Customer Reviews

Final Fantasy XI The Ultimate Collection

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The problem I find currently with this game is too many players have reached multiple end game jobs (level 75) and few brand new players have joined. This means many group required missions are nearly impossible to complete. As a lower level player you have to coax six or more players to help you accomplish your rank, or expansion missions. That isn't easy. It is difficult to find people to level up with. Some parts of the game you can never reach, because you haven't completed the required missions. If it was just one difficult mission you might succeed, but it is mission after mission (10 or more, some with sub missions) and older players are not inclined to want to repeat these. Each expansion brought more missions most of which you cannot solo to complete. That puts you into a continual mode of asking for assistance.
You can craft in the game but you don't make anything of any significance that anyone really wants to buy.(Until you reach the highest skill levels, and even then since it is older players most have already purchased the items.) It takes many supplies, and turn ins to achieve a tiny bit of increased skill. The latest idea is group crafting.
The game does offer you many interesting jobs to work on and build up. However you will learn as you develop your character, that preconceived opinions of older players could exclude you from group participation because they feel your job lacks the strength, or specialty required to complete their objective.

Hello!

I am a player of 5 years and I must say this game is very fun to play. If you want something quick and easy this is not the game for you. Please look into other games like World of Warcraft. Contrary to popular belief, you can solo pretty easily in this game now, but back when it was first out the only job that can possibly solo was Beastmaster.

They have added things that will give you faster experience, more buffs like regen and refresh from a book called Fields of Valor. I have soloed Thief in this game 1-75 with relative ease using these books and different areas. You need to research what you're doing beforehand, and it's not as simple as slashing a monster a few times.

As for group like things, many things have been dumbed down to the point where it used to take a full party of 6 players it now only takes 2-3 people to complete. I will agree with some of the other reviews and say it is more of an old player base, many have already completed missions and do not want to do them again. I have seen a lot of people that still need the missions though, and there are new players coming about.

One thing you have to understand this game has been out quite awhile, and is slowly riding out the rest of its years. There is a new game already in the making and is in current Beta Testing sequence the game is called Final Fantasy XIV (or 14) this will be an online game as well.

Currently the level cap for FFXI is being increased from 75 level to level 99 so there will be more people leveling and playing. There is also a level sync feature so higher level friends can sync to your level when you want to exp. Over all there are plenty of ways to solo, plenty of ways to get things done. It's not simple no, but this game never was for that kind of audience.

Simply don't turn this great game away because of its age or because of all negative reviews. This game isn't terrible and it does have something for everyone. If graphics are your thing, then you will be disappointed. But I honestly think if you only judge a game based on that then.. you're pretty picky =(

Best of luck to new players and/or old ones returning!

As of today, I will be on Bismarck. Seraph was merged with Bismarck. If you need some help and are on that server hit me up and let me know how you know me. Take Care all!

I played Final Fantasy XI for about a year or more when it was first released in the US and enjoyed it quite a bit. I just purchased it again (on sale) for old time's sake and was pretty disappointed.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the graphics had not been updated whatsoever since release. I was able to play the game full screen on my 1080p monitor, but it looked as if it was in 1024x768 resolution blown up and stretched out. There is no way to fix this other than to play it in windowed mode.

After wandering around for a bit, I came to the realization that I had not seen a single player in one of the main starting cities (Windurst) all day. I did a search and the server said that just fewer than 900 people were online on the entire server. All of the search results showed that those players were towards the end game. Because this is a group-oriented game, this doesn't bode well for new players who will absolutely need to form a party with others to advance beyond level 10 or so.

So I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone looking for a new MMO to play. A few years ago I might have, but it doesn't seem to have aged well, which is a shame because there is quite a bit of content I wouldn't mind experiencing for a second time.

For those who still wish to check the game out and manage to find a well populated server, I can speak very highly of the story-based missions of this game. Granted, most of the game is hours of grinding (in true Asian MMO tradition), but where it really shines is making the players feel as if they're accomplishing major things through the very detailed and engaging storyline. Unfortunately, you can't jump right into this and the missions are rather few and far between at least for a while.

For me, playing this game again has been like rekindling a friendship only to discover that you're no longer very compatible.

I'd first like to point out that many of the previous Reviews are wrong in many ways, and if you want a well thought out, rounded view of a player who's played FFXI for over 6 years, then please read my Review before others.

Starting with the basics. FFXI is nothing like it was 6 years ago, or even 4 years ago. It has evolved and changed. The developers are forming it, changing it and still are. They've implemented and added new things, and FFXI is currently (as to the date of this written review) in its first stage of 4 major updates for this year, which will add the level cap from 75 to 99, and many other things.

THE UNIQUENESS OF FFXI

Whats Unique about FFXI? Its not your stereo-typical MMO where you can grind out levels by yourself, go fight a few monsters, and get epic gear via "dungeons". You cannot level up alone if at all. To level up and do over half the quests or Missions for the main game or any of the expansions takes a party of 6. Its a game based on Teamwork. To work together, make friends and overcome the challenges.

When you first start out from levels 1-10 you can solo, after that its off to Valkurm Dunes to start your first experiences with a party.

It used to be that it'd take hours to get a party while putting up your search flag. Now with the new addition of level syncing, any level can sync to yours to make a party quickly and efficiently. One of the many things the game developers have done to evolve this game to the current times.

The reasons that make FFXI so unique would quite literally take me hours to point out. Such as how Moon phases, weather, time of day, and the type of day effects everything from weapon skills to crafting, and how Xbox, PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 all play on the same servers. Something Unique from any other MMO.

THE GRAPHICS

The graphics of FFXI are what you'd expect from a game thats 6 years old. Not everyone has the best computer, or the most space. However, the graphics are not horrible either. I'm into great graphics as much as the next person, but the graphics of FFXI are fresh, in the fact that they are not blindingly beautiful and shiny, but are not cartoony (like World of Warcraft) and are not horrible graphics like pre 2000 era. Any computer these days should have very little trouble playing FFXI.

What most people dont know is that there are actually 2 ways to boost the graphics. Theres a setting OUTSIDE of the game, which you can set to sharpen the edges and textures, as well as graphics settings INSIDE the game to touch them up even more.

The game WILL pre set the game to 800x600 setting simply because this is a 6 year old game. But it can be easily remedied by checking the graphics settings OUTSIDE of the game in the Start Menu and setting them to 1064.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay of FFXI has evolved a number of times in the 6 years I've played. Everytime a new job came out, it would evolve to suit those jobs. What makes the Gameplay so fun, is the fact its completely unique to other MMO's.

1) You need a Party of at least 6 to level up effectively, Teamwork is the #1 thing in FFXI. Its a great way to meet friends

2) The best weapons/armors you find via quests, or NM's (Notorious Monsters) That spawn. Or from other additions from expansions, such as Dynamis, Sea, Sky, etc.

3) You have 2 jobs. Main Job, and a Sub-job. You have ALL the abilites from your main job, but your sub-job is capped at half the level of your main job.

So for example.

Say your a level 50 Paladin. And your sub job is Warrior. That means your Warrior is capped at level 25. Which would make you a PLD50/WAR25.

This means you have ALL the abilities of a Paladin up to level 50, and ALL the abilities of a Warrior up to level 25. Your stats are also effected by your sub-job.

You can take ALL jobs up to level 75 as well, which are quite literally ALOT of jobs...

Paladin, White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Warrior, Dragoon, Samauri, Ninja, Corsair, Summoner, Ranger, Puppeteer, Monk. To name a few...

FINAL THOUGHTS.

For those of you who like team work, Are looking for a Unique MMO to play, and dont mind if the game does not have the most best graphics of this day, Then FFXI is definetly a game to look into. I can assure you that once you get into it, and really look at everything it has to offer, you will not be let down in the sheer size of FFXI.

You can do everything from Campaigning in the past, To fighting gods, to doing Dynamis, Rank Missions, Quests, Crafting, Besieged and a number of other things of your liking. There are also a number of extremely helpfull websites that FFXI developers urge you to use.

[...] = Is a list of all the items being sold in the main city of Jeuno on the server you choose, and at what price. Along with ALL of the crafting recipes for your easy use.

[...] = The one stop shop for anything and everything you want to know about FFXI. Quest, Mission walkthroughts, info on every job, every area, Area Maps, and anything else you'd want to know about anything in FFXI.


Final Note: It would take me and anyone else DAYS to write a full in depth Review of FFXI. Its simply to broad and unique from other MMO's to do it full justice. If you are of the intelligent minded and able to look past the graphics and into the actual mechanics of the game, you WILL NOT be let down.

FFXI does have its flaws.. Its old, many of the gamers that play have reached end-game making beginning cities a little bare. But anyone who says its hard to find help, or that this will hamper new players, has no idea what FFXI is.. Because as I stated FFXI is a game based on Teamwork.. Shout out your new, and someone WILL help you. Grab a Linkshell (FFXI version of a Guild) and there will be plenty of people willing to set down what they are doing to help you get started and give you all the info you need to comfortably get going.

Every game has its bad apples, but I will always stand by that FFXI has THE BEST community of any MMO.

1. Don't bother coming back unless you have WOTG expansion. People now level in the new areas level 15+ which requires that expansion. The old cities are practically abandoned.
2. Level 75s now level in "Abyssea" zone to reach level 80. This zone is only accessible if you PAY. The in-game add-on known as Abyssea(aka expansion) is bought through PlayOnline for $10 (there are no software boxes released that you can buy in-store). Receive triple exp at ~600 for fast leveling. That addition IS NOT INCLUDED in this Ultimate Collection.
3. Remember, buying this Ultimate Collection with the three addons does not mean you can apply them to your account. If you have an old account you're reinstating, you'll have to purchase the 3 addons that come in this ultimate collection separately. You can apply them to this account but not your old one. Each addon costs $10.
4. $$$$$$ WARNING $$$$$$
Remember that if you still decide to come back, Square charges you for 2 months worth of fees. The month that you are in when you re-register, and the next month. They charge on the 1st of every month, but the servers go down for "charging" on the 28th for 2 days (basically means they charge on the 28th).

Example: You reinstate your account on the 15th of this month.
Square will charge you $12.99 (for the rest of this month) + $12.99 (full next month).

Example#2: You reinstate your account on the 27th of this month.
Square will still charge you THE FULL AMOUNT of $12.99 (for the rest of this month - which is just 3 days of gameplay) + $12.99 (full next month).

Example#3: You try to reinstate your account on the 28th of this month.
You can't. Playonline goes down from 28th to the 1st for maintenance. So you'll have to wait until the 1st to reinstate your account. Otherwise, how would you feel if you reinstated your account at 11:59 pm on the 30th, only to be charged $12.99 for 1 minute of game play?

Think you're getting ripped off? You are.

Final Fantasy XI (FF11) is an MMO I will always remember. While it was not the best MMO experience I had, the community and overall feel of the game is second to none; dare I say even better than WoW and my current MMO - Rift. Final Fantasy 11 has a mystique about it that keeps it going even after the release of Final Fantasy 14.


** GAMEPLAY **
Final Fantasy 11 has a slightly unique take to leveling and gameplay. There are no visible quests to take, instead by talking to towns folk you eventually might pick up a quest or two. The game really isn't about taking hundreds of quests but more about exploring the vast world fighting evils that dwell within. Combat is pretty simple, following a more turn based approach to the game (kind of like Final Fantasy 12's combat system just without gambits). Early on you will basically be tasked with leveling up which can be done solo. The leveling system can be a bit grind-ish especially because when you die you lose experience! When I played you actually could lose a level! While experience lost isn't much, it does hurt to lose a good half hour of grinding because of a mistake. This is the death penalty of FF11, not loss of stats, not a silly trip back to your body but a straight out theft of XP

Once you out level the beginner areas the game quickly starts becoming a party based system. This is where your link-shell(kind of like a guild) is going to come in handy. Mobs get very tough and eventually a party is mandatory for any progress in the game. There is no PvP in the game either, but more of a Community vs The World feeling. You see someone in trouble you run over to help simply because you know how painful it is to die and lose experience or even a level. It isn't about you, but everyone. It is hard to explain honestly but the gameplay, as much of a grind as it felt at times, was some of the best I ever experienced.

The game allows you to pick any class combination you want pretty much. The only requirements are that you learn the class, and level it. That's right! Level your Dark Knight to cap, switch to your Ninja class and well... you are a level 1 ninja! All that grind you did for the Dark Knight, well time to repeat it for the Ninja class. Welcome to the grind ^_^


** OVERALL **
With that said how does FF11 rank amongst MMOs. When it comes to the community feel it is second to none. Gameplay however can be a boring grind at times with the entire focus on just finding mobs to kill, level up and tackle bigger harder foes on your quest to fight the ultimate evil. Simple but effective. Problem is however the structure of the game in the end. While it has great community and a simple seeming design there is a lot of depth to the game. On top of that, rather than make the game easy for a new person to pick up, the longer you are "Out of the loop" the worst it becomes. All the expansions are MANDATORY at this point even for basic leveling. The system setup for your Play-Online account is very "skeptic" at best especially with how they bill you. It is a very poor system, in fact one of the worst of any major MMO on the market. The system is actually set up in a way to scam you almost.

So.. well overall it is a bit of a mess. Throw in some really poor customer service at times and you have Final Fantasy 11. A great game set up to be a great pro-community game that ends up being hampered by its own design and refusal to change what's broken or holding it back. That is the reason why this game gets 3 stars now. There is very little reason for someone "new" to pick up the game which is a shame.

** NOTE: As mentioned in other reviews, be very cautions when you activate your account or re-activate. Play Online has a very shady billing system. I recommend activating on the 2nd or 3rd of the month to get your money's worth.

I really like Final fantasy XI. The game is nice. Since they require people to have visa (verified by visa) is much more complicated for people outside the US to play this game. Verified by visa or mastercard are not available in any bank in Chile. So, I cannot play.

Final Fantasy XI is one of the best Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games of all time and this is a great set to buy for those looking to get an expansion set or to start playing for the first time. This does include all expansions as of May 2011 but does not include the three most recent add-on scenarios, so beware!

Square-Enix's official site for Final Fantasy XI, playonline.com, makes no mention of the newer ultimate collection in their Online Store section, I guess it's too much to ask for them to update their site now a-days. If you are looking for a good disk-in-box set of Final Fantasy XI, this is a great answer at a great price.

My wife ordered this game for me on our Amazon account because I couldn't find it in any stores and we got it for a great price. I love this game. It has everything I was hoping it had, for it being an older game. I've always been a loyal FF fan and I found a download for a tester to see if it worked on our current computer before I bought the game...and it works beautifully. I'm really happpy with this purchase and it arrived before scheduled so that was a plus. This game was released several years ago but recently re-released with updates and it's really fun. I go to the official website to learn about the game and read forums if I have questions. I have no complaints about this game, it is exactly what I expected and wanted. I also search info on AllAkazam for game help and stuff to read on the game.
Sweet game!

I just wanted to clarify that the Add-ons in this collection can be applied to an existing account, contrary to what another reviewer stated. The Ultimate Collection comes with a single registration code (unlike previous releases that included a separate code for each expansion).

When you apply the code to an existing account, just choose an add-on that you haven't previously registered. After you complete the registration for one of the expansions/add-ons, playonline will automatically detect any other expansions/add-ons that the code can be used for.

In my case I was able to register A Crystalline Prophecy, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat , and A Shantotto Ascension. I did not have to pay $10 for each add-on. The only thing you can't do is apply the code to a 2nd account, even if you didn't register all the expansions on the 1st account.