I rarely play computer games, unless I find them to be particularly worth of taking my time, the majority of games are not however a select few are. Classics such as HL2, the Zelda series, Mafia are a few examples. Typically I only play the most popular games.

Two Friday's ago I added another game to that list. The game in question was an MMORPG called Guild Wars, a type of game I have never played before but as my mates at Uni went into lengthy conversations about them I decided perhaps I should give one a go and see what the fuss is about. My mate Lee picked up a copy of Guild Wars Special Edition when we were in a game shop and pointed it out. Since Guild Wars was only £20 and had no subscription fee like the majority of MMORPG's I figured it was worth a gamble. To be honest the whole idea of a fantasy game with hit points and attack points and so forth put me off trying on in the first place, I have since been told that Guild Wars is not a "hardcore" RPG however.

After starting the game up, immediate confusion was upon me. This was no FPS! The style of play gave rise to hundreds of unanswered questions making settling into this type of game esp for a newcomer to MMORPG's quite daunting. However it was not long until the concept had set in and I quickly started learning from there on. First impressions of a game are very important in my opinion and my first impression of this game was that it was great. To me music is very important in a game and the score of this games soundtrack is very impressive indeed. Graphics are less important but I still like to see a good attempt have been made (technically there's no reason why every game can't look like HL2 if the dev's put the time into it). The graphics in this game are great. They are not on par with HL2 but are not that far away either. What I particularly like about them is how well they have been used. Good graphics is not just about a high poly count. Games with a low poly count can look good with a few special effects, the right lighting and good texture and Guild Wars is very good with the three mentioned above. This provides a very seamless playing experience where the user in not constantly reminded that about the virtual environment they are playing in due to lack of "atmosphere" created by poor lighting or fuzzy textures. Instead you can just get on with the game, taking the graphics for granted in many instances which is how a game should play.

From the cut scene you are treated to the track "Autumn in Ascalon" (perhaps my favorite track in the game) and some impressive graphics/cut scene/camera play. After that your on your own working your way through the game. You pick up quickly the fact that to make the most of this game, and in some cases the only way to play this game is with a party of real players (not computer players) and this is where the whole Multiplayer aspect comes in. First two players are needed to complete all the missions, later on the number of people you can have in a party grows. The best way to get members for your party is to join a guild which isn't hard as there are usually many people asking for members, I was recruited by Cult of Rakdos pretty early on . Otherwise you'll have to visit a public area and ask if anyone is interested in helping you do mission X.

As for gameplay I can't really comment on how this ranks as an MMORPG due to in being the only one I have played but I should imagine it's fairly similar to most and I have certainly enjoyed it to the point where I have spent far too much time on it after becoming addicted to it.

On a final note, if you want to trial the next version of this game for free I have three invites available. Just drop me an email at the usual address deusiah at gmail dot com and I'll email you back. You must do this before the 24th.



2 Comments

Dugahole Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia Joined: 27/03/05

Interesting, I have always being interested in playing a MMORPG but never have because I am still on dial up and the subscription cost. If telstra (bastards) ever decide that we should get broadband I will be sure to gice Guild Wars a go. As for your classic games I agree in part, except for Far Cry, and the noteable absence of Mafia. Far Cry just didnt do it for me I felt it was lacking something not sure what possibly the story line. I still play Zelda ocarina of time on my 64, its a fantastic game probably the most in depth and detailed games I have ever played.

Chris Location: West Midlands, UK Joined: 24/03/05	Well if you do ever get broadband just let me know, there's a new version of Guild Wars coming out in April so I wont stop playing it anytime soon. Regarding the classics, your quite right, Far Cry is not a classic. I only liked it because of it's then cutting edge graphics but never managed to play much of it. So I have replaced Far Cry with Mafia

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