Final Fantasy XIV Online

 PC
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
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  1. loliance
    Dec 11, 2021
    0
    Awful game, bad story, bad gameplay, bad UI, no redeeming factor.
    Much more playable with the ARR remake.
  2. makinari
    Sep 24, 2021
    0
    Trash. Endless email accounts made to register an account for a steam code to not work, too many variables to go wrong and it goes wrong. SE never get in touch to resolve issues and honestly I shouldnt have to spend hours on google trying to figure out to start a game.
  3. Xaxxus
    Jul 10, 2021
    4
    Have not even played the game yet. Because I literally cant even figure out where to download the client.

    The FF XIV website is probably the worse user experience I have ever seen. It seems as though they are actively trying to stop you from playing their game.

    Also you have to buy the game more than once if you want to play it on mac and windows.
  4. jake_siege
    Jun 4, 2021
    0
    Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.
    Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.
    Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.Housing. Housing.
  5. jaydan
    Sep 28, 2020
    0
    Good luck trying to even install this on your PC...

    No advice given from Square Enix. But if you go through user forums, some people have managed to overcome these difficulties by doing the following: - Disabling all anti-virus on your machine - Using a VPN service (which you may / may not have used before) - Changing your DNS settings (perhaps to something you have not used before)    Good luck trying to even install this on your PC...

    No advice given from Square Enix. But if you go through user forums, some people have managed to overcome these difficulties by doing the following:
    - Disabling all anti-virus on your machine
    - Using a VPN service (which you may / may not have used before)
    - Changing your DNS settings (perhaps to something you have not used before)

    These are steps that you need to strongly consider before attempting to install this title. Is this even safe to do?!

    If the installation fails, it will usually fail because it cannot retrieve a patch files from the server (you will get a popup). Its about a 40GB download. If it fails at any point, you cannot resume your download. You will start from the beginning again.

    it is clear that no one in Square Enix has ever tried to install this themselves. What a joke. Zero out of ten.    … Expand
  6. Szternit
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    this is THE WORST mmo i ever played
    THE WORST combat system
    THE WORST quest design
    THE WORST map design
    THE WORST fckin everything
    dont waste money
  7. yousuck1
    Aug 21, 2020
    0
    Sucks.,.................................................. ..................
  8. djkal
    Sep 4, 2013
    2
    Broken. Not much more needs to be said. The game came out in an unfinished state and that is inexcusable. I love final fantasy, but will skip this game.
  9. StoryBored
    Aug 31, 2013
    3
    Well, I have to say I've had every error that anyone has encountered on this game up until now. Unable to login, instances crashing and dropping me, the game crashing unexpectedly and being unable to log back in, limited full servers and poor connectivity when I do connect. I understood at the end of the Beta, I even understood during the early access, but now we're several days into theWell, I have to say I've had every error that anyone has encountered on this game up until now. Unable to login, instances crashing and dropping me, the game crashing unexpectedly and being unable to log back in, limited full servers and poor connectivity when I do connect. I understood at the end of the Beta, I even understood during the early access, but now we're several days into the actual release and STILL several days away from a *potential* solution.

    I wish I could expand more upon the gameplay so far, but getting up through level 20 so far is the standard MMO fanfare. Good graphics, a familiar interface, lackluster story and characters, and quests you can play with your friends. Most of what this game has to offer is no different at all from what it's competitors have except the FF name. Nothing besides the graphics so far indicating the game is anything other than average, and all the issues I've experienced have dragged the rating far below that. Avoid this game like the plague AT LEAST until mid September 2013 and even then, proceed with caution.

    There was not a sufficient amount of testing and preparation on this game by the development team, period.    … Expand
  10. Totmacher
    Aug 31, 2013
    0
    This game should be called "Log In Simulator: An Error Reborn" because if you can even get the character list to populate and if you can even create a character, when you try to log in, you get an error on your screen preventing you from logging in because the servers are full. What did Square Enix do to remedy this issue? They limited the server population and logins so the people thatThis game should be called "Log In Simulator: An Error Reborn" because if you can even get the character list to populate and if you can even create a character, when you try to log in, you get an error on your screen preventing you from logging in because the servers are full. What did Square Enix do to remedy this issue? They limited the server population and logins so the people that are already in-game can play without a server crash, which wouldn't happen in the first place if they had prepared for it. When you actually get in game it's pretty good, but the hardest quest in the entire game is logging in.… Expand
  11. chronoT
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    Yes, I finally get to review a game and give it under a 4! Long story short, I am a huge RPG/Final Fantasy gamer, I have a lot of respect for FF 1-9, and for others on PS2 and XBox. Please check my reviews as I love the series and give my intake on a few, my lowest game is a 4, and that is SWG. Sadly though, there is one game that I thank my brother for showing me before I almost spentYes, I finally get to review a game and give it under a 4! Long story short, I am a huge RPG/Final Fantasy gamer, I have a lot of respect for FF 1-9, and for others on PS2 and XBox. Please check my reviews as I love the series and give my intake on a few, my lowest game is a 4, and that is SWG. Sadly though, there is one game that I thank my brother for showing me before I almost spent real $ on it, and that would be Final Fantasy 14 Online. I will say right now there are only a few other times in my entire life where I saw my bro so upset, after 1 hour of playing he was appalled that he spent money on this game. After witnessing it as well I felt genuinely sorry for him and told him I would try not to laugh about it. I know this is a superbly late review but I am new to reviewing so here it is. I have no idea what the creators of this game were thinking, releasing it in this condition. Also, having the nerve to charge more money for a supposed "exclusive pack" + $12.99 a month subscription. They refused to refund either of the 2 months that he paid for in advance and definitely didn't want to use. He literally paid $111 to dry dump a mushroom for an hour and a half. This game is a broken piece of trash and honestly I think all players deserve a FULL REFUND!!!… Expand
  12. Carlitoxic
    Mar 21, 2012
    2
    Final Fantasy chapters should not be online, and if it is done, at least that is brilliant. It is not the case. The worst Final fantasy with a ton of really annoying bugs, restricting chat system and many wrong ideas. What demons is happen with Final Fantasy?
  13. Cerveau
    Sep 26, 2011
    0
    To everyone saying the game has improved: I have been playing since beta and this game has not improved in the slightest. I'm actually redoing my review in light of these new changes. The easiest way to explain how poor this game is, google "Is FFXIV Ready to Play?" Its a youtube video and it shows the simplest of bugs and as of this date it is still not fixed.

    They've finally added    To everyone saying the game has improved: I have been playing since beta and this game has not improved in the slightest. I'm actually redoing my review in light of these new changes. The easiest way to explain how poor this game is, google "Is FFXIV Ready to Play?" Its a youtube video and it shows the simplest of bugs and as of this date it is still not fixed.

    They've finally added airships but those of us from FFXI will know its still not enough. "The airship ride is over in a matter of seconds." Wow, even in FFXI you could see the area below but a year later they still can't implement it in FFXIV. It seems to me that this was a last minute ditch effort to at least be able to claim they have airships.

    And chocobos. I'm sorry but if it takes a whole year to implement chocobos... how long will it take to make the game playable. Too little too late.

    The last time I logged in, the busiest city, Limsa Laminsa was bare. Only three people responded to my shouts. This does not bode well. When I asked where everyone was the reply I got was "They're taking a break until the new update" (chocobo update). We'll see. If they're smart they won't be on at all.

    There is a reason this game was awarded "Most Disappointing game of 2010". There's a reason it has the metascore it has.

    If you like this game and you rated it a 10 it only goes to show how blind you are. I've been playing Final Fantasy since Final Fantasy 6 on the SNES. After spending $80 on the Collector's Edition of FFXIV all I have to show for it is a stupid hardcover book. The Adventurer's Certificate never showed up and I'm realizing now, almost a year later, it never will. Not that I care at this point, I'm embarrassed to let any of my friends know I was ever interested.

    If you want to be frustrated and then spat upon by Square Enix, give it a try. If you have any sense at all, you'll come back here and rate this game a zero.    … Expand
  14. Apz
    Jul 26, 2011
    0
    Decided to come back to the game for patch 1.18. Do not let those singing praises and ringing bells fool you, there are as many negatives to this patch as there are positives. For one, there is no practical hMP (Healing MP) solution in game yet. This is a problem because Cure costs were QUADRUPLED with the recent patch. This leaves mages with limited options as conserving and managing yourDecided to come back to the game for patch 1.18. Do not let those singing praises and ringing bells fool you, there are as many negatives to this patch as there are positives. For one, there is no practical hMP (Healing MP) solution in game yet. This is a problem because Cure costs were QUADRUPLED with the recent patch. This leaves mages with limited options as conserving and managing your MP is top priority. Secondly, Behests were completely ruined. Reformatted from large party adventure fun times into another solo grind activity which rewards minimal SP. Definitely the game's most fun feature so far was flushed down the drain. Thirdly, overall EXP/SP gain was nerfed down to accommodate the lack of Fatigue now. Unfortunately, you were able to grind FASTER pre-patch while on lower tiers of fatigue than you can now post-patch. The game really isn't in a position to be messing with new players, or bitter old players like myself, with fake fanfare. The only three good things to come out of the patch were AutoAttack/Stamina bar removal, the instanced dungeons and the CONJ/THM damage nerfs. The rest is objectively bad. Save your disk space. Save your bandwidth. Save your patience. The game is not ready yet. Wait for 1.2 if you'd like.… Expand
  15. UWHusky
    May 25, 2011
    3
    Short and sweet:
    Pros: -Fantastic graphics, but it seems this is all they spent time on during creation of this game.
    -Good sound/music. Cons. -Horrible user interface. -No auction house. As it stands it is virtually impossible to find items that you wish to buy, and just as hard to sell them. -Horrid lag, even with a very good computer and a great internet connection. -SE lost a    Short and sweet:
    Pros: -Fantastic graphics, but it seems this is all they spent time on during creation of this game.
    -Good sound/music.
    Cons.
    -Horrible user interface. -No auction house. As it stands it is virtually impossible to find items that you wish to buy, and just as hard to sell them. -Horrid lag, even with a very good computer and a great internet connection.
    -SE lost a point just for the fact that they have ALREADY CREATED an online game, and you'd think they would have learned some of the mistakes they made from the past game. Instead they tried to start from scratch and just mucked it up. Played for a free trial and dumped the game. Waste of money.    … Expand
  16. Schitsocash
    May 17, 2011
    1
    I have been playing Final Fantasy XIV since Open beta until May 15th 2011, I have seen the many "Improvements" Square Enix has made and I can without a doubt tell you that this game is not worth your time, to this date the biggest changes they made were changes in monster and special effect sizes, they have changed the way you get Experience so that you get less, and altered non-combatI have been playing Final Fantasy XIV since Open beta until May 15th 2011, I have seen the many "Improvements" Square Enix has made and I can without a doubt tell you that this game is not worth your time, to this date the biggest changes they made were changes in monster and special effect sizes, they have changed the way you get Experience so that you get less, and altered non-combat Jobs so it's harder to get experience altogether for them.

    To this point Square Enix has promised many changes, as well as a big update Mid-June that adds more content, the problem being that added content is all it is, the game is still broken without any intent to be fixed, Just some of the general problems you'll experience are things like framerate drops (Don't think you are an exception if your PC is a beast, their engine is highly unoptimized, crippling even some of the high-end stuff) Alt-tabbing out of the game causes the game to shut down, there is a noticeable, and quite annoying Lag between activating action and the action being performed which can cause you a life or a Leve (timed quests which you are limited to 8 per 36 hours, win or lose) if you are not careful, Monsters you are supposed to kill quite often spawn inside aggressive Zone bosses which are way above your level, Square refuses to even acknowledge this particular issue, let alone do anything about it, several Leve monsters do not drop the quest items they are supposed to drop making you pretty much guaranteed to lose the Leve once again. Low level extermination Leves more than often have all the monsters you are supposed to kill spawn in a single large group making it impossible to solo on a solo difficulty, now many would argue that it's an MMO and should be played with a party, but there are two problems with this.
    1: Square advertises this game as solo AND party based, you can in fact chose "solo" difficulty for each Leve which in theory should let you pass it single-player but is so broken it is impossible.
    2: Community is awful (and if you mention this on the official forums your posts "disappear", thanks SquarEnix) when I say awful, i mean absolutely awful, when you start your game for the first time, the first thing you are welcomed by is some gold sellers trying to scam you out of your money, Then nothing, nobody wants to talk, nobody wants to interact, people want you to pay them for any kind of interaction that people in other MMOs would gladly do for free, and when you see people talking, it's some German, Japanese, or Spanish players who got tired of the same problems on their servers and decided to try the US server to see if its any different, Unfortunately it is not. And don't even think about having gear you like unless you're willing to level three or four jobs to level 50 because nobody will repair anything for you, even if you offer to pay them, making you either hunt down and craft the items yourself, or buy them in the marketplace for extortionate prices because the game has entirely player-driven economy, because apparently SE though it would be a good idea to have teens with no concept of finances be in charge of an entire world's economy.

    All in all, this game is an exercise in frustration, from the moment you log in it essentially does everything it possibly can to make you hate it as much as you can, most people here that gave it bad scores were probably in love with it at some point, rather than just straight-out hating on it, but the fact is, you can't love something that hurts you so much, at the end of the day you turn on your games to relax from a long and frustrating day, so what is the point of playing if the game frustrates you more than the entire day before it?

    The game does have potential, quite a bit, the problem is Square Enix is more obsessed with introducing more new broken features than fixing the current broken ones, and keep promising to fix the issues without even an attempt to deliver, the concept is fine, but execution absolutely terrible, and SE would do all of us a favor if it would just cut it's losses and kill this mutated beast that's choking on its own excrement.    … Expand
  17. FearTheCalm
    Mar 24, 2011
    0
    This game is a joke. Navigation is the worst part. You will spend your time figuring out how to navigate around locked areas, how to get down the sheer cliff, why isn't this leavequest engaging? Worst game of 2011, and most likely of 2010 as well. They should have been ashamed to release this.
  18. Gremace
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    When Final Fantasy XI was released the only good MMO ever made was pretty much EQ1. The genre has moved foward leaps and bounds since, but SE pretty much decided to ignore that. 6 months after release FF14 is pretty much a beta build of a bad EQ1 era game with fancy graphics. Nothing more really needs to be said about it.
  19. framerunner
    Mar 5, 2011
    3
    This game is pure graphics, nothing more.
    There is almost NO tutorial and you have to find out and guess the controls by yourself.
    And let's not talk about the UI...
    FF XIV is pure fail in my eyes and the only reason it got 3 Points from me is:
    Graphics = 2
    Final Fantasy = 1
  20. kaioser
    Dec 29, 2010
    0
    Utter garbage, SE took a turd placed it inside a nice box and sold it to the masses. Shame on this company for selling such an abomination. This **** is one of the worst RPGs ever created. STAY AWAY FROM IT, do not touch it unless you want another JOB. It is really that bad. Bugs, glitches, no substance no quests. I would be surprised if this game reviews any higher than a 3, as this gameUtter garbage, SE took a turd placed it inside a nice box and sold it to the masses. Shame on this company for selling such an abomination. This **** is one of the worst RPGs ever created. STAY AWAY FROM IT, do not touch it unless you want another JOB. It is really that bad. Bugs, glitches, no substance no quests. I would be surprised if this game reviews any higher than a 3, as this game deserves less than a 0. do not buy. There is a reason that dude sold his SE stock, there is a reason they changed management, there is a reason the apology letter was sent. This game is an epic fail and is really that BAD. Shame on you SE for trying to feed these fan-boys this **** Again shame on you Square Enix. FIX THIS GARBAGE, redesign everything; or scrap it, give us refunds and make another game. This time do not release it in Alpha stage. WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN TRAVELING BACK IN TIME MMO-wise TO 1990.… Expand
  21. Xruptor
    Dec 3, 2010
    0
    Recently tried this game. It was terrible! Even with the recent patch it still is terrible. There is no sense of direction and everything becomes a repeating boring tedious grinding task. Granted many MMORPGS have grinding but this game takes it to the extreme. The controls are clunky and although some features in the UI were enhanced it still seems cumbersome. The graphics are beautifulRecently tried this game. It was terrible! Even with the recent patch it still is terrible. There is no sense of direction and everything becomes a repeating boring tedious grinding task. Granted many MMORPGS have grinding but this game takes it to the extreme. The controls are clunky and although some features in the UI were enhanced it still seems cumbersome. The graphics are beautiful I'll give you that. However, this game feels like I'm playing an MMORPG from the 90's like an early version of Everquest when it comes to archaic MMORPG techniques.… Expand
  22. AmyHalf
    Nov 24, 2010
    3
    The graphics are fantastic and-- always my favorite-- the character creation had enough options to keep me happy.

    There was NO sort of tutorial to get me going and the wikis weren't much help, either. I had to talk to all of the NPCs to finally figure out what was going on/what I was supposed to do. The "guildleve" system is interesting but I still prefer vanilla quests. I was    The graphics are fantastic and-- always my favorite-- the character creation had enough options to keep me happy.

    There was NO sort of tutorial to get me going and the wikis weren't much help, either. I had to talk to all of the NPCs to finally figure out what was going on/what I was supposed to do.

    The "guildleve" system is interesting but I still prefer vanilla quests. I was bothered, too, that I could only find SIX to begin with and when finished was on my own again to run around aimlessly (which I did -not- do) until finding something and I certainly wasn't going to create another character (what, a Miner? ha) to take up the rest of the time.

    The fact that I make crafting-only characters is bizarre to me, too. I like being able to do all sorts of things with one character. It's just weird to me to login to JUST craft. Maybe that's just me.

    Fortunately I bought it at a discount and WON'T be paying a monthly fee when the free-trial period expires. They really should make this a F2P game and call it a day.    … Expand
  23. Sixtigers
    Nov 18, 2010
    0
    Take FFXI, (which I played for six years) remove basically any activities beyond grinding on mobs for exp and grinding crafts, and you pretty much have FFXIV. Oh, and add a heaping helping of interface lag, maddening bugs, a near-inability to find the items you want for sale, and repair costs that quickly become comically expensive. (and only restore about 25% of the item's durability)Take FFXI, (which I played for six years) remove basically any activities beyond grinding on mobs for exp and grinding crafts, and you pretty much have FFXIV. Oh, and add a heaping helping of interface lag, maddening bugs, a near-inability to find the items you want for sale, and repair costs that quickly become comically expensive. (and only restore about 25% of the item's durability) Oh, I almost forgot.... Forget about pulling mobs to avoid links. They all have ADHD and will only chase you for a few seconds before giving up and going back to where they were. If you're really unlucky, a bug will kick in and instantly give all of their health back when they get back to their spawn point. The ADHD also means that there's very little danger in the game. It's hard to aggro things in the first place, but if something can't one-shot you, it won't chase you long enough to pose a danger anyway.
    I could probably reach the character limit listing the game's faults, but it sure does look gorgeous for an MMO. But the tl;dr version would be that this game isn't even ready for beta testing.    … Expand
  24. nikkoleth
    Nov 18, 2010
    0
    The combat system in FFXIV seems to have been developed for toddlers. It is the most basic, infantile combat system I have ever seen in an MMO. No ability to jump, swim, or climb, movement feels like it has training wheels on. Simply put this game has the mechanics of a 1992 rpg covered in 2010 graphics.

    This game has along way to go to even be considered mediocre. If you are a true    The combat system in FFXIV seems to have been developed for toddlers. It is the most basic, infantile combat system I have ever seen in an MMO. No ability to jump, swim, or climb, movement feels like it has training wheels on. Simply put this game has the mechanics of a 1992 rpg covered in 2010 graphics.

    This game has along way to go to even be considered mediocre. If you are a true fanboy of Final Fantasy, you will stay as far away from this abomination as you can. Stop supporting horrible game design.    … Expand
  25. Lusterredux
    Nov 6, 2010
    2
    I wanted to love XIV, I really did. I bought this game knowing there was a huge chance it would be hard to get into and a major timesink like FFXI was. In fact, I WANTED that. I played FFXI for over 4 years and those years were the highlight of my gaming history. But what I got instead was some terrible trainwreck of a game that falls short of any expectations one could possibly have.I wanted to love XIV, I really did. I bought this game knowing there was a huge chance it would be hard to get into and a major timesink like FFXI was. In fact, I WANTED that. I played FFXI for over 4 years and those years were the highlight of my gaming history. But what I got instead was some terrible trainwreck of a game that falls short of any expectations one could possibly have. Bogged down by menus for the sake of menus, leveling that somehow manages to suck the life out of you, LACK OF AN AH, subsequent failure of the bazaar system, the list goes on.

    I almost want to rant for this game wasting my time. Why is it 100x worse than it's predecessor? Why weren't the flaws and annoyances worked out during the beta (which I took part in)? Why, why, why? I feel like I should take SE to court for defacing the Final Fantasy series and MMORPGs as a whole (though their projected profits next quarter should be punishment enough).

    Oh, and the 2/10 is SOLELY because FFXIV is nothing short of graphically amazing. All looks and no substance.    … Expand
  26. BBlake
    Nov 5, 2010
    0
    A very beautiful game, but mostly alternates between boring and frustrating. Coming from a total Final Fantasy fanboy, this one hurts. Why Square-Enix? What have done to you that was so bad?
  27. mrrevas
    Nov 4, 2010
    0
    I have been playing MMO's for over 11 years and FF series for around 20 years and this is by far the worst game I have ever played in relation to either. Once you get past the pretty graphics theres really nothing. Story is predictable and boring, the quest system and limits on.. everything is ridiculuos. It has none of the staples that make a good MMO. The interface... I cannot believeI have been playing MMO's for over 11 years and FF series for around 20 years and this is by far the worst game I have ever played in relation to either. Once you get past the pretty graphics theres really nothing. Story is predictable and boring, the quest system and limits on.. everything is ridiculuos. It has none of the staples that make a good MMO. The interface... I cannot believe they let that out the door. Sqaure Enix just released a stinker in everyway imaginable and the pricing model is predetory to put it kindly. I cannot say enough bad about this game. I ignored all of the reviews and traded in Drakes Fortune and Demon Souls to get this craptastic title and I wanna cry that I cannot return it to Game Stop. Worst of all theres nothing to do in this game... at all, no raids, no dungeons, no bosses.... nothing. I admit I only played for a few days, but I was dying and there was no lite at the end of the tunnel. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! Ignore the fanboys becuase that is just what they are. The kind of people Who would buy a brick if Steve Jobs called it an I Brick. Avoid avoid avoid!… Expand
  28. freakytea
    Nov 2, 2010
    1
    Pretty awful game. Yikes. I can't believe anyone is giving this a good review. SE must be putting some interns to work! I could go on about the glaring faults, including the retainer system, the copy-pasted dungeon crawler like terrain, the UI lag (oh my GOD the lag), the lack of content at every level, the ridiculous skill point system, the grinding, the broken party mechanics, etc.,Pretty awful game. Yikes. I can't believe anyone is giving this a good review. SE must be putting some interns to work! I could go on about the glaring faults, including the retainer system, the copy-pasted dungeon crawler like terrain, the UI lag (oh my GOD the lag), the lack of content at every level, the ridiculous skill point system, the grinding, the broken party mechanics, etc., etc., etc. I could go on and on and on. The bottom line though, and the reason why people aren't going to play this game without serious improvements (if there's even enough left to salvage) is that FFXIV isn't fun. At all. Many people, including myself, bought this game because of the Final Fantasy name, and I have a feeling that we won't be making the same mistake again.… Expand
  29. MeleeAsura
    Oct 28, 2010
    1
    My short story as my reason to not buy: My girlfriend and I heard this game was coming out a year ago on PS3 and PC in 2010. As a self proclaimed fanboy/girl we had to have this game we went and bought 2 $300 PS3s, fast forward, release day is going to be PC only. Old PCs not up to par with XIV requirements, buy 2 $1100 PCs & 2 $75 copies of collector's edition ($2950 total). Plan 1 weekMy short story as my reason to not buy: My girlfriend and I heard this game was coming out a year ago on PS3 and PC in 2010. As a self proclaimed fanboy/girl we had to have this game we went and bought 2 $300 PS3s, fast forward, release day is going to be PC only. Old PCs not up to par with XIV requirements, buy 2 $1100 PCs & 2 $75 copies of collector's edition ($2950 total). Plan 1 week vacation for Sept. 22 - 29 for release date. Play for 4 weeks all the while literally rotating turns at forcing each other to get on and level in game we wanted to love. In short we didn't even 'like' it, just simply put... not fun at all. Our final decision: /flamerage, quit, delete characters & account, delete XI characters & account and vow to never, ever ever give SE another penny. On an up side, we are loving Aion for the last week. CONS: Game isn't fun, UI is bad, Buying/selling, lag, not fun, ZERO quests @ start to pull me in, virtually no story @ start to pull me in, fighting was a pain, guildleves were boring and repetitive, game itself not helpful and not fun, lots of copy pasted terrain that you cannot ignore after awhile, gear that can be worn by any level any job doesn't give me any drive to level to look/be a 'great hero'. There are more for the con side but I cannot always remember everything about this broken lame game. The looks of the game itself and character creation are awesome features that I am going to put in the con section due to them being attached to such a bad game in every other way. (Besides I recently learned that Aion creation and world look just as nice if not better) PROs Who cares? Not enough things to like about this game to out weigh the bad.… Expand
  30. Kyl63
    Oct 27, 2010
    1
    FFXIV is easily the single worst MMO I have ever played, period. There is no guidance whatsoever in the game, you create a character, get a quest to go somewhere, and that's about it. It tells you to come back later, but doesn't say when. Apparently you just check back every once in a while and hope for the best. To be fair, there are a couple of quests, one when you begin, and oneFFXIV is easily the single worst MMO I have ever played, period. There is no guidance whatsoever in the game, you create a character, get a quest to go somewhere, and that's about it. It tells you to come back later, but doesn't say when. Apparently you just check back every once in a while and hope for the best. To be fair, there are a couple of quests, one when you begin, and one when you hit level 10, the latter giving you no indication that you should go get a quest. From 10 to 20 you are on your own with Guildleves, that you can only do 8 of every 36 hours, and grinding. Once you get to 20, you can expand a little bit and have a few more options.

    Crafting in FFXIV is unnecessarily difficult. I can appreciate that you don't just click a button and you magically have an item, but not being able to complete crafting leves you are several ranks higher than because of consistent failures is quite unreasonable.

    Combat is boring and uneventful. Engage, stand there, hit basic attack button until you can use another ability. The whole time 1/3 of your attacks miss and another 1/3 are evaded, and even with advancing gear and stats this seemed to be all to prevalent a problem. I played an Archer, and I might as well have been a melee class, every monster ended up in my face and the most effective way to kill it was to just stand there.

    The UI is absolutely horrendous. It is slow, clunky, and completely counter-productive. It takes 5 minutes to clear out a full pack in FFXIV, whereas I can do that same task in 5 seconds in every other MMO. The map is useless, since quests aren't tracked on it unless you go through the journal, which in itself is useless. There are no indicators that an NPC might be important or have quests or missions. You simply have to check every NPC you come by, every time you run by them, because there is no guidance as to when you might get a quest.

    There is a simple fix: Play Vanguard, Saga of Heroes, that game has an entertaining, challenging, and productive crafting system. Play WoW, see how combat is fluid, fast, and entertaining. I might recommend taking a look at WoW's UI as well. And why the hell can't the characters jump?

    I don't want a WoW clone, that is the last thing I want. But the simple fact is that other game's UIs, gameplay, and social capabilities work. I understand the need to be different and refreshing, but you can do that in other ways without making a nonsensical UI and a poor combat system.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 15, 2011
    40
    MMORPG with great potential is sunken by fatal bugs and errors – first comes a catastrophic interface followed by the absence of player-to-player communication. [Issue#199]
  3. games(TM)
    Jan 11, 2011
    40
    For hardware nuts, Final Fantasy obsessives and PS3 owners, FFXIV does offer a fairly distinctive MMO experience. [Christmas 2010, p.94]
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