I certainly believe you, I just wish I could experience all of that cool content at the cap that they have added over the years with all the expansions, but I've tried twice to play that game and have never gotten too far. I wish I would have started when the game came out, but now going back I just can't stand the pace. The controls and movement really bug me and the pace of combat and all the resting and required grouping... I mean I'd rather be in a group 100% of the time in a MMO but I like having the option to solo if I don't have one!
I do agree with that. The game was created in a way that almost requires constant stream of new players to join and socializing, which unfortunately isn't the case today. That's why it sucks.
Using LOL is like saying "my argument sucks but I still want to disagree".
Just because someone has an opinion about a game, WoW in this case, doesn't mean they are a hater. There are lots of games I do not like, but it's just my opinion. I don't expect anyone to take them personally. I do the same with what others feel. If you enjoy WoW them I'm glad you had fun playing a game you liked. I am still waiting for a game I can enjoy. I played WoW for many years, but mostly stayed because of friends, not for the game. There is nothing wrong with posting my opions towards the game however, and since the OP is asking for it I thought I would chime in. You are correct in saying that Blizzard is doing what the game was designed for, making money. I relize people get tired of WoW bashing, and frankly it does get out of hand, but somenoe needs to feed the trolls.
FUN and making money. FUN first. Money second, since no one will pay the money to play it unless its FUN. EVERY MMO is about making money. Otherwise, no one would make them. You think CCP works for charity or would keep supporting Eve if no one wanted to pay for it=)
Opinions people can have. Trolling is another story. Saying you didn't like it because it didn't offer the type of gameplay you want is mature. Saying WOW ruined the genre, is a cartoon, is for kiddies, is simplistic, dumbed down or any other derogatory phrase people love to throw around, puts you in troll territory. You're on the border with that MONEY comment=)
You could be right, but the main reason I post about WoW, is because it's 1 of the main games I played. I have not played a whole lot of P2P mmo's. I was in Asheron's Call, my first mmo, before wow. I just don't see why people take "bad" comments about a game so seriously. I never said it was a cartoon, I infact don't mind the graphics at all. I constitute a troll as looking for an argument. I am not, I am mearly posting my opinions about the game as the OP asked.
As I said if people enjoy the game, fine by me. I could care less as to what people like to play. To each there own. I don't bash people for liking it. I have every right to say what I feel about it though. Also it being symplistic is a type of gameplay, so I don't see how that falls into the troll territory.
I quit WoW a long time ago... since then I have tried numerous other games...none of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives you. Despite how much WoW is globally hated, does anyone else think it is still the best MMO out there by far? I was totally disgusted by the game when I left, but it is by far more addicting and better made than most other games I have played.
PS: I quit a month or so pre WOTLK
I will honestly say I had the most fun in WoW. The game just runs good. The combat was the most fun out of all the MMOs I've tried. It could also be because I had a shitload of RL friends playing, too. Still, I will never go back to WoW because of the need to grind a million things. I also hated finally getting your whole set, only to find out it will be replaced by a new set. I don't mind upgrading, but Blizzard seems to throw in new gear all the time. I would have been happier with more PvP content.
Anyway, yeah... Nothing I tried has been better than WoW, yet. I was very impressed with WAR in the early levels. The higher I got the more boring it got, especially T4. I enjoyed leveling up a lot more than I did in any other game, but I still had more fun at endgame in WoW (even with its limited PvP, I had more fun). GW felt a bit too clunky for me. I also tried CoH, but couldn't get into it. All the F2P games definitely can't compare.
World of Warcraft is an amazing game. Well polished, some good lore (Though the only good lore in BC was Black Temple imo), plenty of raids/new content(WotLK added so much, but it also made it feel a bit more like a theme park), and an addicting end-game. However, (pause for dramatic effect) it has been out for quite some time and the players who have been there since release (like myself) are burned out and sometimes we ruin the experience with our nostalgia. We remember the "good ol' days" when you needed 40 people for a raid and it was "hard as hell", but everyone knew their class..yada yada. I would say parts of the game have been dumbed down over the years, but a lot of it is in our control. People who say WoW is too easy, turn off your add-ons. That would definitely make the game a bit more difficult, eh? But, no raider worth their salt runs without addons and no raiding guild will accept a raider doing as much. As for some of the other stuff, WoW is basically doing everything it can to get you from Lv1 to Lv80 and into raiding as fast as possible. They want everyone to experience their endgame content and make it pretty easy to get there. Myself, I am currently looking for a new game to play, but it has to be one that I can at least tempt my guildies with. So, hopefully we will see a game with the polish of WoW, but some new ideas or maybe some old ones brought back. Also, I doubt any game will be "killing" WoW anytime soon. With the amount of active accounts they have, they will only shut WoW down when they feel like it. Though, I seriously wonder if they actually have 13million (w/e the last number was) unique players. I would not doubt they have had that many active accounts, but how many people two-box (crazy people, btw) or farm gold? I am sure there are a lot of people with multiple accounts. Anyway.../end rambling
**Disclaimer** Everything you've just read was an opinion formed by myself and is in no way meant to be perceived as fact.
I quit WoW a long time ago... since then I have tried numerous other games...none of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives you. Despite how much WoW is globally hated, does anyone else think it is still the best MMO out there by far? I was totally disgusted by the game when I left, but it is by far more addicting and better made than most other games I have played. PS: I quit a month or so pre WOTLK
Saying it's the best is kind of a difficult position to support. There are so many people that think the game they are currently playing is the best. For example, I will agree with another poster and say that Eve is currently the best. That said, Eve and WoW are only related in the fact they are both called MMOs so you might read that and think I am crazy.
I played WoW for a decent amount of time myself. I had fun, no doubt about it. That said, it was not my first MMO and I really didn't have much problem walking away when I got bored with it. I think many people who started with WoW will end up comparing every game they play afterward to it. Therein lies the rub I guess.
Now, regarding quitting before WoTLK, I would have to say that, aside from the content being relatively easy at release (not sure about now), it was pretty well done. The PvP zone Wintergrasp was a lot of fun and the phasing in some of the later zones made for a neat way to advance the story/lore of the game.
-mklinic
"Do something right, no one remembers. Do something wrong, no one forgets" -from No One Remembers by In Strict Confidence
I quit WoW a long time ago... since then I have tried numerous other games...none of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives you. Despite how much WoW is globally hated, does anyone else think it is still the best MMO out there by far? I was totally disgusted by the game when I left, but it is by far more addicting and better made than most other games I have played.
PS: I quit a month or so pre WOTLK
WoW is not glabally hated lol. Millions and millions of people love it.
Everquest ..imo is still the best out there.i've been palying Wow since its release.it got me away from EQ but now i am tempted to go back to EQ ..EQ is far more of a challenge than WoW..either raiding or Soloing,you had to pay attention to what and where you were in EQ..Wow has Spoonfed half the world ..And when Wow does get challenging people complain and the game or chars get nerfed or they make the raid easy mode..peace!
Everquest ..imo is still the best out there.i've been palying Wow since its release.it got me away from EQ but now i am tempted to go back to EQ ..EQ is far more of a challenge than WoW..either raiding or Soloing,you had to pay attention to what and where you were in EQ..Wow has Spoonfed half the world ..And when Wow does get challenging people complain and the game or chars get nerfed or they make the raid easy mode..peace!
EQ is not the same game it was. Plus you're probably just feeling nostalgia. I loved EQ, but probably because it was my first mmo and the whole idea of living in a virtual world was still exciting. However, i would never play it if it was released now. Camping, medding, and many other features are just annoyying now and the novelty of a virtual online world has worn off.
You are correct..it was my 1st MMo ,but from what i have read i guess downtime has been changed..medding ,healing..etc. If i could getmy Lvl 70 Shammy back ..i think i may go and give it another try ..
Everquest ..imo is still the best out there.i've been palying Wow since its release.it got me away from EQ but now i am tempted to go back to EQ ..EQ is far more of a challenge than WoW..either raiding or Soloing,you had to pay attention to what and where you were in EQ..Wow has Spoonfed half the world ..And when Wow does get challenging people complain and the game or chars get nerfed or they make the raid easy mode..peace!
EQ is not the same game it was. Plus you're probably just feeling nostalgia. I loved EQ, but probably because it was my first mmo and the whole idea of living in a virtual world was still exciting. However, i would never play it if it was released now. Camping, medding, and many other features are just annoyying now and the novelty of a virtual online world has worn off.
Camping was boring yes. Medding was great, you needed someone to take care of you while you meditate, one of the many features that made EQ a team work.
If there was a game now with the fantastic features EQ classic had, we could discuss about novelty. So far, objectively, no MMO has come close to what EQ achieved.
It's not what it was. The theme park experience is nice to look at, but it's pretty repetitive, especially with raids. I only play now and again for a scrap in Wintergrasp, but otherwise lurk in asteroid fields in EVE.
Guild housing and more social events might improve it, but you might as well play second life for that stuff.
If you are new to it or havent yet played it in and out, it is the best mmorpg. I also think that the recent and upcomingchanges are making it even better for new people. For the players who are (or have been) into it for a couple of years, it is but the same-o-same for ages. I have had several 60s, then 70s and now 80s and seen it all. From casual gaming to hardcore raiding back to casual back to raiding, solo play, all the guild drama and such. There is just NOTHING left that excites me about the game anymore. Aside very few things, all the stuff Blizzard added through the years were just the same concepts and game mechanics i already played at lvl 60. Kill, loot, get purple, reroll, repeat. Sometimes reading the forums or watching clips on youtube brings back some of the old feeling. But i know for shure that in case i resub out of this nostalgia, after 5mins the old boredom kicks back in and there is just nothing left to do for this old timer. WoW is by far the best mmorpg for people new to it and on the other hand by far the most boring for those who already play it for a while.
Damn...I SWEAR I could not have explained how I feel better than you just did. That's why I had to just stop looking at vids on YouTube, or looking at update info on Wowhead. Because it draws me back, but one time, not too long ago, I resubbed, thinking, what the heck, I'll play, and then when I get bored, I'll log off and go do something else. I logged in, and literally, within 10 minutes, I had logged back out and haven't returned since.
Wow is by far the best gateway game. It is a wonderful introduction to the world of MoGs. But it, to me, is just like your favorite toy or cartoon when you were growing up...It was good for that period of your life, but at some point, you grow beyond that stage and realize that there is much more out there.
Currently Playing: Aion Trying Out: Retired: The Chronicles of Spellborn, EvE, LotRo, WoW, VG, AoC, CoX, RO Waiting on: Blade & Soul, Black Prophecy, Global Agenda, The Agency, SW:ToR, T.E.R.A. Working On: The 5th Dimension (coming soon)
WoW is the Bud Light of MMO's. Bud Light is (or actually just recently surpassed) the most popular beer on the planet but to any beef affectionado will tell you it's crap. It's watered down adjuncts.
I agree that if you have never played an MMO, WoW is a great place to start. However most other new MMO's have WoW ified their experience so anyone can get up and playing right away and have their hand held through a long newbie experience. The problem is for many of us that started pre-WoW we wanted MORE depth not less.
And thanks to the popularity of WoW, every MMO since has tried to catered to the masses more and more by making things easier, less penalties for doing stupid things, much more solo centric. Remember that the best seller for PC games has been the Sim's series for years. This is your baseline of people whom you are trying to attract. Also the most played online game several years ago was bridge. So don't throw the 'because more people play WoW makes it the best' argument around.
The vast majority of people play offline games on easy mode. Yet again WoW caters to that crowd. It's like saying checkers is the best game ever made.
Those of us that started with UO, EQ, AO or DaOC saw the polish of WoW but many of us wanted more. Speaking from an EQ backround yes the death penalties were harsh and corpse runs were a pain but there was a sense of accomplishment in that game. You had to group in those games to get things done which fostered a very tight community and good as well as bad players were known. WoW is mostly people soloing to high levels with the occasional Chuck Norris joke in OOC.
I've ranted longer than I meant. I'm recently back to the original EQ after playing damn near every MMO out there and I still think the best are EQ, AO, Eve and WW2 Online. All of these take some amount of brains and that's a big part of what keeps me coming back to those 4 in particular.
I quit WoW a long time ago... since then I have tried numerous other games...none of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives you. Despite how much WoW is globally hated, does anyone else think it is still the best MMO out there by far? I was totally disgusted by the game when I left, but it is by far more addicting and better made than most other games I have played.
PS: I quit a month or so pre WOTLK
lolz dident WOTLK come out last year?? hehe I quit before the Burning crusade that my friend was a long time ago
Now WoW is a well made game, they have nailed many things, one being superb design. Each zone in that game is carfully crafted to give you a fresh feel when you enter them. Good balance and Nice PvE content.
Its not the best game though if you like Sanbox games where you can have an impact on the world, then EvE is by far the best that is still going strong.
I quit WoW a long time ago... since then I have tried numerous other games...none of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives you. Despite how much WoW is globally hated, does anyone else think it is still the best MMO out there by far? I was totally disgusted by the game when I left, but it is by far more addicting and better made than most other games I have played.
PS: I quit a month or so pre WOTLK
I had the same feeling you had, but I finally realized that it was my guild in WoW I missed, may or may not be the same for you. WoW since BC and WoTLK isn't the same fun and addicting game it was before all that. The game morphed into something else, Time sinks that are not fun, and more. You may enjoy yourself for the first few months you come back and try WoTLK but eventually you will get to the point where you are bored again and disappointed with game play.
I didn't read what everyone else said. Basically WoW is much more polished than other games...it has had years to get there and tons of money to help. I am by no means saying that it is a bad game, there is a reason why many people enjoy it. I am saying that if you were bored and not liking the game play before WoTLK I doubt you will find it is much different.
Currently Playing: FFXIV:ARR Looking Forward to: Wildstar
I've tried wow twice, once on release and once in the past few months. I wasn't impressed either time.
Questing feels the same as any other mmo and the PvP is more reliant on gear than any mmo I"ve played.
Large pvp battles are nothing more than a spam/zerg fest with no tactics whatsoever.
I can understand how people can like the graphics. There are many places and that I did find enjoyable and visually stunning.
As much as I read posts about how good WoW is, If I were to break it down in terms of gameplay there isn't one aspect of the game that stands out above all the other games for being fun.
Graphically I prefer CoH and WaR for player avatars. For landscape and lore I enjoyed LoTR better. Although DaoC's lore was suprinsingly accurate pre-SI /ToA.
PvP /RvR - DaoC without a doubt.
Economy - EvE ,
Crafting I' can't say as I"ve never spent much time on it in games. Although I hear SWG was nice in the beginning and still hear about UO.
WoW- has done a masterful job of marketing and dangling carrots in front of people. Most of the people who I met, played seemed to be running a daily quest or chasing gold for another mount because they didn't want to be one of the people without a new shiny bauble.
The best part about WoW was crafting. Stack it up and go read a book - no need to sit at the PC all bored.
/sarcasm off
WoW is not a bad game. WoW is not a really good game, either. It's okay. The crafting? It's okay. The raids? It's okay. The core gameplay, the art style, the lore, the community, PVE, PVP - it's all okay. Yeah, it's polished to near-perfection (yet, the last time I played they still had invincible-monsters-on-boulders), but... It's like eating a really shiny eggs'n'bacon - it's okay. It's not a lobster, but it's okay.
The overall averageness of the game is what draws people in. It's nothing special, thus becoming understandable, unlike other, more "alien" games. And that's exactly what drove me out.
People want a game to play. They got it. I want a world to escape once-in-a-while, but I don't have it. I try to live with it.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
None of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives YOU. Just because you like WoW, does not mean that everyone else does, or even that it is a good, involved game. What WoW does have going for it is, number 1, great commercialization. Number 2, ease of access. You dont need a great pc or even a good one to play it. And number 3, simplicity of gameplay. It is so easy to get into the game and get to rockin that everyone can do it. If WoW had the learning curve of EVE then it would have the same number of subscribers, because no one wants to think anymore, except when it comes to using a credit card or paypal to pay for a simple, easy to run, well commercialized game. I have played WoW, but it just isnt for me, but then again, I never have run with the masses.
no, i don't think it is the best MMO out there. It is highly polished and runs well (like starcraft) but it's not the best game around (like starcraft isn't the best RTS around). I think there are games out there that trump WoW in every department but polish (which to be honest, can make an average game experiance become a good one).
This hits the nail on the head.
WoW isn't the best game out there, just the most popular pay to play. That's an important distinction because Maple Story reports something like 22 million accounts, but it's not the best game out there either.
Most popular doesn't mean best and people need to realize this. It's like saying Starbucks makes the best coffee out there because it happens to sell the most cups, which I don't know if that's true, just saying.
WoW is accessible, meaning it'll run on just about any system. It's extremely well polished all around and has a very organic feel to combat, for how old the game is. It has a wide range of playstyles available to it, but it doesn't focus on any of them. So you'll find PvP, but it won't be as good as a game that's focused on it. Same goes for general PvE content, which is evident by the general concensus that LOTRO, for example, has way better PvE content.
WoW just happens to have a lot of really polished features, that's it. Doesn't make it the best though, just the most popular.
Comments
I do agree with that. The game was created in a way that almost requires constant stream of new players to join and socializing, which unfortunately isn't the case today. That's why it sucks.
FUN and making money. FUN first. Money second, since no one will pay the money to play it unless its FUN. EVERY MMO is about making money. Otherwise, no one would make them. You think CCP works for charity or would keep supporting Eve if no one wanted to pay for it=)
Opinions people can have. Trolling is another story. Saying you didn't like it because it didn't offer the type of gameplay you want is mature. Saying WOW ruined the genre, is a cartoon, is for kiddies, is simplistic, dumbed down or any other derogatory phrase people love to throw around, puts you in troll territory. You're on the border with that MONEY comment=)
You could be right, but the main reason I post about WoW, is because it's 1 of the main games I played. I have not played a whole lot of P2P mmo's. I was in Asheron's Call, my first mmo, before wow. I just don't see why people take "bad" comments about a game so seriously. I never said it was a cartoon, I infact don't mind the graphics at all. I constitute a troll as looking for an argument. I am not, I am mearly posting my opinions about the game as the OP asked.
As I said if people enjoy the game, fine by me. I could care less as to what people like to play. To each there own. I don't bash people for liking it. I have every right to say what I feel about it though. Also it being symplistic is a type of gameplay, so I don't see how that falls into the troll territory.
I will honestly say I had the most fun in WoW. The game just runs good. The combat was the most fun out of all the MMOs I've tried. It could also be because I had a shitload of RL friends playing, too. Still, I will never go back to WoW because of the need to grind a million things. I also hated finally getting your whole set, only to find out it will be replaced by a new set. I don't mind upgrading, but Blizzard seems to throw in new gear all the time. I would have been happier with more PvP content.
Anyway, yeah... Nothing I tried has been better than WoW, yet. I was very impressed with WAR in the early levels. The higher I got the more boring it got, especially T4. I enjoyed leveling up a lot more than I did in any other game, but I still had more fun at endgame in WoW (even with its limited PvP, I had more fun). GW felt a bit too clunky for me. I also tried CoH, but couldn't get into it. All the F2P games definitely can't compare.
World of Warcraft is an amazing game. Well polished, some good lore (Though the only good lore in BC was Black Temple imo), plenty of raids/new content(WotLK added so much, but it also made it feel a bit more like a theme park), and an addicting end-game. However, (pause for dramatic effect) it has been out for quite some time and the players who have been there since release (like myself) are burned out and sometimes we ruin the experience with our nostalgia. We remember the "good ol' days" when you needed 40 people for a raid and it was "hard as hell", but everyone knew their class..yada yada. I would say parts of the game have been dumbed down over the years, but a lot of it is in our control. People who say WoW is too easy, turn off your add-ons. That would definitely make the game a bit more difficult, eh? But, no raider worth their salt runs without addons and no raiding guild will accept a raider doing as much. As for some of the other stuff, WoW is basically doing everything it can to get you from Lv1 to Lv80 and into raiding as fast as possible. They want everyone to experience their endgame content and make it pretty easy to get there. Myself, I am currently looking for a new game to play, but it has to be one that I can at least tempt my guildies with. So, hopefully we will see a game with the polish of WoW, but some new ideas or maybe some old ones brought back. Also, I doubt any game will be "killing" WoW anytime soon. With the amount of active accounts they have, they will only shut WoW down when they feel like it. Though, I seriously wonder if they actually have 13million (w/e the last number was) unique players. I would not doubt they have had that many active accounts, but how many people two-box (crazy people, btw) or farm gold? I am sure there are a lot of people with multiple accounts. Anyway.../end rambling
**Disclaimer** Everything you've just read was an opinion formed by myself and is in no way meant to be perceived as fact.
Playing:FFXI
Played:WOW, FFXI
Saying it's the best is kind of a difficult position to support. There are so many people that think the game they are currently playing is the best. For example, I will agree with another poster and say that Eve is currently the best. That said, Eve and WoW are only related in the fact they are both called MMOs so you might read that and think I am crazy.
I played WoW for a decent amount of time myself. I had fun, no doubt about it. That said, it was not my first MMO and I really didn't have much problem walking away when I got bored with it. I think many people who started with WoW will end up comparing every game they play afterward to it. Therein lies the rub I guess.
Now, regarding quitting before WoTLK, I would have to say that, aside from the content being relatively easy at release (not sure about now), it was pretty well done. The PvP zone Wintergrasp was a lot of fun and the phasing in some of the later zones made for a neat way to advance the story/lore of the game.
-mklinic
"Do something right, no one remembers.
Do something wrong, no one forgets"
-from No One Remembers by In Strict Confidence
WoW is best at what it does, followed closely by EVE which is almost as good at what it does.
It's the best out there but that's not saying much.
I also think WOW is the best game. and I am intrested in everything about WOW, recently I saw some intresting information at www.olmorpg.com
what are the chances that someone named olmorpg found something interesting at a site by the same name.....
-mklinic
"Do something right, no one remembers.
Do something wrong, no one forgets"
-from No One Remembers by In Strict Confidence
WoW is not glabally hated lol. Millions and millions of people love it.
daoc is the best mmo ever, imo
For the most part, agreed. Haven't played it for years now, but it blows the socks off the crap that's come out the past two years.
Everquest ..imo is still the best out there.i've been palying Wow since its release.it got me away from EQ but now i am tempted to go back to EQ ..EQ is far more of a challenge than WoW..either raiding or Soloing,you had to pay attention to what and where you were in EQ..Wow has Spoonfed half the world ..And when Wow does get challenging people complain and the game or chars get nerfed or they make the raid easy mode..peace!
EQ is not the same game it was. Plus you're probably just feeling nostalgia. I loved EQ, but probably because it was my first mmo and the whole idea of living in a virtual world was still exciting. However, i would never play it if it was released now. Camping, medding, and many other features are just annoyying now and the novelty of a virtual online world has worn off.
You are correct..it was my 1st MMo ,but from what i have read i guess downtime has been changed..medding ,healing..etc. If i could getmy Lvl 70 Shammy back ..i think i may go and give it another try ..
EQ is not the same game it was. Plus you're probably just feeling nostalgia. I loved EQ, but probably because it was my first mmo and the whole idea of living in a virtual world was still exciting. However, i would never play it if it was released now. Camping, medding, and many other features are just annoyying now and the novelty of a virtual online world has worn off.
Camping was boring yes. Medding was great, you needed someone to take care of you while you meditate, one of the many features that made EQ a team work.
If there was a game now with the fantastic features EQ classic had, we could discuss about novelty. So far, objectively, no MMO has come close to what EQ achieved.
It's not what it was. The theme park experience is nice to look at, but it's pretty repetitive, especially with raids. I only play now and again for a scrap in Wintergrasp, but otherwise lurk in asteroid fields in EVE.
Guild housing and more social events might improve it, but you might as well play second life for that stuff.
Damn...I SWEAR I could not have explained how I feel better than you just did. That's why I had to just stop looking at vids on YouTube, or looking at update info on Wowhead. Because it draws me back, but one time, not too long ago, I resubbed, thinking, what the heck, I'll play, and then when I get bored, I'll log off and go do something else. I logged in, and literally, within 10 minutes, I had logged back out and haven't returned since.
Wow is by far the best gateway game. It is a wonderful introduction to the world of MoGs. But it, to me, is just like your favorite toy or cartoon when you were growing up...It was good for that period of your life, but at some point, you grow beyond that stage and realize that there is much more out there.
Currently Playing: Aion
Trying Out:
Retired: The Chronicles of Spellborn, EvE, LotRo, WoW, VG, AoC, CoX, RO
Waiting on: Blade & Soul, Black Prophecy, Global Agenda, The Agency, SW:ToR, T.E.R.A.
Working On: The 5th Dimension (coming soon)
Lowest common denominator game.
WoW is the Bud Light of MMO's. Bud Light is (or actually just recently surpassed) the most popular beer on the planet but to any beef affectionado will tell you it's crap. It's watered down adjuncts.
I agree that if you have never played an MMO, WoW is a great place to start. However most other new MMO's have WoW ified their experience so anyone can get up and playing right away and have their hand held through a long newbie experience. The problem is for many of us that started pre-WoW we wanted MORE depth not less.
And thanks to the popularity of WoW, every MMO since has tried to catered to the masses more and more by making things easier, less penalties for doing stupid things, much more solo centric. Remember that the best seller for PC games has been the Sim's series for years. This is your baseline of people whom you are trying to attract. Also the most played online game several years ago was bridge. So don't throw the 'because more people play WoW makes it the best' argument around.
The vast majority of people play offline games on easy mode. Yet again WoW caters to that crowd. It's like saying checkers is the best game ever made.
Those of us that started with UO, EQ, AO or DaOC saw the polish of WoW but many of us wanted more. Speaking from an EQ backround yes the death penalties were harsh and corpse runs were a pain but there was a sense of accomplishment in that game. You had to group in those games to get things done which fostered a very tight community and good as well as bad players were known. WoW is mostly people soloing to high levels with the occasional Chuck Norris joke in OOC.
I've ranted longer than I meant. I'm recently back to the original EQ after playing damn near every MMO out there and I still think the best are EQ, AO, Eve and WW2 Online. All of these take some amount of brains and that's a big part of what keeps me coming back to those 4 in particular.
lolz dident WOTLK come out last year?? hehe I quit before the Burning crusade that my friend was a long time ago
Now WoW is a well made game, they have nailed many things, one being superb design. Each zone in that game is carfully crafted to give you a fresh feel when you enter them. Good balance and Nice PvE content.
Its not the best game though if you like Sanbox games where you can have an impact on the world, then EvE is by far the best that is still going strong.
I had the same feeling you had, but I finally realized that it was my guild in WoW I missed, may or may not be the same for you. WoW since BC and WoTLK isn't the same fun and addicting game it was before all that. The game morphed into something else, Time sinks that are not fun, and more. You may enjoy yourself for the first few months you come back and try WoTLK but eventually you will get to the point where you are bored again and disappointed with game play.
I didn't read what everyone else said. Basically WoW is much more polished than other games...it has had years to get there and tons of money to help. I am by no means saying that it is a bad game, there is a reason why many people enjoy it. I am saying that if you were bored and not liking the game play before WoTLK I doubt you will find it is much different.
Currently Playing: FFXIV:ARR
Looking Forward to: Wildstar
I've tried wow twice, once on release and once in the past few months. I wasn't impressed either time.
Questing feels the same as any other mmo and the PvP is more reliant on gear than any mmo I"ve played.
Large pvp battles are nothing more than a spam/zerg fest with no tactics whatsoever.
I can understand how people can like the graphics. There are many places and that I did find enjoyable and visually stunning.
As much as I read posts about how good WoW is, If I were to break it down in terms of gameplay there isn't one aspect of the game that stands out above all the other games for being fun.
Graphically I prefer CoH and WaR for player avatars. For landscape and lore I enjoyed LoTR better. Although DaoC's lore was suprinsingly accurate pre-SI /ToA.
PvP /RvR - DaoC without a doubt.
Economy - EvE ,
Crafting I' can't say as I"ve never spent much time on it in games. Although I hear SWG was nice in the beginning and still hear about UO.
WoW- has done a masterful job of marketing and dangling carrots in front of people. Most of the people who I met, played seemed to be running a daily quest or chasing gold for another mount because they didn't want to be one of the people without a new shiny bauble.
The best part about WoW was crafting. Stack it up and go read a book - no need to sit at the PC all bored.
/sarcasm off
WoW is not a bad game. WoW is not a really good game, either. It's okay. The crafting? It's okay. The raids? It's okay. The core gameplay, the art style, the lore, the community, PVE, PVP - it's all okay. Yeah, it's polished to near-perfection (yet, the last time I played they still had invincible-monsters-on-boulders), but... It's like eating a really shiny eggs'n'bacon - it's okay. It's not a lobster, but it's okay.
The overall averageness of the game is what draws people in. It's nothing special, thus becoming understandable, unlike other, more "alien" games. And that's exactly what drove me out.
People want a game to play. They got it. I want a world to escape once-in-a-while, but I don't have it. I try to live with it.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
None of them have even come close in the overall experience that WoW gives YOU. Just because you like WoW, does not mean that everyone else does, or even that it is a good, involved game. What WoW does have going for it is, number 1, great commercialization. Number 2, ease of access. You dont need a great pc or even a good one to play it. And number 3, simplicity of gameplay. It is so easy to get into the game and get to rockin that everyone can do it. If WoW had the learning curve of EVE then it would have the same number of subscribers, because no one wants to think anymore, except when it comes to using a credit card or paypal to pay for a simple, easy to run, well commercialized game. I have played WoW, but it just isnt for me, but then again, I never have run with the masses.
This hits the nail on the head.
WoW isn't the best game out there, just the most popular pay to play. That's an important distinction because Maple Story reports something like 22 million accounts, but it's not the best game out there either.
Most popular doesn't mean best and people need to realize this. It's like saying Starbucks makes the best coffee out there because it happens to sell the most cups, which I don't know if that's true, just saying.
WoW is accessible, meaning it'll run on just about any system. It's extremely well polished all around and has a very organic feel to combat, for how old the game is. It has a wide range of playstyles available to it, but it doesn't focus on any of them. So you'll find PvP, but it won't be as good as a game that's focused on it. Same goes for general PvE content, which is evident by the general concensus that LOTRO, for example, has way better PvE content.
WoW just happens to have a lot of really polished features, that's it. Doesn't make it the best though, just the most popular.