Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

1. Stiffy

   Sep 5, 2013

   10

   Game is great few log in difficulties but nothing to get your panties in a twist over all better on console feels more personal.GraphicsGame is great few log in difficulties but nothing to get your panties in a twist over all better on console feels more personal.Graphics obviously not as great but ho cares game still looks awesome ,what makes it great it's the only game on PS3 like this.… Expand

   • 3 of 5 users found this helpful
2. Boca

   Sep 11, 2013

   10

   Final Fantasy XIV: ARR is a very polished mmo. The game takes great lengths to allow you to customize your character as much as possible. IFinal Fantasy XIV: ARR is a very polished mmo. The game takes great lengths to allow you to customize your character as much as possible. I appreciate being able to name your own Chocobo and being able to fully customize the look and name of your retainer. The main story does a great job of making you feel like a badass hero. While the dungeons in the game are very fun, I can't help but feel that making some dungeons mandatory for the main quest was bothersome. This is not much of a problem for tanks and healers, but dps players currently face very long wait times. Nevertheless, when it finally happens dungeons in FFXIV: ARR are some of the most fun I've had in any mmo.
   
   Simply put, this is an amazing mmo. Both Final Fantasy fans and mmo players will find much to love.… Expand

   • 5 of 7 users found this helpful
4. caseypenk

   Aug 27, 2013

   10

   A marvelous game. As someone new to MMOs, I expected to be overwhelmed by features and interface elements. Thankfully the tutorial was helpfulA marvelous game. As someone new to MMOs, I expected to be overwhelmed by features and interface elements. Thankfully the tutorial was helpful and clear; I felt comfortable using the different features.
   
   Gameplay is not difficult but battles are enjoyable. Monster models, true to the series, offer entertaining art styles and names.
   
   Graphics are superb. This is simply an astoundingly beautiful game. I find myself stopping regularly to take screenshots of the landscape.
   
   The crafting system is intuitive and fun yet deep and useful. It's certainly more involved and richer than in any console RPG that I've played. You have so many opportunities to craft what you want and to approach it from so many different classes.
   
   The user interface can be a bit clunky at times, but it offers a good amount of information through various menus.
   
   I'm incredibly satisfied with the game and have enjoyed my time in Eorzea. I hope you will take a spin too.… Expand

   • 19 of 34 users found this helpful
5. squall

   Apr 7, 2014

   9

   This game blew me away i wasn't sure what to expect from it going in and i was kinda unsure of buying it but it was amazing i really enjoyedThis game blew me away i wasn't sure what to expect from it going in and i was kinda unsure of buying it but it was amazing i really enjoyed it. I'm not sure what it is that makes me like it so much, i can't tell if it's the amazing atmosphere, wonderful gameplay and mechanics, that beautiful OST, the amazing graphics and art style, or the wonderful story. I wasn't sure about playing an mmo with a controller but it was very nice. I would recommend having a keyboard plugged in for chat though. unfortunately all i could play was the 30 day trial but once it comes out for ps4 i'll be getting it and paying for the subscription.… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
6. Herbtron

   Sep 4, 2013

   8

   I wish people would stop dealing in 10's and 0's, it doesn't allow for the game to be reviewed properly... I really like the game, think itI wish people would stop dealing in 10's and 0's, it doesn't allow for the game to be reviewed properly... I really like the game, think it legitimately deserves an 8 out of 10. Definitely has it's flaws, map system is hard to understand for example. Group finders, FATES (guild wars active events), full quest lines, a great story (Which very much plays and feels like a single player final fantasies stories, and are fully accessible through solo play) make this game worth it to any Final Fantasy fan who wants to be transported back to the glory days.
   
   The sound track is fully scored by Nobuo Uematsu, the musical guru who scored entries 1-9 in the series. That alone is the reason why I decided to play this game, which has otherwise been blighted by the bad reputation of its predecessor, and I'm glad I did. The game feels like a mish-mash of older final fantasy games (story and musical elements), final fantasy 11 (job system, races, and world), world of warcraft (combat system, holy trinity mechanics, dungeon finder, raids, etc), and guild wars 2 (FATES, active events).
   
   Races are fun and imaginative, but square could have taken the time to introduce something new, rather than simply recycling their FFXI races. Job system is deep, fun and full of customization, which is lovely. Crafting system is a mixture of traditional mechanics and re imagined side-quest which makes it an entertaining and relaxing distraction if you simply want to socialize with friends for a while or immerse yourself in the world.
   
   It is not a seamless world and features multiple load screens, albeit these do little to inhibit the sense of cohesion and flow most MMO gamers expect these days, load screens are rather quick. Voice acting is spotty at times, but you shouldn't deduct points for this... it's like any Final fantasy game before 13 (which was a steaming piece of garbage), some scenes were voice acted, most were not. The product never advertised full voice acting, and FF fans should be used to this.
   
   Quest line writing is generally good, early game quests are a little dry but that goes for just about every MMORPG things heat up as you delve deeper in.
   
   Conclusion:
   
   I don't typically write reviews and I know this one is sloppy, but I wanted to get across the fact that the game draws heavily on tried and true MMORPG archetypes and applies them with finesse. It has the feel of a love letter to early final fantasy games (particularly 6, which was my favorite), and often drops easter eggs to past entries in the series (materia, magitek, etc.). The game runs well on my mid-range rig, and still looks great, so don't be dissuaded if you don't have a top end gaming computer.
   
   Music 10/10
   
   Game play 8/10
   
   Visuals 9/10
   
   Story 7/10
   
   Overall 8/10
   
   P.S. for those concerned about server issues: Feel free to complain about these temporary problems, I know that I too have been irritated by my inability to log in on a whim. However, these concerns DO NOT belong in reviews. Many customers rely on metacritic as the authority and square enix NEEDS this game to do well in order to continue to thrive. They have have a tough few years, but they are still one of the great RPG developers out there, and I for one do not want to see them fade away. If this game was bad, I would say so but it is not, so do not slander it so ignorantly.
   
   Solid game, pick it up if your in the market for a new MMORPG, great buy for Final Fantasy fans.… Expand

   • 5 of 6 users found this helpful
7. Indrigis

   Apr 10, 2014

   6

   Beautiful, really beautiful. In the graphical sense. Nice music too. Can't say anything bad about the crafting part. Very interestinglyBeautiful, really beautiful. In the graphical sense. Nice music too. Can't say anything bad about the crafting part. Very interestingly implemented and varied.
   
   But the actual gameplay is quite subpar.
   
   The story, which has always been a staple of Final Fantasy games, this time around is not even remotely engaging. Don't get me wrong - the whole "big bad empire" vector is done quite nicely. In the cutscenes. You, as a hero, don't get to really encounter the Garlean Empire until you're almost at the level cap. Until then 80% of your time will be spent doing fetch quests and reducing the population of local monsters. Also, you are a silent Chosen One in the worst sense. Sometimes the story calls for a dungeon. Well, you'll have to find three more Chosen Ones for that. And after the boss is dead, all the NPCs act as if you're the only Chosen One and the other three did not exist.
   
   The combat system is nice, although not exactly varied. You have combos, you have some AoE abilities and that's about it. None of the combat abilities actually look or feel satisfying. The archer just gets to shoot the bow with different colored flashes signifying different abilities. And then that very archer gets three AoE attacks. Which all do roughly the same damage, cost roughly the same amount of energy and occupy three slots on your hotbars. Except one of them has a much smaller radius. As for suplexing a train or doing something really COOL - no, that's not happening. Stun an entire group of enemies? Freeze an enemy to the ground then blink away and unleash a Pyroblast? Nope.
   
   But the worst part by far is the technical implementation. Almost everything in this game speaks of lack of user friendliness:
   
   To use a key item on an object you have to: a) target the object; b) open your inventory; c) find the key item; d) right click the key item; e) click "Use". Not simply right-click the object, no, sir. And there's no choice in using the items, really. One item for one task.
   
   If you want to insert materia into your gear, you need a crafter of that particular item type. Not just a separate materia specialist.
   
   If you want to run a dungeon, that's fine. You can queue as one class, then swap to another and continue questing/farming/something. When your turn comes, you switch back to the class you queued as and enter. And suddenly you find yourself unable to: a) Use private chat; b) Blacklist goldsellers; c) Open your Free Company window; d) Open your friend list. Presumably all of this was done to make players focus on the task at hand...
   
   If a player leaves your dungeon group... Well, you have to stick around in the dungeon and pray for a new one. You can not teleport out, you can not invite someone manually, you can not even change your class. Lost a tank/healer midway through? Run is over, because most players do not set that "Join party in progress" checkbox.
   
   Then there's the bane of a lot of people: The AoE dodging. Bosses, you see, have AoE abilities. And the actual area of effect for those abilities is clearly highlit for everyone to see and move out of. But there's something very wrong with the timing for that. You move out of the AoE zone a good couple seconds before the cast is over. You are standing on the other side of the room... And then you get hit! This damage lag can be really two or three seconds. All the other abilities at the same time will work fine.
   
   Of course, even eight months after release the game still suffers from random disconnects.
   
   And while we're on the subject of user friendliness. A lot of dungeons will have story cutscenes. Right in the middle of them. So if you're watching a story cutscene for a quest that sent you there, everyone else is either waiting for you or pulling the boss while you're locked in that cutscene. Of course you can skip them and rewatch later from an inn. If you know about that option and want to actually skip past parts of the story. This mechanic is rather unfriendly towards anyone who has beaten the story quest before.
   
   Sure, all of these have workarounds but the sum of all small problems weighs heavily.
   
   One other thing that you start noticing rather quickly is how FF XIV is trying to be NOT WoW. Down to wording. There are no instances/dungeons, there are duties. There are no daily quests, there are leves. There is no threat, there is enmity. There are no bosses, there are lords of the lair. There is no pleasure in playing, there is frustration.
   
   Overall FF XIV is just right for you if you wish to spend time walking around beautiful landscapes and enjoying sunsets, gathering items and then crafting something. If you want to be a fighting class, the game is not really for you.
   
   P. S.: A Botanist's tool of choice is not a gardening implement like a shovel. It's an axe. Botany in this game is not about sowing seeds and nurturing plants. It's about chopping down trees. And that's the kind of design that fuels this game.… Expand

   • 1 of 4 users found this helpful
8. Tigerlilly

   Oct 7, 2013

   0

   I loved the game, don't get me wrong. The customer service however is horrible and I find myself unable to play a game because they wontI loved the game, don't get me wrong. The customer service however is horrible and I find myself unable to play a game because they wont accept my payments and refuse to see it is not my banks fault. Paying for a game you can't even play seems like a waste to me, and is devastating when you've grown quite fond of it.… Expand

   • 3 of 13 users found this helpful

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