Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Final Fantasy XI

Written by John Scalzo on July 10, 2001

First Impressions: It's one small step for gamers, one giant leap for the Playstation 2!

Simply put, Final Fantasy XI is a big step forward in the world of video games. Following in the footsteps of Everquest and Phantasy Star Online, Final Fantasy XI is going to be a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). Whew, did you get that? OK good, but what exactly does it mean. What it means is that you will play Final Fantasy XI totally and completely online. There will be no one-player adventure. You will have to get online, converse with other gamers in a virtual world, and in true Final Fantasy fashion, save the world in epic style.

But what do we really know about this potential life altering game that is Final Fantasy XI? Well, the short answer is we know jack $*! #. Square has kept more tight lipped than usual concerning their next Final Fantasy installment. No storyline details have been released and the company has only really hinted at the "save the world" plot that has permeated through the rest of the series. So truly, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the storyline. And on top of that, no screen shots have ever seen the light of day.

But what do we know? For starters, we know that Square has plans to bring Final Fantasy XI to all of the next generation consoles in addition to a PC version. Yes, no longer will Nintendo fans be deprived of their Final Fantasy fix when Final Fantasy XI is ported over to the GameCube. And this may just be the ticket to postpone the eventual funeral of the X-Box as Bill Gates' new toy will also get Final Fantasy XI. We also know that Final Fantasy XI will be the first game to utilize Square's PlayOnline entertainment network and that if you want into the game, you have to subscribe to PlayOnline.

We also know that Square has had a fully playable version of Final Fantasy XI traveling amongst the developers since October. Why this prevents them from releasing a few screenshots or at least the plot is a mystery to me. Maybe we should get a few psychics on the case.

One of the things that bother's me is that Square is insisting on calling it Final Fantasy XI. At this point it has really nothing to do with the rest of the games in the series. Well, scratch that, it has about the same connection to the other games of the series that they all do: nothing. But when people go back to their old copies of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII and go forward to Final Fantasy X, they all have a common Final Fantasy formula. No one will ever be able to go back to Final Fantasy XI. Over time, it will lose popularity and people will stop playing it. Thus making it the forgotten Final Fantasy and a big gap in the series. That's why I think they should follow Sega's cue and call it Final Fantasy Online or something similar. It wouldn't shock me in the least if Square does this, but I honestly don't think they will.

And does anyone else think it's kind of funny that I'm worrying about the downfall of a game that hasn't even had one screenshot released yet?