People keep trying to defend this game with upcoming patches, but I've also been keeping track of this game and none of those patches, not even auto-attack, will make this game more interesting. Auto-attack will be helpful, sure, but the game still revolves around taking like 5 minutes to kill a single monster before moving on to the next one. All of those upcoming patches some of you seem to think will save this game are bandaids for a corpse.
The reviewer was overly generous with the score. It's like he was afraid to give this game less than a 5 in any category, and they shouldn't have been. Square needs to trash updates on this title and focus all their efforts on the new one. Trying to save this is a waste of time, and unlikely unless it's built from the ground up, but the kind of effort and resources that will take is better spent on a title that doesn't carry the stigma this one does. Utter waste of time, in everyone's hands.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."
Wow. I'm just surprised this game is almost a year old and yet this review would have remained mostly the same, if it was written within a month of the game's release.
I have to agree, and will go even further to state that the alpha version wasn't that different either.
If I had to review the game during the last alpha stage, then the pros and cons would have been the same except for maybe the plot (probably because it was still mostly a mystery).
People keep trying to defend this game with upcoming patches, but I've also been keeping track of this game and none of those patches, not even auto-attack, will make this game more interesting. Auto-attack will be helpful, sure, but the game still revolves around taking like 5 minutes to kill a single monster before moving on to the next one. All of those upcoming patches some of you seem to think will save this game are bandaids for a corpse.
The reviewer was overly generous with the score. It's like he was afraid to give this game less than a 5 in any category, and they shouldn't have been. Square needs to trash updates on this title and focus all their efforts on the new one. Trying to save this is a waste of time, and unlikely unless it's built from the ground up, but the kind of effort and resources that will take is better spent on a title that doesn't carry the stigma this one does. Utter waste of time, in everyone's hands.
I totally agree with you on the first part, FF XIV is shit and the patches and updates aren't really bringing very much to the game to really improve it. The game is and probably always will be plagued with things like repetitive bland content that is on timers (really! how stupid is that?), slow and clunky combat that feels like it is turned based, a big open world on rails with invisible walls, menu mania and frankly, the continued development seems to be very slow. I had to laugh at Massively.com everytime they post about FF XIV updates as "news"...as if every batch of little changes to the game is news worthy. Recently they posted "news" about a whole dungeon being added to the game, big whoopdee...one whole dungeon that is rather uninteresting as far as dungeons (or content) go and it itself is on a timer.
I disagree with you on the second part though, I think the Poor review is fair.
I think that Bill didn't actually play very far into the game as if he had waited just a few days more till 1.18 patch he would have seen that the game is on an upwards curve with SE making fixes, improvements, and adding new content. The review is sort of superficial and comes from the WoW fan type of mmo player, who likely would hate FF XI too. So where does that leave XIV, well the team are fixing, adding more, and imrpving...but the game will also launch on PS3. As a result the negative reviews and somewhat rocky launch on PC may yet even out into SE's eventual aim for the game which is a worthy sucessor to FF XI. Worth also mentioning that FF XIV sold over 500K copies at launch inspite of all the issues. Like a phoenix from the flames I think PS3 launch could see the FF MMORPG in a finally finished form.
I've ordered CE just recently, it was priced at 9€. Shipping/handling costs were higher than the game itself, pretty sad (for the game), but thumbs up from me. Price (for CE content) wasn't the only factor that encouraged me to buy FFXIV, they are finally fixing one major turn off (for me) that game mechanics had: in patch 1.18 they are finally revamping item repair system! Now you don't need a million of different materials to fix your stuff, but only one, easily obtained item. Hopefully someday they will replace the hideous console -oriented UI too. This new patch will bring a lot of "improvements", fatigue system will be abandoned as well. Too bad that game's review couldn't wait til July 22.
While the review completely reflects my own experience with the title, it couldn't have come at a worse time. Next week will see the release of the 1.18 patch, with massive changes to several core systems of the game. I don't really expect the game to be "good" after that, but at least "significantly better than now".
It's a bit of a waste of the reviewers time to write a review that's only valid for a week.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I gotta back up the site here.
They waited months, how many? To even put out a review.
Waiting for a patch that will "Fix everything!" months and months after release is being disingenious. They should have reviewed this mess before anyone got tricked into buying it.
Waiting this long, hundreds of people may have wasted money on an incomplete game.
And this things problems go well beyond a bad ui and bad social features, the combnat is totaly broken, the quest and leveling systems are ill explained, and upon explination, that you have to go outside the game to find, are still terrible.
Everything about this game but the visuals would need to be changed to make it playable, let alone good, and the updates as i have read them do not change every aspect of the game.
i dont want to hate on this game but if square doesnt want to go bankrupt their going to have to accept their failure and drop this game. their are too many power house MMOs comming out soon that even if they get the game upto snuff no ones going to pick it over mmorgps like guild wars 2 and swtor, and if they take longer then that to get the game in shape i doubt their is any hope.
A shame the review came before the miracle patch, coming in a few days. Like the others miracle patches they release since...release. Soon it'll be a even better game, almost ready for release!
I think that Bill didn't actually play very far into the game as if he had waited just a few days more till 1.18 patch he would have seen that the game is on an upwards curve with SE making fixes, improvements, and adding new content. The review is sort of superficial and comes from the WoW fan type of mmo player, who likely would hate FF XI too. So where does that leave XIV, well the team are fixing, adding more, and imrpving...but the game will also launch on PS3. As a result the negative reviews and somewhat rocky launch on PC may yet even out into SE's eventual aim for the game which is a worthy sucessor to FF XI. Worth also mentioning that FF XIV sold over 500K copies at launch inspite of all the issues. Like a phoenix from the flames I think PS3 launch could see the FF MMORPG in a finally finished form.
Adding genre staples like auto-attack and dungeons hardly indicates the game is on an upward curve. Further, renaming the classes to be more consistent with the established brand hardly indicates the developers have had a revelation. The essential problem, which the review hints at several times, is that the game lacks many of the defining features consistent with this genre of game. The inclusion of dungeons as a means of offering additional content is quite common place; however, this is the first set of dungeons being included into the game. Meaning, it's the implementation of an entirely new content deliery system within Final Fantasy 14.
Try to understand, that when the inclusion of basic features and the inclusion of established genre staples is slated for the next few patches, that the game isn't heading towards being exceptional any time soon. It's heading towards mediocrity, which would be a dramatic improvement over what it is now.
i wanted to love it..i loved the visuals, didnt mind the quest/day limit or anything else.. even planned to get a new graphics card just for this one to run on higher settings.... but the rest..the lags, the way-too-slow system of changing even the smallest stuff in your inventory or social tab...
i was in beta and decided not to buy the pc version but wait for the ps3 version which was scheduled for march...and been delayed since (or cancelled?). i will not buy this game but when they give a trial i will look into it and see if it has changed enough to be...bearable so i can enjoy the good aspects. but the fact that after nearly a year they still dont offer a trial nowadays speaks for itself i think...
Either come up with a review a month (no later) then release. If you've waited 10 months to review a game, you should at least try to keep up with the updates. Patch 1.18 is due to release on July 21, 2011 in the U.S. (July 22, 2011 in Japan).
The developer, Yoshi-P has said that they can't make fundamental "content" changes in the game until they produce a good foundation. The foundation is the new combat system. The combat system is due to be released in 4 days. Additionally, content by way of Grand Companies (ala City State campaigns in FFXI) are also being released.
Again, I agree with the review RIGHT NOW, but I would have waited 4 days to say something. This team is working its ass of to make changes. Yes, it's slower then other games, but other games don't have to change and develop core mechanics.
MMORPG, really poor form on this review. It's a slap in the face to the hard work the developers are going through right now. For those of us who read their updates and great communication on the official forums, really feel that SE has turned the Corner. Yoshi-P is the antithesis of Tanaka. I hated the way Tanaka did things. Unlike Tanaka, Yoshi-P has played Dark AGe of Camelot for years and also Everquest. He's also played World of Warcraft and plan on Playing Rift.
As for why I recently came back to FFXIV, after being gone for 6 months.... COMMUNITY and HOPE. The community is excellent. Very similar to FFXI. And because I've seen the progression of how the game has changed and how it will change, i'm going to stay for another 3-4 months before I decide if it's time to jump ship.
However, this review is really really poorly timed and in bad form. Would it have killed you to wait 4 days? And for those that say, "by your logic, MMORPG should be waiting for the miracle patch, and that patch is never coming." SE has said that 1.18 is the start of the new system. If MMORPG could wait 9 months before a review, they could have waited 4 days to see what the BIGGEST PATCH in FFXIV'S history has to offer.
The look of the game is charming. The user interface is an abomination, for which the developers responsible should be banned from game development for life under penalty of death....or playing their own game...whichever is worse.
You are a real trooper to subject yourself to doing the review for this. I salute you.
Quote for truth. It seems like it would be a cool job doesn't it? Playing games for a living and reviewing them.
But there must be times when you want to pretend you are opening your office window to get fresh air, but what you really want to do is jump out the window and end the suffering.
While the review completely reflects my own experience with the title, it couldn't have come at a worse time. Next week will see the release of the 1.18 patch, with massive changes to several core systems of the game. I don't really expect the game to be "good" after that, but at least "significantly better than now".
It's a bit of a waste of the reviewers time to write a review that's only valid for a week.
Nothing is going to change next week!
Even if the combat finally gets less cumbersome and maybe even a tad more enjoyable. The game still has no content! You still end up doing the same boring repetitive crap you've been doing the past year!
They only going to add a single new dungeon! Wow! How long you think people will be burned out on that?
It's really sad, but with all the competition out there and with titles as The Secret World, SW:TOR, Guild Wars 2, etc on the near horizon... I just don't see how they can recover from this.
As the true FF fans just stick with FFXI and avoid FFXIV like the plague.
I am sure the new dev team works really hard... it just goes way too slow! Way way too slow!
The game is seriously lacking content and the amount of content that need to be added still... at the current speed they are releasing stuff... it's going to take at least another full year till the game comes to a point of being actually release worthy!
Sorry... but by then everyone will have forgotten this title and moved on. Ones patience has a limit and only runs so far till you come to a point and just give up.
Pretty lacking review. Lori really put in a good couple hours of gameplay to write this.
She makes no mention of the:
Controversial market ward and retainer system (quite different from contemporary titles)
Absence of PvP gameplay
Abundance of bots/gil farmers (third-party automated crafters and questing partys with characters such as "cjhjer" using full starter gear)
Player controlled economy
Complex crafting system
Lack of end-game content
Fatigue system
Missing world travel options such as airships and chocobos (signature elements of FF series)
The UI functions intuitively using a gamepad as opposed to mouse/keyboard as mentioned in a previous comment.
The multicultural FFXIV community is pleasant and friendly. While using the Auto-translator can be cumbersome, it is rewarding and refreshing to communicate and participate with players from another culture instead of being excluded due to a language barrier.
I agree with her conclusion that FFXIV is not recommendable in its current state. However, it does contain redeeming qualities besides the visuals and background music. The snails pace of changes became too discouraging for me. I'm keeping an eye on the updates, but haven't played since March.
This game was such a dissapointment for me. I was so excited...then I played the beta...and yeah...
Still keeping an eye on it though since I really WANT it to be good. Once it gets good enough (dunno when that will be or how I would even judge it) I'll give it a serious shot. If nothing else, the game is insanely pretty and it's the only MMO that I actually left the in-game music on while playing.
Wow. I'm just surprised this game is almost a year old and yet this review would have remained mostly the same, if it was written within a month of the game's release. I mean, people may hate on a company like Trion but you have to give them credit for fixing a ton of issues and adding tangible content in the 4 months their game has been out.
I agree, its shocking but in some ways unexpected. I had so much hope for FF14 and it's sad that the game didn't go anywhere. I find most F2P games more fun and more deep than FF14. Square-Enix really lost a lot of respect from me thanks to this title.
I have a hard time giving credibility to a review of a game where the developers believe they've screwed up so much that they've made it entirely FREE while the build up the game to a point where they believe to be "acceptable", after which they'd bring back the P2P model. It's like a BETA, so reviewing a BETA is a bit....eh.
Although in all honesty, if I were to review the current state of FFXIV, I'd score the game around 5 or 6 on 10 too. But I'd definitively have put more emphasis on the current state of FFXIV, being like a free Beta while developers figure out what works and doesn't work (Massive patch coming next week for exemple).
Ya it is a tad fishy that they decide to review it now before a patch and the fact that the game itself is still free. Had they started charging for a monthly subscription this month I would understand the need to review it but this seems more like a way to discourage others from playing more then anything.
If this reviewer wishes to give a fair review they should get their but in gear and play the game again after the patch. Note the differences from what they've said and keep their trap shut til they actually start charging. You can't compare XIV to Rift or WoW yet until they decide to charge or even mention a form of revenue for the game itself.
Honestly a review like this is something that should've been done the first month as the official review, not 10 months later a week before the patch. That just echoes out sabotage. Granted to be frank i've never trusted a single word from this site I only go to see if there any any interesting MMOs being mentioned and for the most part I find that they've leave a lot of games out of the loop. Just because your site is names after the genre you are focusing on doesn't mean you're any good at it.
I just hope people are actually smart enough to try the game for themselves heck, at Gamestop you can get the game for 14.99 and free monthly play as of now. So if you are curious to try it out after this patch would it really hurt to invest 15 dollars into trying our of curiosities sake.
It takes a lot to admit that you made a mistake but it shows no class if you willingly attempt to sabotage a game by reviewing it without giving it a fair rap. Even if you do say oh you gave it 10 months a true "official" review would be when they start charging.
While this is my first post this is also my last one. The only reason I even signed up for an account was for a chance to try free betas, other then that this site have nothing to offer other then the occasional interesting forum topic of new MMOs in the works, and that's about it.
So in all I say that if you are a true MMO player you shoudln't be getting your opinions from others. An MMO is a different experience to each person to even compare your experience to another just isn't logical. You are better off attempting to take the plunge yourself and seeing if you like it. As it stands now XIV has the perfect oportunity if you are willing to risk 15 dollars to see what it has to offer. That's just me though as a person who did get the game when it came out I am eager to see how this patch pans out. I'm also eager to see the progress made once the game goes monthly-pay. The true longevity of this game will only be determined when they start charging so ya, just don't let reviews on MMOs determine what you should and shouldn't play. An MMO's worth can only be determined based on personal experience not someone elses's opinion since an MMO is about how you wish to progress through it.
Hm, I wasn't going to make another post but your gameplay opinion is slightly flawed. While sure the majority WAS Leves at first they have added a lot more for players to do then just leves for the most part. You failed to mention that they have added quest outside of leves that you can perform freely and without limit. They have also added special "objective" quest for gatherers/crafters in which they are given an objective at their guild and are rewarded with gil or shards of crystals.
If you simply looked on the main site you would have also seen mentioned of the so called rumor of auto-attack.
This was posted on June 30th, 18 days before you posted this review. If your review is to be taken seriously how can you claim auto-batlle to be a rumor when the mention of it was more then half a month ago? You really lose your credibility when you can't even be bothered to view the main website to see how they are changing things then actually make note of the progress they are making. Just saying, research goes a long way, if you want to be taken seriously you shouldn't be giving an "opinionated" review on a game. A review is suppose to be analytical, analyzing the aspects and how certain gamers think of it. Not oh this game is doing this wrong and I don't approve.
I'm just throwing this out there, you might wanna reconsider keeping this article published and actually pull it off the main page and actually write in a more analytical manner rather then pure opinion.
Comments
People keep trying to defend this game with upcoming patches, but I've also been keeping track of this game and none of those patches, not even auto-attack, will make this game more interesting. Auto-attack will be helpful, sure, but the game still revolves around taking like 5 minutes to kill a single monster before moving on to the next one. All of those upcoming patches some of you seem to think will save this game are bandaids for a corpse.
The reviewer was overly generous with the score. It's like he was afraid to give this game less than a 5 in any category, and they shouldn't have been. Square needs to trash updates on this title and focus all their efforts on the new one. Trying to save this is a waste of time, and unlikely unless it's built from the ground up, but the kind of effort and resources that will take is better spent on a title that doesn't carry the stigma this one does. Utter waste of time, in everyone's hands.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."
Imo:
Anyone still playing this is simply an FF fan. You're not in it for the gameplay, because that's where the game simply fails.
Nope, it's all about riding the chocobo's.
I have to agree, and will go even further to state that the alpha version wasn't that different either.
If I had to review the game during the last alpha stage, then the pros and cons would have been the same except for maybe the plot (probably because it was still mostly a mystery).
I made the mistake of buying the CE when the game launched, the interface annoyed me so much on launch day I quit it was that bad
The graphics were nice but that was about it.
Would I re-sub or buy another FF MMO, not a chance.
I totally agree with you on the first part, FF XIV is shit and the patches and updates aren't really bringing very much to the game to really improve it. The game is and probably always will be plagued with things like repetitive bland content that is on timers (really! how stupid is that?), slow and clunky combat that feels like it is turned based, a big open world on rails with invisible walls, menu mania and frankly, the continued development seems to be very slow. I had to laugh at Massively.com everytime they post about FF XIV updates as "news"...as if every batch of little changes to the game is news worthy. Recently they posted "news" about a whole dungeon being added to the game, big whoopdee...one whole dungeon that is rather uninteresting as far as dungeons (or content) go and it itself is on a timer.
I disagree with you on the second part though, I think the Poor review is fair.
I think that Bill didn't actually play very far into the game as if he had waited just a few days more till 1.18 patch he would have seen that the game is on an upwards curve with SE making fixes, improvements, and adding new content. The review is sort of superficial and comes from the WoW fan type of mmo player, who likely would hate FF XI too. So where does that leave XIV, well the team are fixing, adding more, and imrpving...but the game will also launch on PS3. As a result the negative reviews and somewhat rocky launch on PC may yet even out into SE's eventual aim for the game which is a worthy sucessor to FF XI. Worth also mentioning that FF XIV sold over 500K copies at launch inspite of all the issues. Like a phoenix from the flames I think PS3 launch could see the FF MMORPG in a finally finished form.
I've ordered CE just recently, it was priced at 9€. Shipping/handling costs were higher than the game itself, pretty sad (for the game), but thumbs up from me. Price (for CE content) wasn't the only factor that encouraged me to buy FFXIV, they are finally fixing one major turn off (for me) that game mechanics had: in patch 1.18 they are finally revamping item repair system! Now you don't need a million of different materials to fix your stuff, but only one, easily obtained item. Hopefully someday they will replace the hideous console -oriented UI too. This new patch will bring a lot of "improvements", fatigue system will be abandoned as well. Too bad that game's review couldn't wait til July 22.
Cheers.
I gotta back up the site here.
They waited months, how many? To even put out a review.
Waiting for a patch that will "Fix everything!" months and months after release is being disingenious. They should have reviewed this mess before anyone got tricked into buying it.
Waiting this long, hundreds of people may have wasted money on an incomplete game.
And this things problems go well beyond a bad ui and bad social features, the combnat is totaly broken, the quest and leveling systems are ill explained, and upon explination, that you have to go outside the game to find, are still terrible.
Everything about this game but the visuals would need to be changed to make it playable, let alone good, and the updates as i have read them do not change every aspect of the game.
i dont want to hate on this game but if square doesnt want to go bankrupt their going to have to accept their failure and drop this game. their are too many power house MMOs comming out soon that even if they get the game upto snuff no ones going to pick it over mmorgps like guild wars 2 and swtor, and if they take longer then that to get the game in shape i doubt their is any hope.
Um, before I left, you couldn't ride chocobos... and I'm sure that was never put in yet. so no it's not all about riding the chocobos.
A shame the review came before the miracle patch, coming in a few days. Like the others miracle patches they release since...release. Soon it'll be a even better game, almost ready for release!
Adding genre staples like auto-attack and dungeons hardly indicates the game is on an upward curve. Further, renaming the classes to be more consistent with the established brand hardly indicates the developers have had a revelation. The essential problem, which the review hints at several times, is that the game lacks many of the defining features consistent with this genre of game. The inclusion of dungeons as a means of offering additional content is quite common place; however, this is the first set of dungeons being included into the game. Meaning, it's the implementation of an entirely new content deliery system within Final Fantasy 14.
Try to understand, that when the inclusion of basic features and the inclusion of established genre staples is slated for the next few patches, that the game isn't heading towards being exceptional any time soon. It's heading towards mediocrity, which would be a dramatic improvement over what it is now.
i wanted to love it..i loved the visuals, didnt mind the quest/day limit or anything else.. even planned to get a new graphics card just for this one to run on higher settings.... but the rest..the lags, the way-too-slow system of changing even the smallest stuff in your inventory or social tab...
i was in beta and decided not to buy the pc version but wait for the ps3 version which was scheduled for march...and been delayed since (or cancelled?). i will not buy this game but when they give a trial i will look into it and see if it has changed enough to be...bearable so i can enjoy the good aspects. but the fact that after nearly a year they still dont offer a trial nowadays speaks for itself i think...
Review is fair but poorly timed.
Either come up with a review a month (no later) then release. If you've waited 10 months to review a game, you should at least try to keep up with the updates. Patch 1.18 is due to release on July 21, 2011 in the U.S. (July 22, 2011 in Japan).
The developer, Yoshi-P has said that they can't make fundamental "content" changes in the game until they produce a good foundation. The foundation is the new combat system. The combat system is due to be released in 4 days. Additionally, content by way of Grand Companies (ala City State campaigns in FFXI) are also being released.
Again, I agree with the review RIGHT NOW, but I would have waited 4 days to say something. This team is working its ass of to make changes. Yes, it's slower then other games, but other games don't have to change and develop core mechanics.
MMORPG, really poor form on this review. It's a slap in the face to the hard work the developers are going through right now. For those of us who read their updates and great communication on the official forums, really feel that SE has turned the Corner. Yoshi-P is the antithesis of Tanaka. I hated the way Tanaka did things. Unlike Tanaka, Yoshi-P has played Dark AGe of Camelot for years and also Everquest. He's also played World of Warcraft and plan on Playing Rift.
As for why I recently came back to FFXIV, after being gone for 6 months.... COMMUNITY and HOPE. The community is excellent. Very similar to FFXI. And because I've seen the progression of how the game has changed and how it will change, i'm going to stay for another 3-4 months before I decide if it's time to jump ship.
However, this review is really really poorly timed and in bad form. Would it have killed you to wait 4 days? And for those that say, "by your logic, MMORPG should be waiting for the miracle patch, and that patch is never coming." SE has said that 1.18 is the start of the new system. If MMORPG could wait 9 months before a review, they could have waited 4 days to see what the BIGGEST PATCH in FFXIV'S history has to offer.
You are a real trooper to subject yourself to doing the review for this. I salute you.
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I really agree with the review.
Biggest letdown in my MMO history.
I will never play another FF game again
The look of the game is charming. The user interface is an abomination, for which the developers responsible should be banned from game development for life under penalty of death....or playing their own game...whichever is worse.
Quote for truth. It seems like it would be a cool job doesn't it? Playing games for a living and reviewing them.
But there must be times when you want to pretend you are opening your office window to get fresh air, but what you really want to do is jump out the window and end the suffering.
Nothing is going to change next week!
Even if the combat finally gets less cumbersome and maybe even a tad more enjoyable. The game still has no content! You still end up doing the same boring repetitive crap you've been doing the past year!
They only going to add a single new dungeon! Wow! How long you think people will be burned out on that?
It's really sad, but with all the competition out there and with titles as The Secret World, SW:TOR, Guild Wars 2, etc on the near horizon... I just don't see how they can recover from this.
As the true FF fans just stick with FFXI and avoid FFXIV like the plague.
I am sure the new dev team works really hard... it just goes way too slow! Way way too slow!
The game is seriously lacking content and the amount of content that need to be added still... at the current speed they are releasing stuff... it's going to take at least another full year till the game comes to a point of being actually release worthy!
Sorry... but by then everyone will have forgotten this title and moved on. Ones patience has a limit and only runs so far till you come to a point and just give up.
Pretty lacking review. Lori really put in a good couple hours of gameplay to write this.
She makes no mention of the:
Controversial market ward and retainer system (quite different from contemporary titles)
Absence of PvP gameplay
Abundance of bots/gil farmers (third-party automated crafters and questing partys with characters such as "cjhjer" using full starter gear)
Player controlled economy
Complex crafting system
Lack of end-game content
Fatigue system
Missing world travel options such as airships and chocobos (signature elements of FF series)
The UI functions intuitively using a gamepad as opposed to mouse/keyboard as mentioned in a previous comment.
The multicultural FFXIV community is pleasant and friendly. While using the Auto-translator can be cumbersome, it is rewarding and refreshing to communicate and participate with players from another culture instead of being excluded due to a language barrier.
I agree with her conclusion that FFXIV is not recommendable in its current state. However, it does contain redeeming qualities besides the visuals and background music. The snails pace of changes became too discouraging for me. I'm keeping an eye on the updates, but haven't played since March.
This game was such a dissapointment for me. I was so excited...then I played the beta...and yeah...
Still keeping an eye on it though since I really WANT it to be good. Once it gets good enough (dunno when that will be or how I would even judge it) I'll give it a serious shot. If nothing else, the game is insanely pretty and it's the only MMO that I actually left the in-game music on while playing.
I agree, its shocking but in some ways unexpected. I had so much hope for FF14 and it's sad that the game didn't go anywhere. I find most F2P games more fun and more deep than FF14. Square-Enix really lost a lot of respect from me thanks to this title.
Ya it is a tad fishy that they decide to review it now before a patch and the fact that the game itself is still free. Had they started charging for a monthly subscription this month I would understand the need to review it but this seems more like a way to discourage others from playing more then anything.
If this reviewer wishes to give a fair review they should get their but in gear and play the game again after the patch. Note the differences from what they've said and keep their trap shut til they actually start charging. You can't compare XIV to Rift or WoW yet until they decide to charge or even mention a form of revenue for the game itself.
Honestly a review like this is something that should've been done the first month as the official review, not 10 months later a week before the patch. That just echoes out sabotage. Granted to be frank i've never trusted a single word from this site I only go to see if there any any interesting MMOs being mentioned and for the most part I find that they've leave a lot of games out of the loop. Just because your site is names after the genre you are focusing on doesn't mean you're any good at it.
I just hope people are actually smart enough to try the game for themselves heck, at Gamestop you can get the game for 14.99 and free monthly play as of now. So if you are curious to try it out after this patch would it really hurt to invest 15 dollars into trying our of curiosities sake.
It takes a lot to admit that you made a mistake but it shows no class if you willingly attempt to sabotage a game by reviewing it without giving it a fair rap. Even if you do say oh you gave it 10 months a true "official" review would be when they start charging.
While this is my first post this is also my last one. The only reason I even signed up for an account was for a chance to try free betas, other then that this site have nothing to offer other then the occasional interesting forum topic of new MMOs in the works, and that's about it.
So in all I say that if you are a true MMO player you shoudln't be getting your opinions from others. An MMO is a different experience to each person to even compare your experience to another just isn't logical. You are better off attempting to take the plunge yourself and seeing if you like it. As it stands now XIV has the perfect oportunity if you are willing to risk 15 dollars to see what it has to offer. That's just me though as a person who did get the game when it came out I am eager to see how this patch pans out. I'm also eager to see the progress made once the game goes monthly-pay. The true longevity of this game will only be determined when they start charging so ya, just don't let reviews on MMOs determine what you should and shouldn't play. An MMO's worth can only be determined based on personal experience not someone elses's opinion since an MMO is about how you wish to progress through it.
Hm, I wasn't going to make another post but your gameplay opinion is slightly flawed. While sure the majority WAS Leves at first they have added a lot more for players to do then just leves for the most part. You failed to mention that they have added quest outside of leves that you can perform freely and without limit. They have also added special "objective" quest for gatherers/crafters in which they are given an objective at their guild and are rewarded with gil or shards of crystals.
If you simply looked on the main site you would have also seen mentioned of the so called rumor of auto-attack.
http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=f190cdb1385c767ed137148ace50c372373a87e4
This was posted on June 30th, 18 days before you posted this review. If your review is to be taken seriously how can you claim auto-batlle to be a rumor when the mention of it was more then half a month ago? You really lose your credibility when you can't even be bothered to view the main website to see how they are changing things then actually make note of the progress they are making. Just saying, research goes a long way, if you want to be taken seriously you shouldn't be giving an "opinionated" review on a game. A review is suppose to be analytical, analyzing the aspects and how certain gamers think of it. Not oh this game is doing this wrong and I don't approve.
I'm just throwing this out there, you might wanna reconsider keeping this article published and actually pull it off the main page and actually write in a more analytical manner rather then pure opinion.
As Mythbusters proved, you can polish a poo to a glass like shine... it is still a poo.