It took me about 5 times before I was able to progress to a point where I could finally feel invested, thankfully it doesn't take too long to get to that point!
I really enjoyed going back to this expansion, I don't really enjoy the questing or general content but paying more attention to the story has my brain buzzing the yum sensors!
Paying attention to the story really pays off in different ways
I really enjoyed going back to this expansion, I don't really enjoy the questing or general content but paying more attention to the story has my brain buzzing the yum sensors!
Paying attention to the story really pays off in different ways
The worst part of the game by far; the "game gets better at x hours" mentality. But trudge through the slog and it's only up from there. You know if they keep changing it to this day there's problems.
(This is a review of A Realm Reborn specifically, including patch content. There doesn't seem to be another good entry on backloggd for this)
Whoo boy. Don't know how to feel about this one. I always said I would never get into MMOs because a whole bunch of stuff fundamental to the genre seemed like a huge personal turnoff. But discussion of this game is inescapable online, including amongst my friends, so I finally conceded, intending to treat it as a social activity...
...instead, I fell right into its gameplay loop, hook line and sinker, and forged ahead alone to pass the time. Maybe I had the reason to avoid it backwards all along. I don't really have the genre experience to say what's standard and what's FF14's specific innovations, so rather than comment on anything too specific about the gameplay I'll just say that... I'm enjoying myself. It's captured me at a time where I've otherwise felt pretty aimless about how to spend my time. Good job, I guess. The structure has an almost Skyrim-like quality for me, where I can bum around the world trying out a bunch of different skills, chasing up a bunch of different sidequests, killing time idly forever - except, like, a lot better, and with an actually good story attached.
For a reboot that saved the game and perhaps the franchise from oblivion, it's somewhat ironic that A Realm Reborn seems to now be considered the worst part of the existing experience, and while it's all I've experienced so far I have to hope people are right that it only improves from here. While the overall moment to moment gameplay and various optional systems are engaging me, the main story quest of 2.0 is full of tedious padding, and no amount of lampshading or plot justification makes that any more fun.
The patch content is significantly more compelling, but having to constantly stop and either queue or schedule 8-person raids, with no NPC support option like all of 2.0 had, kills pacing dead as you have to wait for real life obstacles to be able to play. I know that's, like, normal MMO stuff, but that's exactly part of why I always avoided the genre, and people like to talk up how accommodating the game is to a solo player - seemingly forgetting about this part.
Speaking of exaggerated recommendations, the free trial isn't quite as accommodating as the memes would have you believe. Inventory management without retainers is downright Sisyphean, and lack of access to the market board significantly hampers progress in crafting classes. Don't get me wrong, the sheer amount of content available for free is staggering by the standards of a paid game's free trial... but you're definitely not immune from stifling reminders that they'd really like you to buy the game.
Whoo boy. Don't know how to feel about this one. I always said I would never get into MMOs because a whole bunch of stuff fundamental to the genre seemed like a huge personal turnoff. But discussion of this game is inescapable online, including amongst my friends, so I finally conceded, intending to treat it as a social activity...
...instead, I fell right into its gameplay loop, hook line and sinker, and forged ahead alone to pass the time. Maybe I had the reason to avoid it backwards all along. I don't really have the genre experience to say what's standard and what's FF14's specific innovations, so rather than comment on anything too specific about the gameplay I'll just say that... I'm enjoying myself. It's captured me at a time where I've otherwise felt pretty aimless about how to spend my time. Good job, I guess. The structure has an almost Skyrim-like quality for me, where I can bum around the world trying out a bunch of different skills, chasing up a bunch of different sidequests, killing time idly forever - except, like, a lot better, and with an actually good story attached.
For a reboot that saved the game and perhaps the franchise from oblivion, it's somewhat ironic that A Realm Reborn seems to now be considered the worst part of the existing experience, and while it's all I've experienced so far I have to hope people are right that it only improves from here. While the overall moment to moment gameplay and various optional systems are engaging me, the main story quest of 2.0 is full of tedious padding, and no amount of lampshading or plot justification makes that any more fun.
The patch content is significantly more compelling, but having to constantly stop and either queue or schedule 8-person raids, with no NPC support option like all of 2.0 had, kills pacing dead as you have to wait for real life obstacles to be able to play. I know that's, like, normal MMO stuff, but that's exactly part of why I always avoided the genre, and people like to talk up how accommodating the game is to a solo player - seemingly forgetting about this part.
Speaking of exaggerated recommendations, the free trial isn't quite as accommodating as the memes would have you believe. Inventory management without retainers is downright Sisyphean, and lack of access to the market board significantly hampers progress in crafting classes. Don't get me wrong, the sheer amount of content available for free is staggering by the standards of a paid game's free trial... but you're definitely not immune from stifling reminders that they'd really like you to buy the game.
This review contains spoilers
with the way most people talk about this expansion, starting it felt incredibly overwhelming and daunting. i didn't know how long it would take me to get through it considering most people i know thought it was a slog to get through and not very engaging. coupled with the fact that this my was my first time playing an MMO or even starting a game that racks up multiple hundreds of hours upon completion, i was even a bit scared, but maybe keeping my expectations that astronomically low ended up benefitting ARR quite a bit.
i had my fun with it, especially since i had friends to play and experience this with. the gameplay, while not among my favorites, was not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. i went into this thinking my friends were going to carry me for the majority of it and that it would be a pain to play but i'm getting the hang of it more and more and while definitely not the best at it, i'm having a good time.
in terms of world building and setting, it has all the intrigue it needs to have at this stage of the story. i liked the way the pieces are put together and how the politics between nations is explored and to see what everyone's motivations are. world building isn't a huge aspect i focus on though. it always helps when it's well implemented and it feels like the characters belong in their world but the characters themselves is what i give most weight to.
i liked quite a few characters and dynamics between characters a decent amount. while some characters served their function and left more abruptly than others and aren't always handled the best way they could've been, it establishes all we need to know and while maybe not favorable, it was never downright bad. a lot of the characters that are more prominent obviously still have a lot more left to offer and more development ahead of them and i am looking forward to see where their paths lead. what i already got seemed promising or even more than promising, with some even having pretty stand out moments and an already noticeable character arc. the antagonist cast is what i'm hoping to get even more focus on in the next expansions since i do love my antagonists and i hope i get more invested in a lot of its cast soon. i am definitely attached to some but i can't wait for this story to really hook me and give me more of what we got at the very end of ARR. everything that came beforehand was necessary to even get the climax we got, but i want to be even more invested than i currently am. i have no doubt though that that'll happen though (also i love alphinaud and thancred with all my heart).
a solid start that has plenty of flaws if you really want to get down to it, but in the end it pleasantly surprised me in many ways and i think the good outweighs the bad here. it didn't blow me away but it gave me a good foundation to work with and left me wanting more.
i had my fun with it, especially since i had friends to play and experience this with. the gameplay, while not among my favorites, was not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. i went into this thinking my friends were going to carry me for the majority of it and that it would be a pain to play but i'm getting the hang of it more and more and while definitely not the best at it, i'm having a good time.
in terms of world building and setting, it has all the intrigue it needs to have at this stage of the story. i liked the way the pieces are put together and how the politics between nations is explored and to see what everyone's motivations are. world building isn't a huge aspect i focus on though. it always helps when it's well implemented and it feels like the characters belong in their world but the characters themselves is what i give most weight to.
i liked quite a few characters and dynamics between characters a decent amount. while some characters served their function and left more abruptly than others and aren't always handled the best way they could've been, it establishes all we need to know and while maybe not favorable, it was never downright bad. a lot of the characters that are more prominent obviously still have a lot more left to offer and more development ahead of them and i am looking forward to see where their paths lead. what i already got seemed promising or even more than promising, with some even having pretty stand out moments and an already noticeable character arc. the antagonist cast is what i'm hoping to get even more focus on in the next expansions since i do love my antagonists and i hope i get more invested in a lot of its cast soon. i am definitely attached to some but i can't wait for this story to really hook me and give me more of what we got at the very end of ARR. everything that came beforehand was necessary to even get the climax we got, but i want to be even more invested than i currently am. i have no doubt though that that'll happen though (also i love alphinaud and thancred with all my heart).
a solid start that has plenty of flaws if you really want to get down to it, but in the end it pleasantly surprised me in many ways and i think the good outweighs the bad here. it didn't blow me away but it gave me a good foundation to work with and left me wanting more.
Before starting my FFXIV journey I kept hearing how A Realm Reborn is really not that great and you just have to get through it to reach the parts where the game gets actually good, but tbh I disagree, I had a lot of fun playing through ARR. Is it the best MMO experience possible? LOL not even close, the beginning especially is way too slow and very formulaic. Were it not for my friends I would probably stop playing after just a few hours, but the game does get way better later and I had a lot of fun moving forward. If this is the rock bottom of FFXIV then I cannot wait for what the game has in stock.
Quando eu era pequeno eu jogava um mmorpg que já era um pouco antigo pra época, seu nome: Silkroad. E mesmo que já houvesse muitos outros MMO melhores (exemplo WoW e o próprio FFXIV) quando eu jogava o Silk, ele era o único que conseguia me divertir. O jogo só funcionava pelos servidores piratas e esse era o que me divertia, a comunidade mantia ele vivo, os GM dos servers piratas se preocupavam em fazer algo bom para os gato pingado que tinham ali jogando e era realmente gratificante os eventos, as trades e tudo que você podia fazer pelo gerenciamento de alguém que estava fazendo tudo aquilo por amor e detalhe, nem era o criador do jogo.
Quando comecei FFXIV, foi uma sensação nostalgica. Os gráficos são belíssimos, mas tem algumas áreas que me lembraram do Silkroad e isso foi uma viagem pra mim. Só que, eu não estava nem perto de consumir o que de verdade é esse jogo em sua real substância. Um MMO completo, simplesmente perfeito, recheado com diversos conteúdos e como Silk me cativava na época, ele me cativou agora por ter uma comunidade engajada mas com a diferença de ter uma equipe por trás maravilhosa que está preocupada com os mais diversos conteúdos. FFXIV é um triunfo nessa franquia. Um jogo que todos aqueles que gostam de Final Fantasy com certeza deveriam jogar.
Quando comecei FFXIV, foi uma sensação nostalgica. Os gráficos são belíssimos, mas tem algumas áreas que me lembraram do Silkroad e isso foi uma viagem pra mim. Só que, eu não estava nem perto de consumir o que de verdade é esse jogo em sua real substância. Um MMO completo, simplesmente perfeito, recheado com diversos conteúdos e como Silk me cativava na época, ele me cativou agora por ter uma comunidade engajada mas com a diferença de ter uma equipe por trás maravilhosa que está preocupada com os mais diversos conteúdos. FFXIV é um triunfo nessa franquia. Um jogo que todos aqueles que gostam de Final Fantasy com certeza deveriam jogar.
Was dauntingly slow paced. Redundant, boring but playable. The game was surprisingly better than what I expected, and I even enjoyed bits of it. Still, a massive but hollow game in narrative until the last two extra long cutscenes (that they had to warn you beforehand w/c is HILARIOUS).
You can feel it sink under the constraints it had to work with when the game was completely remade. The fact that anything of substance came out of it at all is impressive and it sets the groundwork for the fantastic expansions that come after.
Truly, we are A Realm Reborn
A Realm Reborn was secretly FFXIV at its peak and I'm not joking. Like no, it was not the actual "best" expansion, but the sort of aura of wonder and discovery and community present was unlike anything in the entire game ever since, and honestly in most of MMOs since. It was a time when everything was a little harder, and a little clunkier, and a little less convenient. It was a time when the base Eorzea zones felt like a vast, beautiful world; when a glamour prism was a valuable object; when a rotation involved six buffs and thirty timers to juggle. Its story - especially the far overhated 2.x storylines - demanded patience, but rewarded the player with so much worldbuilding and personality and little explorations of the softer moments between people.
FFXIV after ARR became a better game, but it would never again have that sort of purity of vision. Every expansion since ARR has been FFXIV making itself a little more fun to play at the cost of shaving away a little bit of its soul, one streamlined mechanic and simplified dungeon at a time.
FFXIV after ARR became a better game, but it would never again have that sort of purity of vision. Every expansion since ARR has been FFXIV making itself a little more fun to play at the cost of shaving away a little bit of its soul, one streamlined mechanic and simplified dungeon at a time.
After coming back and forth to this expansion for three months, I finally beat Realm Reborn and god damn, I'm just glad it's over. It's a slog to get through, and requires you to do multiple filler, pointless fetch quests. The story, at least to me, wasn't something that I was very invested into, but it's still important to pay attention to because it sets up later storylines. The dungeons also kind of suck with some good ones along the way. It also doesn't help that I played a terrible, boring class up until post game, which is admittedly my fault, but it did diminish my experience. Unironically, I would say the best part of Realm Reborn is around the post game where things actually get interesting for later expansions such as Heavensward, which I do plan to fully play, as it seems like a HUGE upgrade from A Realm Reborn.
I think the most fun I had with this part of the game was being with friends, going through raids and dungeons with them, and goofing off sometimes in the world. I'm not too sure what I should expect for these next expansions, but with the quality upgrade in Heavensward thus far, I am hoping I can have more fun times with my friends.
IMPORTANT NOTE I NEEDED TO INCLUDE: I named my character Jiggle Gainsborough, the sister of Aerith Gainsborough from FFVII. She's strong. Just thought I should share it.
I think the most fun I had with this part of the game was being with friends, going through raids and dungeons with them, and goofing off sometimes in the world. I'm not too sure what I should expect for these next expansions, but with the quality upgrade in Heavensward thus far, I am hoping I can have more fun times with my friends.
IMPORTANT NOTE I NEEDED TO INCLUDE: I named my character Jiggle Gainsborough, the sister of Aerith Gainsborough from FFVII. She's strong. Just thought I should share it.
One of the best MMORPGs of all time.
Being able to replay this with full context and attention of the game has been a great joy. Picking up pieces that get recontextualized throughout the entire story is incredibly exciting and I appreciate the start more than ever.
Meeting all the characters I've come to love over the past year or two all over again has been real special. And since I played A Realm Reborn on Japanese at first, actually hearing the infamously bad voice acting was at the very least very interesting, because of how beautiful some of its voice performances are in later expansions. While this is something bad specific to A Realm Reborn, it does give me greater appreciation for the game as a whole.
Undoubtedly, there's a lot that's not good or straight up bad about the first part of Final Fantasy XIV. Tons of fetch quests, sequences that don't matter and characters that have little import or are actively making the experience less enjoyable. Unfortunately, this does hold A Realm Reborn back from a higher score, but more importantly than its faults, I love what it does well.
This first, long section of this masterpiece of a game is often written off as simply bad and slandered to hell and back and sometimes even called skippable. But what I found in connecting the big moments and its important characters, is a story that does its best to save what had come before. And by doing so, it's able to set up fascinating setpieces of its world that open up countless storytelling possibilities for its sequels, or expansions. A Realm Reborn isn't perfect, sometimes it's not even good, but it's essential. You're able to appreciate Final Fantasy XIV to the fullest if you experience this imperfect entry to a perfect game.
Meeting all the characters I've come to love over the past year or two all over again has been real special. And since I played A Realm Reborn on Japanese at first, actually hearing the infamously bad voice acting was at the very least very interesting, because of how beautiful some of its voice performances are in later expansions. While this is something bad specific to A Realm Reborn, it does give me greater appreciation for the game as a whole.
Undoubtedly, there's a lot that's not good or straight up bad about the first part of Final Fantasy XIV. Tons of fetch quests, sequences that don't matter and characters that have little import or are actively making the experience less enjoyable. Unfortunately, this does hold A Realm Reborn back from a higher score, but more importantly than its faults, I love what it does well.
This first, long section of this masterpiece of a game is often written off as simply bad and slandered to hell and back and sometimes even called skippable. But what I found in connecting the big moments and its important characters, is a story that does its best to save what had come before. And by doing so, it's able to set up fascinating setpieces of its world that open up countless storytelling possibilities for its sequels, or expansions. A Realm Reborn isn't perfect, sometimes it's not even good, but it's essential. You're able to appreciate Final Fantasy XIV to the fullest if you experience this imperfect entry to a perfect game.
not the most engaging story(especially with that fucking wine quest) but still a good read. took me around 2 1/2 weeks to finish. lahabrea is my beautiful lovely wife.
nah lmfao this was ass but the last 10 hours of that shit wasnt bad at least but yea if you all alone playing this youre cooked
I will be talking about FFXIV: A Realm Reborn exclusively now.
I've recommended this game several times to my friends, and even if the game is mechanically fun, it takes a long time until it gets good, same with the story, but even worse, I am aware of how many times Square/CB3 remade ARR, and how many filler quests they removed and readapted, but its never enough, its a really tough experience for newcomers.
And even if the game does a good job setting everything for the future and providing OK content, it's just very boring.
The story is really meh until the end, when it gets just a little better when its all about geopolitics, but nothing remarkable.
I've recommended this game several times to my friends, and even if the game is mechanically fun, it takes a long time until it gets good, same with the story, but even worse, I am aware of how many times Square/CB3 remade ARR, and how many filler quests they removed and readapted, but its never enough, its a really tough experience for newcomers.
And even if the game does a good job setting everything for the future and providing OK content, it's just very boring.
The story is really meh until the end, when it gets just a little better when its all about geopolitics, but nothing remarkable.
Actually pretty alright. The devs should be awarded for turning what may of been the worst paced story of all time (idk I didnt play the old one) To something that I can appreciate the good moments of. Really could of been improved by the inclusion of a peanut gallery character that butts in and says a funny phrase occasionally. Too bad that will never happen
FF14 is the best mmorpg at the moment.
It has an immense amount of good content, great lore, the most complex raids and the best soundtrack of any mmorpg.
The only downside I would put is that it can be overwhelming for newbies right now by the amount of things available to the game, but if you adapt is amazing.
It has an immense amount of good content, great lore, the most complex raids and the best soundtrack of any mmorpg.
The only downside I would put is that it can be overwhelming for newbies right now by the amount of things available to the game, but if you adapt is amazing.