World of Warcraft
If you’re unfamiliar with Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game’s (MMORPG) then you are lucky enough to be able to say that you have not lost a quarter of your life to a game. I wouldn’t be surprised if we begin to see warning labels on these genre of games that are similar to those found on a Cigarette package, “Warning: Playing this game will take years off of your life.” World of Warcraft is no exception; the presentation of the game and the large world to explore will keep you playing for a long time to come.
I started with Everquest, years ago. I think I played for about 2 years. I have to admit when I played Everquest I was probably addicted to it in an unhealthy way. I played it WAY too much, got WAY little sleep, and it made my real life rather lethargic. During that time I even dabbled with Anarchy Online and Dark Age of Camelot, but Everquest was my true addiction. When I realized that it was too much, I auctioned my character and cancelled my account. I swore off MMORPG’s.
So now I buy World of Warcraft. I couldn’t help it; it looked good, TOO good. Luckily this go around I am aware of its addicting factors and I have actually been able to manage my time well without having the game interfere with my real life. Heck, I’ve only had dreams about the in game world once (which embarrassingly I was told that I was sleep talking through it all).
Let’s do lunch
The nice thing about World of Warcraft is that it is set up in such a way that you do not NEED to put in hour long Marathons to actually progress in the game. It is geared well for hard-core and casual players alike. You do not HAVE to depend on grouping to get decent experience. You can play the game in any style you want, choose any class that you like and still be efficient. In fact there is a system in game that yields players with extra experience if the player hasn’t played their character for a period of time.
There are 9 classes to choose from, which may not seem like a lot in comparison to other games of its kind. However every single class in this game feels unique. It is nice to know that every class is chiseled out rather than simply having a lot of classes to pick that all feel muddled. Not only that but they are all a lot of fun in their own kind of way. I am confident in saying that there is a class (or more) for everyone.
The online community works out fantastically. The items that players can make with their trade skills are actually useful and sought out for by other players as opposed to a system where the items you quest for are always more powerful than the player made ones; a problem I have seen from playing other MMORPG’s. The online economy is efficient and evident. With the in-game auction houses located in major cities some people spend a lot of their time buying and selling just to turn a profit. It’s easy to find people to group with and easy to form a guild which takes the frustration out of spending more time looking for a group than actually playing the game.
3,2,1 Contact!
On a technical presentation the game is beautiful both graphically and aurally. The developers actually did a way with the realistic looking renders and opted for a simpler stylish look. This type of staging presented a world that is awe-inspiring to explore which, as a bonus, isn’t overly taxing on even a relatively older PC setup. There is a very minimal amount of zone loading and each piece of land you explore has a different feel to it. The character models are well done and all have a distinct and sometimes quirky personality to them with their animations as well as their voiced emotes. The sound is equally impressive. I like the fact that time was put in to create the worlds using sound effects. For example if you are in a marsh expect to hear mosquitoes, water dripping, and birds in the air; it’s all very subtle but if the sound was taken away I guarantee it would not be the same experience. The music that is composed is pleasing to the ears and creates a sense of tension or serenity depending on the situations in game. The only way I can compare the music is to think of The Lord of the Rings.
Whether you’re an experienced player to the world of MMORPG’s or a new player thinking about trying out an experience like this, World of Warcraft is THE game to get out of everything available right now. The entire game feels as though Blizzard put every effort possible to create a package that comes together perfectly. They stuck with the same formula as past games, got rid of the annoyances and added a lot of their own flavor to produce one of the best games I have ever played.
- World of Warcraft
- by Dijita
- Published on February 1st, 2005
- Rating:
- 4.75 / 5
- Website:
- WorldofWarcraft.com
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