Final Fantasy has come a long way since it first began so many years ago on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. In fact, it's often questioned as to what exactly is "final" about Final Fantasy. The latest release in the series marks the third expansion to the first online Final Fantasy, as well as the first next generation release for the wildly popular franchise. We've been playing the beta for a month and the final retail version for a little while as well, and it's time to give the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XI our final verdict.

Originally released on the PC and PlayStation 2 several years ago, Final Fantasy XI is by no means a new game. Anyone not familiar with the installation process of the title on the PC or PS2 will be in for a bit of a shock when they realize it can take upwards of four hours between the time you put the game into your Xbox 360 and the time you actually start playing Final Fantasy XI. However, don't let the lengthy installation process deter you. If you can get through it, you'll find the experience gets considerably better.

The first thing you'll probably notice after installing the game is that the graphics aren't exactly what you would expect from the Xbox 360. This is especially so if you're just coming off a game of Oblivion, the most recent RPG released for the 360. However, you need to keep in mind that this is not a brand new game, and Square Enix did what they could in terms of upgrading the graphics for Microsoft's new machine. On an HDTV, the game looks considerably better than the PC version and it's in a completely different league when compared to the PS2 version. While it may be nothing compared to the likes of Oblivion, it's still the best looking version of the game to date.

There is one minor flaw, in that some HDTV owners suffer from what appears to be a bug in the game. Either the colors will appear off, or the text will be extremely small and difficult to read. We tested the game out on two different HDTV sets and one had the text so small we couldn't read how much health or magic we had remaining. However, the other set looked just fine with the text large and easily readable and colors spot on. Hopefully Square Enix will release a patch that will correct the issues some HDTV owners are experiencing.

Aside from the graphics, the gameplay of Final Fantasy XI is mixed bag. If you're grown accustomed to MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft, you may be disappointed in FFXI. To someone new to the genre, when you first get into FFXI it may take you some time before you figure out what to do and how to do it. Luckily most of players on each of the servers will offer a helping hand if you ask politely. After you get the hang of the gameplay mechanics you'll find that most of your time on FFXI will be used leveling up your character in a party of 4-6 players. In the early levels you can get away with adventuring alone, but after roughly level 15 or so, you'll really need to start partying up if you want to level up with any kind of speed.

This can cut down on your overall enjoyment of the title depending on your RPG tastes. There are plenty of quests and missions to partake in, and you'll have to do them to acquire certain abilities such as using an airship or chocobo for transport or obtaining items that may be very expensive using the in-game auction house. If you've got some friends to play with, the enjoyment will be much greater, but if you can't find some people around your level to party with regularly, it can be a chore figuring out where to party and then finding a party to level with.

Since the game has been available on the PC and PS2 for years, you'll find that most players communicate via text, using a keyboard. The Xbox 360 supports the use of a USB keyboard, but many 360 owners will probably be wondering where the voice chat is at. While you can use the four chat channels embedded into the Xbox 360 dashboard, there's no group chat. In a party of six people, not having group chat means you almost have to use a keyboard. Even if Microsoft adds a group chat feature to the dashboard, finding five other people using the Xbox 360 and meeting the level and job class requirements for your party can be difficult. There's an on screen keyboard, but typing anything on that can be a significant pain, especially with the horrid Xbox 360 d-pad. In fact, the d-pad is so bad, navigating the menus in FFXI can sometimes be frustrating.

All in all, if you pick up a USB keyboard and find some friends to party with, Final Fantasy XI is an enjoyable experience. However, if you don't have both of these, you may find yourself wishing you had spent that $50 on something else. The game does offer you one month free before charging $12.95 per month, so you'll be able to test things out at the price of a $50 game purchase (at least it's not $60). The game controls well with the Xbox 360 controller (aside from the d-pad issues), so if you can get over the lackluster graphics you should be able to enjoy yourself. Of course we're eagerly waiting news on the upcoming next generation MMORPG from the Final Fantasy XI development team, but for now FFXI should hold you over in terms of MMORPGs for the Xbox 360.