About Final fantasy 11

FFXI will also require the PS2 hard drive to use. There's no way to run the game without it.

The following is recent news from Square Enix U.S.A Official webpage-this news is dated August 11th 2003.

here is the link to see it at the official webpage

http://www.square-enix-usa.com/index.html
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Disclaimer: this is Official news from Square itself. I just copied and pasted it
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UNRIVALED ONLINE ADVENTURE COMING TO GAMERS IN LATE OCTOBER SQUARE ENIX U.S.A. ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FINAL FANTASY® XI FOR WINDOWS® LOS ANGELES, Calif., August 11, 2003 - Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. ("Square Enix U.S.A."), the publisher of Square Enix™ products in North America, announced today that FINAL FANTASY® XI for Windows® will begin shipping to North American retailers in late October. FINAL FANTASY XI, the first online title in the world-renowned series, is a cross-platform, cross-continent massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). FINAL FANTASY XI allows gamers to connect to the same exact world regardless of whether they are playing on the personal computer (PC) or PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and whether they are playing in North America or Japan. The "persistent world" in FINAL FANTASY XI continues to evolve, transform, and develop, even when gamers are not playing. The title offers players a chance to experience FINAL FANTASY in a completely new environment, while retaining the same award-winning visual content, innovative gameplay, and deep storylines that have made the FINAL FANTASY series one of the most popular videogame series in the world, with more than 45 million units sold to date. FINAL FANTASY XI was released in Japan in May 2002 (PlayStation 2) and November 2002 (Windows), and has over 250,000 registered users, who have created more than 600,000 characters. "We are thrilled to introduce FINAL FANTASY XI to North America and hope the game will expand online gaming to a broader audience," said Jun Iwasaki, president and CEO of Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. "FINAL FANTASY XI will lure players into an action and emotion-packed online gaming adventure in a personalized universe where they create their own destiny." FINAL FANTASY XI In FINAL FANTASY XI, players will undertake multiple adventures through vast environments in the world of "Vana'diel," which has more than 100 areas to explore, including mountains, forests, ice plains, deserts, oceans, rivers, castles, and dungeons. Players travel through these areas using various modes of transportation including chocobos, boats, and airships. Players will also experience time and climate changes, including desert sandstorms, thunderstorms, fog, and snow. Vana'diel's persistent world is composed of three unique nations: the Republic of Bastok, known for industry and might; the Kingdom of San d'Oria, called a "City Within A Fortress"; and the Federation of Windurst, founded on the "Fruits of Knowledge." While these nations enjoy a friendly relationship on the surface, territorial expansion is a constant and natural desire for all leaders. Players must choose one of these nations as their home, then carry out quests and missions to not only benefit their nation, but also to uncover the history and story of Vana'diel. FINAL FANTASY XI allows players to create their alter ego that will exist in the world of Vana'diel, choosing from a variety of races, facial features, hairstyles, and colors. They will be able to play at their own pace and form parties by utilizing the various communication tools that have been incorporated into FINAL FANTASY XI, including easy-to-use chat and messaging systems. Players will become immersed in an expansive, original story that not only includes fighting for their nation, but also enjoying skills such as alchemy, leatherworking, jewel crafting, fishing, and other non-battle-related activities. While players may start out on their own, as they advance, they will realize the advantages and fun factor in creating parties of adventurers. Communication and interaction with other characters and the environment is key as gamers create a new fate for the world of Vana'diel. FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows gives PC users the rich, console-style gaming experience that Square Enix is renowned for. Published by Square Enix U.S.A., FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows will include the "Rise of the Zilart™" expansion pack, which was released separately in Japan in April 2003. FINAL FANTASY XI will carry a suggested retail price of $49.99 (USD). Aside from Internet service provider access charges, players will be charged a monthly fee to play FINAL FANTASY XI. Subscribers will receive their first 30 days of access without charge. After 30 days, FINAL FANTASY XI will be available on a month-to-month subscription basis for $12.95 (USD) a month, which includes one character for FINAL FANTASY XI. Players can create additional characters for an additional charge of $1.00 (USD) per character, per month. Tetra Master®, the wildly popular and addictive mini-game from FINAL FANTASY IX, will also be included in the package and will be available for $1.00 (USD) per month. The system requirements for FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows are as follows: Windows 98/98 SE/Me/2000/XP, Intel® Pentium® III 800Mhz or higher, 128 MB RAM, 6 GB of hard drive space, DirectX® 8.1, DirectX® 8.1 compatible sound card, CD-ROM drive, keyboard, 56K or faster connection, and NVIDIA® GeForce™ video card with 32MB of RAM. FINAL FANTASY XI for the PlayStation 2 FINAL FANTASY XI for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system will be released in conjunction with the internal hard disk drive (40GB)(for PlayStation 2) by Sony Computer Entertainment America. Specific product details, including release date and price, will be announced by the company at a later date. PlayOnline™ FINAL FANTASY XI is a multiplayer online game in which players play via the Internet, and is playable via broadband or dial-up connection on both the PC and PlayStation 2. In order to play FINAL FANTASY XI, players are required to have an Internet connection and will be required to register via PlayOnline, a network service created by Square Enix. PlayOnline provides a wide range of services and entertainment including online games, online entertainment, and communication. PlayOnline not only serves as a portal to the world of FINAL FANTASY XI, but is also a gateway to several other applications including communication tools such as email, messaging, a "Friend List," games, support, downloadable files, and audiovisual customization. Players will create personalized PlayOnline identities or "handles" that allow other players to communicate with each other, no matter where they are on the PlayOnline network. These basic services on the PlayOnline network will be free of charge. For more information on PlayOnline, FINAL FANTASY XI, and Tetra Master, please visit the official US FINAL FANTASY XI Web site at http://www.playonline.com . Square Enix U.S.A. has partnered with Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), the online gaming division of Sony Pictures Digital, to provide in-game support and customer service by phone for both versions of FINAL FANTASY XI as well as PlayOnline. Among the various marketing initiatives planned for FINAL FANTASY XI, Square Enix U.S.A. has entered an exclusive co-marketing arrangement with NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions. NVIDIA's GeForce graphic processing units (GPUs) are officially recommended for FINAL FANTASY XI and will deliver rich and powerful 3D experiences. Additional marketing and promotional campaigns will be announced at a later date. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated FINAL FANTASY XI "T" for Teen. For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org . About Square Enix Co. Ltd. and Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) develops, publishes, and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia. The recent merger between Square and Enix brought two of Japan's best-selling franchises - FINAL FANTASY®, with over 45 million units sold worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST (DRAGON WARRIOR® in North America), with over 30 million units sold worldwide - under one roof. Both companies are known as pioneers in the role-playing game (RPG) genre, and the unification of Square and Enix has created one of the most influential providers of entertainment content in the world. Square Enix U.S.A. Inc., located in Los Angeles, Calif., handles operations in North America including localization, marketing, and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix U.S.A. can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix-usa.com . © 2003 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Title Design by Yoshitaka Amano. FINAL FANTASY, TETRA MASTER and VANA'DIEL are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX, PLAYONLINE, RISE OF THE ZILART and the PLAYONLINE logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. PlayStation and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

u can thank me later.hehehe


I also think that the PS2 and PC versions are going to be the exact same since the PS2 and PC users will play together insted of having there own servers