Awesome game for not that much money :) But in my opinion the "campaign" is not that good but the PvP is more than amazing! This game was and is a big success and one of the best MMO games ever :)
Guild Wars 2 Review
Game Emblems
The Good
Guild Wars 2 is a paradise for explorers and thrill-seekers alike, and the best online role-playing game in years.
The cohesion comes from painterly techniques employed in textures, special effects, and even the interface. Look at the edges of spell effects and the trails of projectiles, and you see swirls that recall a painter's brushstrokes. The sides of the screen are embellished with subtle inky streaks, as if your entire view were being drawn in real time. Such techniques are most effective in lush meadows and forests: strips of green, gold, and mahogany make tree trunks seem as though they belong on a canvas, and forest canopies look like layers of acrylic due to subtle gradations of light and color. These touches aren't heavy-handed, but make Tyria more than just another fantasy world.
The 3D-as-2D approach is most obvious during cutscenes in which one or two 3D characters are superimposed upon a moving 2D background. These cinematics are attractive, if not particularly dramatic; the minimal staging doesn't effectively demonstrate emotion, nor does much of the acting from the Norn and human races. (The female Norn player character is excruciatingly inexpressive.) Atmospheric dialogue is more impressive, and some of it will tickle your funny bone. While the voice acting varies from poor to great, you can always count on the symphonic musical score to set an exact tone for every region and event. In a tranquil grove, a flute and oboe weave melodic threads in and out of each other--simple music for simple surroundings. Heavy drums and pungent trombone licks immediately evoke the ferocity of the Charr. It's a terrific soundtrack that stands on its own, but more importantly, it suits the world at large, its people, and its individual places.
Just as the visuals and music contrast the peaceful with the powerful, so too does your adventure. You might be leisurely crossing a lovely meadow, only to be alerted to a nearby world event. The event might then lead to another, ultimately culminating in a giant boss encounter or furious area-wide struggle for dominance. The fight may start small: a crowd of centaurs, easily defeated by the group of players the event has brought together. Soon, champion warbeasts have arrived, their sharp scales forcing you to work harder for victory. And then, a giant hand reaches from under the earth, as if a trapped golem is escaping from its underground prison. This ravaging battle isn't one you are expected to fight, but one you stumble upon as you roam the land. And that's the Guild Wars 2 experience: going about your business, only to be drawn into another battle, another hidden secret, or another bit of Tyrian lore.
Guild Wars 2's reimagining of so many role-playing standards has a downside: the game does a mediocre job of introducing you to its new way of thinking. Generic tips appear in your hints menu, but these aren't adequate teaching tools; playing Guild Wars 2 successfully means shedding preconceived notions and learning a new approach. But there's a lot to take in, and even after you switch gears, you still stumble upon information by accident, or are educated by other players. How do I unlock more traits? Which merchants sell gathering supplies? What crafting professions best complement my class? Simple information like this isn't as quick to come by as you might think, and visual cues and map markers either don't give a lot of information or aren't obvious about it.
This touch of obtuseness is notable in part because most aspects of Guild Wars 2 are designed to keep you playing instead of wasting time on typical MMOG padding. Need to free up some inventory and deposit crafting supplies in the bank? Do it right from your inventory screen. Want to travel across the entire continent? Forget mounts: just click on an unlocked waypoint and teleport there--for a nominal fee, of course. Want to access the trading post (that is, the player auction house)? Bring it up with the press of a key. (You need to visit a trade broker to pick up your supplies, however.)
Another great convenience: all races can be any class, so you needn't choose between an appealing character and an appealing set of skills. You'll come to appreciate that Guild Wars 2 values your time, and wonder why more games haven't implemented such features. Of course, you may also appreciate the lack of a monthly fee. You can buy certain conveniences from a real-money store--more inventory space, armor dyes, and whatnot--but you couldn't reasonably call Guild Wars 2 "pay to win."
Guild Wars 2's exploration value and creative restructuring of old concepts deserve praise--but so, too, does the moment-to-moment gameplay. Combat and movement feel exceptionally fluid and responsive, and much of this has to do with the way skills are implemented. Superficially, Guild Wars 2's combat system resembles that of other MMOGs, in the sense that you have a bar of skill icons at the bottom of the screen, and you perform attacks by pressing the hotkeys associated with them. But there's a deeper and more malleable system here than initially meets the eye, and once it's fully in play, you are consistently engaged with the action; you rarely just hit the auto-attack key and let the game do the work.
Notably, you have only 10 main skill slots--five to the left of your health orb, and five to the right. The ones on the left are associated with your equipped weapon. In the case of a two-handed weapon, all five slots are associated with that weapon; otherwise, they might be split between a primary weapon and a supplementary one. But you also have two sets of weapons at any given time, and can switch between them--and in doing so, access a completely different set of attacks. You even have different sets of weapons and skills when delving underwater, and automatically switch to them when submerged. Skill cooldown rates are quick, and being a successful player means frequently changing sets in combat. And that, in turn, means staying consistently busy during the battle.
By
Kevin VanOrd, Senior Editor
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
462 comments
@abhirajgoldy ya you can i started playing it 2 weeks ago and still alot of ppl play it its a fun game
I bought this game from guild wars 2 website for an offer, after hearing it needs no monthly or half-early subscription. The game is very good. I got new friends and they like me inside the game. I started the story by choosing the Brave warrior and went into level 5 within 2 days. Its awesome and it is a journey.
If you have a decent rig and constant internet connection then there is NO EXCUSE to miss this game . I don't play MMOs myself but after hearing that it need no subscription and once you buy it it's YOURS , I bought it . One of the best games out there , so much fun . Tera is also pretty cool , tried that out after that went F2P but this one is masterpiece .
1 Like I come here every now and then, scroll down to the comments, and count the number of new WoW vs. GW2 flame wars that have taken place since my last visit.
Enemies should stagger when they're hit. It is illogical for them to hit you while you're giving them a clean slice at that exact moment. No stagger reaction? No game. For kickass Combat system check out Vindictus, fairly recommended to those who do care about extreme combat systems.
http://vindictus.nexon.net/
Example of what a game should actually have for a combat system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMP8lr5rgpg
give it time, it's a trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03XCAwTR8w
@HardToImpress Are these games just with one time unlimited subscription i.e it requires only buying it. Please reply.
@vikieinstein @HardToImpress If its like the first Mabongi, then no, be ready to shell out a steady stream of cash since its pay 2, err, free 2 play then.
Gw2 > WoW... Compare it is ridiculous, Wow is old game far inferior then guild wars 2, every expansion don't add nothing relevant to the game only small content and some graphics improvement, but the game continue horrible comparing to recent mmos even with 3 years or more, the content continue to be generic and equal to most mmo!!! Wow invent the genre,. gw2 reinvent it. Gw2 is best mmorpg ever invent it until now, who said otherwise is just a poor ignorant... Wow is almost dead, every year the game have less people playing it, because it is a pay to play game. Far i know Wow right now have only 9 millions players not impressive if you ask me and most of then aren't active at all., most of famous FPS have more players then that and more active, normally the mmo genre have more players and active that why i compare it! The time where WoW was the game most played online are long gone, and are gone for like 5 years ago, these days you have loads of games Free to play to choose on the same level like Wow or even better, some game are free to play are better then wow, wow when come out like 10 years ago was a great innovation and the subscription base function because was the only game from is kind, in the last 5 years the subscription base games are gone almost, wow need to go free to play soon or will die... I don't even understand why some producers launch subscription base mmo, when they now that will gonna fail, that system is dead, and when there game come out after a while they turn the game free to play, some games don't have 1 year like TERA online, you have loads of subscription base games turn free to play games in the last years, Free to play is way more profitable and are proves and is a fact. That means people prefer to choose what to pay and don't be forced to pay monthly fees to play some game. And that gives large player base, most of the famous Free to play games have 4 5 the player base from WoW, like league of legends is one example of it. TERA turn free to play some days ago and have already more players then wow lol. If WoW come out these days even with good graphics gamespot probably will give 5 or 6... like they give to Aion! That score was given years ago... In that time you didn't have so many mmos like now. WoW will turn F2P soon, you wanna bet? They don't have choice, if they don't do it will let the game die, in a 1 year or 2 the game will F2P for sure.
@WillyWynnhahahahahah, you sure love wow,, not everything is about graphics tech you know.
world of warcraft is a masterpiece.
World of Warcraft DID NOT invent the genre, pal. Get your facts straight.
I was agreeing with you until you said that and I stopped reading. Yes wow is an old boat now and GW2 is definitely made some massive improvements over that trash.
1 Like @WillyWynn stopped reading at "Compare it is ridiculous, Wow is old game far inferior then guild wars 2"
It's clear with that statement you're a fanboy. Try some more subtlety next time.
1 Like @WillyWynn While I love GW2, this is stupidly illiterate and you need to think and research before you post a comment...
The fact that we are here comparing GW2 with Wow in itself i would say is a compliment to both games. Both have their good and bad. It all boils down to preference. I personally play them both because i like them both for their different play mechanics. Per the reviews GW2 knocked Wow off the mountain. Its about time someone did because to be honest i think as a pay to play WOW has gone too long without being able to balance equally the skill set of the different race, and as soon as you get your toon right to where you can survive with him they end up nuking him so bad you gotta rebuild him again and again with every patch or new add on its frustrating to me. I'm hoping Gw2 actually learns from Wow on what not to do. WOW has been on top so long they just got lazy. I have not played Gw2 that long but it is a nice change, but one day it to will get ....old Kirk Out
1 Like I'm sorry to say but I'm terribly disappointed by this game.This game just doesn't give me that feeling of curiosity to explore and try out different things(lol how ironic because the whole leveling system is based on exploring,isn't it?).There is not a specific reason but the whole world seems so plastic to me,everything looks so stationary. I've played this game for a short period of time,but that's the actual problem because every new game that is tremendously interesting will evoke an urge in you to play it(at least in my case). I've even tried PvP even if I played for so short period of time but guess what.....It sucks....Sorry again Anet despite you gave all your efforts in order to make this game as much PvP oriented as you possibly could,in my opinion it's a total miss.The reason why I say this is because the PvP in guild wars 2 transformed a classic way of fighting into a Zerg Fest Mode(You just get devoured by enormous number of players),as a matter of fact in many occasions you can't even see yourself in combat and BOOM you are dead.I've played WoW before GW2 and I was totally bored and turned off by Cataclysm so I didn't even bother buying Poke world nor I will but the first Blizzard releases ==>up to Lich King were magnificent,all of them created a sparkle of curiosity and excitement every time I logged on to my account(The glory days of WoW will never be forgotten nor overcome).I'm not a wow fanboy and I hate the game now (I ve not played it for year and a half now and I dont intend to come back).All in all Gw 2 is overly hyped game and It lived it's life for what "It should be" but not for what It actually is,the only positive thing that there is (my opinion) is extraordinary graphics(astonishing indeed).This is just my opinion so don't take it seriously if you like the game sure play it,but the game doesn't suit my taste(it doesn't mean it will not suit urs)
GW2 sucks ass.a lot of useless skils
Drop Nerf, Nerf Skill. Nerf everything so you to buy gems.
This game is a grind to win
ARENANERF
2 Like @cftsq lol wut? buy gems to win? =)) yeah seriously try harder
Gems is mostly cosmetic, in fact, i buy gems using gold rather than $$ jeeez o.O
1 Like What ruins this game for me is the classes. I've played it to 80 now and got two at 40 and after about 35 I just lose interest in the character. The interest in the character and a role always kept me playing wow and it was always great to get a new more-helpful spell that might help you in a particular situation with your role but in GW2 I just look at the skill points and think "do I really need a spell that turns my character into a wind/bear/leopard for 20 seconds? I can't elaborate on any role and this affects the game-play because I just find myself thinking, "my heal is on cooldown", I don't have any alternative spells we are going to wipe. You don't have the sense where you can intervene in any meaningful way. In WoW a good tank and a good healer can carry a party so you can have a mildly enjoyable time and more or less guarantee a smooth run even with a party full of idiots but in GW 2 the lack of specialisation really denudes from the engagement. That's why it feels superficial. I can see why they did it, to get around needing a tank and healer but making groups is still difficult and people don't play cooperatively anyway. I mean, people simply don't group in these games. I wonder why so many play on line multiplayer games since few seem to want to cooperate.
GW 2 is a magnificent game-world and it's all well executed and it is a landmark game but if they'd had a tank-healer mechanic it would have been twice the game and would have redefined the MMO space. As it is, it's perpetually frustrating and superficial to play. WoW's characters and the mechanics are its greatest strengths. I did enjoy levelling the character in wow in a way I simply don't in GW 2. In the end, I got sick of WoW and I am no longer prepared to pay-to-play with so many free-to-play games on the market. Anyone wants to join me and level in GW 2 let me know. I'll play it for now.
just to clarify-they lied out there teethe about what the game was going to be. They completely abandoned their manifesto. Class balancing is an absurd joke. Rendering is the biggest joke in the game. In WvWvW you see no one on your screen but your being killed. About the time you die 30 enemies render on your screen. The dungeons are just a zerg til you die rinse repeat til the boss is down. How can anyone take this game seriously? I went back to WoW (much to my disdain, but hey-at least their game works).
@Howthe1564 quad core hp with upgraded graphics card. the rendering problem in GW2 has nothing to do with the quality of a users comp it is a coding problem on arena nets side. everyone in game expieriences it regardless of comp. hope that helps. on a side note i just got darkfall 2 and the graphics are sweet and it looks to be a really good game for hardcore pvp'ers.
@Metroididiot @krustydog @Howthe1564 could be his internet;s bad... when i had connection issues, the zerg loads too long as well, but during times that they do work properly, everything is fine
@krustydog @Howthe1564 Said no one ever. I have worse specs than that and it loads perfect for me. Too bad your computer sucks.
got a full refund. asian grind fest by any other name is still an asian grind fest. only thing ground breaking is the ground i broke to bury this pos game.
Not new to gaming but a bit of a MMORPG noob. Maybe that explains it but I love this game where Wow had already lost my interest around the same amount of time. I played on but always felt like I really didn't have enough control over combat. Told a friend who plays a lot more MMORPGs than me to join and doesn't seem like he likes it. Its been called an "action RPG" and I can see why. People knock the dodge mechanic but it works just fine for me. I've also seen them complain about dying a lot. I'm assuming that if you're used to standing still and trading dice rolls then this might be a bit foreign to you. But if you play it more like a shooter and realize that you can get out of the way of the attacks you die way less.
Its also more realistic to me in that you can be walking by and get caught up in an event rather than waiting to talk to some person to start it. You can jump right into action going on around you. I was in a place where two events happen pretty close to each other and accidentally got caught in both and had a fight for my life on my hands. And since there's no splitting the reward anyone can run up and help out right in the middle of the event. I've seen people say this is chaotic but again I can't see how this is different than an FPS like Battlefield. Run up, take a position and fight to your characters strengths. Seems like what I've seen people do here.
From the looks of comments I've seen it just doesn't look like those that like the way MMO's are will like this game. I've learned a lot about what hardcore fans expect in an RPG just from reading about what they dislike in this game. But for those that are interested in adventure and storyline but don't want to completely give up manually controlled action and skill this may be the game for you. You get a huge world, a huge story line, character building and adventure without some of the things that might make an RPG dull to someone looking for action. Meanwhile you get a bit more control to fighting than just standing and trading dice rolls. To be honest I'd love to see more manually controlled combat and melee fighting but GW2 so far is feeding my appetite enough. Conclusion.... its probably going to be more interesting to folks that like real time action and may have felt MMORPGs were boring though I don't think it goes quite far enough.
1 Like @storm14k You wanna know why those "mmo" players dislike GW2? Simply because they are noobs who want to grind for hours to get a better gear and just win everything and kill while someone else is healing you, but in GW2 everyone has the same gear that is easy to obtain so the gameplay is all skills and team work and there is no healers so you gotta watch your back all the time. i've player a lot of mmos specially pvp-type game cuz I like competition and GW2 has the most competitive pvp scene because it's all based on skill and not gear (and i know spvp now I quite lacking but they will upgrade it in the upcoming patches)
Personally I think while GW2 is fun it just doesn't retain my interest very long. I have played World of Warcraft a while now and am having a great time in Pandaria. Before I get flamed which Im sure I will note this is just MY opinion. Something everyone is entitled to.
Personally I find the heart quests in GW2 unengaging. WoW has its share of dull quests but by and large Im enjoying Pandaria's quests more. The heart quests in guild wars 2 make leveling seem like a grind because you are doing the same thing to fill a bar to increase your relationship with a NPC for what a few gold? Very seldom you receive a award for completing these heart quests and the experience you get from killing monsters in negligible.
Personally I think WoW has better quest progression and leveling. I also have been thoroughly enjoying WoW's new race and class and the new dungeons really are quite fun.
Guild Wars 2 is a vibrant and rich world and I admire the fact that Arena Net wants you to get out there and explore. Another little thing that irritates me with GW2 is its cutscenes. They are far too static and you only watch as two characters point fingers at one another. The dialogue is voiced which is a plus but I think I would have liked to have seen more interaction. Mists of Pandaria's cutscenes are far more engaging in my opinion as you get to watch something unfold such as the Sha rising in Jade Forest. I would have thought that GW2 could have at least managed to make something a bit more engaging at least for the personal story quests. Which leads me to my next point.
I like the fact GW2 offers you a unique way to create your character. And the customization is nice. Overall though I felt the story was a bit uninspired. This is just my opinion but I found most of the story characters and the story itself thus far entirely forgettable. No one NPC or moment has really stood out for me aside from maybe the halloween Mad King event.
In Pandaria you meet figures like Chen Stormstout, Help Prince Anduin, meet the august celestials. These are figures you remember and become attached too.
In the end GW2 has qualities I like and those I dislike but Pandaria has my attention thus far. Another draw to Pandaria is the fact I still have friends who play.
GW2 is fun but wears thin for me which is why I play it in short play sessions. I tried to highlight some of the things I liked with GW2 to balance out what I don't like. In the end its about what you enjoy and for me I am enjoying my time in Pandaria.
"and the experience you get from killing monsters in negligible. Personally I think WoW has better quest progression and leveling."
Levels don't mean anything in GW2 because of the scaling. The only thing it does mean is what dungeon you're allowed to go into. It's a good and bad thing. You either like it the old way or the new way. Although, the game seems to put more emphasis and accomplishment when you discover a waypoint than raising a level lol.
"I like the fact GW2 offers you a unique way to create your character. "
I sort of agree but I don't remember what background I picked for my toons right after I created them. I was accepting rewards to boost dignity on my Mesmer and 2 weeks later realized I chose charm for my personal story. To this day, I still don't know what it's for.. and I don't care anymore.
2 Like Ultraevil88
Oh and i forgot to say, to people who bitch there is nothing to do at lvl 80 here is list what to do :
http://guildwars2hub.com/features/editorials/80-things-do-level-80
Lots of bugs has been fixed, and there are to 2 lvl 80 zones atm, not 1. And people who said that it took Arenanet to make game more then 5 years, I can say back well look how long Blizzard was doing WoW 10 fing years, game was full of bugs at the start now it will take 10 more years to make Warcraft 4 if they ever will. Do not take me wrong, I love WoW the best part was Vanilla and TBC but with flying mounts game lost all the fucking fun. And now do not let me start with Pandaria....
I am hardcore gamer, I play/played all sorts of games since I was 5, and I still dont get it why gamers must compare games, I just go mad mode and then I start comparing.
Bf3 or 2 with MW3 or 2 and son or with Medal of Honor
Or
Warcraft with Warhammer
Or
Age of Empires with Age of mythology
Or
Frycry with Crysis or Doom or Unreal
You get my point.
First look at the fucking title, ofc games will be different. Do not hope that GW2 will be WoW or Lineage2 or Aion, GW1.Connan and so on.
Every game has somthing different and comparing them does not make any fucking sense.
Try the game and have fun, and if you do not like it go back to other games that you like.
Back to GW2, I think game was made more for hardcore players thats the way I see it but still everyone can get in the end top gear even if you play 2-3h per day. Game has very nice art, Awesome graphics, huge world and it will be bigger in future, armors are awesome looking same weapons, and skill effects are godlike and its fast action.
Ohh and no monthly fee !!
Stay gamer, love games and have fun pew pew.
@dhop57 @Ultraevil88 ascended gear its the best thing to do at lvl 80..
Yeap its grindy but if you enjoy the game content you wont mind mush. Thats what i think any way
@Ultraevil88 "Oh and i forgot to say, to people who bitch there is nothing to do at lvl 80 here is list what to do :"
That list is a joke. Most of that can be, and is, done during the course of the game and has absolutely nothing to do with reaching 80.
1 Like Game is Awesome. I played 7 years WoW, GW1, Lineage 2 and so on and they cant come near something that GW2 has . Game has some bad things, but is not so bad again like WinrarNayru said. I would give GW2 score 9.6. For more good things to hear about game go on : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-_06Acj8Y
@WinrarNayru @MadamMim and most things you will see you have seen in previous zone, more or less.
@tjockis81 @WinrarNayru @MadamMim Agree. still they do montly content free thats a adds something fresh . Soft but interesting changes for the msot part.
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Guild Wars 2
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- Publisher(s): NCSOFT
- Developer(s): ArenaNet
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Release:
- ESRB: T
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