Standing there now. Seems like 3 minutes of music, 3 minutes of silence, and a new track just came on. 

Would be cool if they gave us the option to run tracks constantly, but it's a minor concern. I really wish they'd evolve the combat into something more meaningful. In FFXIV, using auto attacks to build TP, hitting HUGE combos and dealing massive damage was extremely satisfying. Now, everything is either 150% or 200% your base damage. Nothing huge.. everything is so spread thin and generic that it's hard to do the *wrong* thing.

That's really my biggest gripe. Btw, there will be plenty of leveling up outside of quests. I DO hate that they have so many quests to usher you through the experience, but there are always FATEs and teaming up with other players to grind. I'm not sure what they changed about grinding with parties (do you know?), but I did it with my friends a few days ago and it seemed to work surprisingly well from level 1-12.

Once you burn up those quest you wont have them again. Those first set of quest will help you through your first class. Remember you can level up multiple classes and mix match abilities on one character.

I've been playing the beta in the PS3 since it started, and I love this game. The music is great and playing with parties and doing guildhests quest is fun. Sometimes the tutorial hints pop-ups are annoying.

Sorry its a long read. Whats the verdict compared to the origional though? Better?

Better and worse...

It's going to need more time to develop and mould into something worth a full fledged purchase if you ask me. Then again I have high standards for the game.

Try the beta so go ahead and apply. In fact open beta is almost ready. You can test and make your own verdict on pc and ps3. For me its overall better than the original and the good outweighs the bad. In fact I didn't find anything to dislike.

Even the fact that most moves seem to be homogenized due to GCD and the fact that EVERYTHING is either 150% or 200% your basic attack? There's no longer the big epic attack you save up for that gives devastating numbers. 

That's my biggest gripe. 

Second biggest gripe is the zoning. I loved the fact that the original FFXIV's world felt cohesive and open. This one is a bunch of smaller locations that don't even fit together on a map. That's right, they made a world full of zones that don't even properly line up to create a cohesive world. Even Zelda games can do that...

Despite the things I hate about the game, I still enjoy it overall. I really hope they change some of this stuff in the future. :(

the combos are in place to give your actions a bonus when done correctly. for big moves, there is limit breaks that requires a party and strategy for that.

ffxiv 1.0 was seamless. it was one huge empty copy paste mess. now we have unique zones with more content in them. 

stupid square didn't send me a beta code.. i'll show them! D:

"Phase 4" (also known as the open beta) will be starting in a few weeks. It'll last a week long, so you can participate in that. Progress made in that beta phase will carry over to the final release if you choose to continue playing.