An Impartial GuildWars 2 Review

GuildWars 2 Review

GuildWars 2 has been around for almost 2 months now, I’m a casual gamer and I’ve visited Tyria ever since the beta phase. When I started playing GW2, I haven’t played any other MMORPG on my spare time. Maybe because I really enjoy this game, however, I won’t be bias with my review – these are my honest views and opinions about this game. I know a lot of online gamers, especially those who we call “Hard Core” would really want to try out this popular franchise. Some of you might have already tasted a piece of the cake when ArenaNet offered GW2 for free during the beta phase. 

So, let’s go with the basics – what is GuildWars 2? For me, it’s an online role-playing game with new concepts and a fresh approach on an old theme-park style MMORPG, and we know that WoW (World of Warcraft) was famous because of that type of genre. Currently, the theme-park online RPG genre became the benchmark for other online RPG companies in creating their games. Basically, GW2 is a quest-based levelling game but with a twist – it’s the random events. Unlike other online games out there where you find your quest fixed in a particular location, in GW2 your quest is dynamic and scattered all over Tyria. This is a breath of fresh air for those who are tired of repetitive questing. Also, a dynamic event can set a series of chain reactions that can affect an entire zone in the game. This can give players plenty of things to do in the game. 

Another unique feature this game has brought to the table is its combat mechanics. Every profession can use both weapons and spells. Also, each weapon has its own sets of skills and every player is capable of blending their skills to produce awesome effects like the skill “Wall of Fire,” which the can player can use in creating flaming arrows, by shooting their arrows directly on that flaming wall.  ArenaNet also eliminated the need for a full-time healer, because every profession can be a healer – ensuring that every group can now finish a content without waiting for a priest/healer.

A ranger skill preview:

When you first create your character in GW2, you will notice that there is a personal story option. You can set your hero’s biography from scratch, and this will determine the entire story of your character throughout the game. So your character is not just another avatar, it has its own set of values and principles that can affect your quests. It also makes your character unique as compared to other heroes in Tyria.

Once you set foot on Tyria, you will be captivated with the beauty of the landscape including the classy structures in it. This is one of the most obvious strong points of GuildWars 2 – its graphics. Like its predecessor GuildWars Prophecy, that has presented a beautiful and realistic backdrop. I really commend ArenaNet for putting their efforts on graphics; because it’s easy to role-play your character in a believable world like Tyria.

As part of the Endgame, they made a battleground which they called WvWvW PvP (World Versus World Versus World), another fun factor that allows hundreds of players to compete against each other in a massive battle royale. The main objective is to get the most victory points on a particular battle map. The winning server will acquire bonuses and other neat stuffs for their characters.

Now let’s talk about the cost of playing GuildWars 2, actually – it’s not that expensive. You only need to buy the game at $59.99 and you can play it forever without any monthly fees. ArenaNet just followed their traditional business model by offering a free to play game after the initial purchase of its retail version. However, there will be an item shop available but this is only for cosmetics and convenience items only – not to boost your character’s attributes like in other online rpg games. Here are some more info about GW2.

Classes/Profession on the game:

·         Warrior – melee fighter.

·         Ranger – range specialist.

·         Elementalist – master of the magical elements (fire, earth, air and water).

·         Guardian – more like paladins, experts in protection magic.

·         Thief – more like rogues on other online games.

·         Engineer – traps, bombs and guns.

·         Mesmer – mind manipulators and illusionists. 

Races you can choose in the game:

·         Asura – cute, techno-freak and the smallest race on the game.

·         Human – the most influential race in Tyria.

·         Sylvari – they are plant-like creatures and they got their powers from nature.

·         Norn – the giants! massive and tall, they value the spirits of nature.

·      Charr    – the most militaristic race on the game, they are primal and war runs through their veins.

Nonetheless, this game is not a perfect game for everybody. If you’re the type of person who wants to play a sandbox or cement your legacy type of game, then you better play Eve Online or DarkFall. However, GW2 caters to both casual and role-players that like playing games that still follow a certain storyline rather than creating their own story. For me, I would still prefer GuildWars 2, because I still have a life of my own and I can no longer afford to invest all of my time on a sandbox game. Those games can take so much of your time.

GuildWars 2: Our Time Is Now Trailer

 

Posted in: MMORPG, online games