characters have very few skills so every battle is almost identical, and slow at that. Some dungeons would certainly add to the game as well. If they are there, great, but I haven't seen any. And if its one of those things that you have to wait until higher lvls to do... well I am sick of rpg's that are suppossed to get "fun" once you reach x level. They should be fun from the start. This feeling of being a great adventurer is not helped by the fact that you are killing bunny rabbits, worms, sheep, and such. I have played several characters up to lvl 10. So I'm sure there is better stuff later, player grouping, and more fun, but would it kill them to make the beginning of the game fun?

- Steep learning curve. Useless manual. Playing the game essentially requires accessing 3rd party websites for information. Stupid quests and abusrdly difficult quests that could never reasonably be completed without help from the web.

The goods

- Its final fantasy.. come on. Graphics are creative and the monster models are good.

- The towns are filled with npc's which makes for a good feel as opposed to some rpg's with vacant towns. The towns are also large.

- Save points near many exits of towns so you don't have to walk forever.

- Its a hell of a lot better than many other mmorpgs... but not good enough for me to play anymore. I guess I'll get back to waiting for Blizzard to finish WOW.

There is just nothing in this game to draw me in and hold me. The game feels very static and sterile. I guess its just like playing your typical final fantasy game only it moves much more slowly, combat is not as fun, and there is not any story line, or atleast one that moves quickly enough to care about.

Frankly I just don't think pc users will put up with the shortcomings of a console designed game. If it were made for pc and slimmed down for the playstation that'd be fine. But the other way just doesn't fly, because pc users expect a lot more than this.

Patience Patience Patience!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed this game at the earlier levels, but as I progressed into the 20s I found the game to be a bit monotonous. There is A LOT of downime - waiting for mages to get mana, waiting to find the perfect monster, etc. Basically, there is a lot of waiting. I read an entire book (Runaway Jury) while waiting inbetween kills. That is the largest complaint I have, but I'm not the most patient person in the world either. Another problem I had was that because the game has been in Japan for awhile, all the Japanese players are a very high level and they "Farm" a lot of items. There is no such thing as a camp, nor is there such a thing as respecting a group who has waited patiently for a special monster to pop. Once a monster is attacked once than nobody else can attack it (thus preventing kill stealing). However, when a lvl 70 is able to claim a monster before a party is able to do anything then it can be argues what kill stealing exactly is. I ran into this a few times, thus I mention it.

On the positive side, the graphics were absolutely AMAZING! This game by far has better graphics than any other game I've played. With a nice suped up computer and graphics card, the views are truly spectacular. Additionally, the game has a continuous storyline, which adds to the gameplay.
When I break the game down to its simplest form I see that it is EQ with a lot more downtime, less treasure and items, and a longer time to level (which is what you will be trying to do at all times regardless of whatever anyone else says). I enjoyed the game, however I have become tired of it within a month. For perspective - I played EQ for about 1 1/2 yrs. before I became tired of it (I compare this game to EQ, because I know many ppl have played EQ). I hope this review helps!

An Excellent MMO

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: August 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Aside from the occasional spots of lag, I really have no complaints with this MMORPG. Many of the complaints of the other customers are gripes that you would have with any MMORPG: the leveling treadmills, lag, a large amount of time invested, its all there in any other MMORPG. For those who say you fight the same monsters, you have clearly not been a social person. The key to having great fun and leveling fast in this game is forming parties to fight hard monsters together. It is true that you will have to destroy a fair number of bumblebees and caterpillars until you reach about lvl 7, but then you will find a large number of people willing to party with you, and you get to see some of the big monsters that you see in the strategy guides and online screenshots. It doesn't even take THAT long to reach level 7 if you know what you are doing. I hit level 7 5 days after I installed the game. I personally find the leveling to be far less intense than other online games I have played, such as Runescape, and I overall find it to be the best so far. Just be prepared to put a lot of time into it.

Here are the starting races and classes:

Warrior: This is for a person who wants a very basic job. Pretty much in a party you will provoke the monster so the mages wont get attacked by it. Also be prepared to die for the party, if you dont like that idea then you are better suited for another class.

Thief: This is an excellent moneymaking class. You can steal things from monsters and use Sneak Attack for massive amounts of damage. Expect to solo for a little longer than most classes will. Good for someone who wants to hit hard but is not prepared to die for the sake of the party if things go awry.

Monk: Essentially a Warrior with lighter weapons that can attack more often. It is definitely a fun character to play.

White Mage: This is what the party lives off of. You heal your party members and as a result will gain massive levels, because everyone wants a WHM in their party! Just don't slack off in this job when it comes to healing or you will have a bad reputation later on.

Black Mage: These mages use elemental spells to do the main damage to the monster. They deal massive damage, so if you are a destructive fellow, WHM is for you.

Red Mage: Red Mages are a combo of WAR, WHM, and BLM. They can heal, do damage, and enfeeble while hitting the enemy on the frontlines. Excellent in later levels once you have procured a subjob.

So you think video games are dumb...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: July 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well, let me tell you something. This has to be the most intelligent, involving, and deepest gaming experience I have ever had. This game cannot be played by idiots. It forces the player to use his or her intellect in order to think out the best strategy possible for their character. It is fully interactive in real time, and the other people you find in the game are actually other real time players like yourself! By this token, however, the game experience is a very dynamic one and may be considered a kid's game one minute and an adults the next due to some players' language (some players are very fond of using the "f" word for example). However, there are language filters so a concerned parent can edit that stuff out.

What we have here is one of the most involving and creative things yet produced for the internet. It is much like Everquest, only it has superior polish, story, features and presentation. This is Final Fantasy taken to a whole new level and, being a long time fan of the series, I was blown away with how different this installment is. Change is a good thing, my friends.

This is entertainment that, unlike television, is NOT PASSIVE. You do not sit there and watch this brainlessly. You must constantly be interacting, speaking with, and trading goods with your fellow players. Which brings me to the battles. Ah, the battles! It is epic. I am truly impressed. You pick your favorite job from all the old jobs offered in the series (example : Dragoon, Paladin, Bard, Red Mage, Monk etc.) and tailor this job to a specific race which you find fits your style. This is very dynamic and complex, and as such makes just about every group you join completely unique and different. You must utilize your unique job skill in a group full of other online players like yourself. It is awesome.

This game has become the refuge for intelligent, imaginative people worldwide. In many ways, this has become my full time replacement for the mire and muck of American television. I am interacting, growing, planning, and building. This quite simply, rocks. Well worth the time. Television sucks compared to this!

Configure your Keyboard and Enjoy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Everyone who complains about the menus needs to change the configuration to the alternate keyboard setup. You then use the familiar w,a,s,d keys for movement. There are macros you can create to do simple, or very complex thinks in simple keystrokes.

For the people who say the graphics are bad, am I the only one who went into the setup and set my reolution and texture compression settings. Use the supplied tools to tailor the game's settings to the system you have people.

I noticed one reviewer who stated he had a state-of-the-art nvidia card but not a geforce. Ummm I dont know of any state-of-the-art nvidia cards that aren't Geforce based (other than for graphics workstations, ie not for gaming). Geforce has been the standard GPU by nvidia for years. It clearly states on the box that you need a Geforce based or Radeon 9000 based graphics card or higher. If you cannot check the required specs when buying a game you need to be a console gamer, not a PC gamer.

This game is great. The graphics are smooth when settings are correct for your card, and the game is not laggy at all. the menus are easy to use and easily accesible with a click of the 3rd mouse button or scroll if you have it.

All MMORPGs take time to develop your character, I am surprised how many people say it took them 4 hours to level when I was level 5 my first night (3 hours play). I may be more used to a mmorpg world but even a newb should level in less than once every four hours at low levels.

The combat adds several nice options with Technique Points (similar to Limit Break for console FF players). You can also do skill chains when multiple people in the party use their techique point special attacks.

This game is deep and well though out. It is also a blessing to not have a buggy game since it has been thouroughly tested in the Japaneese market.

If you don't liek teamwork this game is not for you, but if you want a fun game with lots of opportunities do do what you want this is the game for you. It is a much friendlier community for newbs than EQ so if you are new to MMORPGs this might be a good place to start learning.

An honest review by a gamer

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 13 / 21
Date: December 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ok - by the tiume you have reached my review, you'll have a good idea of what this is all about.

Forget the payment methods, even forget the graphics and music and actual gameplay.

Lets get right down to it.
What is it that you want from a game? For me, there are 2 options; 1. to have fun, or 2. To burn time.

FFXI really doesn't offer much in the form of fun - it is a real grind to achieve anything, and when you think you have - bamm! You realise you haven't at all, or even come close. Its quite simple; you will spend a LOT of your time, just finding out how things work; but these are things that you will NEED to know, to function properly within this virtual world.

Ok - Lets set this out.
1. To play this game you need to be in a team.
2. People within this game are very strange; you will come across very weird, angry, obsessed, nerdy ( or a combintation )
3. There is (believe this or not) a racism within the game linked to the inherent abilities of each race. I.e, A Tarutaru can't make a good warrior, or a Galka a good mage. Other players will identify the oddness of these combinations with varying results. Often negative.
4. When teaming, you will NEED to be properly kitted out with the appropriate gear for your race and job and level - which will improve your abilities and thus the team's ability to defeat mobs and gain xp. It should be noted that the gear you will need is not easy to find, make or purchase and will get progressively tougher as you gain levels.
5. Everything in this game take an inordinate amount of time. People have mentioned how you have to walk everywhere, or ride a chocobo (Once you have done the time-consuming mission to gain a licesnse ) - what I would like to add, is how SLOW walking is - even by chocobo, the speed isn't greatly improved. However, by the time you are able to ride chocobos, you will appreciate the a pace which otherwise you might feel was pointlessly long.
6. The mobs you fight look the same. You will fight the same mob over and over and over and oevr - again. SOmetimes you will be defeated doing this, sometimes you will not. But while you level, you will kill, face, fight, be beaten by - the same type of mob again and again.
7. The game ecomony is over inflated. When you kill a mob, sometimes it will drop Gil (in game currency) This amount of Gil it drops, even for a difficult mob that you have had to take down in a team, is minimal. You cannot buy anything with it - it is peanuts. The same for anything in this game, in game returns for effort put in are not rewarded appropriately. To gain what you will need, you will need to put in hours and hours of your time, just, for example to purchase a sword, or a pair of boots - so your character will be able to function properly when fighting, for example.
8. You are on your own. The game offers no inforamtion whatsoever on how to make the best of the experience. You will need to search websites to obatin VITAL inforamtion on what you will need to do in most situations. Failure to be aware of the infinte possibilities, will likely end up with yourself being called a n00b.

I could go on -

What I would like to say is that if, for whatever reason, you are unable to form a social life, you are house-bound or for some reason are able to sit in front of your PC/Ps2 for 5-6 hours pers day (This is the amount of time you will need to feel a sense of achievement with each sitting) - then this game will be for you. You will be able to immerse yourself within it, and find that the only thing you will need from the real world is food and sleep (although, you will probably go without on many occasions and blame the real world for this)

For those that want a fun experience - go elsewhere, I implore you and warn you to do so. You will never get a sense of accomplishment from this game, and so this game for you will never be fun. It is aimed at being something just beyond your reach to induce you to continue playing - that is all. It is a grind beyond all reason, unless of course, you are not playing it for the end-game, becasue you don't want to finish it.

Gaming is a recreational pastime, don't make your life become one.

Lots of fun, but costs lots of money

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: November 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The game is great but I thought someone should tell potential buyers the only way play this game is to pay 12+ dollars each month, so unless you are ready to pay $40 for the game and $180 a year to play perhaps you shouldn't purchase this game.

Action, Adventure, and done with Style

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: October 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I must begin this review with one word, Wow.
This game, after my extensive previews and looks and insights on the mechanics and workings, I find to be simply amazing.
The player will find himself in the largest known world ever made in a video game. In fact, this world is SO large, that it makes Morrowind's world look tiny.
Not only is this place insanely large, but it is also incredibly detailed and beautiful as well, no one in their right mind will ever bore from simply sight seeing.
I simply have never encountered such a wonder; crammed inside a remarkable game.
The PC version will entail a $50 retail, while the PS2 version will be double that, because of a bundled Hard Drive. The disc will never have to be used again though. Insanely large game, and insanely cool.
There is a one month trial period of this game, because it is entirely online. If the buyer loves it enough, he or she will submit his or herself to the monthly fee of $12.95.
I might add, however, that the money will be ENTIRELY worth it.
Expect an awesome game that will rival and may even become the next Evercrack... pardon me, I mean Everquest.

A Very Good Game With a Few Lil Things Here and There...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: November 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm gonna make this quick... The game has alot of ups and very few downs... I've played quite a few mmorpgs and this one is resembles them in one way or another. Don't take it from idiots who put it down becuase of the name, this is an acual solid hit.

ONE WORD OF WARNING TO PPL WHO DO NOT PLAY MMORPGS (at all that is) - Yes, this is an MMORPG, MMO being the main part of the formula. Thus it is an online ONLY game. No single play, and unlike the Final Fantasy series, this doesnt really have a story (although it does). If your looking for another Final Fantasy clone then dont go rampagin on how it isnt like what it was. Im sick and tired of ppl going off like that, ppl who dont even play mmorpgs in the first place. If u hate this game b/c of this then stick to ur consoles for all we care...

It is true that u need 3 keys for this game alone, making it one of the longest step-by-step installs I've EVER was required to do. To add to this, there is also the issue of the newest patch update that tied up alot of loose ends in the game, an update for a few still in the stoneages of 56k land, is hell, for it is 200+ Mb = to 9 hrs for 56k or 1 hr for broadband. Past that, the PlayOnline Interface they required u to use is a really neat tool. If u and a bunch of your friends get in on the game (or u make a few in-game) this interface allows u to start up chat lines and even gives u a email address to use to send and recieve messages from ppl in the game (which gives u an indication if u have mail while playing). This can come to an annoyance to the few who just want to play the game, for u HAVE to go through PlayOnline to play the game, but then it is a really nice interface.

The character creation proccess isnt much at all. At some point you'd be wishing there to be more character designs, but with all the different armors and weaponry, there shouldnt be much to complain about.

Graphicly, this game is stunning. Everything is in the proper place with a few areas being a bit bland, which alot of ppl tend to blow on, but I still like it anyway (a desert is a desert unless someone tells me otherwise =P). The gfx in the environments are some the best ive seen in mmorpgs (up there with ac2 and star wars galaxies [even tho that game still sucks]). Oh and I should really mention the very nice summons and magic. They look very very nice. Summons are a spectial in their own right and isnt everyday that one gets to see or use the powerful beasts. One big beef on this system of gfx- the use of Alt-Tabbing or going to ur start menu with the game running will crash the game and close it down automatically, very annoying if someone happens to IM u...

It is obvious that this game is made for the console. Anyone playing this will want to not only bring up the gfx to full (not much needed to actually do that) but u might want invest in a gamepad, its alot more confortable than using the keyboard for anything other than talking and macros. Without the gamepad, the game is still a breeze to play, and ull find urself not using the mouse at all after a few times of play.

Battles are good, and you can always check what type of monster you are attacking and how you will put up against it (a HUGE plus) so there shouldn't be any complaining about that. It is true, if u try to run, u sometimes cannot make it out fast enough, but u gotta run when u know ull lose, not at the last minute. Other than that, there isnt much wrong with battles. Like any other popular mmorpg, the battles are real-time and depending on ur job lvl and weapon, u attack at a givin rate. The game really influences the use of parties on missions (which i highly recommend) monsters and bosses are too tough for a single character to take on (with the exception of VERY HIGH lvl PCs).

Exploration can really bog down when ur in town. The real expansiveness of it all can take a while to get from one point to another when u dont know where u need to get to. Outside, enemies tend to get stronger the farther u go from town. Quests and missions are a must to do. They not only give u money and items, but unlock abilities and options (like mog jump in a particular area, allowing u to go to any part of town once u exit ur mog house). And like EQ or anyother mmorpg, they are the usual, kill blah and give it to blah. But there isn't really anyother way to do it these days so stop complaining already...

Anything other than these few tidbits are things you really wont be needing to be putting urself in over your head about. About the servers, U CAN PICK WHICH U WANT TO BE IN!!! Its right there before u create a characer. After u make ur character, u either have the choice to go straight to the game (random server) or chose a server. And if u do find urself wanting to join another server, the world pass does take a bit to buy and u start on that server at lvl 1 (hopefully they will change that) but u have no need for this feature if u choose the server urself...

This game is FUN and the lil things here and there are just somethings u can live with after u go through the game a few times. For those looking for an easier experience, ask ppl in game or buy a guide. The Japanese PCs that are already in the game sometimes can and do talk in English (that it is being taught over their is just one of the reasons why) so dont feel too alienated about such things...

Cool MMORPG. But $12.95 a month?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It an awesome game, but the monthly payments can be a hassle. But really, it's SO worth the $13 dollars a month. The graphics are great, the gameplay won't get boring because of the constantly changing world, and the story-- its kind of weird and confusing, but that's not the point. The whole game overall is perfect.

Don't bother listening to the people writing the negative reviews. They probably haven't gotten far because of the frustration, so they can't really call it a "good game". But I don't blame them, it's hard to level up. Maybe for others, its easier. Most of the negative reviewers don't have any descrpition of playing the game, so they don't have the experience and right to say it's a bad game. They only complain about how pricy the whole thing is. Also, some complain about the time and how much you really need on your hands to play the game. Well, im 14 and I'm not a no-life guy, but I have 3-5 hours to squeeze in any day. But hey, that's my life.

If you don't have much time on your hands to play this game or $12.95 for every month, I wouldn't really go for it. There are other MMORPGs though, like Phantasy Star Online, Ultima Online, or Everquest (I've only played Phantasy Star). Although this isn't the greatest MMORPG ever made, it's still an excellent game.

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