Rating: 
Summary: Excellent guide, especially for the beginner
Review: I'm new to MMORPG's, but chose to take the plunge with FFXI, and I've not been disappointed. It's a wonderful game, and quite frankly addicting, if you can afford the time it takes to invest in playing.Being completely new to the genre, this guide was a must for me. It has good details on early quests and missions, and though the maps could be larger, for many places you can get or buy maps as well in-game. As every monster is somewhat different, I found the monster guide fine, as it gives me an idea of what areas I can go to and which ones I can't, before I spend 30-40 minutes walking there in game. The reality is that all of this information can be found online. Often it is better info, such as maps of NM spawn areas, etc. However, I find the guide invaluable, and it is always by my side for a few reasons. 1)I do not want to run back to the auction house to see if it's time to upgrade my gear. I check the book, and go back when I reach the appropriate level. The guide also details the gear itself, saving me considerable time looking when I do get to the auction house. 2)If you don't have another computer right next to the one you play on, it's mighty hard to check quest and monster information while you play. Having a printed out book to flip through is wonderful. The book is quite clear on what you need, and what you get, so you can easily do the quests with the biggest rewards and skip others. 3)It's true the synthesis guides are short, but they are intended to get you started. At low levels they are wonderful to have at quick reference. Once you get higher level in your crafting you will be relying on other player formulas more extensively. 4)The job information is extensive, including the abilities and levels they are gained per job. This has been an invaluable resource as I plot my main job and sub job path within the game. In summation, this book is a great reference for some things, and nice to have handy. For higher level players you might be better served by forums and websites, but even then there are some things such as gear lists that are nice to have at hand during the game, unless you want to print out page after page of often poorly formatted websites.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very good...
Review: If it was possible, I'd recommend tearing the book in half: throw the first half away and keep the last half. The last half of the book is very informative and contains information about the different areas in the game, weapons, quests, and missions. However, the first part of the book is laid out horribly. The section about your first day really has very little to do with what you will actually do in the game on your first day. The various sections about the player jobs are poorly written, lack detail, and are obviously padded. You're better off just reading the game manual. If you're looking for a guide that will offer some insight into the game, this isn't it. However, if you're looking for a resource or reference book on armor, weapons, quests, and missions, then you might not mind the cover price... just ignore the first half of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: For the Newbies _ONLY_
Review: If you're new to the world of FFXI (which bears only a slight resemblance to well-known and firmly established FF universe), then this guide for the PS2 version is a very handy tome to have on hand. If you're new to MMORPGs in general then it's even handier still. To be clear - due to the enormous and theoretically never-ending play of FFXI, any guide will be (by definition) 'incomplete'. For instance, a guide to FFX could lay out every nook and cranny to be explored, every side quest, every item, etc... Not so with this guide. What the gamer gets is a broad overview of the game from selecting your character's 'race' and job, to the main quests and missions, to leveling your character, to maps of many areas - and even some tips and tricks along the way. So, if you're a MMORPG vet or just pick things up quickly, you can feel safe going with the in-game help. It's robust and along with the PlayOnline & Square Enix sites you should have plenty of info to get you going in the game. However, if you prefer to have a nicely formatted, glossy, and picture-laden volume of info sitting by your wireless keyboard while you play through to level 40 or so - then this is the book to pick up.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic FFXI Primer
Review: If you're new to the world of FFXI (which bears only a slight resemblance to well-known and firmly established FF universe), then this guide for the PS2 version is a very handy tome to have on hand. If you're new to MMORPGs in general then it's even handier still. To be clear - due to the enormous and theoretically never-ending play of FFXI, any guide will be (by definition) 'incomplete'. For instance, a guide to FFX could lay out every nook and cranny to be explored, every side quest, every item, etc... Not so with this guide. What the gamer gets is a broad overview of the game from selecting your character's 'race' and job, to the main quests and missions, to leveling your character, to maps of many areas - and even some tips and tricks along the way. So, if you're a MMORPG vet or just pick things up quickly, you can feel safe going with the in-game help. It's robust and along with the PlayOnline & Square Enix sites you should have plenty of info to get you going in the game. However, if you prefer to have a nicely formatted, glossy, and picture-laden volume of info sitting by your wireless keyboard while you play through to level 40 or so - then this is the book to pick up.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Many people dismiss guides to online games outright. The information is too out of date and they are often shoddy jobs, cranked out in a hurry for release day with only a tiny bit of information. This is not one of those guides. This is a full featured, up to date, and comprehensive guide to the game. Tables include stats on creatures, weapons, armor, recipes and effects of crafted items, mob lists including levels and vulnerability information by zone, all quests in each zone, all spells, and virtually all aspects of gameplay. It is truly a comprehensive guide to every aspect of playing Final Fantasy Online and is the model of what a guide to a MMPORPG should be like. It's a fabulous job.
Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful, and largely useless
Review: Save yourself money and AVOID this "guide" at all costs. Its nothing more than a larger version of the instruction manual. Its pretentious on top of that; in the way that it makes you believe only the most cookie cutter character choices will be successful. The writer's idea of a walk through is a 3 line paragraph with a vague general description of what to do, if that. There are no maps that are of any use, the ones that are there, are postage stamp sized. Its full of useless filler information, and at times, reads like a huge advertisement for the game. Reading this guide and following its "Teachings" will result in severe idiocy. For instance, they believe Galka's should be restricted to melee fighters.. when in reality, once a Galka obtains his special equipment, he becomes one of the best mages in the game. Avoid this guide at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: For beginners
Review: This book is great for the beginner, whether it's your first mmorpg, or just first time in FFXI, this book will help you through your tedious learning of the game. You dont have to worry about NM when you start off, or for quite some time. by the time you want to find one, you already know where it is, the book is there to give you a general diffuculty level of that monster. Other than that, the fishing guide is a great help, and everything you 'need' to know to get started is right there for you. Definately a must have for the first timer.
Rating:
Summary: For beginners
Review: This book is great for the beginner, whether it's your first mmorpg, or just first time in FFXI, this book will help you through your tedious learning of the game. You dont have to worry about NM when you start off, or for quite some time. by the time you want to find one, you already know where it is, the book is there to give you a general diffuculty level of that monster. Other than that, the fishing guide is a great help, and everything you 'need' to know to get started is right there for you. Definately a must have for the first timer.
Rating:
Summary: Fee is a rip off, bad game
Review: This game would actually be good if it didnt have the $13 dollar fee per month. I have like 15 online game whcich have NO fee whatsoever. After like 10 months they get 130 bucks! Why not just price the game at 200 dollar because thats how much its going to cost you eventually. This is the biggest rip off in the long run i've really ever seen! Oh yeah by the way you can only play the game online so no matter what you have to pay.
Rating:
Summary: This guide is very lacking
Review: This guide has incomplete lists of quests, equipment, items, etc. Not only that, but it leaves out some very important details. For example, it lists all the "Notorious Monsters" and tells which areas they are located, but fails to mention which coordinates in that area you can find it. Since notorious monsters only spawn in very specific locations on a map, and only if you meet the spawning conditions, it becomes a very useless list. If you actually want to see one of these notorious monsters you will have to either ask in game or find a website. Which makes the list useless if you have to check a website anyway. Another example of leaving out important details, is the synthesizing list. It mentions each item and the ingrediants, but it leaves out the skill level required to make the item. So if you want complete info on synthesizing, again, you have to check a website. These are only a few examples of its many shortcomings on reporting important details. That, and the incomplete lists, make this guide an important addition to any trash can available.
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