Pros: Addictive, fun, (mostly) nice, helpful people online.
Cons: Expensive, Time Suck(game term - means you will play it for many hours)
The bottom line: Great for anyone who enjoys Everquest, or other MMORPG's, and a must try for anyone who loves the Final Fantasy titles.
Ok, I wrote this review for the PC version of this game, but have since purchased the PS2 version, and the ONLY differences I have found are that you much purchase a bit more hardware, so it is a bit more costly, and that the graphics are not as gorgeous as the PC version. BOTH are recommended, PC over PS2, but if you can only get the PS2 version, get it.



I recently purchased FFXI for PC(I know this is for PS2 but for some reason it is not listed in PC, and since the games will be played on the same servers, they will be exactly the same), and let me say, I think the price is well worth it. I am just now 16, as of 3 days prior to writing this article, and I don't have a job as of yet. Yet I am still willing to pay this much money. Why, you may ask? Simple, this game is addictive. Many people think that it is boring, because all you do is fight, fight, fight. But it is not just that. The game is online, with almost 1500 people in the same "world" as you, simultaneouly. And this is just one of many worlds. Anyways, what I am getting at, is that this isn't like the previous (Final Fantasy) games, it is online, and you can INTERACT with the other players.

There are many things to explain, so I will go in the order I learned them.

Races - There are 5 races.
The Mithra, the cat-like species, very agile and quick, not much downtime inbetween attacks.
The Tarutaru, little (very) guys, the shortest, smallest race. Their HP (hit points) are low, while MP (magic points) are very high. Their Inteligence boost makes them the ideal choice for any player interested in being a mage
The Galka - Big, Green, strong race, almost the anti-Tarutaru, as their stats are inversed. Their HP is through the roof, while MP is in the basement (metaphorically, it means that their MP is low)
The Humes - They are basically the race you want to be if you want to be average at everything, and not excell in any area, since they are completly even, overall.
The Elvaan - They are basically even, but their MP is below that of the Hume's, and their HP is slightly higher, and with the highest strength, they make good warriors.

Jobs - There are many jobs, but you only start out with six choices.
The basic six jobs are:
Black Mage - They do dark magic, just as in previous Final Fantasy Titles. Dark magic is magic such as Water, Fire, Ice (blizzard), blind, bind, Aero, etc. This magic mainly does damage, or makes it harder for the enemy to hit/hurt you. Their physical attacks are weak. Lower HP/ high MP
White Mage - They do white magic, again just as in previous Final Fantasy titles. White magic is that which aids the player/players party. This includes healing, defense bonuses, etc. Their physical attacks are weak. Lower HP, high MP
Red Mage - These do some of both dark and white magic. Also their physical attacks are decent, not too strong, but much better than that of the other mages. Decent HP/MP
Thief - These I don't exactly understand. It seems they are about as strong as red mages, physically, but can't cast magic. Decent HP/ No MP
Warrior - Strongest fighter, and can use most weapons High HP/ No MP
Monk - Strong Fighter, faster than a Warrior, can't use too many weapons, High HP/No MP.

That is the basic six, and as it will be MANY MANY hours until you can play as any of the others, I won't discuss them here.

Job Abilities - These are what you use when you are in trouble during a fight. Normally, these will save your life, and for good reason - they can only be used every 2 hours. These abilities vary by job.

White Mage - Benediction - This performs a full party full heal. This means any one that you are partied with will be fully healed (HP, not MP), as will you.

Black Mage - Manafont - This makes it so that any spell you cast will cost 0 MP. This means you can keep casting attack spells over and over, no matter how low your MP.

Red Mage - Chain Spell - Spells take less time to cast, and the wait time inbetween is reduced / nulled.

Warrior - Mighty Strikes - All attacks are "Critical Strikes" which means they do about 1.5-2 times normal damage.

Monk - Hundred Fists - Your attacks do not stop while this is activated, rather that having a 2-4 second delay.

Thief - (unsure of actual name) Dodging - This makes it much much harder for you to be hit, making you nearly invulnerable.

Basically, the game is all about leveling, but there are many other things to do. Such as missions, quest, or just having fun with friends you make online.

Missions - Basically these are given to you by guards (town guards, NPC's, which are non-player characters). They vary, but basically are as follows. Go to this area, kill this or find this, and then follow any other directions.
Quests - Given by most NPC's, vary too much to describe in any detail.

I hope this helps you decide if you want the game, if you have any other questions, go to
http://www.playonline.com