FFXI: The Pre Post

After a long wait, Final Fantasy XI is finally here and currently installing on my 360. Let me say, this process is not for the feint of heart. Between setting up PlayOnline (the client FFXI uses) and downloading the game, you're looking at around two hours of setup even before you get to start creating a character or anything like that.

In the interim, Rachel suggested that I use my first blog entry to mention a few things that have me jazzed up to play this game. Here are three:

1. Deep character creation - Yeah, I'm one of those weirdos that likes to agonize over character stats in RPGs and tactical strategy games. FFXI has one of the deepest character building systems in the industry. Match made in heaven? We'll soon find out.

2. It's from Square! - Final Fantasy games are just...good. I've played a ton of them, dating back to the original on the NES, and I've never walked away dissatisfied. Square is known for making games with a ton of polish and keen attention to detail, and rumor has it that FFXI is no exception.

3. It's Bucket Time - So we have an online game where I can wander the land kicking the crap out of monsters while teaming up with my buddy Chuck? I'm sold!

And in the interest of fairness, here's two things that make me a bit wary:

1. Other players - Okay, I realize that it's a bit ironic to complain about other players in an online game, but I have a low threshold for dealing with retards. Supposedly FFXI has a higher quality user base than some of the other big MMORPGs (coughWOWcough), but we'll see.

2. The install size - SEVEN GIGS?!?! Is this thing going to run Final Fantasy or a chess competition against Deep Blue?! I actually had to delete a few things on my hard drive to make room, and I'm not overly pleased one game is hijacking most of my memory. Oh well...hopefully it'll be worth it.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a description of my first character.

Bronco

P.S. Most of these updates won't be this long!