[null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/15/final-fantasy-xi-arrives", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/gamestowatch-re2-deck-38434b-1545154044871_315h.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/gamestowatch-re2-deck-38434b-1545154044871_315h.jpg", "formatted_filename": "gamestowatch re deck b h"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/15/final-fantasy-xi-arrives", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/biggestplottwists-blogroll-1545143747922_320w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/biggestplottwists-blogroll-1545143747922_320w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "biggestplottwists blogroll w"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/15/final-fantasy-xi-arrives", "unformatted_src": "https://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ffbox.jpg", "src": "https://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ffbox.jpg", "formatted_filename": "ffbox"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/15/final-fantasy-xi-arrives", "unformatted_src": "https://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/charapic.jpg", "src": "https://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/charapic.jpg", "formatted_filename": "charapic"}, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null]


Final Fantasy XI Arrives

Now we anxiously await the chance to play it.

It`s May 16th in Japan, and although Square and Sony have done little to make the evil mainstream aware of it, a new Final Fantasy game is available for the PS2. Perhaps you`ve heard of this game. It`s called Final Fantasy XI and it`s the first fully Online game in the series, and the first massively multiplayer Online game for a console.

We`ve been playing the Beta version as a tester for a while now, and if you`ve read our 10 page feature posted about a month ago, you`ll know that we simply love the game. The world of FFXI is a massive one, and there`s plenty to do in it. From what we`ve seen through screens, drescriptions in magazines and video clips on Famitsu TV (the show had a huge feature on the game last night), the final version improves upon the Beta in all areas. Character animation and movement seems to be better, and there`s a whole lot more to do, ranging from flying air ships to, of all things, fishing. The box, and the thick manual

The final version of the game ships with a 300 page manual describing PlayOnline, FFXI and the included Tetra Master card game. As with the Beta, the game`s DVD case contains two disks: one disk for the PlayOnline browser (which must be installed first) and another for the FFXI game (which is installed once you`ve launched PlayOnline and gone Online. Sampling of the characters you can create

Are you a hardcore gamer nut who was planning on buying FFXI just for its Offline content? Don`t. Unlike with Phantasy Star Online, there`s no Offline game for FFXI. The following four screens are just about all you can get to without having the PS2 hard drive and an internet account:

Notice the option for Dolby 5.1? The Beta struck us as having rich sound, with noises appearing from all throughout your surroundings. Assuming the option is used in gameplay, hearing FFXI in Dolby 5.1 should be a treat indeed.

In addition to the options you can also access the game`s intro, a beautiful 7 minute piece narrated in English and featuring just about the best CG we`ve seen in a videogame. The intro details a bit of the history of the game`s Vana'Diel world, and focuses specifically on one character. We`re not sure at this point if this character will actually play a world in what ever background story surrounds the game, but the intro is a must-see none-the less. Download it in the video section below.

We`ll have more from the final version of the game in a little over one week`s time. In the meanwhile, be sure and check out our 10-page IGN Insider Feature on the Beta, which details the start-up of the game and the early moments of play, neither of which seem to have changed considerably for the final.

-- Anoop Gantayat, Contributor