Final Fantasy XI with HDD - PlayStation 2

• Holds up to 40 GB and comes with Final Fantasy XI pre-loaded.

Product Description ------------------- The internal 40 GB Hard Disk Drive takes the PlayStation 2 to the next evolutionary phase! Preloaded with FFXI, this combo will utilize the Network Adapter (sold separately) to bring you the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the Final Fantasy series. The hard drive ushers in the ability for downloadable content, saving cds to create a personal jukebox, faster loading times and simultaneous gameplay between PC and PS2 users in the FFXI world! FFXI throws players into the world of Vana'diel standing at the brink of war. Three nations stand against a force of insurable evil. You are their last hope. Unite with adventures all around the globe to save Vana'diel from the clutches of doom! Review ------ Seeing as how this title marks the debut of the PS2's hard drive and Final Fantasy's first venture into the realm of the console MMORPG market, there has been a lot of commotion and anticipation surrounding it. Now that it has hit the shelves, the world of Vana'diel will need to brace itself for the fresh surge of PS2-playing inhabitants, providing enough people shell out the dough. This is essentially the same game that came out for the PC in October, though it runs at a significantly lower resolution. It offers the same impressive persistent world, storyline, and content. It still has beautiful visuals and a gripping score, along with an unfortunately awkward menu interface. Overall, this is a solid game that does a wonderful job of unifying Square Enix's vision of the Final Fantasy world under a multi-platform roof. This is unquestionably the best MMORPG available for the console, with a high potential to eat away at your free time, and possibly be responsible for some "" days at work. Sure, you'll have to pay a hefty sum for the game and peripherals, but if you're the type of person who even considers a purchase like this, you won't be disappointed. Concept: Use Vana'diel in a pernicious ploy to push the PS2's hard drive Graphics: The characters and environments have surprising detail, but the animation is choppy Sound: A soundtrack on par with some of the best in the series Playability: The interface, designed for both PS2 and PC, doesn't really feel at home on either Entertainment: Easy to get sucked in, though things do roll along pretty slowly, even for an MMORPG Replay: High Rated: 7.75 out of 10 Editor: Joe Juba Issue: May 2004 2nd Opinion: Putting an MMORPG on a console is an ambitious undertaking, one that's almost doomed out of the gates. To be fair, the content in FF XI is great – the character system is engaging, the concepts based on allegiance are cool, and graphically it's certainly acceptable. However, until you take the time to program the macros to your liking, the interface ranges from utterly unusable to merely horribly frustrating – even with a USB keyboard. Rated: 7 out of 10 Editor: Adam Biessener Subscribe to Game Informer ( http://www..com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AN45D/ ) -- Game Informer Review