Quote Originally Posted by ReapKarmah View Post
I remember when Final Fantasy use to mean that you could adventure throughout the story and level up appropriately based solely on how far you've traveled. That has never been the same in FFXI and it seems it will never be the same in FFXIV either. In these two games we seem to have to force ourselves to look, feel and act like any/every other MMO out there. It's quite pathetic and we've completely lost the feel of Final Fantasy. Is it really that hard to make "Final Fantasy" "online"?

We should NOT have to grind anything to progress in any game, period.
I often thought this about 11, but the significant difference is an MMORPG is about progression and developing your characters, more than exploring and working through a storyline. The focus of these games never has and probably never will be entirely on the story, unfortunately. I agree with you, though, it would be nice to have more of a story that combines the mandatory progression of an MMORPG with the steady progression necessary.