World of Warcraft - Gamespot review

In terms of PVE, WoW does nothing BUT force combat specializing(speccing? These terms are out of hand!). Unlike FFXI for example, which eventually allows job migration and player defined combinations, your characters in WoW are purely relegated to their frozen classes from the getgo. There is a strict progression of skills(with very slight variations in how prosperous a select few develop according to player choices made in the Diablo-esque tree) but in my experience, the difference in Warrior A vs. War B is subtle. Craft skills offer more freedom to diverge, but this is mostly due to harsh limits on migration and specialization.

This does make grouping arguably a more pleasureable experience as it is immediately apparent what strengths and weaknesses each class brings to the front, balancing out your crew is less of a chatty affair. It also means solo'ing can get brutally dull at times with all the pulling, redundant tactics, and resting you must endure, particularly around crowded mob areas. (Tho I -really- appreciate the sped up downtime for resting/respawns in this game. That is so great, keep me in the trenches longer)

As for PVP, I know jack shit about it. Until I hear some long term goals or rewards for taking the time to measure up my virtual penis to all the others online, I don't follow the allure of it. That's not to say I wouldn't drop in and help out a massive siege attempt if I was in the zone. That would be nifty just to witness, but this game unfortunately isn't some freeform Disciples 2.

9.5 is a bit overzealous, but the game is mighty impressive. 21 fun-filled levels in beta but I am still hesitant about which MMO to spill time and money into, if any at all.

Oh yea, and the instance dungeons are a total hoot in WoW as mentioned above. One particular one in Westfall has you taking down 3 minibosses including a massive goblin-piloted warmech en route to an underground basin where a hulking pirate ship and its crew required a swift kick in the arse. It was pretty awesome.
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
ima 9.8 on hotornot and I play WoW so there
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I don't know how that's relevant, so I suspect you just like telling people that.

Anyway, I don't think I said that all WoW players are losers (I might THINK that, of course). Just that it's the type of game that would probably rob me of a whole lot of time, however much I may enjoy it.
 
Well to be fair, the best is not possible from a balanced player. Only so many levels, so many points possible. Having groups made of people with maxxed elements (ala diablo) is a more efficient fighting group. I suspect while PvP would be one on one, single spells will be ferreted out as top tier and make the others for the most part obsolete. Itd be nice to see mmorpgs eliminate this, but then everyone would be balanced. Not sure how this could be fixed.

WoW gouping wont get chatty until things develop in the universe. Right now everyone is so focused on getting the most of their logon time FOR WHATEVER REASON.

Personally im a PvE kinda guy anyway. Having some cheesy speccer murder me with a super buffed spell isnt exactly skill.
 
ego.jpg
 
Lets be level. WoW caters to MOST of us, which are a part of an ELEMENT of society that likes WWE, mountain dew, tool, being a jerk, bad drivers, loud sports fans and couch jockeys, clubbin, casual....

Its the people who seem to think MMORPG didnt exist until WoW. Not to say WoW players on this forum fit this demographic, but its certainly a part of it. Ive been playing PC games for a very long time, and have seen a lot of mmorpgs come and go. Maybe thats why im not impressed as easy.

General rule of mine for MMORPGS is give it 6 months.
 
I saved all my sorc points in DIIX until about level 30 and then dumped everything into that freezing orb spell. Went from tossing puny level 2 ice shards for a dozen tedious hours, to suddenly becoming deathmaiden incarnate with a click of the mouse. Diablo 2 is both hilarious and stupid like that.

Not sure if that is your concern about WoW(or MMO in general), but progression isn't so informal in my experience as a game of Diablo. But regardless, I do really dig the PVE stuff myself. WoW particularly has a very rich and involving world to plunder.
 
Well DAoC's PvE is fantastic, thanks to having been out a lot longer. And really thats all I want. Im concerned about the PvP/RvR because from all I can see, hitting the result that is clear even in DAoC, the first MMORPG to put the elements into place on a successful level, is inevitable.
 
I'm loving this game. My first MMORPG. I was interested in WoW because of the resting element since I have a full time job. However, the timing of th game's release with the 4 day thanksgiving weekend and me being sick at the time resulted in logging around 90 hours. Far from the casual play I was expecting, but very fun nonetheless. I'm not complaining. I think the score is too low. By the time Blizzard patches this game and tweaks the high end play, this game deserves a 10.0.
 
Just that it's the type of game that would probably rob me of a whole lot of time, however much I may enjoy it.
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I don't understand your line of reasoning here.

I might enjoy the game too much, so I'm not going to play it? :D
 
Definitely don't agree with that review at all. Gamespot, as with many others, are blinded by the Blizzard... Game is alright, but once you look past it's attractive graphics, its no different then every other MMO that's ever come out... Good for first timers, bad for those spoiled by Ultima Online...
 
As for PVP, I know jack shit about it. Until I hear some long term goals or rewards for taking the time to measure up my virtual penis to all the others online, I don't follow the allure of it.
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The same argument can be made for fighting games. There's no 'real' reward for beating others down. You either like winning or you don't.

Suprisly, there is quite a bit of depth as far as I know in PvP combat. Just take a look at some of the threads in the Rogue section in WoW forums. Sure there are times you will get punked by some guy 20 lvls higher, but there are times when you can kill guys that are quite a few levels higher just by playing your cards right.
 
Spike said:
I remember Blizzard saying they have 5 years worth of storylines and events already planned for WoW.

I really need to get a new PC. No WoW/Pirates/Half-Life 2 = sad gamer.
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I was running the Beta below the minnimum specs and it ran just fine

P3 700mhz
old 32 MB radeon graphics card
320MB RAM
 
those wondering about PvP..

there are two types of servers, PvP, and normal.

Normal is like SWG. Horde/Alliance = Empire/Rebels. You have a PvP flag that you can either manually turn on, that gets turned on by attacking an NPC from the opposite side, or gets turned on from helping a PC who already has their flag turned on. You can then be attacked by other enemies with their PvP flag turned on, or by ones without their PvP flag turned on who then have it automatically turned on as a result. As I said, exactly like SWG.

Then you have the PvP servers. This is (I believe though have never played) like DAoC. PvP amongst opposite sides, 24/7. The main difference is that on the normal servers you can still wander into enemy territory and unless you are KOS by the NPCs can survive just fine. In PvP you are killable by anyone.

As for Blizzard's plans with PvP.. again it sounds very similar to SWG's plans. Battlefields, raids, zone control, etc.

As for the difficulty of the game.. yes you can solo through most standard quests up through your twenties (all the higher I am).... however for those saying that's all there is and it's too easy.. ummmmm. I have about 4-5 Elite Quests in my log right now.. if they are so easy, I am Garnock on Bloodhoof and would love for you to come and solo those for me.. because myself and two others got our asses kicked in one of them.. and it took 5 of us to get through another one, and we died quite a few times..

WoW is a 9.5 for one reason and one reason only.. it has something for everyone. It has the solo game, the raids, the extreme difficulty and the carebear difficulty, crafting or the ability to completely avoid crafting, etc.

Now if they could just keep the damn servers up and the lag down... I realize you have 200K simultaneous logins, but come on... we just gave you $12.5M in like 2 days.. you'd think that could buy yo a few extra servers... :P
 
Wario64 said:
9.5

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/worldofwarcraft/review.html

"The worst thing about World of Warcraft is that you can't just play it all the time. After all, chances are if you start, you'll never want to stop. Again, though, part of what makes this game so remarkable is it doesn't assume that all you have to do in your busy life is play this one game, and so it delivers a high-quality experience regardless of how much or how little time you're able to invest. Paradoxically, then, it can become the last game you'd need to play for weeks, months...who knows? The point is, World of Warcraft features an overall level of quality that's typically reserved for the best offline games, which have always had a leg up on online games in their ability to present tightly-woven, story-driven settings. But World of Warcraft achieves this in the context of a massive, evolving world populated by thousands of other players who you may choose to interact with, which makes the proceedings seem that much more meaningful. This is a stunning achievement that will make you feel privileged to be a game player."
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IAWTP
 
oh.. as for my impressions...

Warcrack. plain and simple. blizzard may have busted out the first MMORPG that can take the crown from EQ.
 
I brought it yesterday and already I'm hooked. The game is my first MMO and I can see why they are so addictive. I'm just playing on the normal server now so I can get all the basics down.

Anyone know what that "role playing" server is all about? The one where you have to have your character named properly for a fantasy game?
 
RP server are simply guideline servers. you are supposed to roleplay. no pulic out of character talking, no non-fantasy names, etc. They won't ban you from the game for violating these rules, but they will warn you and possibly remove your character from the server for repeated offenses..

basically if the idea of staying in character and acting out roleplaying doesn't appeal to you, stay away from them. they are the exact same types of servers, you just have to act differently on them.
 
Is the strategy guide for this game helpful / necessary? I'm going to pick it up today if I can find a copy (it was sold out last week).
 
Unison said:
Is the strategy guide for this game helpful / necessary? I'm going to pick it up today if I can find a copy (it was sold out last week).
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I haven't seen it yet, but I want one. The game is both intuitive and somewhat helpful with onscreen tips, but the world is so massive with the ability to interact with it being fairly complex that I think it would help if your new to this sort of game. As I am.
 
I dunno if a strategy guide is all that great. Depends what you're looking for... you can also just use thottbot to find quests, items, etc. without any walkthroughs.
 
royale said:
I don't understand your line of reasoning here.

I might enjoy the game too much, so I'm not going to play it? :D
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I get what he's saying....for himto get it maybe dangerous cause he might start getting additced to it and stop doing other, more important more interesting stuff.
 
there is actually a limited edition strategy guide from brady that is in a collectible binder... and they will release updates on their site (supposedly) that you can then printoff and add to the binder.

$30
 
I just picked the game up w/o the strategy guide (I can get it for cheaper @ Amazon than Gamestop anyhow). I guess I'll start playing tonight, presumably on the GAF clan's server.

I've never played a MMORPG before besides a two-day abortive attempt w/ Everquest, so it will be interesting to see if this pulls me in.

I have no idea what kind of character to create, though.
 
I am an extreme noob when it comes to MMORPGs. This may be my first one. Can someone asnwer a couple of questions.

1. Is combat turn based?
2. how much per month?

thanks
 
Combat is real-time, and the monthly fee is $14.99 if you choose the once-a-month plan. There is a plan that'll allow you to prepay for 6 months, that brings the montly fee down to $12.99.
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
ima 9.8 on hotornot and I play WoW so there
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This should be in the top 10 list of this year's most pathetic attempts at a reply. By the way, the guy on your avatar looks like an homosexual, and hotornot is a website aimed at people who aren't sure enough of their good looks BECAUSE they aren't used to getting people tell them they are good looking BECAUSE they don't meet people (or because they're NOT hot).
 
"Definitely don't agree with that review at all. Gamespot, as with many others, are blinded by the Blizzard... Game is alright, but once you look past it's attractive graphics, its no different then every other MMO that's ever come out... Good for first timers, bad for those spoiled by Ultima Online..."

I'm typically anti-Blizzard, and played UO through T2A and quit slightly after UO:R and I think it's great.
 
The only thing I'm concerned with is whether or not the questing system is good enough that I can go questing all the time. If it is, I'll probably play it for as long as the quests are good. I'm not for just randomly levelling up and that's why I stopped playing MMORPGs a while back - there just wasn't any point and the worlds never really changed. But if everything I'm hearing is accurate, you can treat this game as both a single player game and a multiplayer game - at which point I'm definitely interested in playing for at least 3-5 nights a week for the next 6 months.
 
Phoenix said:
The only thing I'm concerned with is whether or not the questing system is good enough that I can go questing all the time. If it is, I'll probably play it for as long as the quests are good. I'm not for just randomly levelling up and that's why I stopped playing MMORPGs a while back - there just wasn't any point and the worlds never really changed. But if everything I'm hearing is accurate, you can treat this game as both a single player game and a multiplayer game - at which point I'm definitely interested in playing for at least 3-5 nights a week for the next 6 months.
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You'll never run out of quests EVER. There's so fucking many, and t hey give you so much more exp than straight monster killing. Lots have a good story though (i rarely pay attention). I'm sure there's a nice intermingling of all this information that's constantly being crammed down my throat about who's doing what, why i'm trying to find this certain item or person.
 
During the beta, I did nothing BUT questing for 21 levels. Each region gives you a smattering of them, and the game does a great job maintaining balance so you constantly work on missions that reflect your level, and not pour time into solving easy trials with pithy rewards. The game labels them with a handy color-code system that highlights the average difficulty in comparison to your character(with a few labeled "Elite" quests for that extra dash of challenge and prestige for groups). The most interesting have been the ones that culminate in scouring an 'instance' dungeon, gorgeous and rewarding those places are.

My only complaint about questing(at least in stress beta) is that it can be difficult sometimes to recall exactly which NPC you must visit to recieve rewards. Usually the journal gives a good description on where to find them, but in some cases "In Stormwind" is a bit vague. Several times I had to ask in a public channel where I turn in these '10 red hats' or whatnot, but the community was amazingly helpful.

Still would be nice if a filter could be turned on the map which showed exact pinpoints of outstanding quest NPC's and such...
 
Brandon F said:
During the beta, I did nothing BUT questing for 21 levels. Each region gives you a smattering of them, and the game does a great job maintaining balance so you constantly work on missions that reflect your level(with a few labeled "Elite" quests for that extra dash of challenge and prestige).

My only complaint about questing(at least in stress beta) is that it can be difficult sometimes to recall exactly which NPC you must visit to recieve rewards. Usually the journal gives a good description on where to find them, but in some cases "In Stormwind" is a bit vague. Several times I had to ask in a public channel where I turn in these '10 red hats' or whatnot, but the community was amazingly helpful.

Still would be nice if a filter could be turned on the map which showed exact pinpoints of outstanding quest NPC's and such...
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Get Cosmos UI, then you can put a mark on your map for the quest start locations
http://www.cosmosui.org/

Server has been a bit spotty, but it works great.
There is a project to automatically do it, but they are concerned blizzard may find it enhances the game too much, but as of now you can do it yourself, which is cool by me.
 
Yea, I'll have to download something like that, I'd be happy just marking the map myself; I did it constantly in FFXI(particularly those hidden zone tablets)
 
The non-instance quests are really redundant in the first three areas that I played through most of the time. It was consistently fetch this or kill X amount of that up to the level I played in Open Beta (25). While it's nice that you're always tasked, it's annoying as heck to have to do those sort of quests all the time for each area. =/ The quest I really liked were the class specfici ones like for Paladin. It was really cool having to fight that wave of Defias Bandits and then trekking through dangerous territory to get the parts for Veligar's Fist. =O
 
non-instance quests are like that, even some instance quests are (although most of the "kill these guys in this instance" quests are actually more like "kill these bosses"). it just disguises the grind but it's entertaining at least... and there are enough quests for you to play somebody up to level 60 doing entirely different zones. I skipped a shitload of stuff in 2 whole zones on the guy I got to level 60 in the beta. I have no idea how many quests I left unfinished by the end of the beta on that guy but I'm sure it was tons as I still had an entire log of quests I hadn't finished, along with a lot of others I never even tried.

class quests are more unique since they're designed for each class's abilities... the only class whose quests I thought were really blah were the warrior as they just get different fighting challenges. although it's kind of fun doing the human one where you have to run up to the entrance of this cave while drunk under a time limit. but there's an early priest quest for a robe that has you go out and heal and buff an NPC, and there are other quests where you use your class's abilities for some specific goal like that. I like the hunter one (or at least the orc/troll hunter version) where you get this charm item and go practice taming 3 different beasts and then you learn the actual beast taming spell.

one thing that keeps me from feeling like the quests are tedious, even if they are mostly broken down into kill/collect/steal stuff, is that as you progress in levels you'll find that the quests have you fight a variety of mobs that have vastly different abilities and so on. quests that work as a series are also pretty good too if you like reading the text, since they tend to provide a more interesting story.
 
I don't believe the game should be rated that high.

It doesn't deserve a 9 in graphics.

I would also lower the tilt to something like 8, or perhaps 9 for 2 main reasons:
1. Stupid AH system/locations that really hinder a free flowing economy
2. The game is fantastic, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. It's not really a bad thing, but 10s shouldn't be thrown out so damn easily.
 
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