PS2/PC
Release Date: Mid-2002
Massively Multiplayer Online RPG
Review by Overburn
The first good MMORPG for PS2 (also for PC). It has 16 servers with at least 3000 players online at once per server. There are 15 different jobs (Summoner, Thief, Monk, Ninja, Red Mage, Black Mage, White Mage, Dark Knight, Samurai, Beastmaster, Bard, Dragoon, Ranger, Warrior, and Paladin) to play, each with pros and cons to use in a party. There are five races to pick from when you start and areas to explore, each with unique monsters and background music. The game play is great and the controls are easy to figure out within one day at most. The only downsides to the game are that it’s $100 for the HDD on the PS2, $12.99/month for your first character on an account and $1 for any extra character you might want and help is sometimes hard to find.
You can start in one of three cities: San d’Oria, Windurst, or Bastok. Each of the cities also have their own unique features: Windurst has a big tree, San d’Oria has elegant design, and Bastok has a draw bridge for the airship. There is also another city you can visit later once you are high enough of a level to make the journey there: the biggest city in the game, Jeuno, where in any area of it you are bound to find at least 50 other players trying to get help on a quest or mission or trying to sell/buy something.
Most areas/regions have their own song, which are well done to fit the area (example: A snowy glacier has a dark, slow-paced song). Also, sometimes there are special weather effects, which spawn special elementals that drop clusters of their type (Wind drops Wind Cluster, Earth drop Earth Cluster, etc.). Since the regions are so big, there are other ways to get around besides walking, like chocobos at level 20 and Airships once you complete a certain mission. Also, a few areas have things called crags, which allow you to be teleported there by a mid-level White Mage.
The Graphics are great for a PS2 game and all the people you will meet are always fun. The in-game translator (there are Japanese/European players playing too) is great but is limited to about 100 words and phrases, so it's sometimes difficult to get your point across.
Overall (out of 10):
Graphics: 7/10
Music: 9/10
Game play: 9/10
Online atmosphere: 7/10
Monthly Fee (12.95/month for one character, extra $1 a month every character after): Worth it
Price ($90):Worth it
OVERALL: 8.5/10