Final Fantasy XI Online [PC]

Just as Lenny Kravitz sings "it ain't over 'til it's over," the Final Fantasy series is far from final.

After selling 45 million copies of various games in the franchise comes the first to online-only version -- Final Fantasy XI. This offering is a massively multiplayer adventure that supports thousands of simultaneous gamers in the United States and Asia (the game shipped in Japan earlier this year).

Like other fantasy role-playing games of this kind -- such as EverQuest -- Final Fantasy XI features a persistent world that doesn't turn off when you do. All the political, social, military or economic events that take place in this fictional world of Vana'diel will continue to unfold even after you've exited the game to, say, eat or sleep.

Some of the game's many missions can be performed solo, such as traversing underground to find magical crystal balls. But the real fun of the game is to band with other players and ride "Chocobo" creatures and airships across the digital landscape, use might and magic to defeat huge monsters in battles, and continuously build up character points (to a maximum of 65). Gamers, of course, can chat all the while playing.

But before the journey begins, players must first create an online avatar to represent them onscreen. Features can be chosen and tweaked, such as gender, race, facial hair and hairstyle, body type, clothing and basic skills. Gameplay starts once the player joins one of the three warring nations, each with their on unique side to the story.

Graphically, the game features quite a bit of eye candy, complete with highly detailed allies and enemies, varying climate conditions, shifting day-to-night cycles and more than 100 areas to explore, including dense forests, ice plains and role-playing mainstays like castles and dungeons.

To come to the point, gameplay doesn't stray too far from other online-only role-playing games, so Final Fantasy XI doesn't win high marks for ingenuity. But a massively multiplayer adventure based on the coveted Final Fantasy universe is very exciting for fans of the series. That, and the fact gamers can play against others around the world. In early 2004, PlayStation 2 owners also can join in, which would make a fascinating experiment in interactive entertainment.

Also keep in mind these kinds of community-based games usually get better with age, as more players join in on the fun.

The Windows version of Final Fantasy XI costs $49.99 for the five game discs, which includes one month of free play. After that, it's $12.95 per month for one character, and additional characters for an additional charge of $1.00 each, per month. Tetra Master, a popular puzzle-based digital diversion from Final Fantasy IX, is also included for $1.00 extra per month. Users must first install the PlayOnline network.