Whether you want to pony up the $99 for the new PlayStation 2 Hard Disk Drive depends in large part on whether you like the "Final Fantasy" series — sequels, prequels and all.

If you do, then the fact the hard drive comes bundled with "Final Fantasy XI" may be enough reason to reach for your wallet. But you'll want to put that wallet where you can reach it again easily, because it's not a one-shot purchase. After a 30-day free trial period, you're going to be charged $12.95 a month to continue playing the game. And if you want to play as different characters, they're $1 each. There's also an additional $1 monthly charge to keep playing the card game TetraMaster. And it's quite likely that to get the hard drive up and running at all, you'll have to buy a $39 PS2 network card. It's a given you also have to have an online connection. And you probably want to buy a USB-connection keyboard, if you don't have one.

In March, the PS2 hard drive came out , preinstalled with "Final Fantasy XI," developed by Square Enix and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America. It's also pre-loaded with PlayOnline, an Internet-play provider that supports e-mail and chat.

If your reason to purchase the hard drive is because you're sick of the cost of memory cards, slow down, though. You can't save your existing favorite games directly to the hard drive. They were created before the hard drive was, and the two aren't really compatible. You still have to save to the memory card, then transfer to the hard disk. On the other hand, caching times are quick with the hard drive.

And don't think you'll take the hard drive with you to play at a friend's house. It's built to work with one PS2 console, so if you have more than one, you'll want to think carefully about which one you're going to connect to the hard drive.

The hard drive promises you'll be able to download game updates for some of your other favorite games, but when we looked, we didn't find anything worth noting available yet. One hopes that changes. Plans include updates for the hugely popular "SOCOM" and "Syphon Filter" games.

Still, it doesn't exactly sound like a rousing recommendation, does it?

But the truth is, the "Final Fantasy XI" is spectacular graphically. And playing online in that new creation, the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) that lets literally thousands play together in a world they change by the things they choose to do, is really very interesting and engrossing. By the way, that world changes whether you're playing or not, because other people are. It also plays cross-platform, between the PS2 and personal computer.

The story basics are familiar to many folks: The place is Vana'deil, a usually peaceful kingdom that was threatened by evil many years ago during the Great Crystal War. Vana'deil won, but just barely. And now that danger is back. So word spreads around the world that the kingdom needs help. And that, of course, is where the players come in. Each one can select what type of creature he or she will be, the desired job (thief? warrior?), physical attributes and more. You can also talk to other players, one-on-one or in various-size groups.

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Communication is, in fact, a very big deal here.

Parents have to sign up those players between ages 13 and 17. Anyone younger isn't supposed to be playing at all.

The game is rated "T for teens," with a fair bit of "animated violence" and gore.


E-mail: lois@desnews.com

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