Now that Final Fantasy XI has been out for the XBox 360 over a month, some reactions are starting to come in.

If you've played FFXI on PC or PS2, the XBox version will have some familiarity, and if you have a USB keyboard, it can be used in conjunction with the gamepad. The drawback is, there is no mouse support, (and don't expect it to happen, either). Mostly, FFXI can be played with the XBox controller, but the keyboard is nice because it makes communication so much faster.

The game looks pretty much the same as on PC and PS2, albeit the graphics are better. There is, unfortunately, some slowdown when several characters are present at one time. Another drawback for this version is the amount of time it takes to install and the amount of hard drive space required. Because the XBox 360 version uses the PlayOnline service as its engine, there are many, many installs required. According to one reviewer, the installation took six hours and six GB of disk space on his console.

The 360 version has all the expansion packs: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and Treasures of Aht Urghan are all included, whereas PC and PS2 owners must purchase them separately. It's a good initial value, but after the 30-day trial period is over, there is a monthly $13 subscription fee - which may or may not be worth it, depending on how much you love this game.

To get FFXI for your Xbox 360  or not? There are tradeoffs - each platform has its pluses and minuses. but, if you do get this for your XBox360, expect to spend a lot of time upgrading your character, in addition to that subscription fee.

Via GamesIndustry.biz