Okay, I'm sitting here at work, and I'm so completely bored, and so completely obsessed with Warhammer Online, that I've signed up for this community, just to write up a review of my first impressions of the game, while I wait for 10pm so I can go home.

WAR

First off, I must start by saying just how awesome the collector's edition is for someone like me. (By like me I mean someone who's spent a very large chunk of their very short life being completely obsessed with Warhammer.) For me, even if I didn't like the game itself, I had 2 hard cover books, and a top quality Citadel Miniature to paint. Probably worth what I paid for the lot anyway. So I'm stoked.

Next, I'm installing the game, and, invariably, I'm comparing it to WoW, and again, I'm exctatic. WoW, as I have installed (mostly unsuccessfully) about 4 times, takes roughly 8 hours. And that was before the expansion. WAR on the other hand, I was online 2 hours after I bought the game.

So, I've bought the game, it's installed, patched, and I'm creating my character. I have to say, visually, the game isn't stunning. BUT, I must confess, it's been quite some time since I was blown away by a game's graphics. (By recollection the last 2 games have been LoZ Twilight Princess on Wii, and FF Crystal Chronicals on GCN, and those two are works of art.)

So anyway, I'm playing my new Marauder. I'm running the game on max, and it's just a scootch too hard core for my humble system, so it's a bit chuggy, but that's okay. I'm feeling in a forgiving mood. But then, I start questing. It's great. This game does NOT beat around the bush. 3 quests in, and I'm told to go into a PvP scenario. But what can I, a lowly rank one heathen do in a PvP situation? Answer... pretty much the same as everyone else. The scenarios are apparently level ballanced. This is great. Not only can I PVP early, but I can PVP on equal footing (to an extent) with others.

At this point I'm starkly reminded that in WoW, I hated PvP. Most specifically, all of it. It wasn't enjoyable for me, partly I think, because Fire mages aren't really that useful in PvP in WoW.

Now I've finished my first PvP session, and I immediately sign up for more. And I go about questing and PvPing for a bit when suddenly, in big letters on my screen, I am told I have just entered an area with an active Public Quest.

Good lord, that is the most fun I've had in a PvE event in a long time. And, in addition, ANYONE can join in. This is an awesome choice from the WAR developers. Screw looking for a group, if you see a quest in action, hell, join in! Your chance on winning loot is based on how much you participated, but you are rewarded for joining in whether you get loot or not.

By this point, it's getting late in the afternoon, and I have to pick up my girlfriend, and go to work, so my play stops for a while. But not to worry, I'll be returning to it in about 10 mins.

Huzzah for Warhammer online. I'm so very glad I got it!