James Wynn

In short this game is the epitome of all things great in this world, its mere presence shows that there is still hope in the industry for great things and innovation. Blizzard has out done themselves with this game, and it really makes me wonder, “Is it possible for these people to make a bad game?” To which I respond, “Nay! These are not men, they be gods!” Some day, perhaps I will have the privilege to work with greats such as these, but in the mean time I must settle for analyzing and studying the pure awesomeness that they produce.I suppose I should explain a little of why this game is so flawless. (1) The artwork has departed from the norm of the age by providing a more fantastic escape. The shapes are more cartoony and exaggerated, giving you the feeling that you truly are looking at some sort of fantasy dream world. (2) The quest system which is nearly always the driving force behind MMOs is tied superbly with your leveling and with the overall storyline of the game. If you just follow the quests that are presented to you, not only will you level at a steady and entertaining rate, but the plot of the game will unfold for you. In most other MMOs that I’ve played these were significant problems; always having to mindlessly level before you could take a quest, and having no real reason to take these quests if not only for the XP and the equipment gained from them. (3) Death. In this game death shows very little significance. True to the style of the heros in Warcraft III, when you die the only penalty is money. There is no XP loss, and definitely no leveling down. In fact, in death it still gives a small sense of adventure; you are thrust into an ethereal visage of the living world through which you must return to your corpse from the nearest graveyard and re-enter your body. The monetary penalty is only for fixing your equipment which, as should be expected for going through such an ordeal, is quite damaged.

The only negatives that could be said for the game are its tendencies to lag, but in Blizzard’s defense the initial sales numbers provided tremendously greater traffic then they were prepared for and pounded their poor servers into the ground. True, these lag issues should have been handled in beta, but it is still a damn fine game in spite.