As a gamer, as an mmo-enthusiast - my perception of FFXIV:ARR

[Fotix]

Hullo. I'm Fotix, Lalafell archer to be. But, for this thread, I'm going to speak as Joe.

 

I'm 31yrs old and have been a gamer since I was able to have a controller in my hand, starting with an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and moving my way up the consoles. Pertaining to MMORPGS, I started with Ultima Online in the late '90s and have played nearly all of the MMO's worth playing out there (and some not worth playing).

 

I have always felt that I've had my finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, and being knee-deep in it at all times of my life, I can sometimes look at the big picture quite easily. So, with all that preposition out of the way...

 

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn...

 

I'll start as speaking as a gamer in general. Final Fantasy was always a unique creature in my mindset growing up with the industry. It always had a unique presentation and epic scale of adventure. I didn't play every single FF title that there was, however I was exposed to them all in some fashion. This includes Nintendo Power reviews and guides and the modern websites, online features, videos, and of course playing said games. Final Fantasy as a genre within itself was unique and alluring. So much style and usually there was substance in there to boot. The commercials, the ads, the trailers would just ooze a feeling of majesty, "epicness," and raw emotion. This franchise became the prime example for the art of gaming. It was ahead of its time in many ways at many different eras. For the general gaming industry, Final Fantasy, as a franchise, has always been that diamond in the rough.

 

As an MMORPG gamer, the Final Fantasy mmorpgs have an intangible quality to them. They have an "X-factor" that makes it more than it actually is. Where some mmorpgs excell in aquiring "cool gear," open PvP, a humorous feel, or interesting mechanics, it's Final Fantasy, especially in its latest incarnation, that seems to take that core, original model for what an mmorpg is expected to be and just polishes it down to the diamond that we are just now seeing. Yes, the original incarnation of XIV had it's issues, but, with needed love and care, it is now re-emerging as what it should be.

 

This is the time where there are developers going way out on a limb in an effort to re-invent the mmorpg genre. You have Everquest Next, for example, which is proclaiming that "the king" is returning to the throne to redefine what an mmorpg should be. And maybe rightfully so, as Everquest was the one that set the bar and example. However, to me, Ultima Online always felt like what set the bar. In my mind, Everquest established leveling and endless questing (thus the name). And Ultima Online established something unique to me that I've been searching for ever since: I did not log-in to UO to level up. I did not log-in to UO to get better gear. I logged into UO to see who I would meet that day and what adventures I would find myself in. To me, that is the core of what mmorpgs are all about. If that is not the foundation, then you're effectively cutting the "RPG" out of mmorpg. And in some cases that make me utterly depressed, the "MM" is cut out as well. There are so many mmorpgs out there that feel like a single player game that happens to have other people playing the same single player game nearby. I'm sorry, but that's a perversion.

 

Final Fantasy XIV, in my mind, is the epitome of what I want in an mmorpg experience. You have an art-style that draws you relentlessly into the world and never lets go. You have a combat system that is fluid and entertaining. You have a community that is just brimming with enthusiasm. And you have a world that has a story behind it at every turn. Even when you log out and go about your "real life," your mind still lives in XIV. That is a sign, my friends. That is that magical "x-factor" hitting your senses, your psyche, and your very being. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be afraid of it. We, as gamers, simply choose to live many different lives and have amazing experiences that enrich our existence and push the boundaries of what it means to be human. Gaming, to me, is about having experiences and adventures that would be otherwise impossible. To game is to live more.

 

Let us go forward into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn as gamers, as adventurers, and most importantly as friends.  **add obligatory Final Fantasy 'level-up' music here**

[Jove]

Wow, really well put and I couldn't agree more, especially with this...

 

There are so many mmorpgs out there that feel like a single player game that happens to have other people playing the same single player game nearby.

 

I've said more or less the same thing about a lot of modern mmorpgs that I've played, were it just seems you're disconnected from the other players around you. I'm not sure how to exactly describe it, but it's not something I've experienced in XIV. It's just an example of like you say, polishing the rough into diamond. To be totally honest, after my previous mmo experiences, I swore to not play another one again. I hated leveling, questing, even the traditional combat mechanics and I think WoW most of all, left a really bad experience with me.

 

However, within 30 minutes of playing XIV I was in love, I levelled my marauder to 20 by Sunday without even trying, just from the fact that I was excited to do and see all the things. XIV has a lot of gameplay in it that I thought I'd never really enjoy again, but all of the small details, tweaks, attention to detail and differences in XIV all add up to a really fantastic experience. I haven't been this excited to play a game in a long time, so for me that says it all really.

 

Also it's the first FF game I've been excited for and have played since XII. So double yay.

[Asyria]

Amen, brother.

[Flapjack]

  **add obligatory Final Fantasy 'level-up' music here**

 

[Dravus]

I initially brushed off FFXIV as being more of the same, especially since many other recent MMO's have involved broken promises and fractured communities. Yet I felt something during the open beta I haven't felt in a long while where MMO's are concerned. I felt like I belonged! Dramatic, I know - but the community proved to be incredibly friendly and the game itself is both compelling and addictive.

 

I found myself speaking to every NPC I could find, lapping up the flavour dialogue and quest text alike. I found myself striking down enemies, some of which being familiar to me from earlier Final Fantasy games whilst others proved to be fresh sights.

 

I took part in a few F.A.T.E events which served to supplement my adventuring rather well. I hunted down enemies to complete my hunter's log as best I could - reminding me the hours of fun I had hunting down special enemies in one of FFXII's side-quests.

 

All in all, I'm incredibly excited for FFXIV - and this is coming from someone who had become rather disillusioned with the genre after WoW, SWTOR and GW2 left a bitter taste in my mouth. Unlike those three settings and their related games/franchises, however, I feel that FFXIV does the Final Fantasy name justice.

[Kouen Elfrit]

  **add obligatory Final Fantasy 'level-up' music here**

 

^ Dat cockatiel.

[Fauchevont]

I couldn't agree more.  I played FFXI for about six years, and after leaving I dabbled in several other MMOs, but none were able to capture my imagination in the way that XIV has in just the short time I spent in beta.  The immersion was absolute, something WoW, SWTOR, and Rift couldn't even come close to.  I'm counting down the days!

[Dravus]

I couldn't agree more.  I played FFXI for about six years, and after leaving I dabbled in several other MMOs, but none were able to capture my imagination in the way that XIV has in just the short time I spent in beta.  The immersion was absolute, something WoW, SWTOR, and Rift couldn't even come close to.  I'm counting down the days!

 

Immersion is an interesting thing. A lot of MMO's that I've invested in have been full of people screaming about how 'immersion' isn't important and detracts from other aspects of the game. Yet that's not true at all, since MMO's can have both compelling PvE and PvP elements in addition to a solid and richly detailed game world.

[Zularti]

Like all of us on the forum I'm a huge FF fan. What I love most about this game is the world. Every cutscene I see, every screen shot, it all just feels so FF.

I don't think I've felt this cool in an mmo world in a long time. The world feels so well crafted and loved. Most of the systems in place are interesting enough and they give me the classes I want, with more to come.

 

However I have to disagree a bit with the combat. I think the combat is terribly dull and step in the wrong direction. I wish it was more interesting and I'm hoping lvl 50 is better but I really doubt it.

 

Thankfully the world is so completely fantastic and FF to me that I can overlook that completely.

[Dravus]

I suppose the combat may come off as rather shallow, but I personally find it refreshing. Other MMO's I've played recently have been terrible boring and rather drawn out where combat is concerned. WoW's latest expansion doubled the health pools of most enemies which artificially made battles longer than they should be. In GW2 you can have hundreds of people running around the game world fighting off enemies that either die quicker than you can tag them or end up taking up to fifteen minutes to kill if you're in a small group or caught alone.

 

I'm hoping FFXIV's combat becomes a tad more difficult later one, but for the most part I'm pretty happy with it. I suspect later battles will involve a lot more strategy and careful positioning. I didn't get around to trying out any of the group content during the beta, so I won't comment on that.