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Final Fantasy XIV is the Best Final Fantasy Game

I think a lot of the reason XIV has been so successful is because it has a different voice than most FF's over the past twenty years. FF since X has basically been defined by the same three guys: Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima. And even when they were not directly on production, they still got a major say in the games' direction which has led to a ton of stagnation and problems. When you have the same guys dictating how a game goes down, there's a lot of rehashing and bad ideas repeating.

AiddonValentine wrote:

I think a lot of the reason XIV has been so successful is because it has a different voice than most FF's over the past twenty years. FF since X has basically been defined by the same three guys: Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima. And even when they were not directly on production, they still got a major say in the games' direction which has led to a ton of stagnation and problems. When you have the same guys dictating how a game goes down, there's a lot of rehashing and bad ideas repeating.

I mean, FF14 is quite literally the definition of rehashing and repeating. Almost everything is directly lifted from previous games, from main characters to stories. Or mechanically from games like World of Warcraft or Dark Age of Camelot.

14 is certainly at its best when it's doing its own thing and lore, but that's pretty rare. You can't really praise them for Return to Ivalice when they're literally just retelling you FFT and FF12's story and characters and the credit belongs to those games and writers.

I think that is a massive oversimplification and exaggeration. I would say MOST of the game is actually unique and not a rehash. Your first point, characters: The entire scions of the seventh dawn are all original characters. Every villain thus far in the MSQ is an original character. All with original designs and outfits. The only rehashing that's done is the same rehashing that EVERY final fantasy does in that it recycles its enemy types and motifs. There's always cactuars, there's always chocobos, summons, etc.

You also mention stories but only mention Return to Ivalice which is one raid story among the 8 raids available in the game. Also, if you mention credit to the original writers, well the original writer was involved with the Return to Ivalice raid. The whole point was that it was deliberately a visit to the FFXII world. But Coils of Bahamut, Crystal Tower, Alexander, Void Ark, Deltascape, and Eden, SIX of the eight raids are all original storylines. LIke i said, some settings are borrowed, like crystal tower, but it's a whole new story.

Also the ENTIRE msq, which is at around 400 hours and counting, and is obviously, the central point is entirely original. Not to mention the entirety of all the class questlines, optional bosses like the Warring Triad or Weapons, and the myriad of sidequests, many of which are self contained original stories like Manderville or the Doman/Ishgard restoration.

That point is correct to a degree. But to say that most of the game is recycled is actually a huge discredit to the FFXIV team.

#904116 wrote:

I think that is a massive oversimplification and exaggeration. I would say MOST of the game is actually unique and not a rehash. Your first point, characters: The entire scions of the seventh dawn are all original characters. Every villain thus far in the MSQ is an original character. All with original designs and outfits. The only rehashing that's done is the same rehashing that EVERY final fantasy does in that it recycles its enemy types and motifs. There's always cactuars, there's always chocobos, summons, etc. You also mention stories but only mention Return to Ivalice which is one raid story among the 8 raids available in the game. Also, if you mention credit to the original writers, well the original writer was involved with the Return to Ivalice raid. The whole point was that it was deliberately a visit to the FFXII world. But Coils of Bahamut, Crystal Tower, Alexander, Void Ark, Deltascape, and Eden, SIX of the eight raids are all original storylines. LIke i said, some settings are borrowed, like crystal tower, but it's a whole new story. Also the ENTIRE msq, which is at around 400 hours and counting, and is obviously, the central point is entirely original. Not to mention the entirety of all the class questlines, optional bosses like the Warring Triad or Weapons, and the myriad of sidequests, many of which are self contained original stories like Manderville or the Doman/Ishgard restoration. That point is correct to a degree. But to say that most of the game is recycled is actually a huge discredit to the FFXIV team.

I guess it depends how you define original and to how much of a degree influences play. I disagree with the notion that the Crystal Tower is an "original story". The Cloud of Darkness making a pact with Xande, Amon, Glasya, and Scylla as well as Doga and Unei helping you out are all from Final Fantasy 3, as are most of the bosses in those raids being boss fights in 3. It's the same story and characters, just retooled to fit in 14's world. Sure, the story stuff with Cid, Nero, and Graha are original, but they're just a small part of the overall theme of that Alliance Raid. It's safe to say without Final Fantasy 3, none of it would exist in 14.

Even a lot of the original characters borrow from past games to the point it's impossible to know how things could have played out if those games never existed. For example, all the Garlean legion divisions are themed after their respective number. It's no coincidence the 7th Legion led by Nael was the one to call down a meteor to smite Eorzea like Sephiroth did in Final Fantasy 7. Nor was it a coincidence the 6th Legion led by Regula was the one who went after the Warring Triad and Floating Contenant like the empire did in 6 Or the 12th Legion that invaded Dalmasca, or the fact the Garlean legates are all modeled after Judges from FF12 to begin with. Likewise, it's hard to imagine how Heavensward would look without FF6 or 7 given the endgame is all about the Floating Continent and Warring Triad from 6, or how Thordan and his knights were all modeled after the Knights of the Round from FF7. I could go on but we'd be here all day listing how even the most minor things like the Alchemist job questline being a retelling of Rachel's story from FF6.

There's nothing wrong with being a fanservice game, or a hodgepodge of all the other Final Fantasy games (with a touch of Vagrant Story and Tactics Ogre). I'm not trying to sell 14 short, but I think that's where 14's biggest appeal lies. I enjoy the game myself, I just feel they go overboard with the callbacks a bit to much to the point it often times become the games biggest downfall. The Omega raid tier was my least favorite precisely because it was more or less nothing but pulling random bosses from 5 and 6 and making you fight them for no reason other than callbacks with nothing tying them to the world of 14. We're only fighting Kefka while Dancing Mad plays in the background because he's a popular villain from a past game, not because he ties into the story in any way or fit in the lore. The current Nier stuff is very much the same.

I'll stick with Tactics, thank you. It's a great game and doesn't stick content behind a monthly subscription.

No mention of Emet-Selch who is probably the best Final Fantasy villain since Kafka as a reason for why FFXIV is the best?

The only MMO I've played is ESO, but I've considered playing FFXIV. It sounds and looks cool, but TBH the only FF games I really enjoyed were X and XII.