“Final Fantasy XI” is a good massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Unfortunately, for most players, it’s not worth the outlandish start-up costs, monthly fees or enormous time investment required to enjoy it.

The game is a huge departure from other “Final Fantasy” games, and while it maintains a few of its console sensibilities, it has much more in common with “EverQuest” than anything else in the series.

To start out, one of the game’s four races is selected along with a “job” taken from the “Final Fantasy” games, such as Warrior or Red Mage, that the player can change at any time. The character is then launched into the world of “Vana’diel” to fight throngs of monsters alongside thousands of other real people in a virtual world, complete with thriving cities and vast countryside.

One notable thing about the game is that it has already been out for more than a year in Japan and since before Christmas for the PC in the United States. This is both an advantage and disadvantage for the new PS2 player. On one hand, since there are no PS2-only or United States-only servers, it is very annoying that everyone else in the game — especially Japanese players — seem to be unbelievably powerful, while new players are mercilessly slaughtered by fearsome rabbits. Most higher-level players also seem to have a significant amount of disdain for PS2 “n00bs.”

On the other hand, this game is not plagued by the myriad of initial launch problems that are normally associated with online role-playing games. The game is primarily free of bugs, and the classes also seem fairly balanced. Every job from White Mage to Dark Knight to Paladin serves a useful purpose in an adventuring party.

The costs associated with the PS2 version of the game are staggering. The game requires the PS2 hard drive, which comes bundled for $100. In addition, the game requires a $40 network adapter and has a monthly fee for both PC and PS2 of $12.95, plus $1 for each additional character. Although it’s not technically required, broadband Internet access is a must and a USB keyboard is absolutely essential for communicating with other players.

The game itself requires a similarly large time commitment. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games in general are not conducive to having any kind of normal life, and “Final Fantasy XI” is no exception. Most veteran players have at least a week of play time (168 hours) already on their characters, and it is not remotely possible to get much out of this game without spending several hours a day on it.

This incredible investment of money and time is unfortunate because “Final Fantasy XI” really is a very good game that seems to be trying to drive off new players. The graphics are much better than most other games in the genre. There are also a large variety of monsters to kill and dungeons to explore.

“Final Fantasy XI” is a good game for which one really needs an all-consuming obsession in order to properly enjoy it. Casual players or people who would like to pass their classes and one day graduate should stay far, far away from this game. For those who are still interested after taking the investment involved into account, the game can certainly pay off with a rewarding experience.