World Of Warcraft

Level 70 Gnome Rogue with a Murloc!

World Of Warcraft (WoW) is easily the biggest MMORPG available at the time of writing this review. It also goes down in history as the most successful MMORPG of all time with around 11 million paying subscribers.

The game started life in 2004 with what is now referred to as "Vanilla WoW" (the original flavour) and was an instant hit. The original content lasted until late 2007, through various content patches adding more to the game as time went by. 2007 saw the first expansion, The Burning Crusade, with many game stores opening at midnight to launch it and selling 2.4 million copies in the first day across EU and North America. The second expansion, Wrath Of The Lich King, due on the 13th of November, 2008 and has a massive task of living up to the games that have come before it. That said, it is almost certainly going to be a huge hit as the WoW train continues steam rolling the MMO competition.

Many people would not consider this to be one of the great games as it does not fit the mould of most of the other games on that list, but in my opinion it has been one of the biggest gaming influences on me so far in my life and to not include it in this review wiki, would be stupid of me.

Plot & Influences

Normally I would sum up the plot here but with this game, the plot is so massive and has so many different sub-plots that I am simply going to link you to the World of Warcraft wiki site here and give you a VERY brief overview of the plot/objectives of the gameplay here.

The story of the game spans 4 games, 2 expansions and a massive library of novels so to sum it up here is simply impossible.

The main objectives in the game are listed below and you tackle them in the order listed.

• Level your character from 1 -70 (80 soon!)

• Kill players of the opposing faction (either in Player Versus Player battlegrounds or out in the world while levelling).

• Clear the dungeons in the game as you are levelling. Each dungeon has a level rating, that once you are over the maximum level, it is no longer challenging.

• Complete the level 70 dungeons on normal & heroic mode (heroic mode makes them harder).

• Aim to complete the raid content (raids are 10 or 25 player dungeons which grant the best gear in the game).

What is fun about this game?

• This is video gaming crack. The game draws the player in so deep that it is like being in a totally different world (which in my view is the number one aim of a role playing game, when you assume the role of the character you are playing on the screen). I have never found another game that I have found myself so immersed within. The storylines within the game are so well written that you can't help but feel part of the game.

• The reliance upon social relations within the game makes it hugely fun. You will meet other players from all over the world, people you would otherwise never meet, and complete the content together. Once your character reaches its maximum level, you also need to be part of a guild (in-game team) to complete the player versus environment (PVE) raiding content, which is a huge part of the game and is the culmination of many of the plot lines that were drawn as you levelled up across the vast continents put before you.

• There is also a large player versus player (PVP) element to the game. You can join battlegrounds (10-15 players in 2 teams, one team from the Alliance faction, the other from the Horde) or play in the arena ladder (2v2, 3v3 or 5v5 in a tight compact area which relies on very close teamwork, communication and skill to reach the top). Playing in these PVP sections gives you currency you can trade in for better equipment in game, which you can then use to get higher on the ladders or help you defeat other players in duels.

• Also from the PVP element is the fact you can gather together a group of your friends and go out into the world and start wars wherever you feel. Be it arranged with members of the opposite faction or charging into an enemy city and wreaking as much havoc as you can before you are taken down or have to retreat, it's all great fun. With Wrath Of The Lich King on the way and a whole new area of the upcoming continent dedicated to world PVP, only this time with destructable buildings and siege weapons, it can only get better with time.

• The end game raiding dungeons are a great part of the game. They require 10 or 25 players working in perfect harmony to complete. These dungeons consist of "trash mobs", which are enemies that will respawn over time and are easily beatable by the raid but always block the way to the next "boss" which is the aim of the dungeons. You must defeat all the bosses to clear the dungeon. Each boss will also drop items that get more powerful the more advanced the dungeon becomes. To defeat the bosses you must spend time learning the fight, with each boss having a different tactic than the last. The time spent attempting new content can be vast, with guilds spending many many hours and days before finally killing the bosses, but the high from learning and defeating the latest content will never change.

• Getting new items in game is fun. Helping to improve your character or just for showing off to other players. This element of the game is a total escape from reality and that is why I think it is so appealing and gives you such a buzz. No one in real life gives you new things for going to the shops or washing the dishes but in the game, doing menial tasks will grant you upgrades and these make the time you spend in the game feel very rewarding.

World Of Warcraft

World Of Warcraft

Intro

Method Guild vs. Kil'Jaeden (Part 1)

This is one of the best guilds in the game, doing raid content and killing the final boss of The Burning Crusade. As you can see from the action in this video, you have a lot of data on your screen as well as a lot going on, so it takes a huge amount of focus.

Method Guild vs. Kil'Jaeden (Part 2)

The second part of the above video, complete with nerd screams (you gotta forgive them, they were the second guild in the world to defeat him and pretty much won a free trip to Blizzcon for their guild).

Ragnaros Speed Kill

A fire based boss, against a raid made up of players whose attacks are frost based.

Player Versus Player

Player created video of his PVP play in the game.