SkillUp's FF16 review can be applied to FF14 as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzfUardkloY

1 --- Why are there so many filler quests in both FF14 and FF16 that grinds the pacing to a halt? We did not need to help bunnies on the moon with their chores after defeating Zodiark, just as we should not be spending an hour playing through Mid's airship component quests or collecting dirt from plants right after beating Bahamut. Side quests can be better than literal fetch quests, CBU3.

2 --- Why is teamwork becoming less and less valued? In FF16, you do not interact with your party in any way, on top of gutting the party system. In FF14, party synergy is becoming less and less relevant. Party synergy now consists of pressing your 2-min party buff on time. Gone are the party synergies that require communication like playing Refresh when healers communicate that they need MP. Why is CBU3 designing the game to make your party basically irrelevant?

3 --- Extreme separation of gameplay and story. In the critique, SkillUp mentions that other modern AAA titles have learned how to advance the story through gameplay. FF14 and FF16 does nothing of the sort. Too much story is told through cutscenes, and barely any story is told through the gameplay.

4 --- Streamlining gameplay and reducing the skill ceiling. In FF16, there is not much you can do beyond the abilities offered to you. There's no directional input, for example. Just as in FF14, nuanced gameplay systems other than the rotations are removed over time to streamline the process, like tank directionals (making sure that you face the enemies from your front), healer MP management, etc. This makes the game incredibly repetitive when other, now removed systems made the game more nuanced.

5 --- Trash enemies are striking dummies that are extremely uninteresting. Considering that most of the gameplay in both FF14 and FF16 take place with trash enemies and bosses that are practically striking dummies (unless you're a raid-logger), this makes for extremely uninspired gameplay.

6 --- Progression and itemization is a complete afterthought in both games. There's virtually zero diversity in gearing, and makes gearing in both games boring. All gearing does is increase your damage; in FF16 at least it could for example decrease the cooldown of abilities, but in FF14 there's literally no choice other than the GCD you want to hit.

7 --- As a result of 6, loot in both games are extremely, extremely boring and there's virtually no incentive to get better loot. Most other games have long since adequately tackled this problem, so why can't CBU3 do so?

The funny part is most of his issues with XVI were what he touted as good features or tolerable at worst when he reviewed VIIR, and it got him some flack when people compared his conclusions which came off a bit like VII fanboyism lol

Also this could've been in your other "XXX's XVI review can apply to XIV" thread my man

The loporitts part after Zodiark was needed as a breather because what came after that is the chaotic end of days in Thavnair

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Originally Posted by Yuella

The loporitts part after Zodiark was needed as a breather because what came after that is the chaotic end of days in Thavnair

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I'd have rather skip the Loporitts all together tbph.
For me, one of the biggest problems with EW was the pacing of the story and how jarring things went from one moment to the next.
"In from the Cold" set up this tense situation just for it to amount to nothing, then when the tension is returned in the ominous "At Last" message with a premonition of the world being engulfed in blackness, instead of going to see what the hell that's about, we get an hour of happy bunny time. Final Days start and things are actually getting interesting again just to get interrupted by a trip to Elpis. I know what's causing the Final Days, let's go ...........spend another hour with the Bunnies in Labyrinthos. The tension never got a chance to build up at all. It got annoying by the midway point for me and I was pretty much mentally checked out by then.

We get it, you hate the letters I V and X in no particular order.

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Originally Posted by TheDecay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzfUardkloY

1 --- Why are there so many filler quests in both FF14 and FF16 that grinds the pacing to a halt? We did not need to help bunnies on the moon with their chores after defeating Zodiark, just as we should not be spending an hour playing through Mid's airship component quests or collecting dirt from plants right after beating Bahamut. Side quests can be better than literal fetch quests, CBU3.

2 --- Why is teamwork becoming less and less valued? In FF16, you do not interact with your party in any way, on top of gutting the party system. In FF14, party synergy is becoming less and less relevant. Party synergy now consists of pressing your 2-min party buff on time. Gone are the party synergies that require communication like playing Refresh when healers communicate that they need MP. Why is CBU3 designing the game to make your party basically irrelevant?

3 --- Extreme separation of gameplay and story. In the critique, SkillUp mentions that other modern AAA titles have learned how to advance the story through gameplay. FF14 and FF16 does nothing of the sort. Too much story is told through cutscenes, and barely any story is told through the gameplay.

4 --- Streamlining gameplay and reducing the skill ceiling. In FF16, there is not much you can do beyond the abilities offered to you. There's no directional input, for example. Just as in FF14, nuanced gameplay systems other than the rotations are removed over time to streamline the process, like tank directionals (making sure that you face the enemies from your front), healer MP management, etc. This makes the game incredibly repetitive when other, now removed systems made the game more nuanced.

5 --- Trash enemies are striking dummies that are extremely uninteresting. Considering that most of the gameplay in both FF14 and FF16 take place with trash enemies and bosses that are practically striking dummies (unless you're a raid-logger), this makes for extremely uninspired gameplay.

6 --- Progression and itemization is a complete afterthought in both games. There's virtually zero diversity in gearing, and makes gearing in both games boring. All gearing does is increase your damage; in FF16 at least it could for example decrease the cooldown of abilities, but in FF14 there's literally no choice other than the GCD you want to hit.

7 --- As a result of 6, loot in both games are extremely, extremely boring and there's virtually no incentive to get better loot. Most other games have long since adequately tackled this problem, so why can't CBU3 do so?

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I didn't waste my time reading the post as I know this is just another troll post. I don't know who skill up is. I don't want to know either. Whoever this random person is he is welcome to his opinion. That is his opinion. It will not change my opinion. I love FFXVI and FFXIV. My opinion is the only opinion that matters.

I'm only going to reply to the first point raised here, as have mixed opinions regarding the others.

Interesting that its only really Endwalker that has been referenced in terms of filler quests thus far, because it isn't something that was/is isolated to Endwalker.

Rather than read the OP trolls post completely i just glanced the thing is here skillup was a hypocrite. The stuff he moaned about with 16 applies to 7 remake and 14 yet he loves both (he’s mentioned multiple times his love for 14) his whole review felt like a but hurt reaction after yoshi p corrected him during an interview about that whole jrpg derogatory term stuff. I’m not saying he hasnt made valid points but this was clearly some personal beef/bias. Plus he sort of insulted the devil may cry and bayonetta styles of games which just screams skill issues (pun not intended)

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Originally Posted by Nestama

We get it, you hate the letters I V and X in no particular order.

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I look foward to seeing what their opinion on FF5009 will be.

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Originally Posted by Nestama

We get it, you hate the letters I V and X in no particular order.

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....wait that would mean... <dramatic gasp!>

Forget you man! FFIX was the best of the franchise in my humble opinion I'll have you know he who has never touched a women's Final Fantasy

To be honest, after XVI I have even less hope for 7.0 now. They had all the time and money to make a great game but outside of looking very (and I mean very) good and the combat being "okay" for a DMC clone, the second you step outside the MSQ zone the game is boring and tedious to boot.

It's like they are not even trying anymore beyond making stuff look good because for some reason gamers nowadays think that's the only aspect that matters in a game. It's like saying TLoU is GotY because it had pretty cutscenes in-between your very overdone cover shooting. In XVI you have areas or items that look almost photo realistic but walk through a city or area and tell me it doesn't feel lifeless.

It's like a museum to me where you are only allowed to look but never touch any of the pieces. lol Such a shame.

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Originally Posted by Payadopa

To be honest, after XVI I have even less hope for 7.0 now. They had all the time and money to make a great game but outside of looking very (and I mean very) good and the combat being "okay" for a DMC clone, the second you step outside the MSQ zone the game is boring and tedious to boot.

It's like they are not even trying anymore beyond making stuff look good because for some reason gamers nowadays think that's the only aspect that matters in a game. It's like saying TLoU is GotY because it had pretty cutscenes in-between your very overdone cover shooting. In XVI you have areas or items that look almost photo realistic but walk through a city or area and tell me it doesn't feel lifeless.

It's like a museum to me where you are only allowed to look but never touch any of the pieces. lol Such a shame.

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And FFXIV is getting a graphics update so really makes you wonder. Maybe pretty visuals is all the professional critics care about.

It seems like nearly all the complaints I read and hear about 14 and 16 and a lot of games in general these days can be summed up as "game too easy."

I really hope FromSoft creates a Souls or Elden Ring MMO someday to quench the thirst for punishing gameplay. A thirst that I will never share.