World of Warcraft is superb. Gamespot awarded it Game of the Year. It's easy to see why.....
User Rating: 9.6 | World of Warcraft PC
Game of the Year. A huge title, and one that is not taken lightly by Gamespot. Yet they felt that World of Warcraft is indeed the game that you must own. And, if I were to have an awards ceremony, I would concur with their choice. It is easily the best game of 2004. Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, or MMORPG's, are nothing new in gaming. They have been designed and played in for years now, and their addictive nature is well known - just think of the title Everquest, or Evercrack, as it is unofficially known. Addictive nature aside, MMO's have been coming along at a steady rate for the better part of a decade now - but there has been little talk of designing a game for the masses, with a licence such as Warcraft in mind. There have been attempts at this, but changing a title from a different genre into that of a MMO, whose gameplay stems much from it's co-existing gamers, has not had the greatest of success. And MMO's themselves haven't evolved as far as they should have either, and as such, are penalising to gamers who are not used to the nature of this genre. World of Warcraft sees to this effortlessly. If this is your first MMO, than you are really striking out in the dark - this is a very different genre to others, and as such, the gameplay and manual should be streamlined to make it easy and comforting. No such problem here, in fact, the Inventory and Action Bars have been designed exceptionally well, making it easy for the new adventurer to the veteran. There is no tutorial to speak of, but the website, handy tips and manual speak clearly and easily of whatever it is that you seek. As such, this is the perfect game to ease non-gamers into the folds of a truly great MMO, and one that will easily keep you gaming for months. After signing up and choosing your payment method, you than load the game proper. This is where you see just how quick the game is. Loading is remarkably fast, you can be in Azeroth in seconds. However, the first thing you need to do is choose a race and class for your character. There are eight races to choose from, split into two groups, the Horde and the Alliance. It is here you can choose from the Dwarf, Undead, Orc, Human and more. As well, you can tailor their appearance, and also their class, from a selection of nine, whether it be a Druid, Hunter, Shaman or more. Selecting a name for your character, you are then dropped into the World of Azeroth. But where in the world depends upon which type of character you choose. Creating different characters also starts you in different areas, even if you have two characters on the same side. An example of this is the Dwarfs, who start in Coldridge Valley, near Ironforge, the dwarf city. And the Night Elves, who begin their adventure in Shadowglen, near the Elvish capital of Darnassus. You are then easily informed of the gameplay by handy hints (which can be turned off), and the many NPC's in the world. Speaking to them, you can receive quests, which vary greatly. World of Warcraft is littered with quests, which you can take at will. Many come with restrictions on who can take them, so it is a good idea to try out different character combinations to get the most out of the quests, which are the backbone to the game. There are hundreds available, some multi-tasked and epic, and some as simple as running a hot beverage from one part of town to another. Some are timed, and others you may have to do in groups. The fantasy setting of Azeroth should be instantly familiar to fans of Blizzard's previous games Warcraft III and it's expansion, The Frozen Throne, and they have translated well to an MMO. The huge depth of content available has to be seen to be believed. And, if you allow yourself, you could find yourself playing for much longer than you originally intended. As a reference, it took me about 10 hours, which included general questing, to get from Coldridge Valley, to Ironforge with my Dwarf Paladin. This also included Mining and Blacksmithing, two of the several jobs which you can undertake. Coldridge Valley and Ironforge are part of the county of Dun Morogh, which is just one of the roughly 40 counties present in the game. The huge size of the game is incredible, you will be in for a truly epic adventure. This isn't off-putting though, as quests and skills will be given to you at a steady and easy to follow rate, and you will never be overcome by the epic size of the game. It will open up to you as you allow it - and through general levelling up of your character. Your skills also level up, and there is even reputations to uphold with the many kingdoms throughout the world. The storyline is well told, however, there is no need to follow any one story, quest or NPC. Much about what makes a MMO great is that you can do your own thing. If you feel like levelling up your character in a hard area, you can do this - and call upon friends, or even your guild, to help. If you feel like taking it easy, perhaps you can fish lazily while catching up with your guild, and seeing what they are plotting. The time is yours in World of Warcraft, you aren't hemmed in by anything - and you can travel freely over the vast continent. All the normal activities of MMO's are here, with questing, job abilities, skill learning and levelling. Fighting dangerous creatures, (or other characters), and just exploring are all presented. But they are presented just so well and effortlessly that you are geared easily into the type of gameplay that best suits you. From the casual enthusiast to the hardcore leveller, no-one is left out in the gameplay, and everything has been balanced well. The strong will usually overcome the weak, but more so than that, characters and monsters are matched well, with new powers, characters and monsters introduced evenly. World of Warcraft also brings some new elements to the MMO table, and do away with some of the annoyances that have come before. One of these is death. Dying is always going to occur in World of Warcraft, and indeed in any Online RPG. But World of Warcraft have taken it so that you don't lose experience, which is the norm, and instead take you out of battle, transporting your spirit to the nearest graveyard, where you can choose to return to your body, or speak to the Spirit Leader, who will reinstate your life for 25% durability of your equipped items. This means you can jump straight back into battle if you feel you can, without any penalty whatsoever, but if you felt that the area was too hard, return to life immediately and try elsewhere, but be penalised slightly for it. After many countless hours spent playing, the great first impressions don't wear off. In fact, the more you are drawn into the game, the more you discover. New opportunities, new quests, new monsters, or even starting over, with a new character, (you can make several on a single account) all contribute to the epic scale of the game. It appears seamless as well, with loading times all but eliminated in game and no loading screens except for the initial one that launches your adventure. Whether you invest a small or large amount of time into your character, your experience will always feel that you have accomplished something. The rewarding nature of the game doesn't just stop at the gameplay, but in just how that gameplay helps immerse you into the World. Thats where the graphical style of the game really draws you in. While not the best looking game, it has an artistically exaggerated style that is easy to get into. Forgoing true realism (this is a fantasy game, after all), the graphical style is pretty, stylish and reminiscent of Warcaft III and The Frozen Throne. Heavy outlines and overdone bright colour propel you forward, through the games many locations. Such is the size of the game, some initial worry may be had that the scope of the title may make the seamless feel early on not continue. You may lay those worries to rest - the game looks good from start to finish, and locations are ever changing, yet all feel part of a fantastic whole. Combat is easy-going in World of Warcaft. You never feel completely overwhelmed, and it will only be because you were bested by the enemy, rather than your slower reaction that you will be beaten. Enemies stay away from the roads, and main cities, congregate in the many mines and caves, and are spread out throughout the countryside. They can work together, inflict spells that may exploit weaknesses, and even run away in fear if you are stronger, only to come back for a second round. Experience gained is made to your level. Pummeling an easier enemy can be gratifying, but it's hardly rewarding. This will attract you to fighting harder enemies, such as those you must waste as part of your many quests. The music is easy to get into, without ever getting in the way of gameplay. A beautifully rich original Soundtrack by Jason Hayes, (who also did the soundtracks for other Blizzard titles, like Starcraft and Warcraft III) is provided. It's synchronised with the gameplay and cutscenes, and only makes itself really known when the heat is on. There is a great deal of ambient sound effects employed throughout the locations to draw you into the experience with chirping birds and blowing wind prominent. The voicing is also exceptional, with minimal but effective use which suprisingly makes every NPC feel unique, given the size of the world. This uniqueness continues in just about every element of the game. Whether this is through the clothing and feature system, which allows you to create characters that are unique to you, or the emote system, where you can wave, fart, or dance with others or on your own, there is no denying that each NPC exhibits a great deal of their own personality. This kind of personality is usually the norm of titles such as Bioware's Jade Empire, an offline single player focussed storyline RPG. The fact that Blizzard have achieved an Online equivalent, in a world teeming with thousands of unique characters is truly worthy of applaud. As such, the game feels more meaningful than your typical offline and even run of the norm online rpg's, with the individuality that you can place upon how you play and how your character evolves being truly remarkable. World of Warcraft is a stunning achievement in the evolution of online RPG's. It creates a truly unique world which you actively want to explore, and where you are encouraged to continue playing, as well as feel rewarded even if you haven't been. Every time you log into Azeroth you come away with a great gaming experience, and being accesible to even those not normally playing this style of game, I highly recommend it. Play World of Warcraft, you won't be disappointed. 
