I'm honestly baffled by those who seem to be agitated at others for speaking their mind. ARR is a game built on the foundation that others were unsatisfied with a company's product and spoke up about it. If it weren't for those people, I wouldn't be surprised if this game would have gone offline permanently by now

I'm also surprised at how little people seem to understand or respect the notion of artistic integrity. A game is a sum of its parts. The visual and auditory components enhance the gameplay aspects, and can often carry a game that would otherwise be considered mediocre or lackluster (For example game's such as No More Heroes, Madworld, Psychonauts, Shadow of the Colossus; all games that rely on their aesthetic and vision to make them unique and memorable experiences, rather than gameplay). For some people, like myself, these aspects weigh very heavily on our overall enjoyment of the game

However, there are other issues associated with this whole mess. From what we've seen, XIV seems to have been relegated to that of every MMO we've already payed for. Removing the only unique aspects the game had going for it (The animations, the ecosystem and mob behaviors and traits, the slower and more deliberate pace) tied with the additions of such trivialities as 'Gear Score' and the total restructure of gameplay and progression to match that of, well, every other title, has removed any excitement I had built for ARR. XIV had flaws, really terrible, deal breaking flaws, but at least it wasn't the same game I've played for the last 8 years.