Remember - you cannot review an MMO until 6 months after it's launch - which is today

[Rhianu]

There honestly isn't a whole lot of strategy in what abilities you use in combat. You can essentially just faceroll across your keyboard and still come out on top most of the time.

[Antipika]

You forgot the part about actually progressing through the game in order to see enough of it to form a valid opinion. Rank 15? Oops.

No offense, but to be a good a MMORPG needs to be enjoyable after few hours of gameplay. (just like any game actually). If after reaching rank 15 (on several jobs), you still doesn't find it appealing, chance that you will stay and enjoy it are pretty low.

You may not be able to make a full review of the game, that's for sure. Yet you still have a very good idea of what's coming. And let's be honest, it's not like anything changes afterwards on XIV. He could go up rank 30 or even 40, things remains the same (ok couple storyline quests are nice afterwards :d).

I personally can't stand people who think that their opinion is valid just because they reach rank X or Y. Reaching a high rank only prove one thing : you like the game enough to play it that much. Which is usually not a good point because whatever you will say might be completely biased.

[gifthorse]

When I play on archer, I usually knock two arrows, perform raging strike, basic attack, then shadowbind so the enemy can't move, then use decoy so I'm immune to ranged attacks, then knock two more arrows, use raging strike again, use basic attack to build up more TP, then use a high dmg weaponskill coupled with Hawk's eye to increase accuracy.

So no, the battle system isn't necessarily just spamming. When solo-ing, I employ a complicated strategy. But when I do leve and behest, i just spam 1. When I do NMs, I spam 1 to build TP and maybe throw a 7 in there for good measure along with a battle-regimen.

So soloing is the only time I use strategy. In general, I wouldn't say it's much fun.

[Abriael]

There honestly isn't a whole lot of strategy in what abilities you use in combat. You can essentially just faceroll across your keyboard and still come out on top most of the time.

Which pretty much applies to all normal encounters in any MMORPG out there. The fact that you can "still come up on top most of the time" (which isn't even true when you face multiple enemies and so forth), doesn't mean you're being effective.
Effective use of abilitues -> faster wins -> faster experience -> faster rewards -> profit
It's even much more fun, which is definitely a good thing.

I personally can't stand people who think that their opinion is valid just because they reach rank X or Y.

You can't simply give a valid opinion of a game (and especially paint it as a "review") until you experienced the majority of it first hand. Second hand info, theorycraft and blatant hyperbole do not a valid opinion (and even less a review) make.

[Rayle]

Something which discourages me about the state of this game is the following:

Closed Alpha
"The game only started testing phase guys shut up."

Closed Beta
"It's only a beta stop complaining so much the point is we need to test the problems."

Final Closed Beta
"Open beta will open up a lot more content and most of the problems will be fixed."

Open Beta
"It's still only open beta and a lot of the content is closed off and there are still bugs to work out."

Collector's Release
"Some of the content is probably being held off until standard release."

Main Release
"Let's give it a few months."

December
"The development team is being restructured. I bet they have a lot of content done already and it will probably be released around the time the PS3 release was supposed to come out, which is in March. I'm gonna wait until then to make an opinion."

Now
"Let's wait about 6 more months."

The game will never be "finished" as it's an MMO. As for when it'll be in a completely better state than it is now, don't be hopeful that it's going to happen anytime soon.

Totally agree. People don't realise that if they are currently playing they will never log on one day and it will be best mmo ever, or the 2nd best, or even good at all.

Anyone playing now is being dragged through this frustrating hassle and once they are charging monthly the current players will be done the content because it comes out every two weeks. Itll be like "Wow, im done everything in this game and NOW they want me to pay for it?"

The fanboys will. But if you have a brain then think about it.

[Isaaru]

How about nobody rates this until 6 months after it becomes pay to play again? Actually 5 because they intended the first month to be free anyway.

[gifthorse]

How about nobody rates this until 6 months after it becomes pay to play again? Actually 5 because they intended the first month to be free anyway.

I think you should wait 6 months after that 6 months.

[Rayle]

How about nobody rates this until 6 months after it becomes pay to play again? Actually 5 because they intended the first month to be free anyway.

How about we just review it when you and SE think it will get a good review? That would be fair.

[Rjain]

The widespread use of hyperbole is another of those elements that voids an opinion (and even more a review) of any validity.
When you give feedback, you need to be clear and to the point, otherwise the feedback won't be of any help.
When you give a review, you're performing a service (wether you're paid or not), and hyperbole is misleading, voiding any utility in the review.

Hi, I'm the reality check police.

Opinions are opinions. By saying someone's "opinion is invalid" just because you don't agree with it makes you look egocentric. If you can knock away someone's opinions with plain fact, maybe you have a bit more power behind your word, but you don't. Several people just listed off how they feel and it's similar to what Rofl was going on about. Do their opinions not matter too?

Well in that case since you're the only evident one with your opinion I guess yours is invalid too. Gee doesn't that just beat all.

[Isaaru]

How about we just review it when you and SE think it will get a good review? That would be fair.

oh man me and SE? I wasn't aware I had such a huge responsibility in this game... I was just saying the game is pretty much still in an open beta phase and even SE still doesn't consider it playable.