Keen has a post up categorising Final Fantasy 14 as a ‘3 monther’ – an MMO destined to only retain the majority of its casual players for a short period.
I played the game again for a few weeks while it was free for purchasers of the original version. It is a solid enough MMO with bags of character and lovely graphics. But like Keen I still think it is missing a broader appeal. It has been characterised as grindy by some and I would agree with that description. I might have subscribed if there had been evidence of later game activities beyond the raiding gear-grind that Keen mentions.
Therein lies the crux of the issue for me as a player – why play another game to raid when WoW has that in spades and is polished to a very high sheen? Sure if you prefer Sci-Fi to fantasy then SWTOR makes a lot of sense. But, personally, I’m not looking at my other MMOs (e.g. LOTRO & EQ2) to provide raiding as a goal or activity at all. I like playing both for different reasons but I can’t inagine wanting to raid in multiple games. So what does FFXIV have to offer long term players beyond raiding content (other than leveling classes)? Housing may in the future be enough to draw me back in but then is it likely to beat EQ2’s system?
GamingSF 