| Though massively multiplayer online role-playing | | | | specific detail about most of the various aspects |
| games have been around for years, it has taken | | | | of play. It's also important to point out that World |
| this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally | | | | of Warcraft runs fast and smooth. You can go |
| emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you | | | | from your desktop to being in-game in just |
| should play, no matter who you are. This is | | | | seconds, and it's virtually just one great, big, |
| because World of Warcraft brings out all the best | | | | seamless world. Loading times are as rare as they |
| aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of | | | | are brief. They only crop up when traveling |
| the best aspects of gaming in general. It also | | | | across the game's enormous continents or |
| features many of the specific characteristics that | | | | entering some specific higher-level zones that are |
| have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous | | | | instanced for each player group, which guarantees |
| games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, | | | | you a fresh challenge. |
| and successful. Of course, the company's past | | | | So World of Warcraft is painless to get into--with |
| track record did not guarantee that World of | | | | the possible exception of you needing a credit |
| Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such | | | | card or prepaid game card to create an account, |
| high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should | | | | as well as initially deciding on which sort of |
| it be missed. | | | | character to play, since so many of the options |
| In World of Warcraft, you create your alter ego | | | | seem like they could be interesting. And it turns |
| by choosing from a variety of colorful races and | | | | out they are. So why not try them all? The game |
| powerful classes, and then you begin exploring, | | | | lets you create multiple characters on the dozens |
| questing, and battling in Azeroth, the fantasy | | | | of different available "realms," each of which is a |
| setting featured in Blizzard's Warcraft real-time | | | | unique instance of the gameworld that is capable |
| strategy games. Fans of those games (especially | | | | of hosting thousands of simultaneous players. |
| Warcraft III and its expansion pack) will spot tons | | | | Some of the realms cater to role-playing fans |
| of references here, and they will be impressed at | | | | that prefer to play in character the whole time, |
| how faithfully World of Warcraft translates so | | | | while other realms are custom-tailored for |
| many of Warcraft's little details and even some | | | | player-versus-player action. Regardless, World of |
| of the finer points of its gameplay into such a | | | | Warcraft's realms are nicely (if not densely) |
| seemingly different style of game. Meanwhile, fans | | | | populated already, and the unfortunate issues with |
| of other online role-playing games will be | | | | login and lag that plagued the game when it first |
| impressed at the sheer breadth and volume of | | | | launched were mostly taken care of in a matter |
| content on display in World of Warcraft, whose | | | | of days. The game just has a solid feel to it that's |
| setting seamlessly connects a bunch of wildly | | | | uncharacteristic of the genre, and for an online |
| different-looking types of places and somehow | | | | RPG, World of Warcraft is surprisingly responsive. |
| makes them appear as if they all belong as parts | | | | Actually, no qualifications are necessary: World of |
| of a whole. | | | | Warcraft boasts the tight control and polished |
| World of Warcraft is superficially similar to | | | | presentation that's desirable in any kind of game. |
| numerous other games that came before it, and | | | | The imaginative world of Azeroth is already |
| it clearly draws inspiration from some of them. | | | | teeming with players. |
| The fundamentals are all here, such as fighting | | | | After countless hours spent playing, the great |
| dangerous creatures (optionally including other | | | | first impression doesn't wear off. This style of |
| players), exploring the countryside either alone or | | | | gaming is notorious for being a time sink and for |
| in the company of other players, undertaking | | | | effectively forcing players to engage in repetitive, |
| various quests, gaining experience levels and new | | | | monotonous gameplay for hours on end in order |
| abilities, and acquiring powerful items. However, | | | | to make progress. But in contrast, World of |
| directly comparing World of Warcraft with any of | | | | Warcraft will keep throwing variety at you, and |
| its predecessors would be almost like pitting a | | | | the combat system at the heart of it features |
| professional sports club against a school team. | | | | fast, visceral, action-packed battles that are fun |
| With all due respect to the other online | | | | and intense, whether you're fighting alone or in a |
| role-playing games out there, World of Warcraft | | | | group. Furthermore, World of Warcraft finally |
| is in a league of its own. The game clearly | | | | achieves that long-sought-after goal of many |
| benefits from not being the first of its kind, as | | | | massively multiplayer games, which is to make |
| the design issues that plagued previous online | | | | the player feel rewarded regardless of how much |
| role-playing games are handled extremely well in | | | | time he or she invests in a single sitting. |
| World of Warcraft. In addition, the game's own | | | | This is due to several key reasons. For one, |
| subtle innovations turn out to have a dramatic | | | | World of Warcraft has a nice, brisk pace to it, |
| impact on the flow of the action from minute to | | | | and the fast-loading, seamless world obviously has |
| minute, hour to hour, day to day, and beyond. So | | | | a lot to do with this. But, in addition, recovery |
| the particulars of the game's design--along with its | | | | times between battles are minimal, as even those |
| incredibly vast, beautiful, majestic world--translate | | | | characters without healing spells can still easily |
| into a one-of-a-kind experience that seems fresh | | | | recover from their wounds by using bandages, |
| and original in its own right. | | | | eating a quick meal, or just from natural healing. |
| Fortunately, the game is very approachable. World | | | | The battles themselves are quick, too, and they |
| of Warcraft is a complex game whose | | | | scale nicely so that higher-level encounters don't |
| complexity is carefully disguised by a simple, highly | | | | just seem to drag on. Yet the pacing of the |
| legible, uncluttered interface and an impressive 3D | | | | combat seems to strike a perfect balance, |
| graphics engine, which delivers high performance | | | | because it's not so hectic that those |
| on a wide range of systems while not skimping | | | | unaccustomed to fast-paced action games will |
| on pure flash. The game's interface is so slick and | | | | feel overwhelmed. You can also look forward to |
| easy to learn and understand, and the gameplay | | | | facing some fairly intelligent foes that will do such |
| itself is so quickly intuitive, that there isn't even a | | | | things as flee when injured, tag-team with their |
| tutorial to wade through; there are just some | | | | comrades, and use some dastardly special abilities |
| helpful, optional pop-up tool tips, as well as an | | | | against you. |
| excellent printed reference manual that goes into | | | | |