CBU3. Please respect your players.

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

I find all those excuses hilarious because there are people out there that tried all those other "main games" and it never really stuck with them but FFXIV hit just the right spots but the direction the game is going is steering away from the right spots and so those people voices their opinions on the issues.

We are expected to put away all our time, money and effort on the side because this game is supposed to be a "side Game". One hell of an expensive side game in my opinion given how little content is squeezed out every 4 months vs. how much content they used to.

[ServerCollaps]

i did finish 16 and I would have wished for a harder mode from the get go. I cant be arsed to go trough those 70+ fetch quests again, that consume dozens of hours or rewatching the 10 hours of cutscenes that I 've already seen

I would rate it 6/10 due to the lack of "content" (heck, all previous ff games were great without those mindnumbing ff14-like sidequests)

[R041]

Preach posted a great mini-review of XVI, and I have to say I agree with everything in the video: https://youtu.be/cPOmP3Ev-d0

It's not a complicated opinion, everything is matter of fact and unbiased. I can't really take anyone seriously when they say 10/10 unfortunately. It just seems extremely disingenuous, trying to sell the game for what it's not.

Like all those players saying GOTY after only playing the demo, knowing full well it's a vertical slice of the best pieces XVI has to offer, and none of the downsides. lol

[thevanguard]

Preach posted a great mini-review of XVI, and I have to say I agree with everything in the video: https://youtu.be/cPOmP3Ev-d0

It's not a complicated opinion, everything is matter of fact and unbiased. I can't really take anyone seriously when they say 10/10 unfortunately. It just seems extremely disingenuous, trying to sell the game for what it's not.

Like all those players saying GOTY after only playing the demo, knowing full well it's a vertical slice of the best pieces XVI has to offer, and none of the downsides. lol

Don't know how people can play the demo and find it enjoyable. It was boring even in the demo. Good story, excellent lore, atrocious gameplay

I was falling asleep half the time while playing 16.

[Rufalus]

They need to get more creative. "Who... what are you?" Thordan, Benedikta. The same line in both games in response to the player character being ridiculously overpowered and surpassing all known limits.

I'm tired of being a god. At least when the single-player games had a real party, the characters felt vulnerable individually but could pull through by working together. XIV's story just pretends that every player is the one main character rather than part of a winning team and in some instances needing to be carried through.

I would love next expansion to be a hard power reset. Strip us of the miracle exemptions that used to protect us from everything. Now grounded realistic opponents can push us to the limit. Hydaelyn gone could have been a perfect reason to change tone dramatically.

[RitsukoSonoda]

They need to get more creative. "Who... what are you?" Thordan, Benedikta. The same line in both games in response to the player character being ridiculously overpowered and surpassing all known limits.

I'm tired of being a god. At least when the single-player games had a real party, the characters felt vulnerable individually but could pull through by working together. XIV's story just pretends that every player is the one main character rather than part of a winning team and in some instances needing to be carried through.

I would love next expansion to be a hard power reset. Strip us of the miracle exemptions that used to protect us from everything. Now grounded realistic opponents can push us to the limit. Hydaelyn gone could have been a perfect reason to change tone dramatically.

Well... My random thoughts kind of flow towards the next 2 installments. FFXVII being a new "Hard MMORPG" to essentially replace FFXI since they appear to have scrapped the visual remaster. Though I'd hope that step of ending the FFXI online service would result in a retuned offline single player version of that title. FFXVIII being a sort of return to roots entry JRPG, meaty story with quality party of playable characters, return of all the missing RPG elements that were removed from FFXIV and FFXVI, etc. I'd also position doing FFXVII with cartoonish style visuals as well similar to FFIX.

Reasoning behind these thoughts isn't that detailed tbh. 2 singleplayer entries between their current existing MMO's, following that trend puts the next MMO entry at 17. Setting stage for 18 to basically follow suit of what FFIX did in providing a solid RPG entry with visuals that gave a heavier enforcement of the fantasy aspect than the 2 entries before it.

[Rufalus]

FFXVIII being a sort of return to roots entry JRPG, meaty story with quality party of playable characters, return of all the missing RPG elements that were removed from FFXIV and FFXVI, etc. I'd also position doing FFXVII with cartoonish style visuals as well similar to FFIX.

Return to roots and whimsy would be one of the most anticipated games of my lifetime. It's been 23 damn years since IX.

I wouldn't even mind more linear action games like XVI from CBU3 if they aren't a complete replacement to RPGs. It's acceptable if a different team keeps up the traditional RPGs alongside them in an alternating pattern.

[RitsukoSonoda]

Return to roots and whimsy would be one of the most anticipated games of my lifetime. It's been 23 damn years since IX.

I wouldn't even mind more linear action games like XVI from CBU3 if they aren't a complete replacement to RPGs. It's acceptable if a different team keeps up the traditional RPGs alongside them in an alternating pattern.

Honestly the only part to me that just seems off on FFXVI is the fact they numbered it. FF games branching out from the typical JRPG genre isn't anything new. However all past instances of it were given a secondary title denoting it as a spinoff.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Dissidia Final Fantasy (FF Fighting game)
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
Final Fantasy Explorers (Felt like FF attempt at Monster Hunter)
Final Fantasy Mobius (Mobile game)
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (Felt like attempt at FF Dark Souls game)
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (Mobile Gatcha)
Final Fantasy Adventure (Which would start the Mana series)
Final Fantasy Legend (Which started the SaGa series)
Thearhythm Final Fantasy
Chocobo Racing
Final Fantasy Type-0 (was initially a sort of crossplayed mobile/console game in Japan. Strictly console when released globally)
There's probably more I'm not recalling atm.

Though now thinking on it. Kind of surprised there haven't been spin off FF titles in a few other popular game genres that have been prone to spinoff entries from other franchises. Like an FF Musou game. I'd say a builder game but I think Dragon Quest has that covered if they continue with that series and give us DQ Builders 3. Or an FF rougelike looter game, an FF stealth game, FF themed GTA game, etc... XD

[TheDustyOne]

FF themed GTA game, etc... XD

Grand Theft Chocobo when Square?

Also yeah, I'd like something more traditional like IX again personally, but the chances of that happening in the main series again is practically nil.

[DiaDeem]

The saddest thing for me is that if XVI doesn't deserve GOTY, then they're gonna give it to Shrine Simulator 2023... I keep getting the feel that XVI tried to bite more than it could chew, but Zelda didn't even try to take a bite. They just gave Link some glue and called it good.

Fuck it, let's give GOTY to Star Rail.
Any other ideas? Let's chime in!