So what are the first impressions so far, does it seem to hold its own as an MMORPG thanks to the DQ/JRPG twists? I mean gameplay wise, not that you'd just play it because you're a super fan of the franchise and it at least looks like it. Because I'm not, but I'm still interested because having not played FFXI it at least looks fresh, not like another WoW clone or similar, yet at the same time it seems fully featured with its auction hall and crafting and what not. Also, how substantial does the offline mode seem, I thought it would just be the prologue part but I read here that you can actually go back to that even after you go online. Does anything transfer between the modes and if so doesn't that leave an opening for cheating a la PSO since offline needs local saves?
Stream 1 is on again, I've viewed some of the guy's past stuff and some areas are really pretty, it's definitely not just flat terrain (but the lighting is indeed flat, it doesn't seem to have any dynamic lights at all, just a shift from day to night or a preset mood for indoors etc). Although a lot of his time is spent fighting the same enemies in the same area, I guess that's expected. Although I think it would have been better to keep the combat more like DQIX in presentation but with an active timer, allowing free movement can lead to awkward looking interactions, even if it's expected of MMORPGs. It would make it seem even more unique.