Guild Wars

[DeadThorn]

Never once have I imdiatly regretted a perchase. I always find a way to enjoy a game. But not this one, my freinds...DEFINATLY not this one.

Okay, first off, let me start out by saying: You get what you pay for. Meaing, no monthly fee= no customer service, no decent community to speak of, and poor gameplay. I mean, REALLY poor gameplay.

It was mind-numbingly boring, espically when you had to wander. And unless you're in a party, you're forced to wander through endless fields. Alone.

Ever solo in an unpopulated area of WoW or EQ? Know that feeling of lonliness? Well, basically they took that, and made an entire game around it.

And lets talk about community for a second. Now, I usually expect a couple of idiots to run around going "OMG CYBER!" in any game. But in this game...I saw it a record 20 times in 10 minutes. And people were responding, damnit!

Over all, its not ever worth your time. Go pick up a good game. I mean, sure, you'll have to spend 10 dollars a month or so...But games like WoW, EQ, and FFXI make it worth your while.

In A Nutshell: Don't Buy!!!

[junior]

I'm assuming that you didn't go on the first mission.

Once you do that, the game changes dramatically. You'll group up a lot more with other players, and you can also recruit henchmen to fill out your party as needed.

Also, if the chat in the city that you're in is particularly annoying, you can switch cities at the click of a button. Merely find the server listing at the top of the screen, and select another server from the drop down list. Your character will instantly switch to the selected server - where hopefully the chat channel will be a little more bearable.

[Kaylen]

I tend to agree (though I have no strong opinion either way at this point) with DeadThorn. I can't do the first mission because no one will group with me. When I'm sitting LFG for a half hour at level seven, that says something to me.. and that something is "log off." It'd probably go better if I knew some people who played it, but right now I lack the ambition to hunt down people to play with.

I offer no more review than "it's really, really boring without friends." That's also assuming it wouldn't be boring with friends.

[junior]

I don't think you need to group up to do the first mission. It makes things run a little smoother, but I don't believe its actually required.

iirc, the only things that *require* a group (or a partnership, rather, that early on in the game) are the Resurrection Signet quest (just outside the main gates), and the quest that takes place north of the wall. Both are completely optional (although the Signet quest allows you to get it without spending a skill point for it later on).

[Mondayn]

I'de have to disagree, I think Guild Wars is an excellent made game.

Gameplay: The game plays alot like any normal hack and slash game, with one exception. Skill sets are limited and you can build a method of play off of the limits of skills you can bring along with you on a mission. The idea of moderately smart henchman make the game enjoyable by one or more players in the game. The story driven missions that propell you through the game is a terrific hook to keep you playing to see what will happen next. Not to mention the decent story attatched to the over-all game (many twists in the plot).

Graphics: Only one word to describe the graphics, breath-taking. They are excellently done and run flawlessly on many low end machines. Sometimes you will catch yourself looking out over the cliff of a beach and just stand in awe at the beauty of it all.

Music: The music is done by one of the best known composers of video game music, Jeremy Soule, who's list includes, NeverWinter Nights, Dark Alliance, and many, many more games and movies.

Playability: With how the game is setup, you play a character to unlock skills, items and enchantments for your account so that you can create a custom made character already max level on a PvP only server. Now as odd as this may sound, most people will find it more enjoyable to play through the actual game itself since it offers so much more to the player. Although you are limited to 4 character slots per account, you can easily make many different number of great class combinations to play with in the game for your enjoyment.

Multi-player or Single?: Don't look at guild wars as an MMO. Instead, look at it as a regular game you would play on your PC that just happens to be online. It is entirely your choice to interact with the millions of others out there who play the game, and completely reasonable to beat the game with, or without them (I have done every single mission just with henchmen before).

Annoyances: A few annoyances that you will experience in the game, will be poor pathfinding, and sometimes, very difficult encounters that will require a good piece of luck at times. Otherwise, just keep in mind, it's a game and can be conquered!

Bottom-Line?: I advise everyone I know to get this game, wither you are an MMO fanatic or not. Why you ask? Because it is a game that plays on many levels and involves all of the enjoyable aspects of any great RPG / Hack n' Slash game today has to offer. It is good to spend 1 hour, or 8 hours a day on if you please. My final score gives it a 95% for getting everything right.

[Grand Inquisitor Cyrilus]

I'm with Mondayn on this one, it’s an excellent game by pretty much any measure. I might, however, just expand on his review.

First of all, all the game servers are integrated. There are two huge advantages to this: firstly, you can switch to a friend's server whenever you need to (friend and guild listings are global, so you'll know when they're online), and secondly you can always find a party. Playing at 3:30am local time? No worries, switch between the European / American servers. You get the idea.

Guild Wars has also done away with a lot of the pointless, frustrating elements found in WoW (not to pick on WoW, but it's the only other MMO I've played extensively). Most notably, you can re-pick attributes (think talent points) whenever you're in town. This might not sound like that big a deal, but it means you're not forced to choose between PvP or PvE, and it stops characters getting repetitive.
There's also a myriad of other niceties, of course... you can instantly travel to any city or outpost you've already visited, you get a quest compass to point you in the right direction, there's very few gathering quests (and even when they are, the drop rates are usually 100%... I only know of one exception), updates are streamed so you don't even notice them... the list goes on.

But the single, greatest virtue this game has going for it... they actually cared about detail. That’s what bugged me most about WoW - everything was so lazily done. Every tavern in every town was a lazy cut-paste job using the same layout, monsters are imported from one region to the next (more or less... murloc species#133405 might've been a darker shade of aqua than #133406), landscapes were just a randomised template with a few 'features' slapped on them, and so on.
In guild wars, however, the attention to detail is second to none. The quest and mission dialogue is genuinely interesting, each cinematic is complete with decent voice acting, the massive regions are stunningly crafted and have their own mob types... I'll stop now because you're probably getting sick of my excessive listing.

At any rate, I'd defiantly vouch for Mondayn's 95% rating. As does gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/guildwars/review.html). So there.

[junior]

Every tavern in every town was a lazy cut-paste job using the same layout,

Quick de-rail...

For what its worth, this particular feature of WoW was an intentional decision by the developers, and was intended as a nod toward WoW's RTS roots. Since RTS buildings all have a universal conformity, the decision was made to mirror that conformity within the game. Hence the reason why all of the inns, homes, barracks, towers, etc... all look more or less identical.

Just thought I'd mention it.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Guild Wars Review.

:wink:

As for Guild Wars...

You can't really say you've played the game until you've cleared the first mission. I can't really say more than this, but once you do you'll understand why I say this. Clear the mission. Solo it if you have to. Even without a partner, its still quite doable.

For what its worth, I generally find the first part of the game to be the most boring. There's a lot of running around, and a lot of quests that need to be done in order to maximize your experience (not required, but it makes the next part of the game go a lot faster). But once you're through that, the game gets better.

[Barore]

I found the game to be pretty good as well, so I'll toss in my own review:

The game does not require you to find a group of people every time you want to get something done. There is very little to "solo", so you must use the henchmen to get things accomplished. They work in much the same way as a group of people - they take their share of loot and gold. Henchmen are available in all town and missions, and are at the appropriate level for the area. The first mission can easily be done with you and a few henchmen. Their were only a few missions where people were actually needed to complete it.

The graphics in the game are done beautifully. Even on the low settings, they look great. One of the things that was a little disappointing is low level of character customization. You will probably, at some point in the game, run into someone who looks almost exactly like you.

You can change the skills of your character any time you are in town and adjust to many different situations. No one class is set to do one thing. There are many different strategies for every situation, and none of them are guarenteed to work out the way you want them to every time.

As for the community, unless you are in a guild, you don't really make as many friends as you would in any other MMO. Many times, you will group up for a mission and everyone will leave afterwards. There does tend to be quite a few morons - even more so than other games. There are good, friendly people - they are just harder to find.

Overall, Guild Wars is a fun game. It doesn't have as many things to do as other MMOs, but then again, there are no monthly fees.

[Stell]

I tend to agree (though I have no strong opinion either way at this point) with DeadThorn. I can't do the first mission because no one will group with me. When I'm sitting LFG for a half hour at level seven, that says something to me.. and that something is "log off." It'd probably go better if I knew some people who played it, but right now I lack the ambition to hunt down people to play with.

I offer no more review than "it's really, really boring without friends." That's also assuming it wouldn't be boring with friends.

For the first mission, just start it, and you'll be automatically put into a group.

[junior]

The first mission can easily be done with you and a few henchmen.

Actually, the mission that's generally being referred to as the "first mission" in this thread is the one you do before henchmen are available. It doesn't make much of a difference, though, as you'll receive NPC support during the mission regardless.

[Kaylen]

The mission I am referring to has henchmen available. It's at the Wall, after the Charr invasion (I forgot what the proper name for the time period switch is). The henchmen have proven useless for me, especially because they are only level 3.

If you are automatically placed in a party for this mission, I'll have to give it another try.

[junior]

Nope. Post-Searing, you create your own party.

As a monk, I had no trouble doing all of the Ansalon missions with only the henchmen providing support. I've heard that the henchman healer isn't the greatest at her assigned role, though I obviously didn't have to use her myself. Also, if its the mission I'm thinking of (first mission post-Searing), then toward the end...

[spoiler:330f3e9af5]There's a sequence that basically involves running like mad for friendly lines. Once you spot the Char army, all that matters is that one member of your party makes it back (it doesn't matter who just so long as one party member makes it back). Since henchmen will only follow the player, go ahead and expend them as necessary by ordering them to attack char that get too close to you.
[/spoiler:330f3e9af5]

[Allanon754]

Guild Wars > WoW end of story :D

[Dwingedxero]

yeah i heard some goods, and bads about this game but i'd like to expirence this for myself. some things ive heard is that the PvE is beyond a doubt superb...but also ive heard is that the PvP is good...but not as good as games suchs as WoW. (World of Warcraft), but im not much of a PvP person...so i want to take a crack at playing Guild Wars for the first time, and enjoying what possiblities i can accomplish in the game. :)

[Follun]

I really only have one word for this game, and that is disappointing. I first started playing Guild Wars in the beta, with the World Preview Events and then the beta for pre-orders. In beta, the game was amazing, gameplay was spectacular, PvE was everything you expect it to be, and above all else, the PvP was incredible. The game had the makings to be a huge hit. However, when it came out, it all changed. Missions took exponentially more time to accomplish, and there were many more of them (understandable of course). All of these were really good missions and really fun, but the only thing I have a gripe about is the time. Especially later on in the game (Crystal Desert and later), missions take very, very long to do, and you have to repeat them many, many times to accomplish them unless you have a well coordinated guild group. The players didn't really change much, as you will always have the kiddies playing a free game, but the fact that you can really do all the missions up to crystal desert with just henchmen made it really bad. Once you reached Crystal Desert, you were forced to group, and many people simply couldn't work in a group in that intense of an environment.

By far, the most disappointing and aggravating aspect that changed in the game from beta to release, however, was the PvP. In the beta, PvP played a huge role if you were in a guild. Sure, they had pre-made PvP characters and such, but to get a really good workable combination, you had to create your own build for PvP battles. That meant making a character, getting all the skills and such, and learning your role. In beta, this really wasn't too difficult, as sometimes you could use a pre-made and just switch some skills around. Making it yourself wasn't too bad either, as it was still fun to go through the missions and get skills yourself. However, once it was released and you reached lvl 20, you hit a road block. It took weeks to get a skill point at lvl 20 (i.e. going from level 20 and getting another level, which only gives you a skill point rather than a level). So, to get the necessary skills for a good PvP match, it would take months. This posed problems to many guilds whose player bases mainly participated in PvP. The game thrown to us as a casual game that you could get on for an hour or two and just have some fun now took weeks or even months to do anything at all on it. My guild virtually evaporated about a month and a half after the release, and all for the same reason. The game simply took too long, missions were tedious, and it was impossible to get into the good PvP that we all absolutely loved during beta testing.

[Trumble]

I played it untill I got to the area with all the snow. So I did some of the missions and stuff, but then I got tired of it. I enjoyed myself in the pre-searing era, and then the 1st few missions were interesting and some some cool scripted events. The people seemed ok, but with all the interconnected servers, a community isn't likely.

Anyway, I just got bored about about 10-15 hours of game play, but realy, 10-15 hours of movies costs about the same amount. So it's not a big loss.

[junior]

That meant making a character, getting all the skills and such, and learning your role. In beta, this really wasn't too difficult, as sometimes you could use a pre-made and just switch some skills around. Making it yourself wasn't too bad either, as it was still fun to go through the missions and get skills yourself. However, once it was released and you reached lvl 20, you hit a road block. It took weeks to get a skill point at lvl 20 (i.e. going from level 20 and getting another level, which only gives you a skill point rather than a level). So, to get the necessary skills for a good PvP match, it would take months. This posed problems to many guilds whose player bases mainly participated in PvP.

Just to double-check, you are aware that you can unlock skills (for PvP characters) strictly through PvP, correct? It takes a while to earn the number of points you need to unlock a skill, spell, or piece of equipment, but it is doable strictly by PvPing.

Also, while I don't know how things are for the other classes, I never really remember having that much trouble getting the skills I wanted for my monk. Most of the useful ones seemed to be quested (which means skill points aren't used). And I actually had more trouble getting the money I needed for skills than I did earning the skill points I needed. I'm not sure how my cash flow would compare to that of others, though.

[Artimus]

i got guild war. i thought it was fun for oh say, 1 hour. then the sucking began. and actually after 1 hour i had just finished sighing up, making a guy and managed to get out of the laggy ass town.
things i liked:
no mothly fee
things i hated:
poor art styel
game play sucked ass
level 20 cap
no one wanting to group
no real point in making it "online"
after 4 weeks only one server was still up and only 5 people were on it

ya id say the game sucks

[Joborab]

It reminds me of a free WoW.

[junior]

after 4 weeks only one server was still up and only 5 people were on it


Er...

You must have logged in to one of the less populated instances. I've never logged on and found less than a couple dozen people running around one of the main cities in at least one city instance. If I jump around to one of the higher numbered instances (say #3 or #4 - depending on how busy it is that day) I might see only a couple of people on-line. But otherwise I've never seen anything less than a whole mini-map full of dots signifying other players.

[bulldog]

I completely agree with the reviewee. It's no fun, other than the PvP, but even that's boring due to the fact i couldn't get past the 3rd PvP stage because of powergaming Koreans.

[reploidx]

When i first bought the game a month after it came out, i was expecting it to be like EQ and so when i jumped on it was very very confusing. But i did what seems most of the hardcore i want to be lvl 65 in a week gamers didn't, i reinstalled the game and viewed it as a completly different game.

and if you base the final product after the beta tests, then you really will be dissapointed, of course they arn't going to just hand you a lvl 20 super monster of death that you can manipulate, you need to do it yourself, and if you don't want to, then don't play the game. Most quests are a bunch of running around and doing stuff, but guess what, WoW and EQ does it as well, i remember running around on EQ1 and 2 running for what seemed like an hour of trying to get one mission done, then running back to a town to talk to said guy who gave me the quest, your going to run around, no matter what, so deal with it.

The one gripe i do have is the immature little 12 year olds that sit there and are like "ZOMG i'm so 7E3TXors, LOL!11!" cause you sit there and ask for a group, but they're like "i wanna sell such and such thing for a bunch of gold" or they just want to do one mission and then leave right away. There are people who do enjoy teaming up and doing quests with other people, i'm actually in a guild with people like that. But thats why NCsoft made henchmen, to get around the immature children.

The graphics are spectacular, i have sat there and viewed places in both pre/post-searing, but thats what i do, i love running around a place and viewing the sites, it adds the fun to my game experience, and the Music is awesome, and when i found out it was from the composer of Neverwinter Nights, i flipped because he did a wonderful job on that game as well.

So basically put, you wanna try something new, play this game, its fun and enjoyable if you want to run around and just hack and slash things with some NPCs or with your buds. But if you want something that has a ton more people, and you want to reach lvl 65 in a day or two, go play the bigger MMOs and pay 12 bucks a month.