What is this I don't even...

[Starlord]

I mean, what more do people want in an MMO? Reinventing the wheel is no easy task, and has the most risks involved. It's not about the systems, it's about how the game is fun to the players.

Questing? Nearly all MMO's have some sort of questing, question is how did they implement it? Did she even try the game? Is she just looking at it from the outside, sees "questing" then automatically thinks it's going to be a certain way?

Jumping? So what if it has Jumping? It's there for entertainment purposes.

PVP? Most MMO's have PvP of Sorts even the Best MMO's have this feature.

Overall, I say so what if they put the best of MMO's into FFXIV (system wise). It's not what you put in, but how it's implemented.

Edit: Also, The types of content and how it's implemented is very important.

[Drygir]

I'm ok with the review to be honest because it does nothing to change my opinion. I just find it odd how most of it was bashing the game and then towards the very end it sounded like she was trying to save herself from a horde of angry FXIV:ARR patrons (soon to be anyways unless you count trying to reserve a copy ). Also, it just seems like it's not her gaming style is all. I've played GW2 and I couldn't make it very far due to the graphics making my eyes hurt (not quite bleeding) and the way the game was setup in general. Sure the game might be fun but not everyone is going to see it that way.

[Lady]

Let me just say, it really sounds like a lot of these reviewers are thinking ARR is coming out trying to be "the game that kills WoW". IMO that has never been the goal, its a game to please FF fans, comparing it to other mmos is a waste of time. They really should be comparing it to the other games in the FF franchise.

[Elexia]

I think one thing she fails to bring up is that at its core, this is a game to appeal to people that are fans of the FF series.

Yoshida himself has went on record to say he's also trying to appeal to MMORPG players and want this game to compete. You can't compete with just FF fans alone since FF fans are already jaded about the series current situation. So while I don't think she "left something out", it's more she was looking at it as an mmorpg of today. There's still time to see what SE has planned, however, it really does look like any MMO you can pick up and play today, the only difference, your mounts will be FF related and you'll be playing jobs that's been in FF Mythos since the late 80s.

I mean, she was correct about this and let's be honest, based on what she said, how many people would have talked to the NPC when in XI (KI wise) and XIV 1.0 (in many situations) it would have automatically taken the items, expecting it to happen in ARR only to turn out you can't do that despite many other MMOs including ones SE has done before uses a system like that? That's a legit criticism, whether someone agrees with it or not, it's legit.

So it will be a fanservice title, but as an MMO it still has to be unique enough to draw people into it. Every new MMO draws a sizable crowed, however said crowd ends up getting bored because it's the same routine they did in their last MMO. So agree or disagree with the delivery of it, the concerns she brought up was legit.

As stated, ARR isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, however it's also not trying to do anything different from the norm. We still have to see what they're doing, because you can show F.A.T.E to anyone and most who play plenty of MMOs will say it sounds like something done in either XI, Rift, Tera or GW2. It's not a bad thing, but I know most of us read the recent interviews right? Yoshida isn't hiding he's looking at other MMOs and borrowing ideas.

@Lady:

This is the general mentality most gamers have because everyone turns back to WoW as if it invented the MMO genre, even developers always reference how WoW streamlined certain aspects.

[Abriael]

I mean, what more do people want in an MMO? Reinventing the wheel is no easy task

The funny part is that Guild Wars 2 tried to "reinvent the wheel" artificially, just to say "look at us! we're different!" with it's unsightly no-roles approach, and it simply made the game boring on the long run.

[Starlord]

The funny part is that Guild Wars 2 tried to "reinvent the wheel" artificially, just to say "look at us! we're different!" with it's unsightly no-roles approach, and it simply made the game boring on the long run.

Systems are important yes, but It's more about how content is implemented ( or anything in general).

FFXIV 1.0 did have nice things on paper, but they implemented it poorly and thus how things turned out for FFXIV 1.0. Implementation is just as important as the content in the game.

[Abriael]

The problem is not that she says that the game doesn't go out of its way to reinvent the wheel. The problem is that she indicates it as a bad thing, with an absolutely sensationalist, hyperbolic and unwarranted headline no less.

Innovation for its own sake is like the brown paint you use to paint horse dung and make it look like chocolate, so that the unschooled masses can feel smart while eating it. Only to discover that it doesn't really taste like chocolate.

Good game design is based on what is fun, immersive and interesting. Innovation always needs to take a back seat to that, as artificial and utterly failed attempts to reinvent the wheel in previous MMORPGs (including GW2) clearly shown.

What distinguishes a good MMORPG from a bad or mediocre one is not big headline genre-revolutioning innovation, but the array of subtle differences and how it all works together and encourages immersion, fun and especially community engagement (which is the primary factor to the success of a MMORPG).

And that's what sensationalist writers like this one always seem to miss, because their experience with the genre is way too shallow (most journalists don't play any MMORPG long enough to even get near understanding the genre and what its players want or like).

[Yumi_Hibiki]

lol this article, sensationalist and hyperbole at once just to harvest those precious clicks, good thing my adblock is on so no money from my click

and that's EXACTLY why i don't give a shit about internet gaming "journalism"
sounds like she expected SE to "grease her palms" like so many gaming "journalists" are used to nowadays and it didn't happen.

highly unprofessional, but so is most of the industry these days /sigh

at least she gets (deservedly) ripped to pieces in the comments, a bit of faith in humanity restored

[InuraBera]

Eh, you can't please everybody - I haven't read the article myself, but the Penny Arcade articles tend to be negative towards everything, and very much self satisfied, as much as I enjoy the comic, their own writing section makes me hurt.

Honestly, players don't know what they want until they play it (some things I think sound awesome on paper I really don't enjoy, while things I honestly would run from if you gave them to me end up being things I play for hours), and you are definitely not going to come to a conclusion (about any MMO) in a couple of press days. You can say it looks good, plays well, has a nice new gimmick or does the fundamentals well, but a lot of the time it isn't until you have been absorbed into the world (or not as the case may be) that you can really give a decent opinion.

I read folks slagging off World of Warcraft for example, but I still play that eight years on. Folks thought the Old Republic would be ever so fantastic - and on a check box, it solves exactly what everyone who complains about World of Warcraft of today complains about, with the full skill trees, need for crowd control, defined roles etc but that isn't what they actually want now - however, again I have been playing that since launch. I like me some Star Wars.

At the same time, I see a lot of folk here filled with great memories of Final Fantasy XI - myself, I have given it four or five shots, my most recent on the break from Final Fantasy XIV...but I just can't enjoy it - that doesn't mean it is a bad game, but it just isn't the one for me. As far as markets go, you definitely don't need to revolutionise - look at Call of Duty, iPhones - World of Warcraft was just a nicely streamlined version of the Western MMO, with Final Fantasy XI - from what I can gather - being a game based on Everquest.

We also have to remember that in Japan (and heck, for the Playstation 3 owners) an MMORPG of this style isn't the norm. Even things like the feedback on the mouse keyboard controls amazed me - I didn't even realise that so many couldn't play like that. What do you have on the Playstation 3? DCUniverse Online - which again, I've played from launch *laughs* - is a great game. I love it actually, but for me, I play it as an 'action' game rather than an MMORPG - you could flick it from the MMO genre into single player co-op no problem, and the Legends PvP (where you play Heroes and Villains such as Batman and Joker) could very well be a really fun stand alone game.

For many folks on the Playstation 3, this will be their first chance to truly 'live' in another world, take an evening to gather goods, crafting and the like, rather than pure murder at all times. Build up houses, accidentally drown in the deep end of the bath...and then go and take on the Garlean Empire. For Japanese players, it could very well be the first MMORPG of this ('western') style they play, taking them slightly out of their comfort zone but with their hand held by a well known franchise.

Also, Guild Wars 2...I really want to like it, but everything seems to lack weight and faceplanting after a four foot drop gets old fast, as funny as it may be.

[TenraiNagi]

The devs never said they were inventing the wheel, so these so called journalists shouldn't be expecting anything of the sort. It is however going to be unique by it's systems (yes they borrowed from other MMOs, but they put their own twist on most of them). The armory system and armory board, materia system, crafting, etc...

And since the author is comparing this game to gw2. Well that didn't really invent anything either. You feel so useless and easily replaceable, that no one cares if you're there or not. You don't really matter! No one relies on anyone, no teamwork.
And if she says that the maps are confusing because they are separated by regions, well gw2 has the most confusing maps. The land is multi-layered. It shows something on the map, but is it over the bridge? Under the bridge? Is there a secret passage underground? At least ARRs are clear and have all the info you need on them.

And don't get me started on her FATE comment...