or is it just 'serviceable'?

if good then what is good about it? what makes this game stand out above other MMOs? other than the neat universe. how is the combat system, how is the character customization, how is the actual control of character evolution etc? is it like most where you have the same gear as everyone else the entire way through the game and rarely get a chance to mix it up and customize your guy, and is it like that with skills/abilities as well or is there actually a bit of depth to it?

thank

There are lots of options to make a dude look as weird as you want. You run dungeons with parties and collect gear. You use the mouse to look and the number keys to activate abilities. If this doesn't sound appealing to you, I would not invest my time or money in FF14: ARR.

The most unique aspect of the game, I think, is the class system. You can dip into and level up other classes and borrow abilities from them, and also take on a "job" once you've reached the prerequisite level in the required classes, which adds further skillset customization options. Other than that, you know what you're getting into, pretty much as far as MMO stuff goes. It is nice that the game shows stuff like threat meter on the default UI.

FWIW, I've played on all the beta weekends so far and I think it's a Goode Game (TM)

I don't think so. I don't think it does anything from what I've played of beta that distinguishes itself from any other MMO and I feel like a lot of the combat is more boring and chore-like than usual. Sorry to say.

I've played it for the last couple Beta weekends, and although my experience with other MMO's is comparatively limited, this game is definitely starting to sink its hooks into me more than other MMO's I've played.

Frankly, it's hard to describe why, because on paper it doesn't sound like anything special. The combat isn't anything fancy or revolutionary, but it still seems to have enough going on to stay interesting. The class progression is relatively static with the exception of the handful of abilities you can pick and choose from other jobs, but the classes I've played generally still feel like they have enough going on to stay interesting. (At least once you get past like level 10 or so.) Gear progression seems to be pretty static based on your job, but I haven't really felt like I've been in a sea of identical characters, so far, plus you can dye your clothes to personalize them.

One of the things I've found to be particularly interesting is the crafting system. Each craft is basically its own job with gear and levels and skills. It gives crafting a similar kind of satisfaction you get from leveling your main class and watching them evolve from a lowly beginner to a powerful veteran in a way that other crafting systems I've tried don't really have.

I have like two characters up to level 18 or so and only barely got to the point where I need to have a party for dungeon exploration, so I can't speak for anything late game, but I will say I literally didn't give two shits about the game before I tried the beta and now I'm seriously considering picking it up for real.

The beta is pretty easy to get into. If you're curious I'd just sign up and give it a try.

Sign up for the beta and answer that for yourself. Most of the opinions you'll get from asking everybody else that particular question about this particular game will be all over the place for a good number of reasons.

For most people that ask that question in my experience however, the answer is typically no. But that's not so much a reflection the game's quality as it is into what said person should actually go into the game expecting to play (which leads back into what I opened with).

I've played a bit of it. It is extremely dialogue heavy from what I've seen, which, since there is no voice acting, translates into walls of text. Graphically, it looks pretty good, but the game still isn't really all that fun. I'm pretty disappointed from what I've seen. Definitely try out the Beta for yourself, but don't go in expecting anything too incredible IMO.

It has allot of quality in its production, its a pretty good 'another mmo' it definitely will not be the 'next big thing' if you don't enjoy the standard mmo affair of hot-bars and quests. Theres a bunch of stuff to like about the game and it has a general good high quality but its totally preference on if it will get you hooked or not like any mmo each one is for a certain niche of the audience.

Of its uniqueness from other mmos, its crafting system is actually enjoyable and not just clicking one button once you have your materials, they do actually feel like they're own class and not just some side thing, i don;t know if other mmos have gathering class's at least the ones i have played didn't but also the gathering classes offer something of a difference peaceful pace and offers something a little different to change it up a bit instead of only doing combat based things. While it is not unqiue it has Guild Wars 2 Open world quests called FATEs and such, the game use's a bunch of the good things from mmo's and use's them here. The game is very story and dialoge focused and the actual writing is pretty good, its not a bioshock infinite story that will shock you and make you go nuts over it but its done in a good way with characters that will end up being recognizable and familiar.

Controller support is pretty great, as well as how they handle movement and animations making your character feel less of a generic mmo character that moves like a tank, doesn't sound like much but it makes a big difference to me. And the game looks great obviously, graphics don't make a game but it sure helps when you have other things pulling it together like the amazing soundtrack for the game.

Try the Beta or open beta if you can't get that and see for yourself is the only way to really tell.

It doesn't do anything real innovative but the package as a whole is really well put together. My one gripe is that combat is fairly easy and simple, but I've only played up to level 23. The dungeons are competently designed with some good variety on the bosses, which gives me hope for the higher level dungeons and raids.

Im really enjoy the Beta, ive been in since Alpha, but even as much as I like it (and plan to play it at launch) the best thing you can say is thats its a really good version of the current MMO's. The combat is solid, though I need to check how hard it gets later, but basically its WoW's combat with a little polish. The quests are fairly basic but typically have an interesting set of characters especially in your class quests (which I think will be lvl1, 5, 10 etc.) that I really want to see through.

Basically if you are looking for more of this kind of MMO its really, really solid and has some compelling story behind it (though right now no voice acting, im not sure if that comes later) and has some solid dungeons. If you want new gameplay its not here.

I am really enjoying it though and plan to play it for a long time.

has this game even been "released" yet? I thought it was in some kind of never ending beta.

The Alpha was a few months ago, Beta is ending in a month or so with a full release in August.

August 27th is the release date. Phase 4 of the beta will be an open beta, and if no serious bugs are found people will be able to keep their characters. No date has been announced for that, though. Plus early access for pre-orders (for almost a week I think I heard, not certain on that).

Compared to how it was when it was first released, this game is absolutely amazing. Seriously, it was garbage a few years back.

With that being said, it's still just a typical MMO with prettier graphics. If you've played WoW, Guild Wars 2, The Old Republic, or any other MMO, then this game has very little new content to offer you.

Im thinking of getting this for the Ps4.

While I don't necessarily disagree with this statement, since it's mostly true, FFXIV still feels...different to me. The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 are the two MMOs I've spent the most time with, and although there are definitely plenty of similarities, FFXIV doesn't quite feel like either of those.

I wish I knew how to put it into words exactly what I mean, but I think it's just the specific way that everything comes together, and some very specific ways that they handle things that just feel better. (As an example, it has a similar level syncing feature as Guild Wars 2, but unlike GW2 you are not automatically leveled down unless it's like a dungeon or something, so you can still run through low level areas and feel like a badass that can shrug off any enemy that would dare look at you.)

I won't deny that being able to play with a controller is kind of a game changer for me too. Mouse and Keyboard controls are kind of something I just deal with because I have to, but a controller definitely makes it a more comfortable experience for me. Probably not something most MMO players would care about, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Most of the stuff will be voiced they just dont have voices because of some legal reasons for the Beta.

As for the rest. It depends where you coming from. At the moment the most discussions about this game are about the battlesystem since there are a ton of newer players who wants to have a tera or Guild wars like battlesystem. But this is no Action MMO RPG it is a RPG. Otherwise it is pretty complex and content filled.

IF you want to try it out go play in the open beta shortly before the release. I think it is a fantastic game.

Being cross-platform is certainly a notch on XIV's bedpost too. XI's popularity was in part due to it being cross-platform between PC and PS2 (and later X360) and XIV is looking to do the same with PC, PS3 and PS4. Hell, XI released its latest expansion this year for the PS2.

I'm sure more MMOs will be hip to doing this now that we have new consoles on the horizon, but the FFOnlines have been the only ones genuinely sticking to it for the past decade or so.

ARR has been the first MMO where I got to LVL 15 and kept playing. Usually by that point, I just quit playing because I'm bored to tears but this game hooked me in.

Give it a shot, duder!

Cross-platform and server play was a novel and forward thinking idea a decade ago, and it still is now. Figuring out how that works was probably quite an engineering feat, and I wonder why no one else is even attempting it.

It's got to be a huge in pain in the ass to get Cross-platform servers to work but I don't see why more companies don't do it. Especially with the hardware of the next generation being pretty much the same in the upcoming generation.

Square and Sony seems to be the only one supporting it as Final Fantasy XI, XIV, and Freerealms all use it. It was one of the reasons I loved XI so much.

I would play this

"Good" is a subjective thing based on your tastes but for what is worth it is a completely rebuilt game that doesn't resemble what it was before.

Some good videos outlining stuff from the phase 3 beta.

One of the best features for me is the controller support.

I tried the last beta phase for a day or so with the keyboard and thought it was just okay, but I decided to plug in a PS3 controller for kicks and it totally changed the game for me.

Combat is so much better, and more fluid. Movement in-battle is improved a ton because you can lock on to an enemy and move around, rather than the awkward backstep/sidestep that is the norm in every other mmo.

It makes the game feel like FFXII Online, which pleases me greatly because FF12 was my favourite of them all.

Hope that helps.

@tarsier said:

Its far better then its far beyond the train wreck that was 1.0, that being said its a MMO so it follows some tropes of the genre. It won't revolutionize the genre but its probably the most polished MMO experience from the get go. We've only been given access to a small portion of the game so who's to say how it will pan out but from the outlook it looks like it may deliver.

What's good about it?

*It feels like a Final Fantasy game, while 13 was a fine game in its own right it never felt like a Final Fantasy. This brings in elements of the old and new to create something for each generation of FF fans.

* Story and Lore are well fleshed out and could potentially be great, hopefully it will rival XI's story in quality.

*Each Job has its own unique storyline.

*Multiple approaches to leveling and progression, there's more ways to level then just kill X number of mobs.

*Controller Support is solid making hitting buttons far more enjoyable then other MMO's, in particular Pugilists are fun to play as because of the combo chain and keeping it going. It's just as viable as using the keyboard and mouse.

*Cross Platform Servers

*Fantastic Visuals and polish in art direction

*Character Customization is deep enough to satisfy but it isn't Mass Effect level where you can adjust the chin length to varying degrees. You can download the new benchmark that comes with a character customization built in, you can even save the preset and import it when you start the game. http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/benchmark/

*Classes feel distinct and all play integral roles, the fact that their rolling with two tank classes and two healing classes at the get go is fantastic. Abilities come with effects you can keep up and so far none feel like throw away abilities. Not to mention cross class abilities spice up and flesh out your current job.

*Crafting system is well implemented leaving less guess work and less checking wiki's for information on what you have to do.

*I find the combat enjoyable playing as a Pugilist, its not as engaging as a DMC but its an RPG not sure what people expect. I think the controller makes the game more enjoyable to play over all.

I was a hardcore FFXI player, played for 6 years right up until halfway through WoG Expansion, so much of my enjoyment comes from joining up with my old XI buddies and just getting to be that character again. So what appeals to me may hold nothing for you but even with that aside I feel that its a well done MMO. I've tried a bunch of MMO's after XI but nothing has stuck. SWTOR was to slow paced despite the interesting story content, the grind became over whelming at a certain point. I had to complete almost every kill quest before I got to the story content, XIV is a bit of the opposite there are kill quests in between but the vast number of ways to earn XP make gap much shorter between content. Not to mention Terra had a bit more interesting combat but got bored after the grind became to long and the story didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Compared to what FFXIV was they've completely turned it around and despite its MMO conventions the fact that story content is ever present on your first job is a huge plus. (The cut scenes and story quests are supposedly all voiced Phase 4 will implement this) Open beta is this weekend so now is the time to try it out if you can.