Reviewed: October 20, 2005
Reviewed by: Megan Dyer
Publisher
Square Enix
Developer
Square Enix
Released: August 16, 2005
Genre: MMORPG
Players: Online
ESRB: Teen
7
9
8
9
8.0
System Requirements
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
With so many video games out on the market, the entire business can easily become over saturated. Mediocre to downright crappy games and rip-offs of rip-offs appear in droves. At fifty bucks a pop on average, a gamer has to be careful when it comes to finding the right game. Sometimes though, we get lucky and find ourselves falling in love with well trusted and consistently good series.
They are the Zeldas, the Marios, and the Final Fantasies of the game world. (okay, there was Legend of Zelda 2, Mario’s Missing, and Final Fantasy III (Japanese) back in the days of NES. But that’s the past people, and no one is perfect.) These are the games that fans keep coming back to faithfully time after time, intrinsically knowing that there is something to get excited about whenever the next installment comes along. In general, these games genuinely strive to not disappoint, and save for the few who can never be pleased, gamers are left with a good gaming experience.
Final Fantasy XI: The Vana’diel Collectionis a compilation pack of Square-Enix's multiconsole epic online RPG. This package includes the FFXI full game as well as the expansion packs Rise of the Zilart, and Chains of Promathia, plus Tetra Master, the online multiplayer Final Fantasy mini-game.
While there are many ingredients that make up the recipes of their success, one component is definitely that they strive to be different and always try something new. It’s a risky ingredient to success, one that has to be handled carefully. Staying too close to the same old, same old will become stagnant and clichéd after some time, and going too far out on a whim with change can alienate more devoted fans who were looking for something closer to what they have come to know and love. It’s tricky, and definitely takes skill to handle well. This package is a good example of what can go right and what can go wrong under such circumstances, when Square Enix decided it was time to take the series online.
So how does a longstanding and dearly loved traditional RPG series such as Final Fantasy stand up in the world of online gaming? With immensely popular MMOs such as EverQuest, World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, the longtime undisputed king of the American RPG market definitely has its work cut out for it.
MMO’s have a definite allure to them that single player games do not. Being able to group up with other people around the world and play with them is a feature that many people enjoy. An online community that exists through the game itself is a truly unique experience to be involved in. Even the ever-looming pay to play component doesn’t keep people away; the truth of the matter is that MMO’s are so huge and expansive, it’s often nearly impossible to get everything that you can possibly get from them.
There are tons of quests to go on, tons of missions to complete, skills to learn, jobs to work, items to try out, places to see, people to meet, ranks to achieve and much more. The never-ending game experience that MMO’s have to offer is very seductive for us video game fans, and it’s no surprise that Square Enix recognized this.
When such a company tosses their crown jewel into the hat, people pay attention. I myself was eager to see how Final Fantasy would fit into the online experience, and while I have to say that it can stand its own ground easily, it definitely isn’t anything perfect. And if you were expecting a traditional Final Fantasy game, don’t get your hopes up. In fact, don’t even think of the name Final Fantasy. Get that out of your head before I go on. Yes, that’s a Chocobo you see on the screen. Yes, that graphic style is very familiar. Yes, that’s the Final Fantasy theme at the beginning. No, FFXI is not a Final Fantasy game. Not really.
First off, there is an obvious compromise between traditional and linear RPG gaming, and online questing. There is a good balance between the two in FFXI. Interacting with the non-player characters who are really just there to divulge bits of information, fit into the scenery, or say goofy things is there. You do have the ability to choose to say certain things to people at certain points, which open up branches of dialog. Quests make sense and move the story along, and everything fits into a world with a definitive history, relationships with other races and kingdoms, and clear cause and effects between the two.
However, unlike most traditional RPGs, there is no definitive ending, intriguing character development, or personal interaction with other developed characters. This is the MMO side of FFXI. So don’t expect anything too traditional here. Out of necessity, it can’t be.
To start with, players start out choosing the type of character they want to play. First, you must choose a race. In the world of FFXI, there are five playable races. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages as far as character stats go. For instance, the Mithra race, who are a catlike people, excel in dexterity. Tarutaru, a cute and childlike race excels in magic, and so on.
After choosing a race, jobs (or classes) must be chosen, which also determine stats, as well. There are white mages who excel at defensive magic, warriors who excel in attack, thieves who excel in dexterity, and so on. Later, other jobs can be unlocked, such as Ninja and Samurai. Choose the appearance of your character, and you’re ready to go.
The first problem I encountered with FFXI was the controls. Most MMO's use the WADS keys on the keyboard in order to move your character. FFXI was designed originally for the PS2, so without a game pad, it uses the mouse to move instead, which can be incredibly inaccurate. Commands are also confusing, as there are so many to remember without a traditional MMO user interface for reference. I had to get a game pad for my computer to even get anywhere without frustration. Since it was obviously intended to be played on a console, this worked out much better.
Once you can control your character decently, it’s much more fun to explore your character’s starting area. You will also be able to pick out your starting area, which determines your allegiances. The world into which you are thrown can be overwhelming at first. Unlike in other MMOs such as World of Warcraft, you don’t start out with a mission handed to you. Missions and quests have to be found by speaking with people, and there is a very large area to cover from the very beginning.
Normally, I would be excited by the notion of having so much to explore right away. However, with little direction to help get your feet wet, and coupled with the fact that you must start out by running EVERYWHERE (you cannot ride a Chocobo until level 20), it takes a long time before you can get anywhere and feel like you are making significant progress in the game. After a surprisingly small amount of time, the game gets…well, tedious.
After giving FFXI a real chance however, slowly but surely, the game starts to get more interesting. Grouping is a necessity at many points as well, so if you are more of a soloing sort of gamer, I would reconsider this game. It’s a definite challenge, one that is intended to make grouping inevitable. It is possible to level up by battle grinding outside of the cities, but this isn’t to be done lightly, since after dying several times, you drop in experience back nearly a whole level. While this is incredibly frustrating, it does force the player to learn quickly how to make wise decisions out on the battle field, and encourage people to get used to teaming up, which is really the point of playing an MMO in the first place.
Battles are done in real-time and based on stats. Your proficiency with a weapon increases as you battle, stats level up and abilities are learned through experience. Pretty basic stuff. Enemies drop loot, which you can use for a host of things, from synthesizing them into new items, using them as consumable items, and so on.
Frustratingly, earning money in FFXI is much like it is in the real world, difficult…in fact, ridiculously so. Even with the option to put up items in the auction house or create your own bazaar, money is difficult to come by. This translates into long, time consuming gaming sessions, which can further make the whole FFXI experience tedious.
One cool thing to keep in mind is that your character does have a chance to change jobs. You can change whenever you like, and thankfully, are not required to pay a fee with what precious money you have. You will still have to work your way up in job levels the old fashioned way instead of automatically being at the level you were at with your first job.
When you reach level 18, you can take on a secondary job after a certain quest. The abilities of the secondary job will then be available in your questing, but at lower level. Still, keep in mind that there are over a dozen jobs, so you‘ll have plenty to keep yourself busy with. There is fishing, guilds that enable you to create crafts and items, your own residential home to decorate (called Mog houses. Yes, the Moogles still say “Kupo!” at random intervals of the conversation) as well as gardening. Whew.
I won’t lie to you; FFXI is not a MMO beginner’s game. It takes time; sometimes painstakingly slow time, before much can be accomplished. Just don’t complain that there isn’t much to do.
In true Final Fantasy fashion, the CG graphics in FFXI are stunning. Movie sequences reveal a rich and beautiful world, both lifelike and fantastic, both beautiful and frightening. The opening movie shows monsters pillaging a town, displaying the war in Vana’diel that took place in the past. Each shot is clear, crisp, and so real, that it creates a very immersive experience that I found myself easily swept up in. Talk about a good way to open a game.
What I’ve always found so impressive with Square Enix’s graphics ever since the days of Final Fantasy VIII, is the degree to which emotion is displayed in each character. Both facial expressions and body language are used so effectively, it’s easy to pick up the subtleties in the character’s emotional display without the need for them to say much. It’s impressive really, and there is no exception to the rule in FFXI.
Character design in the CG graphics are also beautifully done. Humans look stunningly human. The catlike Mithra people look as close to real as any demi-human could. The imposing Galka race is impressive. The Elves are refined and otherworldly. The Tarutaru (the obligatory cutesy characters) are like a cross between children and chipmunks. Each display their nature through their presence alone which has truly always been the crowning achievement of the Final Fantasy series as far as graphics go.
Notice though, that I’m talking about CG graphics here, which there are relatively little of in Final Fantasy XI. Mostly, you will be seeing in-game graphics as you play. While they are well done and beautiful as well, I was a little disappointed with the limited character design availability. After playing City of Heroes (which has an insane amount of variety in character creator) and World of Warcraft (with a decent variety in sets of character design) FFXI’s seems downright pathetic.
Each race and gender has eight different facial designs that come with a predetermined hairstyle. You cannot choose a face and then choose a hairstyle. On top of that, there are only two different hair colors to choose from. That’s right. Two. Sure, the appearance of characters change as new weapons and armor are equipped, but the lack of variety makes characters seem a little generic. Granted, they are good designs, but it would have been nice to have a little more control over the look of your character, and in turn, not see so many copies of yourself running around out there.
Still, the settings and backgrounds are beautiful, and the enemy design is classic Final Fantasy all the way. The world of Vana’Diel is undoubtedly pretty, immersive, and varied. What else would you expect from Final Fantasy?
There is little voice acting in FFXI, although what there is of it, is top of the line in terms of quality. Characters do not actually speak, neither in dialog nor emote commands in the actual gameplay, however. There are the occasional grunts and huffs during battle sequences, but other than that, it sort of feels like a pre-Final Fantasy X game, when dialog was strictly text. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, and an understandable change given that it is an MMO.
Music is beautiful in FFXI, which is another staple of the Final Fantasy series that fans know and love. Each area has a nicely orchestrated and fitting soundtrack that makes the world all the more immersive. I especially enjoyed music set to the fields of Sarubuta, which had a very classical fantasy feel to it. I’m glad to see that developers stuck with Nobuo Uematsu for the score, although, as they have been since Final Fantasy X, (barring Final Fantasy X-2, which Uematsu was unfortunately not a part of) the score is a collaborative effort between Uematsu and a couple of other composers.
This time around, the score includes the work of Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka, and the results are quite good. Still, FFXI’s soundtrack isn’t the best the series has seen. Most fans are willing to dish out insane amounts of cash for Final Fantasy soundtracks, honestly, when Uematsu is completely in charge of the score. Lately, with other collaborators, the end results have been great, but not fantastic.
Since FFXI is an MMO, there had better be a lot in terms of value, and believe me, there is. Along with the aforementioned questing, missions, jobs, skills, crafting, gardening, and fishing, the Vana’diel Collection contains the expansions Rise of the Zilart, and Chains of Promathia, so you are certain to not miss any goodies that the game has to offer. And then there is the card game, Tetra Master.
Don’t ask me to explain Tetra Master. If you’ve played Final Fantasy IX, then you know what to expect, only this time around, there are actually clear instructions on how the game is played. I’ve never been a fan of most Final Fantasy mini-games, unless it involves something more interactive, like Chocobo racing, or Blitzball; Tetra Master has always made me want to pull my hair out, in much the same way that Sphere Break from Final Fantasy X-2 made me feel. If it involves too much lateral thinking, mathematics, and gives long or confusing tutorials in an explanation, then I just forget about it. I’m impatient.
Still, I know that there are fans of such games, and it was cool of Square Enix to include an extra like Tetra Master with the main game. Players will be able to play the card game with other players online too. Tired of trying to get to that next level? Frustrated with a certain mission? Give Tetra Master a go. Then it’s back to the grindstone.
While Final Fantasy XI is undoubtedly a solid game and translates the series nicely into an MMO, there are some glaring problems that gamers will recognize. Long, often frustrating periods of grinding and wandering can alienate MMO newcomers, and if you are a fan of the series, that exclusion can be all the more frustrating. Most traditional Final Fantasy fans will probably sit this one out, and wait for the old RPG gaming experience the series has given its fan over the years to come back next time around.
It was an interesting move on Square Enix’s behalf to try the MMO experience, and the results are decent, but it just can’t stand up all that well when compared to other MMOs. Indeed, it was a rather rare occurrence for me when I was playing FFXI to find many other people online playing as well. Most MMO gamers are playing other games with more forgiving interfaces, and immediately intriguing gameplay.
While Final Fantasy XI is a good game in and of itself, it’s lower down the MMO list than others I would recommend. Give it a go if you are looking for a challenge and a gameplay experience that requires serious dedication. Otherwise, move on to another MMO or wait anxiously for Final Fantasy XII to be released. I’ll be doing both.