Final Fantasy XIV Online

 PC
Metascore
49

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 26
  3. Negative: 13 out of 26
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. 3DJuegos
    67
    Final Fantasy XIV has a great potential, but it needs to evolve.
  2. Computer and Video Games
    Dec 19, 2010
    62
    Eorzea is a beautiful world with huge potential for vast adventures, but it's just a shame that this first voyage into it is such a mis-step.
  3. Gamer.nl
    Jan 6, 2011
    60
    This new only Final Fantasy has the potential to become a rich, vibrant MMORPG, but this potential isn't used enough. There are a lot of technical mistakes and a lot of strange design choices that make it harder for players to fully engage themselves in this game. Maybe after a lot of updates and patches this game becomes what it should've been from the beginning.
  5. PALGN
    Dec 19, 2010
    60
    With some obvious flaws that render the game difficult to play at best, Final Fantasy XIV will benefit from some updates in the near future. It's not bad by any means, but it's tough to recommend until the glaring issues have been dealt with.
  6. SpazioGames
    Jan 10, 2011
    55
    Despite the huge post launch patches, Final Fantasy XIV still lacks content and shows many flaws in game design basics. It comes as a great disappointment, which you should stick to only if you're an absolute fan of the saga.
  7. IGN
    55
    While there's a lot to consider when building your ideal class, there's far too little interesting structured content to chew on, resulting in an experience that quickly grows tedious and tiresome.
  8. PC Games (Russia)
    Mar 21, 2011
    50
    Positively, there is nothing to do in Final Fantasy XIV at the moment. It's not even close to a completed product. [Feb 2011, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. PC PowerPlay
    Dec 25, 2010
    50
    Unless you feel like paying for an extended beta, wait for patches or an expansion pack to fix FFXIV's myriad problems. [Issue#185, p.71]
    All this publication's reviews
  10. Eurogamer
    Dec 24, 2010
    50
    Somewhere out there, there is a player this game is perfect for. But he or she would still be advised to wait another six months before even thinking about Final Fantasy XIV, because Square Enix hasn't yet got its head around its own players.
  11. Meristation
    50
    It may be hard to believe, and painful to accept, but the last "official" chapter of Final Fantasy is a huge disappointment, and it not only becomes the worst chapter of the saga, but also one of the worst MMORPG we have played in a long time. It's obvious that Square-Enix is no longer what it used to be.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
27
#27 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
3.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 408 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 408
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 408
  3. Negative: 259 out of 408
  1. Redorb
    Oct 4, 2010
    4
    *Good Things:*
    --FANTASTIC GRAPHICS.- Stunning visuals which make the world and its creatures amazing to look at.
    --MUSIC.- The music brings    *Good Things:*
    --FANTASTIC GRAPHICS.- Stunning visuals which make the world and its creatures amazing to look at.
    --MUSIC.- The music brings back a lot of nostalgia from the old days of FFIII (US version) and FFVII.
    --BATTLE SOUND EFFECTS.- Not great but decent and make you engage in combat.

    *The Bad:*
    --USER INTERFACE.- Clunky and most importantly SLOW! For instance, there is no auto arrange on items. I DREAD everytime I have to think about selling something as it takes litterally 5-10 minutes to sell the junk in my inventory. Crafting and gathering literally becomes a chore which makes taking out the trash and doing the dishes around the house seem pleasant in comparison.
    --COMMERCE.- An MMORPG is only as good as its ability to make your character look awsome and feel powerful. One of the best ways for that an RPG can do this is by constantly positively incrementing a character's gear. FF XIV completely and totally FAILS at this. Levequest rewards very very rarely offer any gear rewards at all, this in itself woudln't be a problem if there were other ways to get gear without spending hours and hours searching the "retainer" wards for gear. Of course you can always craft your own gear, meaning you need to be a blacksmith and and armorsmith and a goldsmith and maybe a carpenter (depending on your class); I don't need to tell you how that will go over for you since you've already read about the UI. It is possible... to get gear using this system but honestly who has the time to spend it wasting away in some video game while they are NOT having fun? The commerce system; the most important part of any MMORPG, in this game is all but broken.
    --USER HELP.- I have been playing games for years. I will be the first to admit I'm not the best at them, but I can hold my own and can kick some butt sometimes. This game however trully made me feel like a newb. Something I have never really felt before. This is not in itself a big problem as humility is probably good for me :P. The real problem is that every 5 minutes I have to alt-tab out of the game so I can figure out how to do ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING. How do you follow someone else? Alt-tab, you can't follow someone. How do I party up with someone who isn't next to me? Alt-tab, you can't party up with someone not next to you. Where can I find a thaumaturge weapon in Gridania so I can switch to that class because after walking around for an hour I couldn't find it? Alt-tab, Gridania doesn't have a thaumaturge's weapon. How do I use sythesis? How do I resurrect my character? How do I use macros? This list goes on and on and on... Oh get this... When you alt-tab out of the game the game automatically crashes. WOOT!!!! This is a common bug btw. It happened on my windows 7 and my windows XP machine.

    This is the first review that I have written for a game ever. However, I felt soo personally compelled to warn the public about this game that I have written this one as well to pop that negative # up one more click. I love video games. I love RPG's. I love MMORPG's have played them for years since Ultima Online came out when I was in High School. I am borderline hating this game. Now I know some people are going to think (or say) "go back to WOW you fanboy". And maybe they have a point. I liked WOW I really really did. But then I liked Ultima Online and LOTRO and AION and EQ and Asheron's Call. All I am saying is that if you have not bought this game and you are reading this review please please do yourself a favor and ask yourself how much free time you have and how much you are willing to give to a video game which rewards you little for the amount of time you put into it. If you have a LOT of free time and like grinding away and don't mind a slow UI then this is the game for you. If, however, you are like the majority of the worlds populace please please look elsewhere for your entertainment. For instance Starcraft 2 just came out, so did Civ 5, Fable 3 comes out in 3 weeks.    … Full Review »
  2. Knyteguy
    Sep 30, 2010
    6
    I think it needs some polish, but I personally like the core gameplay here. Definitely is fun, despite its flaws. I like the retainerI think it needs some polish, but I personally like the core gameplay here. Definitely is fun, despite its flaws. I like the retainer system, the graphics, the sound and music (which are amazing!), the cinematics, and the the story so far (story is really good!). I don't like the user interface, the controls, and the lack of content currently missing from the game. I'd hold off on buying now, but reconsider in a few months after some patches.… Full Review »
  3. Liszt
    Sep 30, 2010
    2
    I bought the game simply because I'm a fan (but not so much anymore) of the Final Fantasy series. I was hoping FFXIV would be a step forwardI bought the game simply because I'm a fan (but not so much anymore) of the Final Fantasy series. I was hoping FFXIV would be a step forward from FFXI (as I really didn't like FFXI at all). Unfortunately, it isn't. In fact, it almost feels like a step back. Yes, graphics are nice, but the UI is just horrid. Everything feels clunky and slow. Developers certainly didn't have user-friendliness in mind when they planned FFXIV.

    Lack of quests and content is also appalling. You get around 15 minutes of playable content every 36 hours (Guildleve system). There is no auction house as of now (I don't know if one is planned), so getting new items and trading is a NIGHTMARE. Believe me.

    For hardcore fans only, and even then, I'm sure SE just hurt themselves badly by releasing this unfinished and incomplete product.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »