Xbox 360 owner can get an exciting sneak preview of the console’s first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XI. The official Final Fantasy XI beta testing period opened this week and developer Square Enix is on the lookout for players interested in giving the new game a spin.

Gamers interested in participating in the beta testing can register now at Square Enix’s “Play Onlineâ€� website at http://www.playonline.com/betaus. This site will manage all beta testing application, as well as handle player subscription once the final version of Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox 360 goes live last this year. Square Enix has not yet set a end date for the beta testing period, though the final version of the game is set to hit game store shelves in May 2006. In spite of this rapidly approaching deadline, the developer will most likely wait until initial player feedback start rolling in regarding bugs and glitches before limiting the testing. Square Enix has already issued a list of known issues with the current version of the game, and is in the process of correcting this problems.

Once gamers have signed up to be a beta tester, they will need to purchase the February issue of The Official Xbox Magazine, which is on newsstands and in stores now. The issue contains a demo disc with the beta version of Final Fantasy XI and both the Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia software expansion packs. Gamers will need to hook up to Xbox Live in order to participate in the testing, though the beta period will be free of charge to any registered players. Gamers will be permitted to access the game via either a premium Gold Xbox Live account or the free of charge Silver Xbox Live account.

Once the ultimate version of the game is released and Final Fantasy XI goes live, Xbox 360 players will be directly interact with players accessing the game via their PlayStation 2 and PC platforms. This will enable players to meet and team up, as well as swap and trade items of value in game. Until the beta testing has been completed, though, Xbox 360 gamers will be limited to special servers designated solely for the console’s testers. This isn’t to say, though, that gamers will not be able to interact with players from around the world though: beta game testers from both Europe and Japan will be housed on the same test servers.

Final Fantasy Xi is not a new release for Square Enix. The game was originally launched for the Japanese Playstation 2 over three years ago, in the summer of 2002. Its quick success and widespread appeal led the developer to migrate the MMORPG to the PC platform and the American version of the Playstation 2 before attempting to develop the game for the Xbox 360. So how will the Xbox 360 version be different from previous releases of Final Fantasy XI? Square Enix has promised that the game will make excellent use of out of the console’s built-in high definition technologies, and assures gamers that the enhanced visuals, audio, and unique features attributed to the game will make it well worth the purchase price.

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