Warcraft on a massive scale

Before I proceed, I must let you, the reader, know that I have never played an MMORPG before. I never saw the need to pay a monthly fee for a game after plopping down $50.00 plus for it at the store. I've also read about the plethora of problems associated with such games. But after playing this game, I've changed my mind. But only for this game because that is how good I think it is.

Blizzard has already established themselves as great game makers. The Warcraft series has endured for ten years and will probably continue for far longer. One of the company's strong points is that the people who make the games are gamers themselves. That cannot be overlooked. They have a strong commitment to make their games good and even this one shows the care put into it.

Let's break it down!

*Graphics*

The game looks beautiful. Right down to the small rabbits that hop across the land, the art is gorgeous. The game, like most nowadays, does provide the option to turn off certain effects for slow end systems. To be honest though, without them, the game is not the same. Yes, it still looks great but the extras just make it that much better. The speed at which you connect will help or hurt here but I'll get into that below. The bottom line is that the graphics are beautiful and I'll leave it at that.

* Sound *

I've nothing really to say about the sound other then it is quite good. The music and the sound effects are all done well. A sheep sounds like a sheep. A mace hitting armor sounds just like you'd expect it to.

*Game play*

There are several ways to move you about. The first way is to use the keyboard arrow keys or the W, A, S, and D keys for forward, left, backward, or right respectfully. Then there is the mouse method. Hold down both buttons to walk forward and steer yourself around. You can even toggle autorun where you will run until you hit something (or something hits you hard enough.) The interface is easy to learn. Basically, all you have to do is read the manual and if that is not enough, Blizzard's website is decked out with all kinds of information.

The game takes place four years after the events of Warcraft III. The Legion has been driven from the world and the denizens of Azeroth have settle into one of two divisions: the Alliance which consists of humans, dwarves, gnomes, and the Night Elves, and the Horde comprised of the Orcs, the Tauren, the Trolls, and a branch of the undead called the Forsaken. The groups live on separate continents of the world divided by the great sea. Each side has their own agenda and for the moment, there is an uneasy peace. But this is Warcraft. There is rarely true peace.

You can choose from any of the eight playable races. You can also choose their appearance, their gender, etc. Each race has their own strengths and weaknesses. And there are several professions to choose from as well. Some professions are limited to certain races and affect how you play. A priest may not make a good hack and slash type but a warrior would. Along the same lines, warriors are not that good at healing. That's where skills come in. A warrior might not be good at magical healing but with the Alchemy skill, he could whip up a good healing potion. Skills compliment one another like Alchemy and Herbalism or mining and equipment manufacturing and each is taught to you by a master. You could take the herbalism skill to gather the herbs and have someone else make your potions for you if you wanted to. The more you use your skills, the better you become at using them. The same is for your weapons. You could find a weapon's master that could train you for better weapons then that piece of firewood club you have. And if you decide that Alchemy is not for you, you can unlearn the skill and take a new one. The can use the items you create yourself or trade or sell them to someone else.

The game is filled with over 2000 individual quests to perform. You can try some, one, or none at all. What you do in the game is up to you. Keep in mind what actions you do perform though. You have a reputation meter in the game. If it gets too bad, you might find yourself labeled K.O.S. (kill on sight.)

The servers are designed in three ways. There is the general server where whatever happens happens (within the rules of course.) Then there is the player vs player server where dueling with other players is "open season" so to speak. Finally, there is the roleplaying servers where people take seriously their characters and the character interaction. While player vs player is allowed here, it's not a free-for-all.

The thing I enjoy most about the game play is that Blizzard has a 100% no cheating policy. They will not tolerate hacks or mods to this game. As a matter of fact, two days after launching the game to the public, Blizzard banned the CD keys of several users who were using a speed hack. Having your CD key banned effectively locks you out of the game forever. The only way back in is to purchase another one. Just remember that when you click on "I agree" on the Terms of Service, you better follow the rules. These folks are serious.

The game is constantly monitored by Blizzard. Game Masters as they are called are watching at all times and take complaints seriously. Errors or bugs that are reported are immediately addressed. In my own experience, a quest was not working properly so I put in a report or ticket about it. I did not expect an immediate answer (it was almost 4am after all) but the next morning there was a response with a resolution. With this type of hands on approach, fixes will be completed even faster. And that includes adding more server space for players who find it difficult to get into the games due to high usage.

You can connect to the game through a dialup or a broadband connection. The broadband is preferred however. I tried it on dialup and found it too slow for my liking but the broadband had me smiling. The lag was almost non-existant!

*Overall*

Aside from the fact that deer and bunnies you can find in the forests will walk right by you as if you were a rock (not quite how these animals react to someone in their presence) and that you are not required to eat (though there are benefits if you do eat) I've no real complaints about the game as a whole. The world is yours to explore. If you can handle the monthly fee, it's money well spent. And coming from someone like me, that's a compliment to be sure!

10 out of 10.