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[Column] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Moving Forward and Looking Back
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn stands on the unprecedented edge of getting a second chance at release. In our latest FFXIV: ARR column, we take a look forward while still looking back. Check it out before heading to the comments.
So it was with a certain amount of trepidation and caution that I have approached Final Fantasy XIV in the ensuing years. It wasn't just how bad the MMO was, but the unrelenting attitude of a certain amount of players. The type of people with such unyielding enthusiasm and loyalty that you would imagine they spent their offline hours exploring wardrobes convinced that the portal to Narnia was "just in the next one".
Read more of Adam Tingle's Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Moving Forward and Looking Back.
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Comments
This is a great article .. makes it even better that you gave your "oh so familiar" background with the title. I too am in your shoes... I was so excited about the 1.0 title ... but as the title slowly and slowly got closer to its launch date, I realized the issues in the Beta weren't JUST beta issues... but the game itself was flawed.
I, like yourself, was floored and honestly hurt. It was the first time a game ever really "hurt" me. It pained me to log in and after a few weeks I ended my account. A year or so later I heard buzz about this Yoshida guy and how he was making things better.... so I re-activated my account (during the legacy campaign) ..... and you know what? The game was better ... still horrible, but less horrible than it was before. At least now it was fun.
So that brings us to THIS beta for FFXIV:ARR .... it is light years ahead of the 1.0 beta and now it actually feels like a cohesive game. I'm really excited about the launch and looking forward to another 10+ years of this MMO!
I also tried v1.0 of FFXIV and didn't find it enjoyable. However having played the last few days of Beta 3 of FFXIV ARR I had the same level of enjoyment I had when first playing EQ (just after Shadows of Luclin was released) and during Vanilla WoW.
Now what each person enjoys is different, but I enjoyed FFXIV ARR enough to pre-order the CE.
Great job reporting this..I myself have never been a Final Fantasy MMO fan because the earlier versions of the game were just not playable, and having to Macro everything I would ever want to do was annoying. The HUD was never user friendly and the gameplay lacked a lot of luster. I believe I spent a total of 2 hours on the previous versions and most of that was a hair pulling frenzy.
Now that I have played 2 Betas of Realm Reborn, I am very excited about this title and all of the leaps and bounds the game has made is bringing me back to possibly give the game some dedication. I recently joined a legacy Guild (Free Company in FF) in Beta and even the players who are hardcore Final Fantasy followers can't stop telling you enough about the improvements the new game has made.
Who would think a company would ever be successful stripping down a game with so much history and rebuilding it into something completely enjoyable, I think Square Enix has found its gem and I can't wait to be a part of the success.
Well said, and I agree completely.
The way I see it -
WoW is to EQ1 as FFXIV:ARR is to FFXI.
It's an advancement, a refinement, a trimming of the unnecessarily cumbersome in favor instead of fun and inclusion.
It doesn't HAVE to be brand new and completely original and innovative - its innovation is not in the parts they used to put it together but instead in how those parts fit together and just how functional and well designed the whole is.
Now I am not saying ARR is going to be the next WoW-level success: in fact I don't think we'll ever really see an MMO achieve that kind of status and sheer weight again.
But for the players who "get" what Yoshi-P is doing with ARR and like what they see, I have a feeling they'll be sticking around for a while.
It's not too easy, it's not too quick of a climb, it has just the right mix of solo and forced group, just the right mix of leveling speed//variety and grind, just the right mix of challenge/difficulty and accessibility.
I think it's the perfect home for those of us who were around in the classic MMO days and don't want to go back to that level of mindless tedium, yet are also burned out and sick of the hyper fast everything is too easy F2P generation games of the last 6-7 years.
I am just like the writer(Except I played FFXI for 5 years). I craved this game, got the CE, played in beta for 1.0, etc. and it ended in a crushing disappointment which alienated me from MMO's in general until... ARR. The beta has been amazing.
I haven't felt that immersed and attached in an MMO since FFXI. They have big plans for continuing end game, RvR, etc. I have faith that I will be spending a large amount of time with this game.
For me ARR is best mmo experience since wow 2004-2007, after that i was trying to play multiple mmo and never feel the same again as while starting vanilla wow and later on tbc. Now while playing ARR beta it got this very same feeling as when i start playing wow first time.
I'm just so happy about it because i was starting to think that nothing can be as good as first time mmo but well i was wrong and i feel like im 9y younger and ARR is my first mmo.
As is often the case, I agree with BadSpock. Well said!
Now, who's sick as hell of the waiting?
Is the difference between a company that admit they hurt you, they made you sad, they betrayed you, they fail... and try to fix it asking forgiveness, remaking it with more effort, more money investment, more player feedback..
..and some companies that lie you, give you a piece of shit and with your money in their hands, they dissapear or close the game.
The game is good, really good, but the feels that they care about players and fans is something some companies need to learn. We are not money, we are people that love games, your games. Respect us.
Im seeing nothing but positive feedback on this game. Ive played alot of final fantasy rpgs but never played the mmos. I almost got 1.0 but was aware of how messed up it was and had other games to enjoy. Im definately looking forward to playing this on my pc when open beta arrives.
Eh, you invoke the name of Everquest? That game is 14 years old. You were 20 when FFXIV came out. So, you played EQ in all it's glory when you were about....6?
Sorry, your math does not add up. I seriously doubt you played any of those three games you listed when they were in their prime, which was around 1999-2001 for EQ.
FFXIV 14 is nothing like Everquest. Take it from someone who played EQ way back then, and who has played FFXIV. Nothing like EQ. It's nothing like EQ now, and the game is totally different from back in the day.
DAOC was a three faction PVP game. I am not sure how you equate FFXIV ARR to a three faction PVP focused game.
I think you need to reconsider your criticism. You're putting words into the author's mouth, and not really getting the gist of what he's saying. You sound more like Comicbook Guy: "Worst Post EVER!"
Very good article. I have to agree with you having been really excited about 1.0 and only dreading to log in towards the end. 2.0 is a breath of fresh air, and sticks to the FF franchise while adding good gameplay components, while removing bulkier ones.
I would point out that you mention multiple starting cities, which is true, but they are dictated by the class you choose. So if you and your friends want to build a party at launch (CNJ, PUG, THA & MRD) only the Pugalist and the Thaumaturge will be in the same starting city, Ul'dah, while the Conjurer will be in Gridania and the Marauder will be in Limsa Lominsa. The Gridania and Ul'dah people could do death runs to get to each other, but Limsa is on an island. So until you get the airship pass at level 15, you will not be able to group together. Luckily it does not take too long to get to 15 and through the main storyline, but expect a couple days of normal gameplay to do so.
I sure am. Bring on open beta and no wipes! (and thanks Pulsar!)
Good article for sure.
I purchased the V1 Collectors edition and played it for a few months the first time around and got very put off by the game itself. The graphics have always been very "pretty", but there was no soul, no pacing of the game.
in this beta however, I feel that the game has done well in tis pacing and this may be the one game that I actually go back and pay a monthly sub for. I find that I really want to play it now!!
He is British. Turning 21 doesn't mean anything there.Twitter Facebook RantOnRob Youtube
You did everything but yell at him to get off of your lawn.Also amazingly enough it turns out people can learn about things that have happened in the past with out experiencing it first hand.
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I enjoyed the article. While I never played FF XI or the first iteration of XIV, I have played every other FF game, and I am a huge fan of the series.
I got my beta invite for phase 3, and I went in with an open mind, but I prepared myself for disappointment. As an mmo, the game does a lot of things right. Even pace, plenty of flash, good ui, etc. As a FF game, I feel that this is a breath of fresh air. I tolerated XIII and XIII-2. I played them both because I am a fan of the series, but they didn't feel like FF games to me. The videos of XV doesn't invoke a sense of FF to me either. However, XIV: ARR captures many of the wonderful elements of the FF series as a whole.
I had previously sworn off P2P mmos, because there doesn't seem to be a ton of value in them anymore. I am willing to give ARR a chance though, simply because of the astonishing level of polish the game has. Yoshi-P and crew took on a massive undertaking, and I feel that they have succeeded in many regards.
I am very much looking forward to playing the game again.
Great article, will read it again just in case.
Can't wait for more post about F2P crap and game fails.