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If they follow their form...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 49 / 82
Date: March 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

What I've noticed about Blizzard is that they don't do anything revolutionary, but they do the same old thing EXTREMELY well. Take StarCraft: Not the first real-time strategy game, but it was the best ever made at the time of its release. If Blizzard is wise enough to follow this method -- analyze, sculpt their own perfect version, release, rake in the money -- in the MMORPG field, we should have a killer game on our hands.

As I see it, Blizzard has three advantages over other companies who have made MMORPGs. First, the WarCraft universe has already been established through prior games, so bringing it into full multiplayer shouldn't be as difficult as creating a game out of whole cloth. Second, Blizzard has Battlenet, which has to be worth something in the way of gaining experience with large networks like the kind they'll need for WoW. Third, there are now several existing MMORPGs to look at and learn from before they try to make their own.

Now that there are a dozen or so MMORPGs available, it should be easy to spot the pros and cons of each. For example, EverQuest offers a very large world brimming over with content, but half the classes are broken, and there is no convenient way to get around. Each game has both good and bad points, and hopefully, Blizzard will pay enough attention to see what makes the games good or bad. If they do, they should achieve the same level of blissful entertainment their past offerings have yielded. I'm betting they will pull it off....but I'm also betting they'll push back the release a few more times.

Buy The Two Week Trial

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: November 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Having heard both good and bad tales of Blizzard's World of Warcraft, I felt I should look into the obscenely popular MMORPG for myself. I read many reviews, and talked to some friends, but what really gave me the best idea of the game is the 14-day trial CD Blizzard sells. I picked mine up for $1.99 at a local electronics store, and now that the trial period is coming to an end, I have made up my mind about WoW. It has its merits, and I can understand its popularity, but I cannot see myself paying month after month to play. As a longtime player of MMORPGs, I can say Blizzard has made a gem with this game, its well marketed and they clearly care about the gameworld and its content. Its popular for a reason, the price of the game is surprisingly attractive, and Blizzard can only be compared to a drug dealer in their very canny method of selling WoW. Like the $1.99 trial CD I bought, the first use is basically free, but the more you play the more you will pay (in respects to your monthly fee and time spent online). But enough about Blizzard and their wizardry of this game genere. The game itself is fun- at first. The graphics are nice, bright and somewhat cartoonish, few parents would object to what is displayed (with the exception of some young kids and the undead themes). What is said online is a completely different matter. I played on over a dozen different servers, some seemed friendly, others seemed filled with foul-mouthed, chattering, spamming malcontents who quickly led me to exit the server post haste. Everywhere I went the game was full of other players to interact with. Your first quests are easy, and leveling is quick and you really get a sense of accomplishment when you realize you have played for only a half hour and you have leveled up four or five times. My problem with the game is after that first half hour, the next half hour is identical (new quests, same idea- kill X monsters, deliver a letter to Mr. So-and-so in the town down the road) but the new quests are a little "harder" which in WoW just means slower. Very rarely is the game a challenge, but rather a test of endurance. You will have no trouble killing a spider, or finding your first 5 to slay, but once you have to find 35 for one quest, I started to wonder if I really wanted to spend my next two hours searching for spiders, or if I wanted to watch TV/read a book/play another game. Few foes give people real trouble, and joining in a group makes any battle easy because someone has always completed the quest before and knows exactly the best way to go about it. The entire game boils down to an over-glorified Easter egg hunt. You just run around in your designated level's playing field looking for beasts to kill so they can hopefully get you one step closer to completing a quest, or if you are lucky they will just drop useful items on their own. This held my excitement for a while, but I kept on finding that the further I progressed, the longer my search took for the next "egg". I would like to see what one giant raid quest was like, but I can't spend a month of my life to get there. Sorry WoW, you just aren't stimulating enough to keep me paying. I had fun in my two weeks, and they were arguably worth $1.99, but by the end I felt it was more of a chore rather than a game. I would rather work for pay, then pay for work.

A truly stunning game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: October 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been testing this game since the first beta push, when the first set of random people were let in, and when I first played I was stunned by a game which surpassed all my wildest dreams.
This was a game with graphics far beyond any I had ever seen in a MMORPG, which even ran smoothly on both of my computers. The gameplay was easy to grasp and smooth, and the learning curve was easy to adapt to. I had only played EQ before this in MMOs, and the contrast was stark, with all the clunkiness of EQ being lost. The game was not intended to be "grinding" (camping for hours and hours without respite), and they even added bonuses for coming back after a break of several hours, to encourage the players who do not devote that much time to the game.
The system requirements are low, and the game ran perfectly on both my rigs (Old one - GeForce Ti4200, P4 "Northwood" 2.2 Ghz, 256mb RAM, New one - ATI Radeon X800XT Platinum Edition, AMD Athlon FX-53, 2048mb RAM), with the old computer being roughly high end for three-four years ago. I, as a conscientioud tester, tried the game out on a variety of internet connections, and have learned that even a 56k will work, though it will suck for some PVP situations. Any low-end cable or DSL will be great, and you can run it on fairly high graphics quality with even a relatively low-end connection.
The graphics are good, and the art direction is amazing, with a distinctly cartoony feel which is unique to the WarCraft saga. While the graphical quality of EverQuest 2 (the upcoming game that will be WoW's greatest competitor) is higher, the system requirements are stellar, and the art direction is poor. In light of World of WarCraft, EverQuest seems to be a graphical hodge-podge of random fantasy elements.
The gameplay is easy to adapt to, and as I had said before, it does not aid powerplayers, and rather offers bonuses to those who spend more time outside of the world. The lower levels come quickly, and make one feel immersed in the game, while higher level play surrounds "instances" which are fulfilled by parties of up to 5.
The storyline and backstory behind WoW is amazingly deep and interesting, compared to other games. A glimpse and summary of this storyline can be found at worldofwarcraft.com. This story creates a world with a deep history, which further immerses the gamer. Thus, the world is by far the best world I have ever seen in a game, and World of WarCraft, though still missing some important things (unfinished classes, no racial traits, etc.) will certainly be worth peoples money. I reccommend that if one enjoys MMORPGs one should pre-order the Collectors Edition before people run out, but to the more undecided people I say you should play the Open Beta to see the world for free.

The EQ2 vs WoW Debate Answered

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: February 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

(Please note that this review is intended for those familiar with MMORPGs who are unsure as to which would be a better choice)

There seems to be an unceasing war between fans of Everquest 2 (EQ2) and World of Warcraft (WoW) about which is better. Both parties seem to have an endless amount of terrible things to say about the other game, the other game's players, and the company behind the games.

Having played both games for over two months and having achieved a moderate amount of success in both, my opinion is this:

EQ2 is extremely community-centric. On average, especially on roleplaying servers, the players are friendly and, if not friendly, tolerable. Most are actively looking to take part in the community aspect of the game and enjoy playing with others. The game's solo vs group dynamic clearly enforces this: although the devs have done a lot to improve the solo game, EQ2 remains almost a completely group-oriented game past level 20 for all players, past level 10 for some classes. If you want to solo, you can, but you will advance much more slowly than the average group will. Leveling also takes time: although the first ten levels and to a lesser extent the next ten can be achieved in a week of moderate playing, levels 20-50 take a significant amount of time to achieve and require a certain dedication to building relationships with other players in order to have a group readily available. The developers of EQ2 also seemed to focus on immersion in a fantasy world, which lends itself to more in-depth roleplaying (which, not to be discriminatory, has resulted in a much older average age in the player base).

WoW, on the other hand, is EXTREMELY solo friendly. I leveled through 40 in a month with a moderate amount of solo play (10-20 hours/week). For those who do not have the time required to develop a lot of relationships online or do not have a lot of real-life friends playing the game with them, this makes WoW much more appealing. This game dynamic has, however, resulted in a fragmented player community made up mostly of people who do not understand group dynamics at a level necessary to accomplish group tasks. The cartoon-esque graphics and Warcraft name have also drawn a much younger crowd than EQ2, and it shows: griefers abound, instant-messaging shorthand is everywhere, and no one really seems committed to the idea of roleplaying.

So really, it's a choice: which of those two seems more appealing to you? If you want a more mature, community-based timesink of a game, EQ2 is probably your best bet. If you want a casual, soloable game that doesn't punish you for taking a week off but lacks anything even remotely resembling a decent online community, WoW is a much better choice.

Stop your whining...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: July 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have read the first 3 pages of reviews on this website, and frankly, i'm sick of it...

You all need to stop whining and complaining about how lame it is, and how you can't have fun, and can't find anyone to group with, and how you're too much of a p**** to ask a question.

I purchased this game after a recommendation from a co-worker, and have been hooked ever since. I work 8 hours a day, spend time with my fiancee, family, and friends, and still have enough time to spend with my guildies online. We have no one under 20 in the guild, so it's at a pretty mature lvl. Never had to wait to get in my server, which is always listed at a high population.

I've read that once you get to lvl 60, there's nothing to do. Yes, there is. Wait for the expansion pack to come, help lower lvl guildies, or make a new character... Be creative.

As for the $15 a month, cut out on the Big Macs every day... $15 a month roughly equals $.50 a day, which is about the cost of a can of soda out of a machine. Can you not live without your daily Dr. Pepper?

Yes, there are alot of glitches in the game, alot of bugs, alot of things that need to be fixed. SO DOES EVERYTHING ELSE... Nothing is perfect... Issues are reported, then fixed. Some issues take longer than others to be resolved, but they do get fixed...

Currently, i have a lvl 25 Rouge and a lvl 52 paladin. Every time i log on, it gives me a chance to get to 60 to play with my guildies. call me a "noob" or "newb", however you want to incorrectly spell it, if you'd like. Get on with your life.

It is 100% possible to play WoW and lead a normal life. I'm living proof. Some days, i can't log on, but my life isn't over, because it doesn't rule me..

If you want to gripe, e-mail me. I'd be more than happy to hear what you have to say. If you agree with me, e-mail me as well.

stanley_theriot@yahoo.com

Enjoy Your WoW Experience

WoW sets the Gold Standard for all future MMRPGs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After playing this game relentlessly for nearly a week, I have to say that this is one of those rare games that exceeds the already high expectations that fans had for it. It truly is difficult to over praise this game, and I can't conceive of many gaming fans being disappointed in this one. It is remarkably successful on nearly every level, working well for power gamers or casual gamers, for those who delight in PvP (Player versus Player, rather than PvE, Player versus Environment) and those who want to avoid it, or people who like to hunt in groups or those who like to solo.

Blizzard has long enjoyed a well deserved reputation for producing among the best designed and bug free games in the PC gaming industry. While many other gaming companies would succumb to corporate pressure to release games that were either poorly designed or not quite ready, games like WARCRAFT, STARCRAFT, and DIABLO appeared with far fewer bugs than nearly any other company. Furthermore, their games were noted for their superb design, and for the groundbreaking work in various genres. The original Warcraft and especially Warcraft 2 were the games more responsible for the primacy of RTS (Real Time Strategy) games in the industry, and Diablo, while not a full blown Role-Playing Game, was nonetheless the game credited with reigniting widespread interest in RPGs. Warcraft 3 took the RTS genre a step further by blending in some RPG elements and essentially laid the groundwork for what would be their first MMRPG, World of Warcraft.

There are many things that I like about this game, in particular its quest-driven nature. The quests that drive the game (indeed, the second your character enters the world it will be greeted by a Non-Playing Character that will immediately give you a quest) manage to do several things at once. Most MMRPGs are a bit shapeless when you start. There is no clearly directed way to proceed. There is a formlessness, and what you do is largely dependent on the level of your character. World of Warcraft provides a shape to the play by a series of quests that manage to achieve several things at once. For instance, some direct you to kill some creatures that are appropriate for your level (most quests can only be activated by either your character's level or by having undertaken previous quests), while others provide you with cash merely for running errands, which allows you to learn the lay of the land. Some quests form the first of a string of interrelated quests, so that what might initially seem like one small quest ends up being one long one. Another way the game provides considerable guidance is by having a very reliable correspondence between your level and the level of other creatures. In most games, if you are level 21 you are nonetheless able to kill level 30 creatures. In WoW, if you are level 21, you are going to have a tough time killing a level 24 on your own. Because I primarily solo, I find this to be extremely helpful.

It is hard to emphasize how massive the game is and how large the world map is. There is a capital city representing each of the six major races in the game, and the size of those cities is scarcely to be grasped unless one visits them and sees for oneself. The one complaint that I could make is that the game is a bit hard to get around in. It is not impossible, however. At upper levels one can obtain a horse while for travel between large cities at lower levels one can take either griffins or zeppelins. I have not taken boat rides or the underground railroads, but I'm aware that these are available.

My one word of caution is that one absolutely must have a decent computer to play the game. While the game developers recommend at least a 64MB video card, I would recommend at least a 128MB (otherwise you have to turn down your video settings too far), and I wouldn't even contemplate playing the game on anything less than a high speed connection. I have cable and that provides me with great bandwidth and I would recommend at least cable or DSL for any prospective WoW gamer.

The first week of the game has seen a large amount of downtime due to Blizzard's brining up a host of new servers. Although Blizzard has perhaps the top reputation in the industry for dealing with difficulties ahead of time, they had no way to anticipate that they would get 250,000 new players in the first week alone. They have responded by adding a host of new servers to accommodate the extraordinary number of new players. And despite all this I have had absolutely no problem enjoying the game when I was able to log on. If one has the internet connection and computer hardware to play the game, I give this game my most enthusiastic recommendation.

Another High-Quality Blizzard Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 34
Date: September 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Recently I was fortunate enough to get in on Blizzard's Stress Test for World of Warcraft. First off, even under deliberately extreme conditions, World of Warcraft performs very well. The servers were initionally overloaded with players, but lag and game crashes were still kept to a minimum. Second, the game itself is very fun.

Basically, you have the option of either killing monsters to gain experience the traditional way or you can engage in any number of the countless quests Blizzard has put in the game. You don't have to continually kill/rest/repeat to level your character like in other games. The quests make World of Warcraft much more fun and interesting.

Another advantage to the game is the classes available. I've played them all and they're all fun and unique. Clerics do more than heal, fighters have more combat abilities to envolve players in fights, and warlocks... well, warlocks are just awesome.

My final point would be that the game's world well worth the monthy subscription. The two contients and multitude of islands available give you plenty to explore and do. Blizzard has also promised that one of the first world events will be players (intentionally or accidentally) re-opening the Dark Portal... So there is a lot more to come!

Anywho, World of Warcraft really doesn't contain anything monumentally revolutionary, but the game has many subtle innovations and improvements on old ideas that put it above the competition.

WoW correctly discribes this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: December 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have played both the open and closed Beta of the game prior to its release and now cant get enough of the thing. I have been playing RPG's for years but seldom enjoyed playing on line due to the "hard core" gamers that hang out there. This game changed all that. It has beautiful graphics, a very good story line and the game play choices allow for the enjoyment of both the "hard core" who like to stay up for days and brag about how quickly they beat the came and the casual gamers, such as myself, who may play for only an hour at a time and prefers to gradually get though the game just to enjoy the expierence.

Truely enjoy the game and would recomend it to anyone who liks RPG's regardless of their skill levels. There is truely room for all to enjoy the WoW expierence.

Best Game I Have Ever Played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: December 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

How do I love this game. Let me count the ways.

1. I love the graphics. Yeah, it is cartoonish, but in a comic book sort of way. There is an amazing amount of detail. When I first went to Storm Wind, I was amazed. It is simply a huge, majestic city. Iron Forge is even more stunning with the Great Forge and all the molten metal pouring down. I want to just travel around to look at things.

2. The quests are a lot of fun. Sometimes you collect, sometimes you kill, and sometimes you just deliver. It is always interesting and never quite the same. Each MOB is different from the other and pose a new set of challenges. Also the instanced dungeons are a nice touch. They provide unique challenges with many elite MOBs running around. You have to group together to fight in these areas.

3. The classes and races are very balanced. No one truly has the upperhand over any other. Each has it's own specialization. They also make it easy to play a variety of different characters. The only limit is time (and no more than 8 characters on one server <not absolutely sure about the number>).

4. Soulbound items are a great idea. More powerful items tend to be soulbound. This prevents players for trading these items to others who didn't have to work for them. They can still sell them to the vendor and get money for them.

5. Most creatures drop items and those items can be sold to a vendor or other PCs. This makes acquiring money much easier than in other games. Some even drop high level items.

6. Communication is fairly easy with the different chat channels and the customization. Barkers are a thing of the past. If you don't want to hear someone hawking their goods, change the chat preferences so that the trade channel is kept out of general chat.

I could go on, but I'm sure there is a size limit. If you want a fun game that will keep you entertained and keeps the "grind" to a minimum, BUY THIS GAME!

World of Warcraft..Best MMORPG yet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 19
Date: September 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There are several things about this game that will make it the ultimate MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). I bought Warcraft III when it was realeased a couple of years ago. I also bought The Frozen Throne exp. pack when that came out. I am a huge Warcraft Fan, and after testing this game, I can tell you..World of Warcraft puts Warcraft III to shame! The graphics themselves are outstanding and amazing. The whole 3D environment makes you feel like you are actually in the game. The world itself is incredible! and there are so many thing you can do.

For example, there are quests that you can undertake to gain experience points and gain levels. There are two main types of quests...Regular Quests and Life (or Epic) Quests. The Regular quests may take you a few days of gameplay to complete, but the Epic Quests you will probably never finish even after a year or so. This is what makes the game so real! To top things off...you can get a job (or 2). For example, you can decide to become a miner, and roam around the world finding mines and mining gold, copper, tin, precious stones, etc.. You can also take on a second "job" like Engineering or Blacksmithing. This way you can use the gold, etc...that you mined to make into weapons, armor, explosives, etc..for yourself or for others for a price.

There are so many classes that you can be also. The classes are: Paladin, Mage, Priest, Warrior, Druid, Rogue, Hunter, Shaman and Warlock. Each class has its own unique spells and attacks. Each one requires different types of clothing and can also only handle specific weapons (or can learn other weapons with training). Some classes are unique to the Alliance or the Horde (for ex. The Paladin is Alliance only). As you gain experiece and weapons, you can store gold, weapons, precious stones, etc..in a vault in the bank in your capital city. If you travel to another friendly city, you will also be able to access your vault there too.

Whatever city you decide to reside in, depending on your "job" you will be able to own your own shop where people can come in and place orders for whatever it is that you make. This is an easy and fun way to make tons of cash. There are 3 types of currency in the game... Gold pieces, Silver piece, and Copper pieces, however, if you want to trade goods for gems or anything else, that is your choice.

PROS:
- Excellent 3D graphics
- Tons of terrain to explore
- Team up with yor friends for quests
- fight PvP (player vs. Player) or in a group
- You control your destiny

CONS:
- Requires a monthly fee to play online (about 12-15 dollars per month)
- Requires a pretty good 3D graphics accelerator (but Blizzard has made the game complatable with a lot of cards).

This is the future of gaming! --- World of Warcraft---

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