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This game is nausiatingly unimpressive.
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i5-3570K, 16GB RAM, XFX 7870 LE, Sandisk X210
Everything on max yet the lack of detail lower left is like something out of the 80's.
I'm sure we can all find something to complain about in every game, is it justified? Personally I don't think so.
Clicky to enlarge - http://imgur.com/kQ5BF8v
Let's take a look at this pic for clarity. Maybe you guys can see the repeating generic textures and the ridiculous low quality attempt to cover large patches of ground with stock photos...
I'm sorry. I find this GW2 vs. FFXIV graphics discussion shallow and pointless. Both games look very good. They're one of the best out right now in the graphics department.
To disparage FFXIV based on graphics alone and your shallow game experience does nothing to help your case. You don't like FFXIV..... fine.. just move on. You're not convincing anyone here other than showing you're pretty biased. None of what you say will convert your subjective opinion into objective fact.
Take comfort in knowing your opinion is the minority.
PS - FFXIV graphics are far more crisp. GW2 Bloom effect is atrocious and makes it seem i'm high everytime I play it. It's still a good looking game but FFXIV is better. The picture above your post shows the same crappy ground and rock graphics you claim FFXIV has.... so you prefer one game over another and are trying to rationalize why GW2 is better than FFXIV...
It's not working... move on.
Just had to log on for this topic and say...
Wonderful. Tell me again how you played for a few hours and then thought it a good idea to post in a Final Fantasy forum about how you think the game is "nausiatingly unimpressive." I'm just quivering with anticipation with how any one would consider this an adult or feasible thing to do. Truly, it's incredibly smart to play for a short time over a weekend (further noting an emphasis on the beginning area shortly thereafter), because that's definitely enough time to indulge in all of the content added later in the game -- Oh wait.
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mining-literature-for-deeper-meanings-amy-e-harter/discussions/why-might-it-be-a-bad-idea-to-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-i-e-only-take-the-words-at-face-value-without-a-deeper-analysis
To offer help rather than simply disagree, here's some seemingly educated people (to avoid misinterpretation, this is not a jab at you as I don't know who you are, just that you wrote this "review" and that these people I am referencing seem intelligent enough to have valid opinions) that speak of how "judging a book by it's cover" is generally a bad thing. It's not my place to concur with them or not, but rather give an example of why this entire little post of yours might be a little less than pertinent when it comes to quickly judging things in general.
Forgive them if deciding that taking away an experience dedicated to teaching new players of the genre how to play isn't the best use of their time when they have so many other ideas on their plate. Honestly. Did you do even any research on the game before jumping to conclusions and just attacking something outright? Their quests actually were a bit more streamlined when it comes to the main story (minus the guild storyline), though that's besides the point on both our statements.
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/patchnote_log/
The patch notes depict a wide array of changes to various systems as well as introductions of new ones -- things that most games would only do in full on expansions. Most assuredly, one could easily assess and proclaim that their patches are some of the most beefy in the market today, introducing various things and even focusing on immersion. In addition to the myriad of things added, they also worked on minor things for the sake of immersion, such as multiple ways to sit into chairs, idle stances (and multiple emotes thereof) such as folding your arms, putting hands behind your head/back, on your waist, leaning to the side, laying in a bed, etc. This is a vastly superior arrangement of updates than any other game on the market -- most likely several of them combined, both P2P and B2P/F2P in that regard. Though you wouldn't know this, would you, Mr. "I played for a weekend and noticed the beginning is the same and the game sucks".
One could assert that the beginning is what draws veterans in and that having a tutorial isn't wise -- but if these people can't handle reading or a few simple quests, there's no way they will be able to understand the complexities and "find out for your stuff" of later levels and the updates thereof. That is something to do before the release (or introducing a longer free trial / entering a territory that has nothing but MMO vets), not at the cost of content that's actually permanent and valuable when no expansion has even been released for it as of yet.
Player discussion of such when it came to the revamp of Cataclysm (considered a failure), as most of their resources went into remaking the old 1-60 content (take note of the age of the topic and when posters commented as well versus today and the release of instant level 90s):
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/959581-Was-revamping-Azeroth-in-Cataclysm-a-good-idea
With a game as old as WoW was, the idea of reworking new zones seemed like a good idea. But the problem is that they simply weren't getting new MMO players. In fact, with the lack of meaningful content, subscriptions dropped tremendously of the players and veterans that were already hooked with the game. All indications thus far indicate that FFXIV is actually growing in terms of numbers (needing tutorials while also having a lot on the plate to keep current players happy, while still without an expansion as of yet). The leveling is still considered bad (or "painful) by many and the implementation of instantly getting to 90 makes all the work they did 1-60 useless now -- an expansion that could've done so much more (in addition to not screwing over the alliance with some territories, which won't change since they said they "learned their lesson" about going back and changing starting content -- especially since most trial accounts don't even make it past level 10).
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/11/70-of-trial-players-quit-wow-before-level-10/
In addition, when speaking of zoning, I can't help but think that you're only thinking of the starting zone again -- and that you're doing many, many things wrong. Critiquing the level 1-5 experience was already done to death when the game came out, and people thought themselves smart to do the same thing. Many say you can't write a review on a MMO until your max level -- and this is a belief that is reasonable. It is also even more true when you are several major patches into the game, as multiple changes would occur in the middle and towards the end. Including new systems and updated systems, as well as a great focus on keep old players hooked. You're unlucky if you need to change areas more than once an hour, if that (and even then the load times are small if you have a good computer). In addition, it's becoming standard for zoning as well, simply because the higher the graphical fidelity (and ARR is very gorgeous -- especially in later zones), the more things that are packed in an instance... the higher the strain and the more is needed to load. Even WoW needs to have loading screens to change continents with it's 2004 graphics (which are moreso actually 2000-2001 since it was in production for a long time:
).
-- Information on zones: credit given to forum user Quizical for a past post he wrote regarding it.
Welcome to a Final Fantasy Game? A Japanese RPG? I can't help but to think you simply don't know what you're critiquing. This is a Final Fantasy Themepark MMO. It bleeds Final Fantasy. Many people don't like Final Fantasy. It's not for them. That's okay. But to say the skills are annoyingly generic? Have you seen any skill past level 10. At all? A Monk's Dragon Kick? A monk's multiple rotation? The fluid motion of their strikes and their after image?
Here's just a basic rotation (released class) -- of which the monk has many that have to be juggled -- to show you something past the tutorial. You distinctly mention another game, so I will refer to the same and not any other to avoid bias. But even some of the level 1-5 attacks in Final Fantasy measure up to most attacks in Guild wars 2 in terms of fluidness and power with what you see in animations and the aftermath thereof. It would be foolish of me state they beat them (they are only level 1-5 skills, after all), but they are comparable to a great degree.
I'm not quite sure you understand just what graphics are. Graphical fidelity does not simply mean realism. The engine they created is capable of -- and indeed, does perform -- many things that are void of most other games. Most of what you said is personal preference, and therefore I shall not speak of such. Though examples such as lighting in this game -- how the sun's position actually casts different shadows every minute in the game (in-game time), how shadows grow or shorten on the wall or the ground if you're next to specific lighting sources, or the very weather system are great examples of it's graphical prowess.
In the background you can see Lightning; when the lightning is close to you, you see several flashes of light followed by a boom and the lightning striking close by. There are even cases where you see the lightning in different zones.
There is definitely a weakness in some armor textures if you zoom in too much; this is seen with a few pieces of plate and or chain armor. Though character design is robust enough to have mature and adult looking characters -- most just choose not to have them or don't take the time to look into said features. One need simply peruse the benchmark to have access and see for themselves. But I reiterate a point made previously, it is a Final Fantasy game. I don't think anyone expected anything but teenage looking heroes (even though it's not the case and there are mature looking options if wanted).
The first version of the game was copy pasted, though I would find it hard to believe such is true for the second. I'll probably activate my subscription soon (yes, someone who doesn't even the play the game thinks this review isn't such) to get a better look at. Most of the areas look gorgeous and well made -- beautiful, even. Though my experiences are only from a PC and a fairly powerful computer system. In addition to actually having a max level character that beat the initial storyline.
You're the second person to mention something like this that I've read about. Most disagree and given the number of people that purchased the game, I'm willing to pass if off as just a personal perception and not fact. Though I guess the same could be said of the other people who don't see this. Irregardless, this game is full of immersion. They even have a team dedicated to the fact, and keep on implementing new systems and features to exasperate the fact. Some of this was mentioned earlier with constant emotes added, permanent idle stances, housing, chocobo raising, etc. Not to bring up GW2 again, but they don't even have the ability to sit in chairs if I recall. As a role player, this is a major sin for me. Though it may be personal preference. When it comes to the topic of immersion, it's what the brain recognizes, what people expect and overall just what someone wants. Though the director of FFXIV is Role Player himself, so he makes sure Immersion (especially since it's a FF game) is high on the priority list -- enough to have a team dedicated to it.
My personal gripes with the game is the FATE system -- how it pops up in bold letters when you enter the location. This interrupts immersion for me. Though as a whole the game is one of the best when it comes to Immersion.
To touch up on my first paragraphs, I'd like to reinforce my thought and therefore assert that this is just a hate post. No legitimate reviewer will come up with such rhetorical statements and believe that a few hours over a weekend is enough to decide anything about a game's rating, content or immersion. I know not what objective you tried here -- if you're just trying to boost a different game up, this one down or attempt to start a flame -- but almost everything in this post seems to indicate a secondary agenda. Worst case scenario it's probably someone who's not played very many MMOs in general -- and likely few Final Fantasy games to boot. Even the final paragraphs has glaring inaccuracies and random implications. What's laughable is the sentence "The first 2 days experiences alone and the fact that immersion is non existent in this game demand a score closer to 3/10" made by someone who only played a few hours -- that they say such demands a score versus people who played it hundreds of hours (professional reviewer and player alike), speaks volumes as to the true intent of this post.
Therefore again I ask -- is it a smart idea for someone to post this nonsense in a forum dedicated to the game? To name it as you have? It is not an unbias review -- it reeks of incorrect assertions, bias approaches (comparisons as well), and an admittance that no real experience was had with the game. This is nothing but a personal opinion on the beginning of a game and attacking minor things that either don't exist as a problem or are things that people don't care about when playing an MMO.
Honestly. I'd prefer someone just go on an already created topic, make a post "FFXIV SUCKS" and never respond to a retort made than to reread this travesty of a review.
For shame, good sir. But at least you didn't try some juvenile like comparing pictures with other games and purposely make the Final Fantasy ones look bad. That's one thing you have going for you.
HULK ANGRY. RAAAAAAAGH
*Smashes E.T. cartridges*
A video review from someone who played the game.
http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-xiv-online-a-realm-reborn/
A written review by someone who played the game.
They're just a few reviews, but made by people who are much less positively or negatively bias than most of what players will write (in addition, it wouldn't be proper if I didn't post a "review" that is better when I claim this supposed one to be bad). Though ultimately, one should decide for themselves what a game deserves. If they don't finish the game, then just be quiet about it as it will be nothing but drivel in most cases.
Seriously, you are complaining that MMO's are not all hand drawn, is there any game that does not fail in the particular things you are pointing out as so bad? and please, don't use GW2 as an example as we both know that they do the exact same things. Its fine if you don't like the aesthetic as everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, which btw, i do happen to like the GW2 graphics, they happen to be among the best available in the MMO genre, and much as i do prefer those in FFXIV;ARR, they are comparable, the only problem i have with the game is the combat, it doesn't fit my style of gameplay.
We're just having a friendly discussion on the miserable state of the game in context of both it's incredibly exaggerated graphics and it's fan overblown rating. Not to mention it's ridiculous price tag for the quality of workmanship it displays. GW2 is only a point of reference as a much cheaper and easily arguably better produced game.
Here's a few screenshots I just took to compare level of detail for fun and giggles. 
I had the same epiphany when I finished mine. But the purpose of it was partly to educate the person in case he truly was serious. In any case, I'm no longer going to pay it any mind ever since I saw that he put pictures on low quality up to compare them to a game that was on high quality. It's funny because I said that I admired he didn't do that if he was a troll in my original post. Oh well. Such is the forum life.
You must have been saving that one up all these years. Maybe you're unaware that the weekend was for RETURNING PLAYERS. AKA I've played it. I went back to check it out and this post is a fun result.
I didn't read your whole long post so I'm sorry if you worked hard on it. It was a bit of a rant and you didn't seem to understand I've already been through the game once. Regarding the pictures they were only intended to point out a few examples of game industry errors that are simply not made. You won't find evidence of this kind of lazy stock photo texturing in other AAA titles it simply isn't developed that way. Textures need to be processed to remove an existing problems. The fact that they did it is worthy of pointing out and laughing at because for people who know what they're looking it it's hilarious. For the rest of you folks who can't see the difference there's simply nothing I can do for you. You're destined to accept this quality simply because you don't have the experience or perceptive ability to detect it. This post should be enlightening in that context.
Let me get this straight.
You played before, presumably getting past the starter zone.
So you returned to look at the newer content changes to the game that have been introduced since you stopped playing - which are in fact outside the starter zone.
Then you produce a review of the starter zone.
I know right? I was thinking the same thing. He played the game and has high level characters. He went back to check out what was new, and spent all his time in the starter area..... Yeah right. He is clearly a troll.
James T. Kirk: All she's got isn't good enough! What else ya got?
OP is a very negative person it would seem. Going through his/her short post history, it's all negative (mostly towards TESO, Archeage, and FFXIV), with one post praising TSW.
Yeah I forgot to look at the post count. It is most likely someone's alt account. Like half of his posts are in this article alone.
James T. Kirk: All she's got isn't good enough! What else ya got?
Here's my take on this(in case anyone cares):
1. TLDR - Too long, did not read. There should be a limit to the size of manuscripts some prophets post in here.
2. Running mechanic is ok-ish. Mounts ? Their animations are sooo bad and you're not feeling like you're riding a mount... I guess sliding would be more appropriate to name it. Even watching the mounts move around is a pain. (lame stuff)
3. Combat is slow is boring ? Yes, for some. Others love it. Personally I find it incredibly boring and robotic. Combine it with instances and get the perfect recipe for wanting to hate yourself for the hour you spent there. I hear it gets better at level 50, when you have more skills and raids ... still I'm more than half way through and yet I've got no incentive for pushing further.
WoW may be childish and cartoon-ish... but the fluidity of combat and quality of level/dungeon design can't even be compared with this half-baked shit.
Disclaimer:
- Graphics are great in FF14. It's not perfect but tt's a more "realistic" engine. Please don't try to compare it with cartoony GW2 or Wildstar cause you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.
- I really wanted to like the game.. but that combat... UGHHHH... THE TORTUREEE...
- For those that enjoy FF14, keep at it! Just remember that no game is perfect and when you realise the flaws you may be badly surprised.
My post is truthful in every way. If you keep it fun I'll be more than happy to have a friendly debate about it. Produce some evidence which disputes what I said and in return I may produce some evidence which makes you grumpy. I'm up for it if you are.
I have both GW2 and FFXIV:ARR. I play neither at the moment but GW2 for me was okay until cap but nothing spectacular to look at or play at any point.
Maybe they use poor textures and all that other stuff mentioned by the OP in ARR but for someone not analyzing what my graphic card is actually processing and playing the game I found FFXIV:ARR a much more enjoyable experience.
They do not focus on having multiple chars so I would think a lot of the fan base does not replay the starter area. That being said I think it was better for them not to focus on that as much as mid-end game (more emphasis on end game).
To each their own though.
Textures and lighting looks fine to me. OP maybe you should get a better PC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqKdsUq_QPc
Well said sir, this is exactly what i think aswell.
Winner!
You can tell that's actually the shadow of a tree, in both FFXIV and GW2, shadows are blurry or blocky depending on how high you set them to, but none of them look like a real shadow.
P.S. That's Windhelm in ESO