Did Yoshida went a bit too far by cloning WoW?

[Vespar]

because its much more cartoonish and i dont like the lore at all. yea. and yes im about to leave FFXIV.
im quiet tired of that MMO formula of running instances and itemlevel spirals.

i find it kind of sad, as i loved to play FFXI (the game is a little bit outdated for todays standards). they missed the chance to become a REAL final fantasy unfortunatley.

so for me FFXIV is more like standard MMO stuffed with FF things in it.. which kept me playing it for some time.

Dont let the door hit you on the way out. Because obviously nothing anyone in here says will answer your original question in your eyes. You already made up your mind before you asked the question.

Did SE clone WoW? No, I dont think they cloned anything. If they cloned anything it would look exactly like WoW. The story would be the exact same yada yada yada.
What I do see, is research that was done using other WoW and games and MMO's that was then expanded upon, innovated and implemented in a way that allowed SE to make it their own. However, their story is entirely original, as are their mount designs and methods of obtainment.

Furthermore, If you were to take away the title of "Final Fantasy" what would this game be to you? Would you care that it had elemnts of WoW? Would you enjoy it for what it is, rather than what it isnt? I feel like far too many people put too much stock into a single name. Final Fantasy has always been different for each and every installment.