Good question. Is it me or does the most memorable image from XIV (that's not in the game mind you) also look like it's from SE's stock renders of the most generic landscapes.

Sure it looks good but FF vistas have always looked AMAZING since VII. It's basically just a waterfall nothing over the top or unforgettable about it like Shinra building, stone forest, Fisherman's Horizon or the Zanarkad Road or Teleport Holla. Did Akihiko Yoshida (as much as I have a total man-crush on him) explicitly forbid the use of imagination in the scenery?

His characters are always GORGEOUS but the landscapes often seem to lack variety or color. Vagrant Story anyone?