Friend codes. Nintendo's self-imposed restriction on online gaming has been a burden to many who want to play with their friends without having to share a different 12-digit friend code for every game. When the Wii was revealed to have a console-specific friend code, we thought Nintendo had somewhat listened to the community's grumblings. When Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first online Wii title, launched in Japan with friend codes, we realized the folly of our optimism.

Square Enix's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka empathizes, highlighting the friend code system as the primary reason they haven't brought an online game like Final Fantasy XI onto the console. In an interview with Cubed's Adam Riley, Tanaka reveals that the RPG powerhouse is now in negotiations with Nintendo about "resolving this point of contention." A publisher of Square Enix's magnitude does not necessarily guarantee Nintendo will listen, but perhaps Nintendo will ease off or at least allow exceptions for some titles.

Then again, Final Fantasy XI on the Wii would surely be profitable even if gamers were required to enter over 300,000 12-digit codes to fully experience the world. That's how much, we suspect, Wii owners our clamoring for Nintendo to join the rest its brethren in this generation.

[Update 1: As White Rose Duelist and others have pointed out, Pokemon Battle Revolution's extra friend code might be an exception and not a rule, and Elebits is a cited example where one can exchange in-game pictures with Wii friends. However, as we do not have any other details from impending online games, and Nintendo has not readily clarified, we're just not sure.]

Cheaters beware! If you think taking advantage of others is the way to go, take this latest bit of news as a mild warning. More than 2,000 players within the Final Fantasy XI MMORPG universe have had their accounts either suspended or terminated recently because of the use of some "third-party software tools."

The FFXI group released this notice to potential bad boys and girls:

• We would like to take this time to remind our players that the use of any third-party tools will not only destroy the in-game balance, but will also encourage RMT (Real Money Trade) activities. We will continue to take strict actions against those individuals that we have confirmed to have used such tools.

We always have a real sense of satisfaction when cheaters get caught. Some of us have even gone so far as to not play PC games at all online because of rampant exploits being used -- we're looking at you CounterStrike. Listen folks, stop this already. You are ruining everyone's gaming experience and we hate you.

According to GalbadiaX.com, the next update of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360 could introduce gamerscore points into the aging MMORPG. To date, FFXI is the only 360 title without points, which, technically, Microsoft requires publishers to include in Xbox 360 games, dispersed throughout at least five game-related achievements.

If you view Final Fantasy XI details on an Xbox 360 gamercard, you'll notice that the game has been updated with 32 "secret" achievements. However, these achievements are not yet active, but are speculated to become fully integrated with the next FFXI update, which will also include changes to Besieged and chocobo breeding.

Davis Freeberg wrote to Joystiq to let us know that he feels ripped off by the lack of disclosure about the fees required to play Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox 360.

Though experienced PC MMOG players and other hardcore gamers know that games of this type typically include monthly fees, Freeberg appears to be more typical of console gamers. He expected to be able to buy the game, pop it in, and start playing. Instead, he was required to spend hours installing the game and registering for a separate online service before he was told that the game would cost $12.95 per month plus an additional $1.00 per month per character (beyond the first) he created.

Deceitful marketing or clumsy mistake? Click "continue" below to see what we found.

According to 1up, the Final Fantasy XI beta for the Xbox 360 will end on April 2, leaving gamers with just under two weeks of free play from today before they have to think about parting with their cash. The retail release of the game isn't until April 17th, but the switch from beta to retail will be more pleasant for FFXI players than other MMO beta testers.

Unlike in many previous MMOs, the characters created during the FFXI beta will transfer straight across to the retail version of the game, presumably thanks to the game's established release on other platforms. Gamers who have been playing FFXI for free for the last couple of months will now have to decide whether it's worth the cash, or whether the enforced cold turkey before the game's release will be enough to break the habit. Although further MMOs could be in the pipeline for Xbox Live, FFXI remains the only massively multiplayer title on the Xbox 360 platform in the immediate future.