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Let's Clarify

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 36
Date: October 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I had never played this game on the PC or XBox 360 before I purchased it, so I was definitely apprehensive. I asked around and none of my friends had played either format, so no help there! They were, however, playing WoW and described the game to me, how the monthly fees work, etc.

After watching one of my friends play for two hours straight in a large party of characters defeating one of the "bosses", I thought it may be something I'd enjoy to consume time or maybe just get into.

The reason I bought this game is due to my interest in FF since the games were first introduced on Nintendo - loved them! To me, being a part of the world I had been so interested in years ago seemed pretty cool. After purchasing this game I liked it so much that I went out and purchased the PC version so I can play on a laptop when I'm away from home.

If you are thinking about buying this game, please let me provide you with simple advice:

1. This is NOT a "hack-n-slash" game where your only objective is to kill monsters. There are skill progressions, sub jobs, advanced jobs, crafts and plenty of missions and quests to keep you busy for a LONG LONG time.

2. Yes, there are online fees for FFXI. It's on the back of the box stated clearly. Do you HAVE to get an XBox Live Gold account? NO! Silver members also get to play but only have to pay the fee for the FFXI server.

3. So what's the complaint about $13.00/month to get updates, play with thousands of other people and have great support from Sqare Enix (who also deals with cheaters) and be able to play with an XBox Live Silver account? You'll hear none from me!

3. The graphics aren't superb like the newer game titles, but it was released in 2003! What do you guys expect? I appreciate the difference in HDTV format and updated sound enough to play it on the 360.

4. I didn't know that a USB keyboard was required to play the game, but the set I bought for my PC worked fine when plugged into the USB port on the console.

5. I've been playing for two months now and have made hundreds of online acquaintences from other countries and have enjoyed the tatics used to play the game. I plan on making it a mainstay in my free-time.

P.S. - If you don't have enough intellect or are too young to play Age of Empires or other in-depth stragegy games, I wouldn't suggest this game to you as it's not "easy".

A hard game to get into

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I'll just say that I have not played the 360 version of FFXI, but I have played this game on PC and PS2 since its NA release. The game has alot of problems, that's for sure. Prices on some servers for gear and other items are out of control, and some people who play are very rude and ignorant. However when you are dealing with humans, that is to be expected. Part of the enjoyment to be had from FFXI is getting to know people and gathering to do events that you can't do alone. That is also a major drawback of this game. It takes alot of time to do things, such as misisons. Getting together 18 people for a monster fight can take hours. However if you like challenges then this game is challenging. If you prefer a game that you can do 90-95% of the game alone then you could try WoW. And to the complaints about DLing for 4 hours to start, what do you expect? When you buy a game that has been out for 2+ years with updates every month or so, you have alot to Download. Alot of patches and things that can't be put onto the game disc have to be Downloaded, so be prepared. But the game itself is worth it if you want a challenge. It is a not a game you can play for an hour or so and get a fair shake at it. You have to get to a point where you start interacting with other people, that is when the fun starts. And like a reviewer before said, if you get into the game and play it, you will be playing for a long time. I haven't bought a single RPG since I purchased this on PC, so I have spent far less on video games than I would have if I was buying normal console RPGs, since one of those are 30-50 bucks a pop, thats 2-4 months of this game. And someone had said that it is extra for another chara, which is true. It is 1 dollar per extra chara on a single "Content ID"(which is what you set up when you install the game) and people usually use those chara's to store gear or other items, but you do not have to buy another chara. In the 2 years+ I have played I have only needed one chara. Another thing that ruins this game is the fact that there is not alot to do once you gain level 75(the higest lvl). There are very few things, and the things you can do get boring fast, leaving you to level another job. And leveling can be a pain, because you need to make a party after about level 10. But it is all worth it if you enjoy meeting new people and are willing to put forth an effort to learn the game. As far as the game itself, you have 5 races to choose from, each with stronger attributes than others depending on their most suited jobs(ex. Mithra have higher Agility and Dexterity because they are naturally better ninjas and theifs). For 3 of the races you can choose a gender, but that doesn't affect your attributes in anyway, but it can affect what equipment you can wear(some pieces may be female only, and some gear is also race specific). With the newest expansion the number of jobs increased to 18, but only 6 are usable when you begin. When you hit level 30 you can quest for 9 more, and the last 3 from the new expansion can be obtained anytime, but are dangerous missions, so maybe not until the 50's or higher. So the bottom line is that this game takes alot of time, but if you like that kind of game, and like meeting new people, this is a good game. If you don't like to take hours to complete a single fight or can't stand people, then look at another game.

bad service from JR.com

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: May 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Do not order this item from JR.com
They take forever to fill an order. Example: I placed my order on May 5th, and on May 9th they email me that it has been shipped by UPS ground with a rescheduled delivery date of May 15th.

Final Fantasy 11

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all 4 hours of downloads isnt that much wait for a game that you will be playing for years.If you dont bulk up your hard drive with music, five gigs isnt that much either. Stop complaining about something you dont understand.
This game is so indepth, its amazing. There are so many things to keep you busy throughout the years of play. Sure the monthly fee is a little pricey but you get one free month to see if you like it, after that you can cancel your membership and miss out on a really good thing. Its your call. Its a little slow at first but youll pick up speed once you get the hang of it.
If you dont mind a little over 12 dollars a month try this game out. Its worth it.

Massively Multiplayer Game with an Actual Story

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: May 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've played this game since its beginning it was released on the PC in October 2003. First off, it is labeled Final Fantasy XI: Online for a reason; it is a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG. It is along the lines of Everquest and World of Warcraft. You have to pay a monthly fee of $12.95, however, if you are only an Xbox Live Silver member (free Xbox Live user) you can STILL play this game.

There is a lot of stuff to do in this game. It is very time consuming and you are required to take the time to look for other adventurers to help you which can increase the time you spend on here. However, once you are in your groups, the game has an excellent sense of accomplishment and teamwork that is hard to find in other MMO games.

The visuals on the Xbox 360 are only slightly different than the PC version of this game: the draw distance is further, and the high definition allows you to read the text more clearly and see the monsters from farther away, the spells look more crisp, and the sound is in 5.1 surround all the time instead of just during the cutscenes like on the PS2 version. Other than that, I will admit there isn't much different aside from those points.

If you're looking for a Massively Multiplayer Online game that actually has a story and gives you reason to level, this game is it. Other games just ask you to and you never really see or feel a huge accomplishment when you reach "X" level. If you aren't into this genre or you don't feel like spending time getting into this game, then don't buy it.

Great game for a hardcore gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game. Beautiful graphics (amazing since the game came out years ago on PC) and a huge world that will take days to explore. The community is large (shared with both the PC adn PS2 versions!), friendly, and helpful. The thing that keeps this game interesting is the fact that you can change your job at any moment, without losing your other jobs level and stats. You are never stuck playing as one class your entire characters life, which keeps you playing because it does not get old.

The only negatives I would point out in this game is leveling is very time consuming and you require a party in most instances. Only play it if you plan on dedicating a lot of time to it and want to socialize with others in the game.

Best thing for MMOs yet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

THE 360 IS THE BEST THING THAT HAPPEND TO FFXI
no questions about it.
the controls are 100% easier then PC keybaord.
the frame rate is betiful in the game
no lag at all
easy to set up macros with controler, vs the keyboard where u have to hit three keystokes for the PC version of this game.

for the people tha complain about the install time..
The 360 install time is not a problem.. does take like 3 hours.. most MMOs take over 10 hours of updating on PCs.. plus the 2 hour install.. so in my opinoin 360 is hte best thing that happend to FFXI

and for all the other people that complained about monthly fees...
you don't have to have the Xbox live membership to play this game, as long as you have an online connection you can play. you should read your manual -_-
there is also bulk priceing you can do, like pay for a full year, and it wil be like $5 month vs 10 or what ever it is.

The Best Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My son LOVES this game. He is an advide gamer since the age of 4 (he is now fourteen). I have watched him play Final Fantasy XI and the graphics are exceptional. This is the only game he has played for the last month and he still can't get enough of it. He keeps saying, "This is the best game ever!"

To the nay-sayers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: April 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am posting in response to the negative posts. First off, yes the game is incredibly complex, it takes awhile to setup, awhile to learn, and is impossible to master. You complain because it costs [...]$ a month and say over a year trhats [...]$ well how about this for a little math, how many games will your son, daughter, etc play for a year?! few to none, usually games can be beaten in 3 weeks then are never played again. I dont mind paying [...]$ a month because I have been playing for 7 months and its still something I look forward to daily. As for your complaint about charging for extra characters, yes its [...]$ a month if you want an extra character I see no problem with this, it eliminates people having 200 characters they do nothing with and clogging up the servers.

I will agree with you the game is hard to get into, but someone on my linkshell (sort of clubs/groups of friends you join in the game for help) and his 5 year old daughter plays on a regular basis. There are mentors and linkshells setup to assist people, and if you just ask in your starter city people will help you. If you end up on Odin and need a LS send a tell to cdgreg Id be glad to make you a pearl. Also there are great online sites where you can read about the game. Anyways, yeah its complicated to start, but once you get rolling you will enjoy it, I promise you that.

This game is amazing!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: April 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing this game on the computer since Oct 2004 and I have to say, this is one of the better games I have played. I recently bought the xbox360 version to play on my HDTV and it looks just as good it not bettter than my 22 inch monitor. Im not one to write a review but all the negative reviews have me inclined to do so as i find it unfair to give negative reviws without truly giving it a chance. This game is a MMORPG. There is no way one can figure out what to do in 3 hours and then decide its not for me. This game is so large that is it overwhelming when you 1st start this game. (One really does need the guide to help to get started.) In reguards to the $200 per year, once you get into this game, you wont really want to play anything else. This game is that good. So for me, playing this game saved me hundreds of dolllars as i havent bought as many games as I normally would because the replay on this game is pretty much endless. It took me 2 hours to install, but i already have an account. The install is a short time to wait considering 5 gigs plus are being installed into the hardrive to avoid long loading times and in the end better gameplay. You pretty much leave it alone as it installs on its own. If you are considering buying this game, please give it a chance. And by that, give it the full 30 days. I belive once you understand it you will truly enjoy it.

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