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On All These FFXIV Ratings & Reviews
yvesquo
Member Posts: 30
I started this thread merely to satisfy my curiosity. My question is this: "Why does FFXIV get such miserable ratings when the game is clearly not a game with the blue-book price of a Yugo." In other words, what reasons do people have to bash this game so furiously...to threaten Square Enix even more, suffering already at the hands of western Culture's most terrifying weapon: the 'bad rating' and the 'gaming boycott'. I don't want to point fingers here, but it seems to me that more than a few raters and reviewists employed by MMORPG.com display colors in complete opposition to their most crucial of organizational mantras, "to guarantee that the rating system is used sensibly, evenly and without any unwarranted prejudice." I do think that if this game were rated reasonably, it would probably end up with at least a 7.0 for its innovative layout and thoughtful art direction. Sure the game has some flaws, but so does any game that has just been released a few months back...products that have not had many months in active usage to work out the minor kinks. Does anyone here remember what Everquest or DAoC played like when they were first released so many years ago? And these are those two original titles that broke the mold; they set standards that made the classic MMO marketable as a constant pastime for game geeks of our own time and place.
Nevertheless, I do understand some of the gripes; the 'market ward' system was very flawed, and its condition in October made me leave the game for a few months to see if it would be set right. Now that it works better, the only blemishes I notice are some small rankles/glitches in the interface, character customization and maybe even the questing...but all in all, it is not as disastrous an experience as most people make it out to be. My belief is that the most scathing reviews that this game gets are probably from FFXI devotees, old WoW fanbois and other gamers who are accustomed to playing a mega-game at least one year after it has been released from its initial beta version. Wake up people, FFXIV is a wonderful dev starting point...a terrific programming foundation; after a couple of years, I am really expecting this game to be quite exceptional...as the result of wise choices in early development.
In regards to my aforementioned suspicion on who is condemning this game to the MMO trash heap, my response to the first hypothetical group of people is that "This is not FFXI; if you were looking for a game just like FFXI, then you came to the wrong place." Furthermore, the game was on a year long Japanese-only beta run before it hit our American market, so one should not expect FFXIV to feel just like FFXI did on its November 2003 expansion release. My response to the second group of people is that "If you are looking for a game that has routine PvP, and an exclusively keyboard friendly interface, then you should not buy FFXIV; there is no 'meatred ganking' happening in this game. Also, FFXIV was intended to be played either with a PS3 style controller, or with some other form of interface customization." Indeed, FFXIV is for the sophisticated gamer who doesn't mind spending some time on making the interface work for him...but when it is successfully personalized, it feels like a tailor-fitted glove. As a result, I have come to prefer this to any other interface available, after it has been prudently customized. And lastly, my response to those who have gripes with a formality that is very frequent in the MMO world...this being that massively multiplayer games like FFXIV almost always feel problematic at first; it is almost the signa naturalia that people like me look for in a game that is destined to be exceptional. MMOs start off tough and glitchy (especially when they are innovative and unique), there is no mystery here...but given the lifespan and scalability of MMOs (the fact that they last decades, and undergo so very many revisions) it should be an aspect that people have become quite familiar with. Why the suprised, long face?
Let me take this opportunity to apologize; this post was originally intended to be a question...to try to find out why this website appears to rate MMOs on a scale that seems so counterintuitive to me. But after starting to write it out, I realized that my own pet peeves aroused by so many strange, yet thoroughgoing gaming prejudices would need to be heard. Why this eight point rating system (graphics, fun, sound, community, role-playing, performance/lag, value, service) when everyone knows that what really defines a person's rating of a game is a category of evaluation I like to call the 'meta-game' (all those incomprehensible preferences which do not fit under any one of these categories well enough)? Why not just give games a thumbs up or down like Siskel and Ebert might have done. I think it would probably make for a slightly more honest, and maybe even fair, rating system...however, with some of you, I imagine there is no way around the point-click fudging inclination. How does a game that is so clearly 'fairly good' get a 'quite bad' rating by reviewists? When in a seafood restaurant, don't expect a good hamburger.
Comments
While I agree that FFXIV gets a bad rap sometimes for being somewhat non-traditional, you can't suggest Square-Enix is the victim of abuse by the gaming community at large.
No matter how much you love a company, they are, in the end, nothing but corporations that are trying to make a profit and would gladly burn your house down to make one. Face it - the PC version of the game was completely unintuitive and was a bad port of the soon-to-be-released PS3 version. They don't deserve a pat on the back for that, they deserve honest and defined criticism, which an in-depth rating system like this site allows for.
Just because they're a cool company who, for instance, made my favorite game ever (FFVI), does not mean that they should be absolved of criticism.
MAIN: LOTRO (Chedriin Azariah, Landroval), STO (Jay Andover)
SIDE: FFXIV, RoM, Wakfu
Most of the reviews were at launch. You know, the time when FFXIV had very little content whatsoever and just didn't work. Maybe the game is a little different now but it still was pretty pathetic in the beginning.
MMORPG.com hasn't reviewed FFXIV in any way shape or form.
My theme song.
If the game is "fairly good" why did the producer step down and take the blame for its "failure" writing a long speech about how sorry he was?
The problem is the game is unfinished, and its not fun. Simple as that.
I think you misunderstood my intention here. I don't sit at home nights thinking dreamy thoughts of what Square Enix is up to. I know they are a corperation that likes the green. However, I still think people were a little too upset over how FFXIV looked/felt at release. I was expecting more or less exactly what it turned out to be (minus the 'market ward' thing). I am not really saying Square Enix is the victim of some new method of abuse; I just wonder how much our American software market is devoted to 'bringing about the ruin of the outsider'...especially if he has a long record of releasing quality products.
You are reading waaay too much into this. The game got poor reviews because it was terrible when it was released. It has nothing to do with being American, Japanese or whatever. The game was bad.
Personally, I pay no attention to reviews. I listen to friends. I had a real life friend who was a long time FFXI, L2, and Aion player tell me the game was terrible when he bought it after release. That was enough for me.
If you're saying the FF franchise is a long record of quality products for SE then I think you need to look a little harder into your history. Square Enix started making FF games at # 8. Square and Square Soft made all the ones before that and apparently FF7 is arguably the last good FF game.
I have no answer to this question other than " I have no idea why the producer of a software poject would do such a thing unless there was a very real cause for some manner of professional disappointment." Nevertheless, I am not disappointed with the look and feel of the game...the port itself is reminiscent of FFXI, and I thought that game felt more than a little satisfactory.
Your reason makes sense to me. I respect your position. I think that when a friend makes a trustworthy call on a game, I would be eager to believe him as well (especially if his taste in games mirrors mine). However, I hope you don't try to rate a game merely on the heresay of a friend. You should play a game yourself before you rate it.
I am well aware that Square Enix is not the same Squaresoft that made previous FF games before 8. I still think 15 years is a long enough time for making good games to be considered a gaming-grandpappy, of sorts. Well, maybe not a gaming-grandpappy, but a middle-aged entity who has been around the block.
First, a freind of mine puruchused the game and learned of all the problems only after the server went up. Not a good start when a game promises and does not deliver. This afforded me a chance to stand-fast and check out for updates/bug fixes/etc. only to learn that they would not be addressed for sometime.
Next was the community in the beginning, who informed prospective players that if they were not smart enough to learn the game fastly then they were losers. Sad really, fanbois who degrade other players only hurt the rep of the game. For me, this was another bad sign of the game, as the community is so important. Having to visit other sites to learn about a game when it is released is not good. Then, the companies overt request to hold off on reviews after release was a sure sign that the game was going down.
The nail in the coffin was the professional reviews that continue to address ongoing issues that remain un-addressed. Not to mention the fanbois who degraded the professional reviewers and their sites. Facts by any other name are still facdts and when they are attacked by fans, it only supports the haters.
To that end, I for one will keep my money until this game goes to F2P and keep an eye on "proffesional reviewers" as they address any changes that may come along. The fact that the company lost money and had to hire new bosses was the real hint. If the game gets fixed, it will surely be announced, I am just happy that I updated my PC for the game and saved a ton of money not buying it. My friend wishes he would have done the same.
Perhaps it is best to remember that what is said about a game is as least important as how it is said.
Peace
I think that people need to relax about their first impressions. I've seen mmos that have changed for the better many times. I also think with a company like Square Enix, they have the following and money to fight through this difficult launch. As to the ratings, well lets face it, there were problems.... and there were expectations... and well it wasn't the best launch. I think economically it was disaster for SE which is why the resignations, but i dont think that its any reason to throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water. I think the ratings although harsh were fair, but that doesn't mean this game is trash, and I actually plan on giving it another shot when i have more time.
Related news: Francis-7 Demands Obama show his Lifejewel or report to Carousel.
If anyone seriously needs to ask why Final Fantasy XIV is a bad game AFTER playing it ...
...
...I just don't know what to say.
all of square's games were good when this guy was on board:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroyuki_Ito
i dont know about you but when i saw this guy's credits, i said to myself, "ooooh, that's why some of square's games suck. he wasn't on board."
that's the guy who designed the active battle systems, job systems, and junction systems for the ff series.
let's face it, battle system for both ffxiv and ffxi were both not up to par of the other ff games.
good battle system direction is probably the hardest part of making a game these days. i find what i hate most about mmos is that the battle system is usually not as good as single player rpgs.
Again, I respect your opinion...and I am sorry if you got the impression from my post that I was trying to make you feel common-place, or even unreasonable for not sharing my opinion. I agree that when fanbois gang up on a person for not 'understanding' the FF realm...well, this is a horrendous maneuver. And reviewers, even if their ratings are flawed, they always have the right to their opinion (as anyone else obviously does). Nevertheless, I have played many other MMOs from release, and my surprise regarding the way people are categorically trenchant towards this title is awkward for me. I always 'expect' some small (and maybe even some larger) problems at a big game's release. I like the game, and I want to see that more people find their way onto my server so we can have fun together. I am not only doing this for my own benefit...my reviews on this site are completely honest. I did not give the game 10s, or even 9s across the board (this would be outrageous, since there are some obvious flaws).
Do any of you remember WoW at launch? Damn I was so pissed off for the first couple weeks of that effing game. And someone was forced to resign from SE because of some noticeable launch issues. <Expletive Deleted>! I am sorry...I am still quite confused here. And also, Japanese people are quite different from us culturally; they will commit Seppuku at the slightest threat of a professional upbraiding at work. A very different culture than ours to be a member of. Take their much higher suicide rates as some proof of this.
When WoW launched the MMO market was much smaller and players were much more forgiving if there were bugs in the game. In this day-and-age we expect a finished game full of content and most if not all bugs to be sorted out.
Yeah, I understand the reasons...but the more innovative/progressive a game, the more issues you should expect from launch...no matter how many man-hours where put into it...no matter what consumer expectations might reflect.
SE made FFXIV different just to be different. The state of the game showed that they either didn't bother or just couldn't figure out how to make it actually work. It's good to be different, but only if you can make it better.
Anime is giving you a way distorted view of Japanese Society. While suicide rates may be high, people rarely commit Seppuku lol. Jumping in front of trains or off buildings have replaced this system... I think it might have to do with the fact that this is 2011, not the 15th century. I've lived in Japan 2 years and actually spent some time translating reviews of this game by Japanese sites and believe me, FFXIV was not at all received well here. The general consensus was that the game was bad.
If you look at my post history, you might find them if you are interested.
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Id like to point afew things out.
1. The ratings that the game recieved were what it deserved. The company even publicly appologized for the state of the game upon release to save face. Promising to fix it.
2. To imply that in some way that reviewers are biased and decided to point the, and i quote,'' western Culture's most terrifying weapon.'' at square-enix is ignorant. Im not sure why no one called you on that. You imply here that the reviews were unaccurate and or unfair and that some ulterior motive was at work.
When in fact most reviewers were scratching their heads, because they expected more from a company that had a pretty good track record thus far.
This seems to be a fanboi post against people who said bad things about a game they love. You can continue to back peddle, but your assumptions and assertations were un called for.
Please dont take this as an attack against you. But i do think you should think about your position alittle more before you decide to place blame. Theres no one to blame for the state of the game but the people who developed it.
I hope you were not insulted by this. I was only using the word Seppuku allegorically. I must tell you that I enjoy what I know about Japanese culture immensely. Please don't take any of my comments the wrong way. Oh, and thanks for helping me understand the reasons for the bad reveiws...which now I see are universal.
I am not back-peddling...I just speak extravagantly/metaphorically very often in my posts. Please forgive me for my writing style...it is quirky at times. Why would you use the word 'ignorant' here...this is supposed to be an honest, yet well-mannered discussion. You are on the verge of flaming me. I am not the type to go tell a site manager on a 'mean person', so don't worry about that...but let's just try to be a little more considerate here. This is just a discussion..a debate between one confused person (that being me), and a lot of people who appear to know something that I don't. Oh, and I am not a fanboi...lol. Far from it...but let's not talk about my previous issues with SE, and some of the other newer products within the FF series now. I just think FFXIV is a pleasant game and deserves slightly better reviews than it is getting presently.
I wasn't speaking factually...it was a mixture of sarcastic suspicion and satirical despair over the postmodern man's inability to truly make crossroads beyond opposed cultural boundaries. For me, our capitalistic world of mass marketing decisions is one of these realms I know little about...or care very little about, so I make lighthearted assertions at its expense. Please ignore the part about SE being victimized by a mysterious conglomeration of American software giants; it was sort of written in an outrageous/humorous voice. It was not to be taken seriously, at all.
I do not really think Square Enix is the victim of some new form of corperate prejudice...designed by the Man to bring down Japanese Auto.
Before you get insulted by this again, understand that it was meant to be funny/outrageous.
Oh, and I don't hate WoW fanbois; I have a few of them as close friends...or did before I wrote this post. Keep in mind that this is all meant to be quite lighthearted where it appears to be mildly defamatory (if at all). I do not think badly of you if you still play WoW.
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