Quote Originally Posted by KiriA500 View Post
I almost fell asleep watching that video. Holy crap, I don't remember FFXI being that slow and boring.
Honestly, I enjoyed the slower pace, large (but not 1.0 large) environments, and slow revelation of the world and lore. Gave enough time for the rest of it to sink in. It could have used more options for faster travel the more you progressed sure, but I personally never really felt bored. I felt like I was interacting with a real setting, not just a collection of set pieces which served as glorified waiting rooms.
I can't really get into something quite that slow now due to real life commitments, but in an aesthetic sense it brought out a level of comfort and engagement with the actual world that I rarely see in modern games. It seems to be all about flash and how quickly you can burn through the content. Less about making a lasting and evocative impression and more about feeding the skinner box addiction.

In a way, it reminds me of those episodes of Samurai Jack where it took time to establish the setting. Slowly showing you the world around him to really let it sink in.
Not a perfect comparison, but I feel there's some sort of game design 'technique' like it when you introduce an interactive element to a world.