World of Warcraft

What's up world? This week I'm gonna be taking a gander at the one and only World of Warcraft. WoW has been arguably currently the most popular and widely played MMORPG ever, sparking comic book series, card games, soda bottle labels, and even restaurants. Now I'm just going to start off with the fact that WoW is one of the best games that I have ever played, but lets figure out why. FIrst off there is the overall governing lore and story lines. The creative team at Blizzard entertainment has conjured up oodles of sword and sorcery stories that drive the game along its track, whether people pay attention to them or not. Many people say that the lore has been a bit of a coin toss up till now. (for example, people can not stop complaining about the Burning Crusade expansion for some reason, personally I found it to have quite a compelling story line, but in all honesty it could have been better represented and narrated through the events and quest lines then it was) With the newest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, the story took a new focus on the undead Scourge, and the manipulation of history at the hands of the death god Yog'Saron. It seems that Blizzard actually took the criticism they got about the Burning Crusade, and worked it into Wrath. Not only is the main villain more present and tangible, but it's easier to follow the course of events now. I have enjoyed seeing what's happening in Northrend, and can't wait to see what comes out in the next expansion. (dps lfg H25m ice crown citadel).
Now lets look at the gameplay. The overall experience of playing the game has taken me a full year to get a hang of. There may be others with faster learning abilites than myself, I'm sure there are, but I feel that playing the game and taking advantage of all of the mechanics, as well as getting a feel for your class and role in a group, are not n00b friendly. What I currently know about playing the game, I either taught myself, or other players taught me. There are plenty of web sites on the net that help with this sort of thing, but it disturbs me that the in game tutorial and beginning quest lines do not go into the basics of group combat, or how to get your gear all customized for your preferred style of play, or even the nature of dungeons and raids. It's as if Blizzard assumes that people already know how to play the more high end parts of the game.
One more thing for the nature of gameplay, ahem... STOP NERFING DEATH KNIGHTS!!! Thank you for listening Blizzard.
Post game rewards, where do I start? Since like most RPG's WoW doesn't actually have a bonified ending, we can say that you start getting post game rewards after you hit level 80.
There is a lot of stuff to get as far as rewards go. First of all there are the high end dungeons. It's everyone's dream to have a complete suit of tier 8 equipment goodness (not tier 9, it just looks stupid), and with the latest patch, Call of the Crusade, it's now easier to get what with the new emblem revamps. (I still haven't made up my mind on whether or not that's a good thing) Of course it takes a good long time to get a full set of gear that compliments your play style, but when it's all over, it's time well spent.
Then there is the PVP system. Blizzard has made one of the most fun to use PVP experiences that I have ever played. There is no end to the rewards that you can get from a constant bashing of Alliance skulls. (That's right, I play a Horde. Read it and weep.) There are trinkets, armor sets, bonus items, mounts, everything from the kitchen sink, to the guest room toilet to get.
Then there are also achievements. Obviously drawing a clue from the Xbox360's addictive reward system, Blizzard has added almost a thousand goals and milestones to be reached by players. These achievements yield either achievement points (which serve no purpose other than bragging rights) or mounts, titles, and tabards.
Leveling system, they've all got one, lets see what makes this one so great. WoW's leveling system, is one of the most enjoyable leveling systems in RPG's that I have seen. It just takes a really long time to yield results. I have only had to sit in one place and grind experience a few times, which is quite a high point. Usually in a game, in order to gain a level advantage over enemies, I find myself grinding for days at a time, in WoW I did not find this necesarry. Sure, I ground my way through a few levels in order to move on to another area. I also appreciated the simplicity of the level up process, such as how your stats increase automatically based on your class, although the idea behind the talent trees should have been better conveyed.
Art concept, wouldnt be an rpg without it. The art for WoW is extremely well done in my opinion, what with the sheer epicness of the environments, the lethality of the weapons, and the disgust conjured by the more grotesque monsters. Ofcourse that as well has evolved over the course of the last five years. Over time, designs have grown more complex and more interesting to look at.
Well, thats all I can think of addressing for this week's post. Please leave a comment of some sort, constructive please, and I'll see you all next week. Blessings of the Nine upon you.