Originally posted by Vzlainel I've read many reviews (mostly informal) about WoW. I've also talked with two friends who were in the stress test. I have to admit that the overwhelming majority of the feedback was very positive. If I were to guess, less than 5% of the feedback I've read was negative. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but when its attached to MMORPG.COM then I would expect it to be unbiased. It is interesting that the preview's author has what looks to be an EQ2 banner at the bottom of the preview.
That being said, I have just read and heard far too much feedback where people are very positive about WoW to let this review alter my buying decisions.
unbiased?
Eveything writen by a human is biased, especially vidoe games. You reading a review that is one persons opinion of the game.
What was so negative, other than the lack spreading rainbows and candydrops all over this game. Is calling a short quest a "task" really that insulting? Or saying that combat is exactly what you would expect in a MMORPG?
Or is only unbiased if you say nothing critical of the game?
-=-=-=-=- "We're a game that's focused on grouping and on solo play, you know, more group oriented, more solo play..." John Blakely Senior lead for EQ2. Link
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
-=-=-=-=- Achievers realise that killers as a concept are necessary in order to make achievement meaningful and worthwhile (there being no way to "lose" the game if any fool can "win" just by plodding slowly unchallenged). -bartle
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
I cannot even comprehend what the fuss ia all about. I mean, come on people. He offered his opinons of a game and, since they do not correspond with what you think or agree with other opinions you have read, then surely he must be biased and therefore whipped and beaten for his mistake? Thats utterly ridiculous. You want an unbiased review? How do you propose that can happen? If you review a game and say the graphics look good ... whoops .. thats bias. If you say the quest system is not very detailed ... whoops .. thats bias.
Gimme a break. Every review you have and ever will read is biased. A review is the opinion of the author. He clearly said the game is very well made, but nothing that will make people shout, "Damn, I wish I had thought of that!"
I tested WoW for months and I will not be buying it. I am testing EQ2 and I will not be buying it either. Why? I do not like either of them. They both are very good for what they are, but they are not what I am personally searching for in my next MMORPG.
I guess that makes me wrong too? If I am, please tell me so. Of course, then I suppose it is perfectly ok for me to belittle your opinion anytime you profess it as well? Oh, but that would be different, wouldnt it?
i liked the review well enough. any extra info i can get my hands on is a good deal. Thanx for yer input, man.
but regards to DAoC and "sandwhich" (term i just now learned of). i have never been able to walk away from the comp at the beigining of a fight and come back alive.
I hate to say it, but I too felt this way in many aspects... I have played this game for quite a while in beta now and I must say it is the MOST polished and most fun MMORPGs I have EVER played and this thing is only in beta. It is unbelievable how polished this game is when it is only at a beta stage. As said in the review (seemingly too many times), there is very little "new" in WoW, but the trademark for Blizzard's games is exactly this. They take what is already out there in the genre and raise the bar on these features to the maximum.
GREAT PREVIEW. I had a fear that will say about how amazing the game is and how overtops all other mmorpgs etc But I liked it. Because it's true, Blizzard since warcraft 3 took a more generic approach for their games and because of the reputation they have made, they risk less (anyone remembers how many phases war3 changed through development?).
Also I agree to another part about the genre and its problems. I am sure that npc features like those introduced with Morrowind 4 Oblivion, rich rpg dialogues and brilliant quests (Bioware games, Vampire the Masquarade)(quests no tasks ) we will have to wait YEARS before we see them to mmorpgs.
I have played most of the well known mmorpgs of the market and to me mmorpgs look and plays like huge Diablo games only with more features. For the time being nothing seems to beat good old classics rpgs.
What the hell are you saying? I'm not a EQ Fanboi... I even used to be a WoW fanboi before the Stress test. I was amazingly disappointed. The game is GREAT, but it's already OLD. Maybe you'd like a WoW fanboi to write a nice review? If you had paid attention to what the article really says, maybe you'd figure out yourself after cleaning your eyes a little bit. What does it have that is innovative? NOTHING. What will EQ2 have? probably NOTHING either. WoW is like an EQ expansion with new(different) graphics. Wash your eyes and at LEAST, try to be OBJECTIVE.
"I am trying to see things from your perspective but I just can't get my head that far up my @$$."
I thought the review was perfectly fair. It sounds like some of those that disliked the review have already decided on if they would play WoW. While others seem to be insulted that the review isnt sugar coated.
To the staff: thankyou for attempting to be as objective as possible in these reviews, with the rampant fanboyism its dificult to find a review of either EQ2 or WoW based more in making a solid description, than anouther free advertisment for said game.
As a former AC1 devotee and beta tester in WHish, Horizons, Earth & Beyond and having played DAOC , Shadowbane ,Yeserbius, Gemstone lll , Dragonrealms, Tradewars (heh heh ) I have been around the block a bit with muds,mmorpg's. I have read most of the reviews/previews of WOW as I plan on playing. I thought this review was honest but maybe a little askew and somewhat lacking in detail.
The reviewer alludes to his penchant for craft skills and trying most of them out, but gives us no details about the crafting in WOW.
Having read all this info on WOW I have to admit I am a little concerned about all the emphasis on quests, and would most deffinitly agree many of these are indeed tasks and not quests. I like quests moderatly and will just have to wait and see how this actually pans out.
From what I've read the combat doesn't really sound like sandwich, and doesn't lean to near twitch style combat. I think this is good.
As far as bringing somthin new to the table, no NDA , the promise of a smooth launch, of a polished product is pretty damn new to this genere. Seems like a pretty good place to build from to me.
I am gratefull to the reviewer's negativity, as I do want to see the good the bad and the ugly.
I also think mmorpg.com owes it's fans more prespective on this soon to be a major hit title.
Originally posted by eeargy Of course, as you say, you're entitled to your opinion. I'm just surprised there wasn't a less snooty or more enthusiastic member of staff available to preview the most anticipated MMORPG on MMORPG.COM.
Actually, both WoW and EQ2 are now currently head to head with the "Most Anticipated MMORPG" rank. Both games are now the most anticipated MMORPG's, not just the one.
As a matter of fact, WoW is number one on the hype meter and on the front page poll ("Which game will you buy?"), and it's the game with the most posts as someone pointed out in the WoW forum. This makes it the most anticipated game on MMORPG.COM, and not unsurprisingly. The stress test was an opportunity for a lot of people to see what a high-quality, polished product WoW is shaping up to be, and the vast majority of those people are excited about playing it again.
I look forward to seeing what happens when they both go to open beta.
Originally posted by eeargy As a matter of fact, WoW is number one on the hype meter and on the front page poll ("Which game will you buy?"), and it's the game with the most posts as someone pointed out in the WoW forum. This makes it the most anticipated game on MMORPG.COM, and not unsurprisingly. The stress test was an opportunity for a lot of people to see what a high-quality, polished product WoW is shaping up to be, and the vast majority of those people are excited about playing it again. I look forward to seeing what happens when they both go to open beta.
Just as you say that the EQII fans finnally jury-rigged the poll to bring their game into a tie.
I have to agree with some of the points made here. There was no detailed coverage of the economics/crafting system and no coverage at all of the PvP mechanics.
On a separate note, there is certainly a difference into the 'overall rating' or 'opinion' depending on how you look at the game. I think the review tries to cover both viewpoints, but by doing so leaves some people upset. You can either look at the game as being the 'best' (or at least a very good) implementation of what most people want out of a Fantasy-base MMORPG, or you can look at it from the I'm bored and want something new, this doesn't provide it perspective.
What I'm left with is if someone sits down and looks at the overall ratings the games got and they see 8.2 Everquest, 8.2 for DaoC, ... and then 8.0 (or lower) for World of Warcraft because it didn't offer anything new... that would be a very wrong impression. The fact is, WoW should be higher then the existing games, it's better then they are.
I never played DaoC. I did play the WoW stress test. Once the stress test was over, I wanted to continue playing something. So I took advantage of the 7-day free preview for DaoC. What a mistake. I could not stand to spend even an hour in that game. It's not necessarily that DaoC is bad, it might be very good. But WoW was so much better.
I know some will see this as a bizarre idea, but how about we not root for one game or the other to get more hype or even be better. How about we root for both to be great. Then instead of meaningless debating in the forums we can all confront the problem of which great game to play
Who gives a rat's rear end which game wins on the hype meter or whether this guy managed to achieve 100% fairness (something heretofore unknown on earth) in his review. He gave his opinion, and personally, I thank him for doing so.
So, when did game revewing became an scientifically accurate unbiased science?
------------------------------------ Always run with scissors. The quicker you go, the quicker you'll get to your destination and the quicker you'll finish using the scissors, therefore significantly reducing your chances of injuring yourself
The article was a "PREVIEW" of the game World of Warcraft. And a PREVIEW on a BETA. Because of this, not all aspects of the game are likely to be subjected in the article. Once the game has released commercially, there will be a "REVIEW" which you can expect to cover all the major topics of the game.
Also consider that the Author is stating as indicated at the top of the article, his own opinoins. This does not mean he is writting law and you have to agree with him.
Enough with the personal criticism.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive" - Malkavian Proverb
- MMORPG.COM Staff - Forum Stalker Malkavian@mmorpg.com
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
While not a fully complete preview and not agreeing with all the points (some positive some negative) made I thought that is was a decent preview of a beta game and not at all unfair.
I am currently a WoW beta tester and I really like this game. I have not had a chance to play EQ2 beta (but I have a friend that has an EQ2 beta account so I hope to check it out soon) so I can't compare the two. I was quite surprised at the underlying venom to some people's posts. The fanboi coming out.
The post about people taking a step back and taking a chill pill is well justified. Some of you are acting like you are 12yo. God Forbid someone says anything negative about something you are a fanatic about. At least have the maturity to realize that nothing is perfect, people have the right to notice this and everyone has an opinion.
If just reading one person's personal opinion about something makes you think its not worth your .02 cents then I feel sorry for you. Everthing in life that I have loved or enjoyed has always had a number of people that hated it. Grow up and use the information as a starting point in your own research to educate yourself on a topic.
Comments
unbiased?
Eveything writen by a human is biased, especially vidoe games. You reading a review that is one persons opinion of the game.
What was so negative, other than the lack spreading rainbows and candydrops all over this game. Is calling a short quest a "task" really that insulting? Or saying that combat is exactly what you would expect in a MMORPG?
Or is only unbiased if you say nothing critical of the game?
-=-=-=-=-
"We're a game that's focused on grouping and on solo play, you know, more group oriented, more solo play..."
John Blakely Senior lead for EQ2. Link
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
-=-=-=-=-
Achievers realise that killers as a concept are necessary in order to make achievement meaningful and worthwhile (there being no way to "lose" the game if any fool can "win" just by plodding slowly unchallenged). -bartle
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
I cannot even comprehend what the fuss ia all about. I mean, come on people. He offered his opinons of a game and, since they do not correspond with what you think or agree with other opinions you have read, then surely he must be biased and therefore whipped and beaten for his mistake? Thats utterly ridiculous. You want an unbiased review? How do you propose that can happen? If you review a game and say the graphics look good ... whoops .. thats bias. If you say the quest system is not very detailed ... whoops .. thats bias.
Gimme a break. Every review you have and ever will read is biased. A review is the opinion of the author. He clearly said the game is very well made, but nothing that will make people shout, "Damn, I wish I had thought of that!"
I tested WoW for months and I will not be buying it. I am testing EQ2 and I will not be buying it either. Why? I do not like either of them. They both are very good for what they are, but they are not what I am personally searching for in my next MMORPG.
I guess that makes me wrong too? If I am, please tell me so. Of course, then I suppose it is perfectly ok for me to belittle your opinion anytime you profess it as well? Oh, but that would be different, wouldnt it?
__________________________
Malianea
i liked the review well enough. any extra info i can get my hands on is a good deal. Thanx for yer input, man.
but regards to DAoC and "sandwhich" (term i just now learned of). i have never been able to walk away from the comp at the beigining of a fight and come back alive.
course i do play a Thane.....
GREAT PREVIEW. I had a fear that will say about how amazing the game is and how overtops all other mmorpgs etc But I liked it. Because it's true, Blizzard since warcraft 3 took a more generic approach for their games and because of the reputation they have made, they risk less (anyone remembers how many phases war3 changed through development?).
Also I agree to another part about the genre and its problems. I am sure that npc features like those introduced with Morrowind 4 Oblivion, rich rpg dialogues and brilliant quests (Bioware games, Vampire the Masquarade)(quests no tasks
) we will have to wait YEARS before we see them to mmorpgs.
I have played most of the well known mmorpgs of the market and to me mmorpgs look and plays like huge Diablo games only with more features.
For the time being nothing seems to beat good old classics rpgs.
Great preview Richard
I wouldnt mind seeing some PVP feedback as well. If you got to see any that is
Thanks,
"I am trying to see things from your perspective but I just can't get my head that far up my @$$."
What will he do next?
I thought the review was perfectly fair. It sounds like some of those that disliked the review have already decided on if they would play WoW. While others seem to be insulted that the review isnt sugar coated.
To the staff: thankyou for attempting to be as objective as possible in these reviews, with the rampant fanboyism its dificult to find a review of either EQ2 or WoW based more in making a solid description, than anouther free advertisment for said game.
As a former AC1 devotee and beta tester in WHish, Horizons, Earth & Beyond and having played DAOC , Shadowbane ,Yeserbius, Gemstone lll , Dragonrealms, Tradewars (heh heh ) I have been around the block a bit with muds,mmorpg's. I have read most of the reviews/previews of WOW as I plan on playing.
I thought this review was honest but maybe a little askew and somewhat lacking in detail.
The reviewer alludes to his penchant for craft skills and trying most of them out, but gives us no details about the crafting in WOW.
Having read all this info on WOW I have to admit I am a little concerned about all the emphasis on quests, and would most deffinitly agree many of these are indeed tasks and not quests. I like quests moderatly and will just have to wait and see how this actually pans out.
From what I've read the combat doesn't really sound like sandwich, and doesn't lean to near twitch style combat. I think this is good.
As far as bringing somthin new to the table, no NDA , the promise of a smooth launch, of a polished product is pretty damn new to this genere. Seems like a pretty good place to build from to me.
I am gratefull to the reviewer's negativity, as I do want to see the good the bad and the ugly.
I also think mmorpg.com owes it's fans more prespective on this soon to be a major hit title.
As a matter of fact, WoW is number one on the hype meter and on the front page poll ("Which game will you buy?"), and it's the game with the most posts as someone pointed out in the WoW forum. This makes it the most anticipated game on MMORPG.COM, and not unsurprisingly. The stress test was an opportunity for a lot of people to see what a high-quality, polished product WoW is shaping up to be, and the vast majority of those people are excited about playing it again.
I look forward to seeing what happens when they both go to open beta.
Just as you say that the EQII fans finnally jury-rigged the poll to bring their game into a tie.
DuminI have to agree with some of the points made here. There was no detailed coverage of the economics/crafting system and no coverage at all of the PvP mechanics.
On a separate note, there is certainly a difference into the 'overall rating' or 'opinion' depending on how you look at the game. I think the review tries to cover both viewpoints, but by doing so leaves some people upset. You can either look at the game as being the 'best' (or at least a very good) implementation of what most people want out of a Fantasy-base MMORPG, or you can look at it from the I'm bored and want something new, this doesn't provide it perspective.
What I'm left with is if someone sits down and looks at the overall ratings the games got and they see 8.2 Everquest, 8.2 for DaoC, ... and then 8.0 (or lower) for World of Warcraft because it didn't offer anything new... that would be a very wrong impression. The fact is, WoW should be higher then the existing games, it's better then they are.
I never played DaoC. I did play the WoW stress test. Once the stress test was over, I wanted to continue playing something. So I took advantage of the 7-day free preview for DaoC. What a mistake. I could not stand to spend even an hour in that game. It's not necessarily that DaoC is bad, it might be very good. But WoW was so much better.
- Thirl
I know some will see this as a bizarre idea, but how about we not root for one game or the other to get more hype or even be better. How about we root for both to be great. Then instead of meaningless debating in the forums we can all confront the problem of which great game to play
Who gives a rat's rear end which game wins on the hype meter or whether this guy managed to achieve 100% fairness (something heretofore unknown on earth) in his review. He gave his opinion, and personally, I thank him for doing so.
So, when did game revewing became an scientifically accurate unbiased science?
------------------------------------
Always run with scissors. The quicker you go, the quicker you'll get to your destination and the quicker you'll finish using the scissors, therefore significantly reducing your chances of injuring yourself
Boys & Girls, you need to settle down.
The article was a "PREVIEW" of the game World of Warcraft. And a PREVIEW on a BETA. Because of this, not all aspects of the game are likely to be subjected in the article. Once the game has released commercially, there will be a "REVIEW" which you can expect to cover all the major topics of the game.
Also consider that the Author is stating as indicated at the top of the article, his own opinoins. This does not mean he is writting law and you have to agree with him.
Enough with the personal criticism.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive" - Malkavian Proverb
- MMORPG.COM Staff -
Forum Stalker
Malkavian@mmorpg.com
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
What will he do next?
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but we will not tolerate abuse of this against our own RoC. This thread would be locked otherwise.
Dijin's Locking Police position has already been filled by me and a few others. Sorry.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive" - Malkavian Proverb
- MMORPG.COM Staff -
Forum Stalker
Malkavian@mmorpg.com
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
You can call me a genie, because I'm just saying I can forsee where these post are going.
That's all.
I am no one to tell anyone they aren't intitled to their own free speech.
What will he do next?
Wow,
While not a fully complete preview and not agreeing with all the points (some positive some negative) made I thought that is was a decent preview of a beta game and not at all unfair.
I am currently a WoW beta tester and I really like this game. I have not had a chance to play EQ2 beta (but I have a friend that has an EQ2 beta account so I hope to check it out soon) so I can't compare the two. I was quite surprised at the underlying venom to some people's posts. The fanboi coming out.
The post about people taking a step back and taking a chill pill is well justified. Some of you are acting like you are 12yo. God Forbid someone says anything negative about something you are a fanatic about. At least have the maturity to realize that nothing is perfect, people have the right to notice this and everyone has an opinion.
If just reading one person's personal opinion about something makes you think its not worth your .02 cents then I feel sorry for you. Everthing in life that I have loved or enjoyed has always had a number of people that hated it. Grow up and use the information as a starting point in your own research to educate yourself on a topic.