WoW is like Bilbo and the ring - it's shiny when you first get it, but if you keep it too long it will stretch you....
WoW has no challenge anymore unless you are a pvp'er.
My rating of 8.0 is based on where the game is now.
WoW deserved it's 9.5 Gamespot rating, and i would strongly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys being 'lost and alone' in the world, as there is plenty of content and some terrific lands with equally atmospheric soundtracks to explore.
Unfortunately, the weakness of the creatures you will fight in this game fail to match up to the excellent lands and moody music that have been created.
In a nutshell, this game is just plain fun if you haven't played before.
On a side note, i'd like to say that although 'Star Wars : The Old Republic' isn't a 'WoW killer' (simply because WoW may never be beaten as the best mainstream MMO ever released), it most certainly has arrived at the very best time and it will take a fair chunk of bored WoW players along for the ride.
This is because TOR is the best game since WOW to enter the MMO market, and it is primed to carry the tag of number 1 MMO in the world in the not too distant future.
We will see...