HimuraBattousai

Final Fantasy XIV isn't bad, but it just isn't quite perfect yet. The be=basic gameplay, is all solid, by which I mean combat and exploration. The combat is much slower and more tactical than other MMOs I've played, which is no bad thing, but it takes some getting used to after playing another MMO or even Final Fantasy XIII. The ability to change classes on the fly is useful, fun, well thought-out and unique. Eorzea is a huge and unique world, too, from the sprawling forests of Gridania to the shining towers of Limsa Lominsa to the glorious desert of Ul'dah. It;s just fun to see what's around the next corner. The biggest problems on the gameplay side lie in two places, the economy and general performance. The economy is a free market, with no auction house as of yet, which makes buying and selling... chaotic. It takes a long time to do anything. I can see why Square did this, since when other MMOs have launched without established prices, the economy has been ruined by real-life profiteers, but some better organisation would have been appreciated. However, Square are patching this out in the next update - a search function is coming and the market will be sorted into different wards based on item types. Furthermore, there is actually a space for an AH in-game, so one should be patched in when the economy settles down. General performance is the other bugbear. Crystal Tools looks beautiful whatever it is on, but FFXIV makes it evident that it wasn't built for the PC. There is slowdown even on the best connection and with a top-spec PC. Hopefully, with patches, though, this should improve too. A qualm which lots of people have, but one which hasn't really bothered me, is the menu system. It was evidently built for a pad, and can be a bit slow to navigate, but it hasn't bothered me. However, if they ever patch in menu hotkeys, that would be a godsend. For now, though, I'm happy to navigate the main menu. The graphics are stunning. I've already said that Crystal Tools is a beautiful engine, and this proves it - even on the lowest spec the game looks great. But that's the problem - the lowest spec is still an expensive, powerful computer. If you can run it, though, expect to be blown away. The sound is equally impressive. Nobuo Uematsu was sorely missed in FFXII and XIII, and his return is indeed a glorious one. The one big turn-off for most would-be players is the user-friendliness. In-game help is little - expect to ask a lot of questions over chat, or have a second computer on call to type in queries. The game is hard - there is no handholding going on here. That's either a godsend or hell on earth to you. In short, FFXIV is the opposite to WoW in every aspect - hard to WoW's easy, slow to WoW's fast. When Square sort out the main problems, which would seem to be a simple matter through a few patches, then FFXIV's reputation can improve, and this game can truly become great. This is no APB - the juggernaut company behind it won't let it's juggernaut franchise fail. If I haven't sold you, then I implore you to check back when the PS3 version launches and these problems are ironed out. Join now, and while the stakes are great, the rewards are even greater.