Make sure you read up on how long it takes to level ;).

What he said. FFXI has great ideas insofar as their classes and missions and such go, but leveling up is like masturbating with a burlap sack over your hand.

Best analogy ever :).

Yeah I have a friend who plays it - he has a level capped character (I can't remember which class) but he regales me with stories of bosses that take 4-8 hours to down - which I think is a bit much if you have anything reselmbling a life.

As I recall it took him 2 and a half years to reach level cap and he does nothing but play the game :(.

It's not as bad as that, but it's not trivial to get to level cap like in more recent games. Part of that is that FFXI was designed when hardcore grinding was all the rage, part of that is due to the fact that FFXI is 99% PvE. That changes the dynamics quite a bit, since you don't have to be max level to participate in many events.

Another thing to consider is that changes over the years have made FFXI considerably more solo- or small group-friendly. You'll still need help to get to 75, and it will still take you a while.