IGN FF16 review is almost like a critique of FF14's own issues

[TheDecay]

However when you compare the substance and gameplay from older games in franchises like God of War you see that those too have been trimmed to be more linear over time. Elden Ring was a case of the opposite scenario of refining and expanding on past titles as a Souls Game by applying the formula to an actual open world. Jedi Survivor is just the 2nd entry in that Jedi Souls type of game and Hogwarts Legacy was a stand alone game. They had to put more effort into things like their gameplay because they don't have a legacy built on the game's title to fall on yet. Cyberpunk2077 for the most part was just glitchy though combat aspects were found to have been trimmed or removed that were showcased in the tech demos they revealed at games events before it's launch.

Starfield I'll hold out on for a bit. I never bothered buying an Xbox X/S and Bethesda announced an "exclusive partnership" with AMD for the PC port which in the past has indicated titles not having support for Nvidia or Intel GPU specific optimizations. Kinda sad TBH because the first year or so of Bethesda titles tend to be the most interesting with all the bugs and glitches. And Bethesda saying it will be the most glitch free launch they will have ever done on a game doesn't mean much to me as that could still be more than any other buggy recent launch. :P

The primary issue IMO with FF16 is the actual game being designed as an action game. There isn't anything substantial enough to call it an RPG of any kind. Linear action games have a story and cast and generally give as many build options or more to players to progress and complete the game with. It's a switch as drastic as if the MCU decided to turn the next Avengers movie into a romcom harem anime.

You are right about other franchises also becoming streamlined, but none do it to the degree that FF16 does. God of War on PS4 actually contains difficult encounters where making the right build could make a huge difference whereas you can pretty much randomly make a build in FF16 and win everything easily.

[Rufalus]

The primary issue IMO with FF16 is the actual game being designed as an action game. There isn't anything substantial enough to call it an RPG of any kind.

Yoshida's comments on Call of Duty are quite baffing if they were accurately translated and meant to be taken seriously. He thinks CoD is like FF because you can save the world. That is the essence of FF to him. If the director of FF XVII wants to make it a FPS, he encourages it.

I find it strange that any leader in gaming would think gameplay is not an important component of their series. He puts all of the importance on the story, then the game genre can just be whatever. If you asked anyone in the past "What is Final Fantasy?" they would say it's an RPG series.

Even as an action game, FF XVI is insubstantial in some ways. Collecting weapons could have meant something if there were weapon types other than swords, such as axes and lances with different combo length and timing. Or you know, other playable characters with different strengths.

[Kisshu]

Even as an action game, FF XVI is insubstantial in some ways. Collecting weapons could have meant something if there were weapon types other than swords, such as axes and lances with different combo length and timing. Or you know, other playable characters with different strengths.

The problem that I have with gear in this game is that weapons, belt and bracelets are basic stat sticks. Same premise as in FF14, it just goes up and the new sword will always be better than the last sword, no need to think. It's not even like you have options of high dmg-low stagger vs. low dmg-high stagger or neutral. And the armor is just def and hp.

If we look away from the timely accessories, all but one of them does something instead of just being numerical change (cool-down reduction, damage+%, etc). Berserker ring actually does change your playstyle a bit, making you more rewarded for timing your dodges for the bonus attack which changes both lunge and makes your 4-hit combo into a 6-hit combo.
But then you're basicly just handed this ring for doing anything and getting 85 renown. It's not something you find in a side-room of a dungeon or an optional dungeon.
Even something like Genji Gloves are given based on renown, and are a basic, universal +5%.

[RitsukoSonoda]

The problem that I have with gear in this game is that weapons, belt and bracelets are basic stat sticks. Same premise as in FF14, it just goes up and the new sword will always be better than the last sword, no need to think. It's not even like you have options of high dmg-low stagger vs. low dmg-high stagger or neutral. And the armor is just def and hp.

If we look away from the timely accessories, all but one of them does something instead of just being numerical change (cool-down reduction, damage+%, etc). Berserker ring actually does change your playstyle a bit, making you more rewarded for timing your dodges for the bonus attack which changes both lunge and makes your 4-hit combo into a 6-hit combo.
But then you're basicly just handed this ring for doing anything and getting 85 renown. It's not something you find in a side-room of a dungeon or an optional dungeon.
Even something like Genji Gloves are given based on renown, and are a basic, universal +5%.

Well in the case of FFXIV every gear slot is just a stat stick as well. At least FFXI gave us gear pieces with interesting effects.

I still feel like FF16 needs to be renamed Final Fantasy Rising Revengence and a new RPG commissioned for the 16th main line title entry. The thing TBH that bothers me the most is these western "gaming journalists" have basically shown they're completely oblivious to the majority of reasons why veteran FF players aren't gushing with praise all over every part of FF16. However I bet they'd lose their minds if Activision decided to make the next mainline installment of the Call of Duty series into a turn based strategy game. There were plenty of titles out there to look at for ways to effectively keep RPG elements in an action game to make a proper action RPG but completely ignored in order to give us a short linear action game with pretty visuals and a very solid soundtrack that's less of an RPG than God of War Ragnarok which doesn't try at all to market itself as an RPG.

[DixieBellOCE]

Well in the case of FFXIV every gear slot is just a stat stick as well. At least FFXI gave us gear pieces with interesting effects.

I still feel like FF16 needs to be renamed Final Fantasy Rising Revengence and a new RPG commissioned for the 16th main line title entry. The thing TBH that bothers me the most is these western "gaming journalists" have basically shown they're completely oblivious to the majority of reasons why veteran FF players aren't gushing with praise all over every part of FF16. However I bet they'd lose their minds if Activision decided to make the next mainline installment of the Call of Duty series into a turn based strategy game. There were plenty of titles out there to look at for ways to effectively keep RPG elements in an action game to make a proper action RPG but completely ignored in order to give us a short linear action game with pretty visuals and a very solid soundtrack that's less of an RPG than God of War Ragnarok which doesn't try at all to market itself as an RPG.

This is quite true.

You could wear level 1 gear and your rotation will basically be the same thing.

There are no meaningful changes outside of leveling up, once you level nothing you do will change your job in a meaningful way.

[Nav_Fae]

Didn't they once say they don't make interesting gear cause min/maxers would basically ruin all their hard work at developing interesting gear?

[Atelier-Bagur]

The problem that I have with gear in this game is that weapons, belt and bracelets are basic stat sticks. Same premise as in FF14, it just goes up and the new sword will always be better than the last sword, no need to think. It's not even like you have options of high dmg-low stagger vs. low dmg-high stagger or neutral. And the armor is just def and hp.

If we look away from the timely accessories, all but one of them does something instead of just being numerical change (cool-down reduction, damage+%, etc). Berserker ring actually does change your playstyle a bit, making you more rewarded for timing your dodges for the bonus attack which changes both lunge and makes your 4-hit combo into a 6-hit combo.
But then you're basicly just handed this ring for doing anything and getting 85 renown. It's not something you find in a side-room of a dungeon or an optional dungeon.
Even something like Genji Gloves are given based on renown, and are a basic, universal +5%.

Gear stopped being unique since FFIX where a lot of them had special properties attached. I suppose FFX was also like this but not to the extent that FFIX does, since you had more gear slots

[Theodric]

Didn't they once say they don't make interesting gear cause min/maxers would basically ruin all their hard work at developing interesting gear?

Yes. Though whether they genuinely believe that or if it's just a convenient excuse to maintain the status quo is anybody's guess. I've always found it dubious because quite a lot of players don't really operate with efficiency in mind and they've probably driven away more players through having no real meaningful choices to make in the game in general than through any confusion caused by the game being 'too complex'.

I personally never bothered with high end raiding in this game because I found the loot system to be so bland.

[VelKallor]

Didn't they once say they don't make interesting gear cause min/maxers would basically ruin all their hard work at developing interesting gear?

Doesnt matter in the end, as the min/maxers WILL create a meta "to be OPTIMAL you must use this and this and this and not that as you lose 0.00000001 dps" as well as the usual bring the class not the player.

Sorry but true. When you hear people spouting about issues with a miniscule difference in dps, thats what we will see. or the other usual gatekeeping "why do you "need " this gear it is for RAIDERS only..etc etc.

Min / maxers are spreadsheet addicts writ large.

[TheDecay]

Doesnt matter in the end, as the min/maxers WILL create a meta "to be OPTIMAL you must use this and this and this and not that as you lose 0.00000001 dps" as well as the usual bring the class not the player.

Sorry but true. When you hear people spouting about issues with a miniscule difference in dps, thats what we will see. or the other usual gatekeeping "why do you "need " this gear it is for RAIDERS only..etc etc.

Min / maxers are spreadsheet addicts writ large.

That literally does not matter in FF14. People play suboptimally all the time. They don't meld their gear, they play suboptimal jobs, they randomly click on buttons. Only place it matters is week 1 Savage.

So actually, more interesting gearing would only be a boon to this game because most people don't care about min/maxing nor do they care about optimal compositions. If they actually did the only jobs we would see in alliance raids would be triple DRK, Sch/Ast, and Brd/Blm/Nin/Drg/Mnk.