Originally I thought people quipping about the game releasing incomplete were way out of line. Nevermind. From actual gameplay elements like control of teammates to fundementally missing story scenes to structural things like the number of hunts you can have active at a given time, the changes aren't superficial. For a linear, long-form story-based game, having changes this dramatic are frustrating to those of us who played the game at any previous point. I'm not saying "don't improve the game," but I know now how low the bar is for marquee FF releases, between this and XIV.
This makes sense as a way to justify fresh stock of such a big game for retailers, but this leaves me with a frown about the low standards for the series just to get a game out the door. I wasn't even a particularly early buyer, and I have these feelings about it.