The Past, Present & Future of MMORPGs

Blizzard's very first attempt at an MMORPG. Who would've guessed they'd ever venture beyond the realm of their popular RTS games? When I first heard about this game I was skeptical, fearing they'd gone the way of Ultima. You remember those old games that turned into a meaningless MMORPG? Luckily Blizzard has held its standards and has quite possibly turned out the best MMO game ever. Let's begin with the review, shall we?

~*Graphics: 10/10*~

To sum it up in a simple sentence: These graphics are incredible. Don't hop into this game and expect the word "incredible" to equal Half-Life 2 or something because this is no FPS. This is an MMORPG and that means this game isn't about how superior it is, but the experience that the graphics give. Turning that into something a lot of the more recent gamers will understand, allow me to elaborate on the game's environment.

You begin the game in the city or camp key to the race you chose. Immediately you'll see a world that makes you feel small by comparison. And you are small, make no difference there. You'll be able to look up into the treetops in the Night Elf realm of Teldrassil, look out across the sprawling plains inherent tp the Tauren homeland of Mulgore, observe the rugged lands of the Orcs and Trolls, and feel the chilly breeze in the icy realm of the Dwarves and Gnomes. Describe the scenery how you will at first, but you're only getting a taste of it.

Once you've done some work and have established yourself fairly well you can begin to really stretch out into the world. You'll quickly find that you can actually get lost out there without paying attention to your map, and I'm only saying that because you *will* be looking at the scenery. Even if you've gone through the place twenty times you'll occasionally turn your character's head just to stare off into the trees or hills.

Now focusing down into the NPC critters and player-characters you'll find that each one is well-done. Though you will see some"spin-offs" of the monsters (same models with different colors), can you honestly blame Blizzard for cutting themselves a little slack? It still makes the area feel unique in its own way. If you're an arachnaphobic and can't seeing spiders in any way, shape or form you may wish to steer clear of this game. There are spiders that seem to literally be *everywhere,* and they're about the size of your dog. Or much bigger. It depends on where you are in World of Warcraft.

Anyway, the animations in this game are rather fluid. Everything from the attack animation which varies per-weapon (and then per dual-wield or no) to simple emotes such as laughing, sitting, and even dancing or behaving like a chicken. All this adds up to some visual eye-candy you don't want to miss if you ever want MMORPGs to give you a good impression.

~*Sounds: 9/10*~

The reason I docked this category down a point is because the sounds, though performed well, are often reused. The NPC speech seems professional and expressive for as short as it is. You'll hear some familiar quips from various characters throughout the game, but since it is quite unending you'll likely hear them several times over. Not enough to drive you mad though.

Now on to the REAL power behind the sounds of this game. The music. World of Warcraft's music is simply INCREDIBLE. No other word can describe the variety and beauty of much of the music in this game. I myself am particularly fond of Stormwind's music (which sounds like something out of LotR or some such) and the must akin to the Night Elf forest realms. The music elsewhere remains good, but those're the music I like. Get the game and find your own or enjoy the same, in either case there's bound to be at least one piece of music in this game you'll hunt your drive for so you can listen to it.

~*Gameplay: 10/10*~

The meat and the bones. Gameplay in the sense I'm speaking is almost unheard of in MMORPGs. Basically every MMORPG has "quests" now, but what is a quest? Is it being given linear instructions and being told to go out and hunt some item BARELY above your current one in power? No, that's as low as you can possibly go on the scale. Quests are the foundation of this game because of Warcraft's immense story. They are executed professionally and provide reason (not to mention logic) for going to do something.

An example would be the very first Night Elf quest you'll likely undertake. The seasonal rains have blessed the forests near Shadowglen with an abundance of life, but the animals are taking a toll on their environment. If you're truly into playing a Night Elf, especially as a Druid, you'll feel an urgency to correct this imbalance. Thus your quest begins and you set out to slay Young Thistle Boars and Young Nightsabers, thinning the population and aiding in what nature will do so much more slowly in the coming months.

What do you get for doing this? Several things. Most people see only the superficial experience gain (which is actually WORTHWHILE) and whatever quest rewards you may get. However there is one thing that lurks in the background for your deed. You gain a minute amount of respect from the populace of the race you just assisted. Over time these deeds grow and you can see the changes in your Reputation window. Breach the realms of their respect and become more famous amongst the NPCs to gain discounts from every applicable vendor you buy from. Reaching Honored status (level above Friendly) gives you a 10% discount. How's THAT for a reward? Makes you feel recognized don't it?

Backing away from the quests now we turn and proceed into the realm of game controls. You can actually play this game with one hand! Most MMORPGs seem to be point-and-click only. In this one you can take your left hand, put it on the A, S, W and D keys and go from there. If you use the mouse for most of your directional control like I do you'll need both your hands though. Don't worry if you don't have the reflexes of a UT2k4 addict, you won't need them. You just need to be able to click or cycle your way through targets manually and attack 'em. The controls are very friendly and once you log in for the first time on your first character you're given help texts that appear as little "?" boxes in the bottom-middle of your screen. They assist you in getting the hang of the basics, leaving it up to you to refine your gaming ability.

Now what can you do as your character? Do you only walk around doing other peoples' bidding, gaining money and items? Only if you're not trying. If you want to get into the game then establish a profession for yourself! You can pick up Herbalism, Alchemy, Mining, Blacksmithy, Skinning, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Enchanting or Engineering as primary professions. Primary professions can only be had in a pair so you can be a supplier or you can gather supplies to trade. Heck, you could even be the guy with dual talent in creation fields. A Leatherworking Blacksmith who has his friends, guildmates, or just random people sell/give him the items they gather which he can use.

Is that all? Nope. You can have as many secondary professions as you can handle too! These "Secondary Professions" are Cooking, Fishing, and First Aid. Right now they aren't many, but they're rather useful. Fishing can prove quite profitable if you find the right places to fight, and First Aid is good for doing World Dungeons such as the Deadmines, Blackfathom Deeps and The Stockades. Cooking? Hey, whip up a meal for your friends and chow down heartily. Your skill at making things will allow them to feel stronger and possibly even more resilient than before.

~*Servers: 8/10*~

Didn't see this section coming didja? Didn't think so, but it is very important. There are three kinds of servers out there: PvP, Normal and RP. I'm not fully qualified to give opinions on either PvP or RP servers because I tend to play on the "normal" Player-vs-Environment server of Azjol-Nerub. For those who like PvP action I'm sure you can find quite some excitement in establishing yourself on a PvP server through the spilling of other peoples' blood. Into attempting an online roleplay? I don't know what to tell you, and that's the honest truth. I myself have no trust of RPing through an MMORPG even though it would seem the natural thing so I've never seen if the people on the RP servers actually *try.*

I've decided to add an important note here between paragraphs. You can PvP on all three servers, so don't avoid one or the other just because you think you won't be able to kill everything. In the PvE servers you must turn on your PvP in order to attack/be attacked by others with PvP enabled. I'm just guessing that the PvP servers are more heavily geared toward PvP play. That's pretty obvious, but enough banter. Let's finish up this review.

Despite what many have said about Blizzard's inability to do things correctly, I believe it's completely opposite. The servers Blizzard has provided us with have gone through an incredibly taxing trial due to the sheer number of people migrating like locusts upon World of Warcraft. The worst lag I've ever experienced was when my ISP had a hiccup in its system, thus it wasn't even Blizzard's fault. Funny, eh? These servers are quite reliable and spontaneous disconnects will be rare if you play on a server the game chooses as the most reliable for you. Still, a lot of work is still going into the servers so give 'em some slack. They're the only company I've ever seen openly apologize and extend play-time for those afflicted by serious server problems. They've got good people working to make this an enjoyable experience so be reasonable and patient. You'll have your giggles over this game.

~*Overall Score: 9/10. Common MMO Lag & Sounds Repetition Dock One Point*~

Final Note: Come visit the lovely realm of World of Warcraft. Unless MMORPGs aren't your thing, you're a flaming critic, or you're just crazy you will have a good time. But please, ignore General Chat. A marginally high percentage of people who broadcast in it are what many mature gamers would easily call a "Digital Plague."