Finally, a MMORPG for the casual gamer!

I've always wanted to like MMORPG's. I mean, I've been a hardcore PC gamer for some time now, and I love online games, so it would make sence that the combination of the two would be a match made in heaven. Well, so much for wishful thinking. While thousands of players who have hours to play per day surrounded themselves in a world that they could mold, the casual gamer was totally lost. Having "only" 2 hours a day was not enough to keep up with the pack, and the slow pace of MMORPG's only hampered the forming hatred between casual gamers and these massively multiplayer games.

My first introduction to MMORPG's was Final Fantasy XI (PLEASE NOTE: while I may badmouth FFXI a bit in this review, it is only due to comparison, and is in no way a backhanded attack on the game). My brother, a hardcore FFXI gamer convinced me that I would enjoy the game, so I decided to give it a try. I loaded the disks, waited for hours for patch information to download, recieved a worldpass to recieve permission to select my server, created my character and...

The Trouble With MMORPG's

...I soon found myself in a huge world, with hundreds of real people. The first thing I decide to do is look around town. I suddenly realize that nothing is in a logical spot. There are hundreds of NPC's, but none of them are helping me figure things out. I attempt to figure out the menu system, but I find that I'm confused by all the options. Everyone is in the auction house, yelling items they need, using in-game terms that I don't know yet. I attempt to as questions, but the upper levels seem to get upset. I decide to leave town and kill things. I select my first target, select attack, go up to it, and watch me trade blows for about 30 seconds. In fact, I do this for about an hour. I have no involvement as to what I'm doing other than selecting attack, watching my character swing, and hoping I tank longer than my opponent.

I also notice the world is huge, but I spend most of my time running everywhere. There are many enemies to kill, but I lose interest in the combat system that gives me no other option than "attack". I try to party with other members, but no one seems very interested. When I do join a party, it takes about 30 minutes to get everyone in the same place. When we all arrive and actually attack something, there are long periods of downtime. We kill something, we wait 2 minutes. We repeat this until we are all bored and decide to call it a night.

Determined to find something I like about the game, I play until I am lvl 20. Most of the time, I play solo, joining groups, only to find that I am still bored... in a group now though. Overall, I'm not impressed. Maybe I need something a little faster paced. Maybe it's that everyone I join in a group is leveling three times faster than I am. But like I said, I don't have hours to play all day. And when I do, it's maybe one day a week, not 6 hours, 7 days a week.

I sell my copy of FFXI. I am unimpressed by MMORPG's. My brother, a level 68 mage (with thousands of hours under his belt) tells me I should have stuck it out longer. My bordom gets the best of me though.

Time to Rethink What a MMORPG is!

It's take two for MMORPG. With so many positive reviews, I cannot hold out on World of Warcraft (WoW). With the giddyness of a schoolgirl, I install the game, download the patch, create a character, and...

... I am playing the game, killing things, learning the ropes, adventuring with other people, etc.. All of this in the first hour. I never even read the book. Anytime I appoach something that I need to know about, the game brings up a "tip box". The cities are big, but never too big that I waste time looking for things. When I need help, players are quick to answer questions. The starting area has starting characters. We are all noobs, and are still exploring.

The action is fast too. I begin with several spells, and I am doing different things from the start. No more watching blows being trade, I actively cast spells, use special attacks, and gain exp. Downtime is low, and I can usually kill a few things, rest a minute, and continue on.

Also, I have options. Do I want to play with other people and kill enemies (PvE), or kill everything including other people (PvP). Or do I want to keep the game real and stay in character (RP)? I pick the server, and thus, determine my goal of play.

I Could Write for Hours...

...but I won't. To save you a ton of in-game content that I would barely scratch the top of, and that I could do no justice to, please go to...
www.worldofwarcraft.com
...I have NEVER seen such a solid site for a game. If you cannot find the information you need there, you are playing a different game, or are fairly dumb. From classes to strategy, it's there. The thought of summarizing this game hurts my head, and I would imagine that reading some 100,000 words would put you into a deep sleep.

My, What a Pretty World You Have There

There are over 30 zones in WOW, and they are all huge. You can explore a single world for hours, then more on to the next one. It's very possible the you will never see everything, which is a shame because this game is very, very pretty. Sure, a few games have come out that look better, but that's not to say that this game isn't a looker. With all the options on, this game looks great. Cities look great (especially capitals). Your character looks good to. In fact, any time you equipt an item, your look changes. Why look like everyone else?

Did You Just Call Me a Troll?

As per usual, Blizzard creates a great soundtrack. the ambient music in the game is wonderful, and the sounds are very solid. There is a lot of text in the game when you talk to NPC's, but there is a lot of voice work, that at times is very funny. You can use voice emotes too, so you can have a word to say on occasion.

Just Click and Paste

This game will be the template that all other MMORPG's will follow. Everything is done right. Don't want to play with a bunch of strangers? Solo (which you can do, with ANY class). Hate to solo? Join people for quests. Want to level? Do some quests (there are thousands to do, and they give rewards and exp). Cities are logical. Inner world travel is easy to do. Meeting new people is fun. Having old friends is simple. Nothing feels hard to accomplish. Everything is in the place you hoped it would be.

Damn You Blizzard for Stealing My Time

There is almost too much to go on about. Gaining levels is easy to do. If you want elite items, make them. Gaining a trade is easy. Becoming good at it takes time, but it's so easy you won't care. Do you want to play all day. Go ahead. Can you only play an hour this week. No problem. The quest system lets you do something that doesn't take too long, and gives you solid exp. You never feel like you are wasting time. The game even sets you up that you level faster the longer you are away from the game. If your friends gain a few levels, you can catch up.

Not All is Good in the World

Of course, there are bad things about WoW. To start, the game is pricey. To maintain good servers, Blizzard charges you $15 a month to play. That's expensive for a game that costs $50 to start. You will find that your sever is down on occasion (which brings up a good point. Never be tied down with one character. You can create different one, on different servers with no problems).

There are also some immature players who thin they rule the realm, but are really just little kids with nothing to do after school. Don't let them get you down. They aren't as annoying as some of the quests in the game. Many require you to kill the same thing 9-10 times. Not very interesting, but thems the breaks sometimes.

So, in conclusion...

Graphics - 9.0 - Nothing truly stunning, but still, very pretty. Crank up the effects and stare in awe the first time you enter a new area.

Sound - 9.0 - The voice acting and music are all top notch. Blizzard knows how to get the job done.

Innovation - 9.5 - This is the MMORPG that all others will be compared to for years. Everything feels right. It's hard to describe, but you don't need to read anything to dive in and feel like a pro.

Gameplay - 10.0 Simply amazing. Fast at times, slow at times. It doesn't matter, the game rocks. You are in a living, breathing world, and you are part of it. Leveling is not a chore, it just leads to better things and better areas that you and your friends can explore.

Replay Value - You will be playing this for the next 3 years. I would bet anything on it. Blizzard is constantly adding things, and unlike some companies, they will stick with it for a while. Think of the expansion potencial. Mmmmm....

Overall - 47.5 out of 50 (95%)

PLEASE NOTE!!! While I try to give a good account of a game, WoW is too broad to describe in a review. If you want to learn about the game, please go to www.worldofwarcraft.com. If I wrote for the next 2 weeks, I would get through so little it would be an embarrassment to me and the WoW community.

My Gaming Rig:
2.6 Ghz P4 Processor (overclocked to 2.8 Ghz)
786 MB PC3200 DDR 400Mhz Ram in dual channels
9800 Radeon Pro (stock)
MSI 865-NeoP2 Motherboard