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Final Fantasy XI

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Final Fantasy XI
Developer(s)Square Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s)
PlayStation 2
Sony Computer Entertainment<br[ />Windows (PC)/Xbox 360
Square Enix
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
ReleasePlayStation 2
Japan May 16, 2002
United States/Canada March 23, 2004
Windows (PC)
Japan November 2002
United States/Canada October 28, 2003
Europe/Australia/New Zealand September 17, 2004
Xbox 360
United States/Canada April 18, 2006
Japan/Europe/Australia/New Zealand April 20, 2006
Genre(s)MMORPG
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Final Fantasy XI (ファイナルファンタジーXI, Fainaru Fantajī Irebun), also known as Final Fantasy Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. It debuted in Japan on the Sony PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002 and was released for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers on November 5 of the same year. It was then localized and released for the North American market on October 28, 2003.

The story is set in Vana'diel, and various tasks can be performed in that world, either to improve a character's powers or to complete quests.

In January 2004, Square Enix announced that a total of over 500,000 users utilizing over 1 million characters were playing the game. As of 2006 there are currently between 200,000 and 300,000 active players logging in per day (a) and the game is the dominant MMORPG in the Japanese market.[1] Three expansions for the game have been released since 2002, capitalizing on the game's success. Square Enix, as well as other sources, has reported that the number of users continues to grow at a steady pace.

Gameplay

Departure from previous Final Fantasy titles

Final Fantasy XI is unlike previous titles in the series in many ways. It can be played from a first-person as well as a third-person perspective, with players directly navigating their character around the world to interact with objects and people. The player is also only able to control one character and select their character's traits, including race, gender, face, hair color, body size, job, and nationality. When an enemy is encountered the game stays in the same environment and does not shift to a "battle area" where characters and enemies must await their turn to attack, as in previous titles.[2]

Servers

There are currently 32 servers available for play, and one server used by Square-Enix for testing. Server names follow in the Final Fantasy tradition of borrowing from different mythologies, using names of summons from previous Final Fantasy titles such as Ifrit and Diabolos. PC, PS2, and Xbox 360 players from across all geographic locations play together on the same servers. A player is allocated to a random world when they create their first character. Subsequent characters are automatically assigned to the same server as the first. In order to place a new character on a specific server, a 10-digit passcode, known as a "world pass," may be purchased in-game. When a player creates a new character, by entering this passcode, he is able to place the character in the world from which the world pass was purchased. Once on a world, a character may not be moved to another world, except in the rare event of a World Migration, which Square Enix use as a means of controlling imbalance in server population.

Interface

Players have the option of using any combination of a keyboard, mouse, and controller to play Final Fantasy XI. Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 players are able to play using only a controller with no other peripherals. In these situations, an on-screen keyboard is used to chat with other players, but reliance on communication of the game's party system leads many to purchase a USB peripheral keyboard which can be used to control the game just as the PC version does.

The heads-up display in Final Fantasy XI consists of a log window, menus, and several game information elements. The log window, at the bottom of the screen, displays system messages, battle messages, and text input by other players. Players may choose to filter what appears in the log window. Also at the bottom of the screen, a compass, the current in-game time, and the player's current hit points and magic points are displayed. Icons representing status effects appear at the top of the screen, as well as a communication meter with information about the player's current network connection status. Menus allow the player to access different commands, status windows, and configuration options. As well as the main menu, which contains the majority of the options for the game, the action command menu appears just above the log window and gives the player several options to interact with the game world. Several menu options are available through the use of keyboard shortcuts as well.[3]

Game environments

The world is broken up into different regions, and then zones. Regions are a composite of zones; for example, the region Sarutabaruta is comprised of the zones of Eastern and Western Sarutabaruta, as well as the Inner and Outer Horutoto Ruins. Zones are where the action actually takes place. Moving from one zone to the next requires loading of data, and monsters cannot pursue player characters from one zone to the next (this is called "zoning"). On the other hand, this lets the game present different sets of graphics, music, monsters, and so on in different zones without taxing a player's computer or game console.

Nation allegiance

File:FourNationsFFXI.jpg
The symbols of the four main nations of Vana'diel

At the start of the game, players may choose whether to side with The Republic of Bastok, The Kingdom of San d'Oria, or The Federation of Windurst. Players who select the "Home Nation" for their specific race get a nation specific ring, but aside from this, there is no particular advantage to siding with one nation or another. The objective of implementing national allegiances is to fight for one's country and help it claim as much of Vana'diel as possible, while preventing outright warfare between the nations by substituting this competition for battles. A special status effect known as Signet facilitates conquest. While under the effect of Signet, engaging in successful battles with an enemy in a region will earn Regional Influence points for the Nation the player character belongs to, and Conquest Points for the player. Signet also causes defeated enemies to "drop" elemental crystals, which can be sold or used to create new items from lesser ingredients. At the end of every week (at midnight Japan time on Sunday night), a Conquest Tally is conducted. The Nation with the highest influence will control the region for the week, and the Nations are ranked by the number of regions they control. If the ratio of player deaths to beastmen deaths gets too high, the region falls under Beastmen control, preventing elemental crystals from dropping until a nation regains control. Additionally, that region's "Outpost" (usually a distinct wooden structure within one of the region's zones) and guard stands (short flag poles, usually near entrances to other regions' zones) will become unmanned.

Missions and quests

Gameplay in Final Fantasy XI consists of two major components: quests, which do not advance the main storyline but fill out the game's fantasy world, and missions, through which the main storyline of the game is told.

Quests may be undertaken for various rewards, including money, items which cannot be acquired any other way, or simply prestige. Final Fantasy XI's quest system includes a mechanic whereby fame is accrued through the completion of quests. Each city and major area has its own fame rating, and more quests open to players as they grow in fame in each area. While quests do not directly advance the main stories of the game, they may fill in some additional details that would otherwise be missed. Another tangible benefit of fame is lower prices on all goods sold by town merchants.

Missions are undertaken to advance in rank, to access new areas and gain new privileges, and to advance the various plotlines in the game. Each country has its own set of missions, which a player must complete to advance in rank; a player may only complete missions for his home country, resulting in some players completing all of a country's range of missions, only to switch allegiances to see another country's storyline. The newest storylines are often not available in their entirety at first, and are unlocked gradually over time. For example, both the Zilart and Dynamis storylines are unlocked when the player progresses to a certain rank in any of the three starting cities.

The Chains of Promathia and Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansions have their own missions as well; while these do not advance a player in "rank" in the manner of the city missions, players may gain access to new areas and one-of-a-kind items through progressing in these missions.

Crafting and other activities

In addition to completing quests and missions, players can participate in several side activities.[2]

Harvesting, excavating, logging, and mining, collectively referred to as HELM, allow the player to retrieve items from the world. Harvesting produces items from plants; excavating produces bone items; logging produces wood; and mining produces metal ores and stones that can be refined into gems. HELM activities are performed by using related tools on special "points" scattered throughout certain zones. A player may only retrieve a few items from any one point before it is exhausted, and they must find another point to work on.

Players may also try their hand at fishing. Fishing in Final Fantasy XI is a sort of minigame where a player must measure their strength against the strength of fish that bite at their line. Fishing is also known as a reliable source of gil (ffxi currency) for players of all levels and experience.

Final Fantasy XI has a fairly complex item synthesis system, in which players use crystals obtained by fighting the various monsters to turn specific combinations of items into other items. Different recipes, using different classes of ingredients and different Craft skills, will produce different types of items. Items produced by the Alchemy craft skill under the guidance of the Alchemist's Guild tend to be medicines and ammunition, whereas items produced by Smithing and Leathercrafting tend to be armor or weapons, and Goldsmithing crafts rings and other accessories. In addition, the craft skill of cooking produces consumable food items that temporarily affect a character's statistics. Crafts incorporate many recipes for intermediate products which themselves may be used to produce useful items. For example, various ores may be refined into metal ingots, wooden logs cut into lumber, or animal hides tanned into leather.

A player may raise in rank within a Guild as their skill for that craft increases, giving them access to item recipes whose products grant higher benefits or net the player more profit. The main flow of profit for crafters in game is the creation of "HQ" or "High Quality" synthesizing. These items usually provide better statistics than their "NQ" or "Normal Quality" counterparts.

Player vs. player (PvP)

Although there was not an initial system allowing players to compete in battle with each other, it was eventually added to the game. Final Fantasy XI's Player vs. Player (PvP) system is unique among MMORPGs in that players may only compete directly against one another under very specific circumstances. PvP happens only in "matches" that players enter by their own consent; players cannot attack one another outside of these circumstances. Players who are defeated in a PvP match do not lose experience points, and they cannot lose items or equipment from being defeated. There are two types of PvP matches. In Ballista, the objective is to score points by throwing a rock, or "Petra", into a "castle-like construction" called a "Rook".[4] Brenner resembles capture the flag.

For the inaugural "Conflict event", the game of Ballista was used with the rules released before the competition began;[5] it had been thought that the first game would be similar to basketball.[6]

Job system

Main article: Final Fantasy XI character classes

One of Final Fantasy XI's most dynamic features is the flexibility of its job system, adapted from previous Final Fantasy titles. Players are able to change their jobs any time they wish (as long as they are inside their 'Mog House'), and eventually gain a "support job," allowing the player to learn additional skills and try different combinations.[7] Each job has unique abilities, which must be activated by the player in order to come into effect, last a limited time, and have a "cooldown" period before they can be used again; traits, which are passive abilities that are always in effect; and a special "2-hour" ability that performs some extraordinary function and has an extraordinary 2-hour-long cooldown period to go with it.

As of April 2006, a player may choose from 18 different jobs. In homage to the six job classes available in the original Final Fantasy, the initial jobs available to a player are White Mage, Red Mage, Black Mage, Warrior, Thief, and Monk. Upon achieving level 30 in any of these jobs, a player may opt to complete quests to unlock the jobs of Paladin, Dark Knight, Beastmaster, Ranger, Bard, Summoner, Samurai, Ninja, Dragoon, Blue Mage, Corsair, and Puppetmaster. Samurai, Ninja, and Dragoon were released in the Rise of the Zilart expansion, and Blue Mage, Corsair, and Puppetmaster were released in Treasures of Aht Urhgan.[8] Once the player has reached level 18 on any job, he may complete a quest that enables him to use any job he has as a "support job" for his main job. Support Jobs operate at a maximum of half the level of the player's main job, and gives the character abilities, spells and stat bonuses from that job at that level. Some elements of Support Job abilities may also be reduced, such as Sneak Attack and Trick Attack when Thief is used as a support job.

Leveling system

The nature of the leveling system, and concurrent scaling of monster difficulty, in Final Fantasy XI has the effect of nearly forcing players to play as groups, more so than other MMORPGs. After around the first 10 or so levels, monsters that a player is able to defeat alone give progressively less experience points; eventually, at higher levels, if a player is able to defeat a monster alone, the monster is likely to give no experience points. The assistance of other players is necessary to gain experience points efficiently. However, "soloing" is possible but remains to be a less efficient option. At higher levels where "partying" becomes necessary for leveling up, players get abilities that will be more useful in use in a party situation, and some classes, such as Bards, are designed only to support parties. Parties can accommodate up to 6 players each, and for more difficult missions and quests, up to three parties can form an alliance to work together to take down difficult foes. Only certain jobs are capable of gaining experience solo at higher levels.

The current maximum level in Final Fantasy XI is 75. Level limits are placed at 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70. They are typically referred to as Genkai (level limit) 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. For instance, a character who has not finished Genkai 1 will not be able to level to 51 until he or she completes the quest for Genkai 1. Square-Enix has also announced that there are no plans to increase the level cap beyond 75.[9]

On reaching level 75, a character may continue to earn experience points for two reasons: to get a buffer for experience points ('XP') so that XP losses due to deaths do not cause the character to delevel, and to earn merit points which may be traded in to permanently raise specific statistics and gain other enhancements in the merit system. In the merit system, the player is given the option to convert any future experience points into limit points, gained at the same rate as experience points. Limit points are used to accumulate merit points, at a rate of 10,000 limit points to 1 merit point. Merit points can then be used to modify a character, ranging from a bonus to the chance of a melee critical hit to a bonus to any of the seven base statistics; in an update after the Treasures of Aht Uhrgan expansion's release, job-specific abilities that can only be learned through the merit system were added for all jobs. There are caps to how much any one statistic can be raised through the merit system, but it allows for a level of character customization that is not available before the ultimate level cap. A player can choose to return to accumulating experience points instead of limit points at any time in the player's Mog House. In addition, attributes raised by merit points can be lowered through the mog house, although the limit point/merit point cost will not be refunded.

Battle system

Battles in Final Fantasy XI take place in the same world in which players move around, unlike previous Final Fantasy games in which a battle would take place in a new screen. Players may be attacked by aggressive creatures, or they may attack creatures themselves.

Monsters within the game operate under a complicated system of "claim" and "hate". A monster is "claimed" the moment a player performs any action upon it, whether attacking it or casting a spell. Once it is claimed, it can only be attacked by players in the party or alliance of the player that claimed it. Unclaimed, a monster's name is yellow; a claimed monster's name will appear red to players in the immediate party of the claimer, and purple to anyone else, including anyone in the player's alliance. If players find themselves unable to handle a monster they have engaged, they can "call for help." The monster's name turns orange, players in the immediate vicinity are alerted to the danger, and anyone can attack the monster. However, no experience or items result from the monster's death in this situation.

A monster will focus its attention on whoever has built up the most enmity, or "hate." Players have a number of means at their disposal, from spells to abilities to items, to both build up enmity and shed it when it is unwanted. Thus tank characters, with high defense capabilities, can hold a monster's attention and keep it off of those who should avoid damage, such as mages. It is possible to have a monster's attention through enmity without actually claiming the monster, so a monster could conceivably attack someone who is outside of the party or alliance that is currently attacking it.

An important part of battling in Final Fantasy XI is the technique of skillchains (a.k.a. renkei) and magic bursts. Through melee attacks and taking damage, players gain "technical points" (abbreviated TP) that fills up a special gauge. When the gauge is filled, the player may use a "weapon skill." Which weapon skills are available to a player depends both upon what weapon they are using and their proficiency in that weapon; as the player advances in levels and weapon proficiency, more weapon skills become available for their use.

Weapon skills used by different party members may be used together in specific orders to form "skillchains." Skillchains do additional damage in battle and allow for mages to "magic burst." Each skillchain has a different elemental affinity; if a mage casts a spell of the same element as the skillchain, it will do more damage than the spell would normally.

Game Economy

Final Fantasy XI has an almost entirely player-based economy with a heavy reliance on "Auction Houses" in each of the major cities of Vana'diel. Most monsters in the game do not drop any in-game currency known as gil when defeated, with the exception of monsters called 'Beastmen'. Beastmen drop very small amounts of gil, however, meaning that unlike other games in the Final Fantasy series, it is impossible to make much money merely by slaughtering monsters. Various items used in crafting, as well as sometimes extremely rare equipment items, may drop off the monsters that are defeated. Players who do not require the item may sell it to other players via the Auction House. The Auction House is also the primary method of obtaining equipment, magic scrolls and other materials.

Although the game economy is mostly in the hands of the players, there are certain economic controls in place. Money may go to an non-player character (NPC), as when players purchase items from NPC merchants or rent certain forms of transportation. A fee is charged to place items up for auction at the Auction House, and in certain cities, players making purchases from player-run "bazaars" are taxed a percentage of the item's set price. Since transportation, auction house, and tax fees do not go to players, these gilsinks effectively remove money from the economy.

Plot and setting

File:Vana'diel.jpg
Map of Vana'diel

Setting

Main article: Vana'diel

The world of Final Fantasy XI is known as "Vana'diel". It consists of two main landmasses and two smaller island flanking them, surrounded by small islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the northern glaciers to the southern deserts.[10]

The four main cities in Vana'diel are Bastok, San d'Oria, Windurst, and Jeuno. The expansion Treasures of Aht Urhgan added the large Aht Urhgan Whitegate/Al Zahbi city area. The rest of Vana'diel is made up of a number of outdoor, dungeon, and minor town areas split into various regions. While most areas are accessible by walking, various modes of transportation, ranging from the classic Final Fantasy chocobo and airships to special spells, facilitate movement across the game world.

Characters

  • Player characters The five playable races in Final Fantasy XI are Elvaan, strong melee fighters and healers; Hume, a race resembling humans, with no notable strengths or weaknesses; Galka, an asexual race physically strong but weak in magic; Mithra, agile and dextrous cat-like humanoids of which only the females are playable; and Tarutaru, tiny humanoids with great magical power.[11]
  • Non-player characters In addition to the player races, there are two primary non-playable races known as the Zilart, an ancient race which is the focus of the first two game expansions, and the Kuluu, a race of beings similar to the Zilart and thought to be inferior to it. There is also a huge supporting cast of NPCs who give quests and missions and appear in the game's storylines.
See also: List of Final Fantasy XI characters
  • Enemies In addition to several typical Final Fantasy monsters, adversaries in the game include humanoid Beastmen. Some of these creatures follow the Shadow Lord, one source of the game's conflict.[12]

Plot

There are currently eight major plotlines in Final Fantasy XI, including the San d'Oria Storyline, Bastok Storyline, Windurst Storyline, Zilart Storyline, Dynamis Storyline A, Dynamis Storyline B, Chains of Promathia Storyline, and the Treasures of Aht Urghan Storyline. The Dynamis storylines are unique in that the storyline progresses through clearing special Dynamis zones, not through completing missions as with the other storylines in the game. Dynamis zones represent alternate versions of areas found in the main game world. While some (the Storyline A areas, covering three tiers - the first being Bastok, Windurst, San d'Oria, and Jeuno; the second being set in Beaucedine Glacier; and the third being set in Xarcabard) can be entered by up to 64 people at once, others (the Storyline B areas) are limited to either 36 people (the first tier, composed of alternative versions of Valkurm Dunes, Buburimu Peninsula, and Qufim Island) or 18 people (the second tier, set in an alternative version in or near Tavnazia). All ten of the Dynamis zones have their own set of rules for loot gathering, monster claiming, and the amount of time alloted for a group's stay, and the Dynamis Storyline B areas have additional rules that differ from normal gameplay (for example, the locking of subjobs until a certain objective is met).

Development

Immediately upon the conclusion of creating the English version of Chrono Cross, work began on the basic system of play for Final Fantasy XI. The Japanese game players were told to expect English speaking players, since the game makers intended to create a unified game world instead of different ones balkanized by language.[13] This development allowed for a 66% reduction of potential costs in setup.[14]

Different creatures had to have their names standardized, as they are called by different names in the Japanese and American versions.[13] The game cost 2-3 billion Yen to create along with the PlayOnline Network Service and was assumed to become profitable over a five year timespan.[15] It was originally announced that there would be simultaneous release on both the PlayStation 2 and PCs as well as concurrent Japanese and American release.[16] The game was developed and run on the NVIDIA GeForce 4 Ti GPU, which the President of Square described as the most powerful graphics processor available at the time.[17] Following an August 2001 Beta test in Japan, a public Japanese Beta test was done in December 2001.[18] The game was the first developed under Square's new philosophy to develop for "all platforms and media".[19]

Expansion

When news was first circulated about an expansion to Final Fantasy XI, it was thought that the game's title would be Final Fantasy XI: Vision of Girade and was unclear whether it would be a free upgrade or not.[20] On October 28, 2003, Final Fantasy XI was released in North America on the personal computer along with the first expansion Rise of the Zilart, with a PlayStation 2 release on March 23, 2004.[21] It was also made available on the Xbox 360, the first collaboration of Square Enix and Microsoft.[22] The Xbox Live version was also beta tested to see how their online playing system supported Final Fantasy XI.[23] The Xbox version was the first game on the Xbox 360 to require the use of their hard drive addition.[24]

The second expansion to the game, Chains of Promathia, was released in Japan on September 16, 2004, and a bundled version of the game complete with the two expansion packs was released in Europe on the same date. Five days later, on September 21, 2004, the expansion was released in North America. In addition, the US version of the full game plus the two expansions was released as a single DVD-ROM called "The Vana'diel Collection" on August 16, 2005. A third expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, was released worldwide on April 18, 2006. The game was also released on Xbox 360 on the same day bundled with all three of the expansions released to date.

A direct sequel of Final Fantasy XI was thought to be in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows Vista.[25] Square Enix quickly denied this report, though they confirmed that another MMO is in development, albeit not related to the Final Fantasy series.[26]

Square Enix also announced their intention to let players communicate by text messaging with people playing the game online.[27]

Updates

On June 14th, 2002, the game server was down for four hours for maintenance to the database servers, bug fixes on the text interface and a new patch for the game client.[28] This is thought to be the first patch ever released for a console game.[29] On July 8, 2002, Square also shut down the item auction system due to some players exploiting the system.[30] In early 2006, Square Enix discovered that a group of players had found a way to generate the game currency and exchange it for real currency, which in turn drove up prices for all items across the game. In response, 700 accounts were permanently banned and 300 billion Gil was removed from circulation. This effort is an attempt to stop Real-money trading (RMT) in the online game.[31] Square Enix has stated that RMT is officially a violation of the Terms of Service for Final Fantasy XI.[32] In July 2006, Square banned or suspended over 2,000 other accounts for similar manipulation and commerce.[33] The summer 2006 update has allowed for the long requested ability for players to raise and breed chocobos, but the system is only partially implemented — only a few of the chocobo breeds are currently available.[34]

As of October 2006, the PC version of Final Fantasy XI is incompatible with Windows Vista. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor RC lists that PlayOnline is incompatible with Windows Vista, and recommends contacting PlayOnline for an update. When FFXI is installed on a Vista computer, the installation fails, and recommends that the user visits the FFXI website for an update, but no such update exists. Their support department says that because Vista isn't commercially available, they don't support it. However, if the installation is initiated and properly maintained under a Windows XP boot option, it will be Windows XP Certified and run properly.

Audio

Final Fantasy XI was scored by Nobuo Uematsu, Naoshi Mizuta, and Kumi Tanioka. The expansion packs were scored by Mizuta alone after Tanioka left to pursue other projects and Uematsu left Square Enix. A vocal, Distant Worlds, performed by Izumi Masuda, composed by Uematsu and arranged by Mizuta, was later released in a July 2005 patch and was released on the Japan iTunes Music Store of 13 September 2005.

Nobuo Uematsu noted the increased difficulty of scoring a games for which there was no linear plotline, a major change from the previous ten Final Fantasy games. It was also the first game in the series for which he composed while he was no longer a Square employee.[35] At a concert tribute to Uematsu in San Francisco, California, several pieces from the game score were played including "Ronfaure."[36] Some of the music from Final Fantasy XI has been released on iTunes for download.[37] A CD of Final Fantasy XI music entitled The Star Onions (Final Fantasy XI - Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel) was released on August 24th, 2005 with ten tracks.[38]

Release

Final Fantasy XI was listed as one of IGN's most anticipated games of 2004.[39] There were objections raised to naming the game the eleventh in the series, since it was not a structured story; it was suggested that the game instead be named "Final Fantasy Online."[40] To commemorate the three-year anniversary of the game's release, Square Enix hosted a Fan Festival where fans could try out the third expansion Treasures of Aht Uhrgan.[41]

Pricing

For one month's play, Final Fantasy XI costs $12.95 for the first content ID, which allows for the creation of a character, and $1.00 for each additional content ID, and therefore additional character, up to 16 total content IDs.

Reception

By December of 2002, Square president Yoichi Wada announced that there were over 200,000 subscribers to Final Fantasy XI, allowing the company to make up the investment costs of the game and begin making a profit.[42] In January 2004, Square Enix announced that over 500,000 users utilizing over 1 million characters were playing the game. Having also been released on the PlayStation 2 as well as the personal computer, it became the first cross platform MMORPG ever created.[43] Right before its release on the Playstation 2, 1/3rd of the players were thought to be English speaking.[44] Japanese players prefer playing on their PlayStation 2's, while English speakers prefer the PC version of the game. There are also currently between 200,000 and 300,000 active players daily.[14]

For the April-September 2004 financial period, Square saw online gaming, particularly Final Fantasy XI, sales increase by 101 percent and operating profit increase by 230.9 percent.[45] As of summer 2006, revenues have continued to hold steady from subscription services.[46] Since its Xbox 360 release it has become by August 14th, 2006, the 6th most played game at Xbox Live.[47]

It was rated an 8.4 at GameStats.com.[48] It was thought to be a well done but unoriginal game, and in fact with only Japanese servers running and forcing North American players to play with already much more experienced Japanese players, all the quests had literally already been beaten.[49] GameSpot criticized for having an unconventional control system, a lengthy installation, and having no player versus player aspects.[50] Other problems have included EXP grind which involves constant battles to access different parts of the game, and overcrowded camp sites.[51] With regard to the Xbox 360 release, there has been criticism that the game would only work if accompanied by a hard drive.[52]

Final Fantasy XI was awarded the grand prize from the Japan's Consumer Entertainment Software Association (CESA) for 2002-2003 along with Taiko no Tatsujin.[53] It was also named IGN's Game of the Month for March, 2004, citing the games huge customization and its successful cross-platform and cross-language game world.[54] A Final Fantasy XI themed lobby is present in the online game Minna no Golf.[55] It also won GameSpy's 2003 PC MMORPG Game of the Year Award.[56]

Merchandise

Final Fantasy XI PlayOnline Visa and MasterCard credit cards were available in Japan. Features included no annual fees as long as cardholders remain PlayOnline subscribers and various rewards.[57] There have also been posters with limited edition phone cards and keychains released, also exclusively in Japan.[58] Several tee shirts have been made available for order in North America.[59] Several plushies have also been made available to order of different races from the series.[60] A Vana'diel clock was also marketed,[61] as well as CDs of the game music.[62]

References

  1. ^ Future Publishing, ed. (2006). Edge June 2006; issue 163. Future Publishing. pp. 28–29.
  2. ^ a b "Welcome to Vana'diel". Final Fantasy XI Official Website. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2001). Final Fantasy XI instruction manual. Square Enix. pp. 81–83.
  4. ^ "Chapter 2: Event Name Ballista". Final Fantasy XI Official Site. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  5. ^ Valandil (April 21, 2004). "Final Fantasy XI - Ballista Rules". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-08-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  6. ^ Jeremy Dunham (March 30th, 2004). "Final Fantasy XI PvP Details". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-08-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. ^ "Job and Races". Final Fantasy XI Official Website. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  8. ^ "Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan". Square-Enix. January 26, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  9. ^ "1UP interview Xbox 360 version". 1UP.com. November 16, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  10. ^ "Locations". Final Fantasy XI Official Website. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  11. ^ "Welcome to Vana'diel". Final Fantasy XI Official Website. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  12. ^ "Adversaries: The Beastmen Forces". Final Fantasy XI Official Website. January 1st, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  13. ^ a b Dunham, Jeremy (May 14th, 2003). "E3 2003: Final Fantasy XI Developer Interview". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-08-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
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