Well, it’s now time to review FFXIV.  Hope you all enjoy it.

Today’s review is of Final Fantasy XIV Online.  The massively Multiplayer Online RPG from Square Enix.  I won’t do the format I did before in writing the review on the 5850, but instead I’ll go through my thoughts as they come along.

I’m somewhat a Final Fantasy junkie when it comes to these things, but I can’t say I’m one of the people who compares every last work of the FF series, to Final Fantasy 7.  That just irritates me when people do that.

Starting off in the game, is the character creation.  For those who played Final Fantasy 11 online know that the creation for characters was extremely limited, but in Final Fantasy 14 there has been so much more added.  It’s simple but very customizable.  You have 5 races that correspond to the FF11 races, just with different names, although this time each race has 2 clans, thus making customization more abundant.  You can select from hair styles, to color, to nose type, face type, eye size, etc.  Facial features such as scars may be added as well.  From playing FF11 back in the day, this game is absolutely a step up and in the right direction.

The solo play has been extremely improved, allowing even casual players the ability to level up moderately with no trouble, just as a party would.  Square Enix introduced the Levequest system, allowing players to take on specific and rewarding side quests to help level up and escape the tedious grind.  Now there is still grinding in the game, but it’s nothing like FF11 where it was demanded of you if you wanted to get anywhere in the game.  So definitely an Improvement.

The graphics are amazing.  Very hardware demanding which is somewhat a downfall to those that have sub-par systems.  although when played at maximum setting the game is gorgeous.  It is vibrant and pristine in every direction you look.  From the land, to the cities, and monsters, Square Enix re-envisioned the Final Fantasy Universe.

By far my favorite part of the game would have to be the music.  Nobuo Uematsu, the music director and creator for many final fantasy games, was asked to come back after a 10 year gap in working on a final fantasy title, to help with this one, and I’m overjoyed that he did.  The music is will immerse you in the world and make every moment feel unique.  Combat feels exciting, Exploration is mysterious and lively, and above all it feels like Final Fantasy should.

Combat is a whole new system from FF11.  Instead of having the character auto-attack, the player must control what attacks and abilities the character makes throughout the battle.  This I feel makes a world of difference from FF11.  It becomes less boring when you’re actually a part of the fight rather then just watching it.

Now I’ve listed quite a few pros.  I should probably get to the cons.

The update system is pretty annoying.  It’s a peer to peer style updater, that some may have trouble with, especially those with blocked ports in schools and other “not home” areas.  I’ve found myself waiting for 10 minutes before the update would begin, as it just sits there and waits to connect.  Now there is a work around, which is handy, but no game should need a work around, it should just work.

Lag is still an issue for the game which appears to be getting attention from the developers.  After a patch or two so far, the game’s latency has become more tolerable.  So with time thing’s are fixed.

Crafting is a difficult but rewarding task.  Now just because it isn’t in the section above doesn’t mean it’s a con or a pro, just that it should be mentioned.  The crafting system is more profitable then in FF11 and offers a better experience.  While it is difficult to get used to, again, there is profit in it, unlike wasting countless gil in FF11 trying to level crafting.  Most Levequests give you materials to craft with to level your crafting trade.

Equipment has been expanded from what FF11 had.  There are more armor and jewelry slots to equip items to and crafted equipment pieces aren’t all the same color.  This allows more unique pieces of armor and clothing to feel more personalized.

Last but not least the market system.  While players will eventually get to use the auction house (not enabled for a couple months to ensure economic stability), players may however set up a retainer of items to sell on themselves, allowing profit and gain through other players directly.  The bazaar system has been greatly improved and I personally like it.  You can buy and sell items while you’re not there, with the help of setting up a retainer.  It takes care of all your needs.

Well that’s all I can think of to cover so far.  I hope you enjoyed the review and will give this game a try.  I love it.  It’s worth the money, but I wouldn’t say the collectors edition is worth it.  Too little came with the collector’s edition to be worth 75 USD.  I’d suggest waiting until the official release on the 30th unless you’re extremely eager to play now.

Should you wish to, you may send Daniel Frazier, the author of this post, an email at daniel.frazier@avidtechno.com

Also please feel free to email me on topics you’d like to see written on the website.  I’m open to suggestions.

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