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The verdict is out, and it doesn't look good for FFXIV. IGN.com gave the game a weak 5.5 out of 10. A quick look at GameStats.com places most other reviews in the same general area: FFXIV received a 4.2 from Gametrailers.com, a D+ from 1UP.com and a depressing 4.0 from Gamespot.com.

Most of the game's failings are attributed (unsurprisingly, given the responses in our own thread devoted to this topic) to the title's gameplay, which spoils what is otherwise called a "well-realized world". The IGN review praised the game's graphics, music, expansive world and class systems, yet concluded that the interface and performance issues that plagued the game entirely spoiled these strong points.

For those here who have been muddling in FFXIV, Square Enix has also recently announced that it would extend the free trial period from 30 days to 60 days, almost certainly in response to the overwhelmingly mediocre reviews.

In addition to this, it appears that the company is busy trying to tweak their latest release, adding a patch to the market system. Given the sour reviews, I would expect many more of these in the near future. Given the nature of the complaints against FFXIV, I think that Square Enix should be able to fix many of the game's failings. At the very least, I would expect a considerably stronger version of the game to be found in the PS3 release, which is still a ways into the future.

Source: IGN, IGN, GameStats

Quote (Death Penalty @ 23rd October 2010 06:35)

The verdict is out, and it doesn't look good for FFXIV. IGN.com gave the game a weak 5.5 out of 10. A quick look at GameStats.com places most other reviews in the same general area: FFXIV received a 4.2 from Gametrailers.com, a D+ from 1UP.com and a depressing 4.0 from Gamespot.com.

Most of the game's failings are attributed (unsurprisingly, given the responses in [URL=http://www.cavesofnarshe.com/forums/ipb/index.php?showtopic=14940] devoted to this topic) to the title's gameplay, which spoils what is otherwise called a "well-realized world". The IGN review praised the game's graphics, music, expansive world and class systems, yet concluded that the interface and performance issues that plagued the game entirely spoiled these strong points.

For those here who have been muddling in FFXIV, Square Enix has also recently announced that it would extend the free trial period from 30 days to 60 days, almost certainly in response to the overwhelmingly mediocre reviews.

In addition to this, it appears that the company is busy trying to tweak their latest release, adding a patch to the market system. Given the sour reviews, I would expect many more of these in the near future. Given the nature of the complaints against FFXIV, I think that Square Enix should be able to fix many of the game's failings. At the very least, I would expect a considerably stronger version of the game to be found in the PS3 release, which is still a ways into the future.

Source: <a href="http://pc.ign.com/objects/842/842956.html">IGN[/URL], , <a href="http://www.gamestats.com/objects/842/842956/">GameStats

This makes me sad, very very sad. I want something decent to play on my PS3 other than downloadable content. ::cries:::

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Chewbekah ^_^

Currently Playing: Final Fantasy XIV: ARR, Attack of the Firday Monsters, Animal Crossing: A New Leaf, Lego City Undercover, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix

Recently Finished: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Favorite Game: Suikoden III

^If we're lucky. Squeenix will take the game off the market and give it another six to eight months of dev time. The servers would go down to, but if you bought the game the first time around, you wouldn't have to buy it again.


Either that, or they'll retcon it so that XI and XIV are spin-offs and XII and XIII are XI and XII, respectively.

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"When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some!" - Claire Farron

I really do expect the PS3 release to be a completely re-vamped version. IIRC, the original SO3 released in Japan was plagued with performance issues, but they went through and cleaned it out before releasing it to the rest of the world. (Admittedly, there would be considerably more work involved here.)

I tend to doubt that they're capable of saving the PC version, from what I've read, especially now that the tide is against them.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

What did you expect? I mean really. Square obviously didn't learn with FFXI. Online gaming isn't a very good idea, especially when most of their fans don't play online games. I knew FFXIV was gonna be a failure when they announced it. But I still might give it a fair chance before I run down on it. Although don't count me in as a lifetime player.

I on the other hand will not give it a fair chance while I run it down but will in fact reverse and repeat.

I'm hoping that the mixed reactions to FF13 coupled with the blatant failure of this cheap attempt to print money forces Square-Enix into a serious reconsideration of their business model. Either they'll get it right with FF15 and deliver a decent game, or, they'll make such sweeping changes that they kill the series stone dead.

Releasing cross platform was a good plan. Doing it with a terrible game and then rushing a substandard dolled up version of FF11 onto the PC were not good plans.

What they need to do is look at the games that sell themselves with Multiplayer, but aren't MMOs or subscription based, IMO. Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty, Halo, Command and Conquer, Starcraft. Considering how basic the combat of the average jRPG is, it's not a huge stretch to figure out a way to integrate some multiplayer or online co-op into the game. Hell, FF13 had a bloody perfect game mechanic FOR such a thing that rendered it completely crap as a single player game as a result, yet there was no option to have your PSN/XBox Live buddies join up with you in control of the rest of your party.

So often Square head down Right Idea Road and land in Wrong Way Lane. FF14 is just the latest dethroning moment of suck in a series that's started having a lot of them since FFX...

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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

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So often Square head down Right Idea Road and land in Wrong Way Lane.

I completely agree. I feel that, for just about all of their more recent games, the story goes something like this: there's a couple great concepts in there somewhere that squenix is so pleased with that they just go half-assed on the rest of the game.

FFXIII: Good character development, good battle, but a dull world overall and a bland plot.
FFXIV: (from what I've read) Interesting world, good job system, but crap performance and a lack of enough to do.

So, I also think that a lot will hinge on squenix's handling of FFXV, especially if Versus/other elements of Fabula Nova Crystalis bomb.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

Quote (Cactuar1 @ 28th October 2010 00:10)

What did you expect? I mean really. Square obviously didn't learn with FFXI. Online gaming isn't a very good idea, especially when most of their fans don't play online games. I knew FFXIV was gonna be a failure when they announced it. But I still might give it a fair chance before I run down on it. Although don't count me in as a lifetime player.

That's a bit of a brutal take on it. FFXI was reviewed pretty well and has a decent userbase even now. They're not losing money on the game, and there are plenty of FF players who also play, say, WoW, I'm sure. To make an online grindfest was never a bad idea. To say that it was a failure the day they announced it isn't being prescient at all, it's more that you just didn't like the concept so it was a failure to you.

These reviews are pretty harsh, but it would seem to me that they'll probably work the issues out over time and the game will end up being a modest success for them in the end, even though I personally have no interest in it.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

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