As some of you may know, my wife and I enjoy playing massive multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs). We played World of Warcraft for the better part of eight years, dabbled in Warhammer Online, Aion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Guild Wars 2. Well, recently we started Final Fantasy 14.
Now, disclaimer time: I never played any of the previous Final Fantasy games, online or otherwise. But some friends of ours wanted to try it, so we were willing to learn.
The game definitely has some good features. The graphics are very nice, with both the landscape and the characters looking polished. The game employs the “trinity” character system (tank, healer, damage dealer) which both Jen and I enjoy. Also, your character can switch between all the classes, which is an interesting twist.
Still, I’m not completely sold on the game. One of my biggest complaints is that I don’t like the manga/anime-inspired setting. Some of the creatures are just ridiculous and silly, and they make me feel like I’ve wandered into the subconscious of a nine-year-old. I prefer to face off against axe-wielding orcs (or even wild boars) rather than ladybugs and animated mushroom people.
Also, the combat system is meh. It’s slow and not very exciting, and every combat maneuver — even a basic sword slash — is rendered with a sparkly animation right out of an episode of Pokemon.
Jen and I will continue to play FF14, at least until our subscription runs out. But I’m already eyeing a new game — Elder Scrolls Online — coming out next year.
