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PlayStation (Games) Role Playing (Games) Entertainment Games

Final Fantasy XI U.S. Website Opens 30

Posted by simoniker from the live-rpg-cam-action dept.
Thanks to several readers for pointing out the official U.S. Final Fantasy XI website is now open for business, offering screenshots, details, and even a live 'webcam' of the Vana'Diel game world. There's also more details and screenshots on the Tetra Master card battle mini-game, which first appeared in Final Fantasy IX but is playable online in FFXI. This MMORPG title is currently in early US beta testing, and should be available for both Playstation 2 and PC in early 2004. For those curious, you can see some brief impressions of the FFXI Japanese release from GameFAQs reviewers.
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Final Fantasy XI U.S. Website Opens More

Final Fantasy XI U.S. Website Opens

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  • Meh. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by bluemeep ( 669505 )
    Can GameFAQs reviews really count for much? I find it hard to take them seriously when I see things like this:

    Overall, as a graphic aficionado who NEVER plays games with poor graphics (this is why I NEVER play american games), i have to say graphically, FFXI matched my expectations and even surpassed it in some areas. --A report from Vana Diel [gamefaqs.com]

    Maybe they're good for a 'man on the street' perspective, but I'd hardly let these sway me about any game.

    • Heh :) Definitely not saying they're the best, but it actually seems to be quite difficult to find reviews of FFXI Japanese from an English-speaking reviewer, still - can anyone point out some good review links?
    • To me, graphix are second to gameplay. I'm just picky about that. I think that this looks like a nice MMORPG, but the Lejendary MMOPRG [dreams-interactive.com] to me seems to be a better bet for an MMORPG, as Gary Gygax is involved in the project.
    • IMHO, in games, the tech should always take the backseat to the actual gameplay, not the other way around. If you want splendid video and audio, then go hunt down some technology tests on the web. Meh, indeed.
    • While most people hit on the graphics vs. gameplay angle, I'm just wondering what prison cell the guy lives in where American games never have better graphics than Japanese games. Maybe in a portion of the console market this is the case, but American game developers have tended to be further out on the bleeding edge of graphics in video games.

      Then again, I guess if you're mostly looking at RPGs then American games tend to seem a slight bit behind the Japanese games, but I think even that has a lot to do w

  • FFX (Score:3, Insightful)

    by executebusiness.com ( 681094 ) on Friday June 13, 2003 @12:10AM (#6188162) Homepage Journal
    I bought FFX for PS2 and was unsatisfied. I'm leery about the next one. Maybe I'm picky? The big problem I had was the highly scripted nature of FFX. The game felt like a movie with a couple of clicks here and there, but it was too linear. To make FFXI raise the bar, I hope they addressed this issue, and I'm guessing they did. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that what makes a game great is game play, and nice environs don't hurt either, but if the game play is off at all, the experience is going to be below average.

    The Final Fantasy stories are wonderful, IMHO, but story can't possibly carry a game because games aren't meant to be only moderately interactive -- they are meant to improve upon the status quo, and often the more they improve and innovate, the better and longer they are remembered.

    • Re:FFX (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Oh they've "addressed the issue" alright, XI is about as non-linear as it gets. You and about half a million other people make up the story. I guess you haven't yet discovered that FFXI is a massively multiplayer online RPG.
      • I was aware of FFXI's MMORPG nature, and yet even in a traditionally non-linear system like this, there is plenty of room for false expectations. My thoughts were that they could still try to have too much cinema or linear dungeon crawls where you wait for the guys to finish talking about this and that and then you get to click twice and move to the next area. It likely won't be that way, but like I said before, I am leery of this product, fundamentally. Who knows, it may be as good as the shots for glitter
    • The big problem I had was the highly scripted nature of FFX. The game felt like a movie with a couple of clicks here and there, but it was too linear. To make FFXI raise the bar, I hope they addressed this issue, and I'm guessing they did. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that what makes a game great is game play

      Maybe you're thinking of FFX2 when you fear about another linear, game-based movie; however, FFXI is actually a MMORPG, so don't get worried about an abundance of movies with some monster-sla
    • I enjoyed the first 3 FF games released in america, but never played any of the newer ones(7 and up), but merging Final Fantasy and the internet may be enough to hook me. Provided that they offer a demo period or something similar, so that I can give it a shot, I may stick around

  • Well that's that (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Shishio ( 540577 )
    I've been a fan of the Final Fantasy series for over 10 years and always thought the storyline and characters were the key component in the games. Now the latest installment looks to be little more than another stale MMORPG.

    Well, it was a good series while it lasted. Thank goodness for emulators.
    • Just because they make an online game doesn't mean all their games are going to be online from now on. FFXII is offline: http://www.ffinsider.net/ff12/ [ffinsider.net]
    • I, for one, applaud Square's attempts! Square has been known for dropping a few games that, to put it politely, 'didn't meet expectations' (movies as well :), but they are one of the few game companies out there that is still willing to take a chance! Not many companies I can think of would take one of there popular franchises, let alone their FLAGSHIP franchise, and try to do something totally diffrent with it. The thought process now seems to be 'Keep pumping out sequels(sp?) to the franchise with better
      • Every Final Fantasy has been different. Final Fantasy 8 for example had a wonderful storyline but gameplay wise was perhaps one of the most boring games ever created. Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy 7 were much better in terms of gameplay.
  • From what I have read on multiple fan sites FFXI is very linear for the main part of the game. The quests you do are all the same and lead to the same goal of uncovering the plot. How you raise up in levels is your own choice but there are only so many quests and from what I have read they are done in a certain order and then you watch a FMV. Sort of like the Asherons Call 2 system.
  • Woo.. look at all that action!
  • I've been trying to keep up with the whole FFxi - PlayOnline scene for a while now, and one prevailent fact keeps arising: Did everyone forget about TETRA MASTER?!?!? I loved the card game in FF8 (except the accursed random rule! GAH!), and Tetra Master, I think, was a big improvement over that. And now it's gonna be multiplayer! Online even! With card collecting!!! HUZZAH!!!
  • Square-ENIX did the multiplayer online game RIGHT. A friend of mine participated in the Japanese closed beta over the past few months (testing network transmissions from North America). It's so much fun! I can't wait.

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