Final Fantasy XI Turning 5 with 4th Expansion
Final Fantasy XI is alive and kicking with subscribers able to play on four different platforms. The game plays on the PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3 thanks to a free patch that allows you to load the PS2 version onto the PS3′s hard drive. The game is also about to celebrate its fifth anniversary with its fourth expansion, Wings of the Goddess.
The game is significantly larger than when I stopped playing a few years ago, including more PVP areas, apparently some team-based challenge areas, and chocobo raising and racing. It’s interesting to see the game growing and expanding. How has it been able to cling to its user base in the face of World of Warcraft, at least enough to pay for development of all of these expansions?
I don’t miss the frustration of trying very hard and getting almost nowhere in FFXI with the way its quests almost all require group efforts to be successful at high levels, but I do miss the sights and sounds of the various zones. The crummy weather in the swamps underscored the sense of danger, and the swishing of the wind through the grass out on the plains emphasized the open spaces. Their names have faded from my memory, but I can still see them in my head.
It’s not a cranky old goat like 10-year-old Ultima Online, but with lots and lots of features added to the game since I last played it might be something you want to try. Hit the link below to read more about it. The new expansion is due out this winter.
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brent Kailbourn
