The reason why people enjoy a good game such as GW...

niteblade

You see so much negativity in forums about the bad, thought I see what the community has good to say.  Any good stories out there?

Secrom

What I like? "Choice" and "Balance" (same old stuff I keep saying I know)

PvP based on how well you are prepared and how smart you play, not how much time you spend (balance). I can play a few minutes and still get something significant done.

I can fool around with skills and attribute as much as I like, and experiment a lot (choice).

New chapters aren't mandatory, you're not worse off PvP-wise if you don't take them (choice and balance).

Each profession combination offers new posibilities and replay value (choice). And since there is little grind involved before you can enjoy PvP (for roleplaying characters at least since you can also choose to create PvP-only avatars), rolling alts is actually meaningful if not encouraged (choice).

Heroes/henchmen are there if you prefer not to play with live characters every now and then (choice).

Technically it's gorgeous and atmospheric (personal taste), steamlined patches.

The game designers care about player feedback.

There are still things in GW I don't like much, however the positive aspects outweigh them by a good margin.

Erethorn

What I love about it ? One word - diversity. I have a ranger character. Only one character. I have 6 character slots and one char. And yet, in more than 1 year of playing, I haven't come close to discovering and testing all the  ways you can play a ranger primary in GW. From R/M interupter to R/N toucher to beast master to runner to...to......to......to......... the posibilities are just endless. I love playing PVP. And when I lose, I know it's because the other guy was either better or luckier than me. Not just a guy with no live living in his mom's basement whom  I'll never be able to beat because he has uber gear.... It's all up to your skills...

brownspank

I've played a lot of online RPGs, and Guild Wars would have to be (one of) the best in terms of storytelling and questing, IMO. The Prophecies background made me enjoy every quest, following the story intently. Add to this the instancing of areas, and you've got a nice RPG that you can play solo, or with friends (or strangers).

I did do a little PvP, but not that much to really comment on it.

VGJustice

There are two things I like about the game. Balance and Difficulty.

It doesn't matter what two classes you string together, or what 8 skills you use. If you use them well, there are thousands and thousands of potential combinations. Everything can work. So, unlike other ORPGs, you don't have to have the specific skill set that every other character of your class uses. You can make up your own set and run with it. Even in PvP, it's more about how you use the skills and your own tactics than what specific 8 skills are on your bar.

I like the game because I have to think about what I'm doing. Timing and positioning are king here. I can't just stand in place and mash the same button repeatedly (although, you used to be able to do that in a lot of high level places), you've gotta watch your sides and your energy. You've got to be able to move at the drop of a hat, and get to where you're needed most. A good team with crappy skills can SERIOUSLY outmanuver and outmatch most things in the game.

Yep, that's pretty much what's kept me entertained for 20~ months now. And I've liked the story. Guess I'm one of the few there.

CaleSentari

Things I like:

Not gear-centric:  A lvl 20 warrior cannot "pwn" another level 20 warrior because of his flash e-peen in his hand.  Player skills and tactics matter more, as do a knowledge of skills and general gameplay mechanics.  The solution to being better in PvP is not to grind PvE instances or dungeons.  The solution to being better in PvP is to play PvP and learn from experience or others that are good at PvP.  This is the #1 positive on the game, at least to me.

PvP Balance:  Not perfect I'm sure some would say but I find it pretty good all things considering.  People's opinions will differ on the overall quality of the PvP, but I think the balance is fairly good.

Graphics/Performance:  Fairly/Pretty good even on a slightly older rig, at least IMO.  People's opinions will differ.

Casual play: Easy to pick up and play casually, don't need to worry about paying a monthly sub or activating/deactivating accounts.  You also don't feel like your left behind when you don't play for a week or so in terms of experience being a difference.

Diversity in playing style: By this I mean the freedom to change attribute points and re-spec to different builds and/or specilizations.  Constructing well-working builds is always fun to experiment with and learn how to play the game better, and not just grind to increase your stats and thereby become a more effective player.

PvE:  To each his own, I enjoyed the PvE for what it was.  Somewhat linear in places, but as I said I enjoy the storylines upon first playing through them.  All of the fighting areas are instanced, which has it's ups and downs I suppose and again, people's opinions will differ.

A-Net: I think they do a solid job of resolving bugs on a whole, and I think they've done well to implement suggestions from the game's community, something you definately DO NOT always see.  Of course, they cannot please everyone and will do things that anger the community but they feel is right (as with any game developer).  But you cannot ignore several aspects of people's suggestions or concerns being addressed in the game.  I view them as a positive.

There are probably more.  As well as some things I'm not as happy with or maybe would like to see in this game that is available in other games.  But I also understand this game was made under a different mindset and Bus. model, so I understand it's shortcomings are reasonable.

Cheers

pureazure

Everyones pretty much summed the great points up.

What I also like about the PvP is that there is no external influences, such as potions, bandages and food.

Also, you start playing the game once you create your character, not many levels higher.

Man1ac

3 words to sum the game, Affordable, Beautiful and Brilliant.

Kyleran

I just deleted GW from my computer to make room for Vanguard.....



But I enjoyed GW for the 3 months that I played it.  Was an interesting concept, and the PvP was balanced as other folks have said.  Least Gear dependent game ive run into.... (but i like collecting gear... ) 



It is a good solid gaming experience and its not surprising that so many people enjoy it...... wasn't my style really ( I prefer more open worlds for exploring) but I did enjoy it while i was there