FFXI defrauded
In-game cheating meets gutless crime
Poor old Square. As if its financial strife making headlines once again weren't enough of a problem, it has had to pull the auction functions of Final Fantasy XI after some wily scamp (or scampede) fraudulently obtained a large amount of cash by exploiting the system. This is believed to be the first time Square's MMORPG has been exploited, and it's a hell of a bug to bear [Fired -Ed]. Cheats are always a concern with online RPGs - even Sega's Dreamcast release of Phantasy Star Online suffered from problems which led to the firm banning certain users early in the game's life - but surely FFXI is one of the worst affected to date. With Final Fantasy XI now under development on PC, and in English on PlayStation 2, Square will be praying for some respite from this highly publicised onslaught of bugs and setbacks. Related Feature - Final Fantasy XI preview (PS2)