Boy, is this game a reviewer's nightmare. Is it possible to write a review of a game that truly has no end, even without the successive updates? Can there possibly be an accurate review of a game that would require YEARS of daily gaming to truly master? Alas, we at netjak.com are obliged to at least give such a massive game like Final Fantasy XI our best shot in terms of deciding if it is worthwhile or not. Let's give it a try.
Final Fantasy XI, the latest high-budget addition to the epic franchise from Square-Enix is easily the biggest Final Fantasy ever made. It came as a disappointment to many when the rumors first came out that this particular Final Fantasy would only be playable online. There are those who claim that online gaming is the future, but there are still a tremendous amount of gamers who prefer to enjoy their gaming experience without it being influenced by others.
On top of that, MMORPGs are known for being the home of a particular type of player which we'll call "level-whores". These people have little to no desire for role-playing or a storyline; they get their kick out of making their character as powerful as they can possibly be and enjoying the abilities and feelings that come with it. For this reason, when it comes to MMORPGs, most gamers either love them or hate them.
Upon playing Final Fantasy XI, it's obvious that Square-Enix was aware of traditional MMORPG stereotypes. This game has a myriad of things to do besides just leveling up. Most of it has to do with learning one or all of eight trades, logging and mining, fishing, gardening and "chocobo digging". There is also a long list of side quests and missions to do, all with varying difficulty and make up what is the closest thing to a coherent storyline in this game. There is also the illusion of competition between the three main countries of Bastok, Sand D'Oria, and Windurst, in which every gamer can take a part. We applaud Square-Enix for their attempt in breaking this MMORPG tradition.
However, it's sad to say that the game still comes down to getting experience to attain the next level up. Whatever storyline there may be in this game is forgotten between the immense amount of time it takes to attain the next level, and the feeling of prestige and accomplishment walks hand in hand with how powerful one looks in the eyes of other players.
This is not to say that leveling up isn't fun, even for those who may have been fooled into playing Final Fantasy XI to experience a massive storyline. There are six "standard jobs" and nine "extra jobs" or "prestige classes" that can attained across a range of five different races. It is somewhat interesting to see how a Galka Monk develops in comparison to a Tarutaru one. Players looking for a challenge (or a deathwish) may try using a Galka White Mage. Humes are the average race, able to handle every class respectably. Seeing how a Mithra Dark Knight levels up is interesting indeed, since every new level brings in new stats and occasionally new abilities. Yet, for a variety of reasons, an Elvaan Dark Knight may be a better idea in the long run. Creating further complication is the fact that every character can have a sub-class, thereby being able to combine the abilities of two classes. Considering the fact that this game currently costs $12.95 to play per month for a single character, it's good to know that every character has the potential to be every job in the game, regardless of race.
Leveling up has very much to do with combat, naturally. Looking at Final Fantasy XI from an overhead point of view, the nature of combat in this game is a mixed bag. Initially, it feels as if combat is quite a deep concept, with a variety of abilities to use, special effects when used in tandem with team members, specific roles that a team must play to defeat certain enemies. However, it very quickly becomes a monotonous affair. Admittedly, some people LIKE monotony in combat. Some people LIKE to have consistency in combat and the feeling that a certain battle plan will always suceed. But others may view this idea as being quickly boring, while others don't want to have the experience of feeling as robotic and artificial as the enemies they are facing.
On top of that, there are some weird laws in the nature of Final Fantasy XI combat. Battles are done in real time, yet often the damage doesn't coincide with the time of its supposed infliction. This is actually quite a minor complaint (as long as the damage is done, it doesn't matter how it looks, right?), but a major one involves the puzzling rules that govern close combat in this game. All enemies seem to have the strange ability to mentally and invisibly attack a gamer from very far away. It happens quite often that someone will attempt to flee from an enemy, but under normal circumstances this is a very hard thing to do because the enemy can still hit a player even though they may be several feet away.
Moreover, in a party, all enemies seem to have the magical ability to walk through the heroes. MMORPG players understand the term "tank", and that is one who has enough HP to take many hits for the team. In Final Fantasy XI, in order to be effective, a tank needs to have the warrior as either a first class or a sub class to use the skill "provoke". "Provoke" will somehow force the enemy to attack the one casting this skill. If nobody on a team is of the only class in the game(warrior) that can use this skill, than the enemy cannot be blocked from attacking the weaker members of the team in any way, form, or fashion.
An excuse for some of these issues is to ensure that the game remains a challenge. Square-Enix didn't want the heroes to run away so easily (at least without the ability "Flee", which makes one run faster. But this can only be used by certain classes and certainly not early in the game when it is needed most). They also didn't want tanking to be so easy either, and allowing enemies to walk right through heroes is a way to increase team cooperation to provide appropriate defense. However, wouldn't it be possible to make things more realistic, and still challenging?
Combat gripes aside, the fighting truly isn't good enough to make up for the lack of a story in Final Fantasy XI. No surprises here; the very nature of a MMORPG takes away from the chances of there being a good plot. For starters, any game that allows for a variety of adaptable characters cannot also allow for a good character-driven storyline. Second of all, what little suspense there may be in a story is spoiled by chatting with others who may have "done that quest one-hundred times already" or being asked "can you help me do this-or-that in the future?" or being told "you are not at the right level to do this-or-that yet".
Speaking of levels, it's a sad thing to see how rigidly this game is set-up around them. When it comes to defeating a particular enemy, finishing a mission, or fulfilling a sub-quest, they simply cannot be done unless one is at a high enough level. Skill plays a very little role in these regards, and there is the added discouragement of LOSING experience points if anyone does have the guts to take a risk. So what happens is that the entire game is divided into what one can do at a certain level, and everyone who plays the game copies everyone else's established pattern of success. Only the n00bs dare to take any risks.
But most of these things come as no surprise to those who play MMORPGs. Some of the people reading this review may not even find any of these things to be so bad in any way at all, since many of these traits can be found in other games of the same genre.
This is not to say that Final Fantasy XI is an exact copy of any other MMORPG. There is actually one significant innovation that is more or less unique. The item system in this game is very deep and useful. Very literally, one man's junk is another man's treasure. Through the system of the "Auction House", ANY item(except for key items) can be bought and sold at the AH. Players from the entire Final Fantasy XI universe take part in this exchange, and so every item in the entire huge and deep world of Vana'diel is accessible very easily.
It actually is possible to play this MMORPG alone, and actually succeed. A character with a beastmaster class and a white mage sub-class is quite a good solo character. Unfortunately, one has to reach level 30 as another basic job to qualify as a beastmaster. So whether one likes it or not, one still has to hinge his/her success on the players around them. When a party is good, it's a great feeling. But this doesn't come along as often as when a party is mediocre or just plain bad. As someone once said, "The best thing about MMORPGs are the people. The worst thing about MMORPGs are the people". When the instruction manual says "game experience may vary with gameplay", they aren't kidding. Nevertheless, it's good to know that there is a class that really can only be played apart from a party, even if bad parties have to be endured to eventually get there.
Like many other MMORPGs, and unlike City of Heroes, it's rather hard to make a character look significantly different. It may seem that way in the beginning, as every new character has a variety of faces and looks to choose from. But one doesn't have to go very far or long in the game to find someone else who is an identical twin. It's a funny sight to see two huge Galkans with the exact armor, weapons, and class staring at each other because they can't believe there is another big boy just like themselves in the world.
Even so, it needs to be said that the characters look pretty good. On the PS2, this game isn't the best looking game ever when it comes to exact detail. But it when it comes to the variety of images, the scope of scenery, and the deepness in architecture, there is little on the PS2 that can match this game. All weapons are different from one another and are shown, as is armor. The enemies mainly look different from one another, even when dealing with species that seem to be a stronger version of a weaker cousin. The only exception to this rule are the goblins. There are TOO many stupid goblins. Nevertheless, it's clear that a lot of work and care has been put into Final Fantasy XI's visuals, and the tradition of Square's eye candy is definitely maintained.
The music in Final Fantasy XI is classic. There are plenty of tunes and jingles from the previous Final Fantasy games that gamers will never forget. When it comes to Final Fantasy XI, it seems that the game is full of them. From the opening track, to the character selection themes, to the works of art heard in the different towns...considering the fact that the nature of this game will require hours upon hours of constant gameplay, there will certainly be no talk about how annoying the music is meanwhile. The only exception to this rule is the quickly obnoxious jungle beats heard in the city of Windhurst. While it is true that EVERY tune in the game will end up being as unnerving as this one with enough time, it's very clear that professionals were behind these particular soundtracks.
In closing, don't be fooled. Final Fantasy XI is STILL an MMORPG and it retains the same strengths and weaknesses that come with the genre. Admittedly, FFXI is a game that puts gamers through these strengths and weaknesses with high quality and care, with the entire "Play Online" community and all (though one does have to ask, "What if all of those hours of downloading the ability to have chat room, mail, and a large array of other extras could have been avoided? Would perhaps the monthly fee also have been reduced?"). But should this game be placed above Everquest? Should it be played instead of City of Heroes? In the opinion of this reviewer, the answer to both of those questions is no, unless one happens to be a life-long fan of everything Final Fantasy. Of course, many people are.
