Final Fantasy 14 Reviewers: Delay Reviews? No Problem

Final Fantasy 14 currently poses rare sight on the popular review aggregator Metacritic's PC Gaming page: in spite of being released on September 30, Metacritic still does not have enough reviews to create a composite score as the first full week of October comes to a close. Possibly, this is because the game's developer and publisher, Square Enix, included a request with review copies of their new MMO that reviewers wait "three to four weeks post launch" before reviewing the game in order "to give the online game time to mature." And with few exceptions, major gaming publications such as IGN and Game Informer seem to have agreed, if not to the full three to four weeks, then to at least some delay.

Gamers who bought Final Fantasy 14, on the other hand, have not been so patient, quite readily expressing their displeasure with the title. In Japan, where the game received an unusual simultaneous release with its Western version, it currently has an average customer rating of 1.5 stars out of 5 on its Amazon page. Nor is the game's reception any warmer in the west: at Metacritic, Final Fantasy 14 is currently averaging a User Score of 4.3 based on 141 fan ratings. While praising the game's graphics, fans' biggest complaint is that not only are the quests boring, you can barely do any, as players are limited to eight quests in their character's main zone and eight more elsewhere every 36 hours.

Not all reviewers have gone along with Square Enix's request: the gaming site GameSpot published their Final Fantasy 14 review on October 6. The review largely echoes the sentiments of fans: while the game's graphics are high-tier, the quests are dull and repetitive and the general interface is difficult to figure out. One other review that ignored Square Enix's request did give the title a positive review, but would still not recommend paying $50 and then $12.99 per month in subscription fees when the title still has so many flaws.

While the most recent Final Fantasy title, Final Fantasy 13, had its share of critics among the Square Enix fanbase, if fan reactions are any indication, Final Fantasy 14 may be the most poorly reviewed title in the series' long history when more reviews come out later this month. But whether Square Enix will use gamers' criticisms to make their game better, or dig in their heels, insisting they know what's best, remains to be seen.

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/7864.html

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/final-fantasy-xiv-online