Guild Wars 2

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Aug 28, 2012
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3192 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,380 out of 3192
  2. Mixed: 386 out of 3192
  3. Negative: 426 out of 3192
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  1. Sideline
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    I played and enjoyed the first Guild Wars for years. When Guild Wars 2 came out I wasn't sure what to expect, I tried the beta and I loved it immediately. Everything that annoyed me in Guild Wars is fixed in Guild Wars 2. The only thing that worried me at first glance was the absence of the dual profession mechanic which I loved in the first Guild Wars; it offered so many possibilities!I played and enjoyed the first Guild Wars for years. When Guild Wars 2 came out I wasn't sure what to expect, I tried the beta and I loved it immediately. Everything that annoyed me in Guild Wars is fixed in Guild Wars 2. The only thing that worried me at first glance was the absence of the dual profession mechanic which I loved in the first Guild Wars; it offered so many possibilities! But the weapon swapping in GW2 is probably even more interesting simply because it gives you access to a larger bank of skills; skills are defined by the weapon you are holding. You can switch weapons dynamically during combat which is awesome and you can even change your skills any time during the game, no need to go to an outpost to reorganise your skill bar. Elementalists don't have the weapon swapping ability but they can switch between four attunements(air, fire, water and earth) anytime during combat... awesome! What sets GW2 apart from other games of the genre is the dynamic events which can occur anywhere, anytime in the world, and they require cooperation between players; downed allies can be revived eliminating the frustration of being teleported to a resurection shrine and having to walk all the way back. Areas are no longer instanced except for dungeons and story line missions. There is no tedious fetching quests anymore. Instead quests occur in specific locations on the map and you don't have to stray too far to complete them. You can now choose between five different races: Human, Charr, Asura and Silvari. They all have the same stats and abilities but they add a nice flavor to the game. Crafting disciplines were added which opens up a whole new dimension to Guild Wars. The trading post (the equivalent of the auction house in WoW or Diablo) is a nice addition. Item stats are more varied and make more sense than before. Graphics are amazing for MMO standards and the areas are breathtaking. I cannot comment on the PvP aspect of the game as I haven't tried it yet. The only annoying thing I can find is the constant pop-ups telling you that you are in an overflow because the instance is full but that will hopefully be fixed soon. So if you love MMOs or RPGs Guild Wars 2 is a must!… Expand
  2. hitthegoat
    Sep 7, 2012
    7
    I like this game. Is it perfect? No. But I dare you to name a perfect game. Sure, the dynamic events was done in Rift, and sure the combat system is similar to Tera, and the quest system is similar to Warhammer, but who really cares? IMO they were done better in GW2 and that's more important. I find the graphics to be good, not the best ever, but then again, I'm not a graphics fanaticI like this game. Is it perfect? No. But I dare you to name a perfect game. Sure, the dynamic events was done in Rift, and sure the combat system is similar to Tera, and the quest system is similar to Warhammer, but who really cares? IMO they were done better in GW2 and that's more important. I find the graphics to be good, not the best ever, but then again, I'm not a graphics fanatic and I certainly can't believe anyone finds them to be "bad." I haven't experienced any of this "floaty" or "disconnected" game play/controls, I honestly don't get it, I find the controls and the combat to be fun. And personally, I find the smaller amount of available skills to be fun, the one thing that I came to dislike about WoW (and saw that SWTOR has done) is the insane amount of skills on action bars you would have on your interface, which just caused annoying clutter to me, almost half of your screen is buttons and menus. To me that seems less like I'm playing a game, and more like I'm monitoring equipment of some kind, almost like working. One complaint that I do have is the lame selection of Elite skills, at least on my Norn. 3 of the first available 5 are shape shifting, and 1 of the 2nd tier is shape shifting, they might be fun, but that's not really my style. And whilst perusing through the numerous negatives, I see a lot of comparison to SWTOR, and that just irritates me to no end. Quit comparing games to other games. There's a reason this game is called "Guild Wars 2" and not "Star Wars: The Old Republic," they're different games made by different people with different features, the only similarity is that they're MMOs.… Expand
  3. Bravo4
    Sep 7, 2012
    9
    I have tried most MMOs out there over the years ever since the original Everquest. WoW, EQ2, AoC, Star Wars (both), Rift, Secret World, etc., and I always get bored before too long. For some reason when a new one comes out I think, "This will be the one!" Well it seems I have finally found the right MMO for me in Guild Wars 2. I really think this MMO fixes many of the issues thatI have tried most MMOs out there over the years ever since the original Everquest. WoW, EQ2, AoC, Star Wars (both), Rift, Secret World, etc., and I always get bored before too long. For some reason when a new one comes out I think, "This will be the one!" Well it seems I have finally found the right MMO for me in Guild Wars 2. I really think this MMO fixes many of the issues that put-off newcomers to the genre. This is a very accessible, very entertaining game. The manner in which they have made grouping up seem almost effortless and completely organic, should be a future standard IMHO. There are numerous other positives I could mention, and very few negatives. Suffice it to say that if you just haven't been able to find an MMO that you can really get into, this is the right one for you.… Expand
  4. thathugeguy
    Sep 7, 2012
    9
    What makes Guild Wars 2 superior to the other MMO's past years?
    I'ts really hard to point out just one thing which makes it superior to World of Warcraft, RIFT, Secret World and all the other MMO's out there. Yes, it's generic high-fantasy world, but it feels like there's more actual interaction with the world than in other generic-high-fantasy MMO's, the world feels like it's alive, it's    What makes Guild Wars 2 superior to the other MMO's past years?
    I'ts really hard to point out just one thing which makes it superior to World of Warcraft, RIFT, Secret World and all the other MMO's out there. Yes, it's generic high-fantasy world, but it feels like there's more actual interaction with the world than in other generic-high-fantasy MMO's, the world feels like it's alive, it's more immerse than we've seen before in any MMO.
    The leveling system is quite neat as well. Where as other MMO's aim for individualism Guild Wars 2 puts much emphasis on word TEAMWORK. There's on individual experience from mobs, they're all shared with all the other player participating in killing, sharing is caring right? The tasks are completed by a few different ways, so you feel like you can finish a quest like you want to, you don't always have to kill trillions of mobs, you can for example pick up trash or something like that, isn't quite revolutionary, but brings a great feel of freedom to it.
    The combat mechanics is actually great, not your basic-button-smashing-and-standing-still-style of combat, you actually have to move and dodge actively and use your snares and stuns in order to survive. This is very rewarding that your individual skill might help you bring down a more powerful enemy rather than your statistics.
    The PVP has that same skill mechanic implemented, since you have to dodge and move around corners to avoid damage and do that really challenging skill requiring dance that you do on PvE as well. The World vs. World vs. World is a great thing, you fight for your own realms benefits, which is quite neat and it seems balanced enough, realms who run over other realms get moved up and those who cannot cope will be placed with weaker opponents to guarantee at least some bonuses for your realm.

    Why aren't I giving a 10 to a game that is great?
    Several technical issues I might say. A-net still has to work on stability and WvW lag-issues and trading post issues of course. In pre-launch everything worked at least good but then came the launch and the lags and everything went to full **** but now a few weeks after the launch everything seems good, minor lags and bugs still exist, but nothing too bad anymore.

    In conclusion Guild Wars 2 renews the MMO-genre enough to fight against the big mighty World of Warcraft but still keeps some basics untouched which is a must if you want to attract people to play. Watch out World of Warcraft, you got a challenger....And it's gonna kick your Panda-ass all the way through Tyria.    … Expand
  5. xMountainDrewXx
    Sep 7, 2012
    2
    Guild Wars 2 looked to be a very hopeful game for me, a game I thought I would be playing for a decent 6 months or more, around the same timeframe I played WoW a few years back. The way the game was advertised was very well done, they made the game looks so clean and crisp, the graphics looked amazing. What they did was professionally iced a crummy cake. The game is very deceiving atGuild Wars 2 looked to be a very hopeful game for me, a game I thought I would be playing for a decent 6 months or more, around the same timeframe I played WoW a few years back. The way the game was advertised was very well done, they made the game looks so clean and crisp, the graphics looked amazing. What they did was professionally iced a crummy cake. The game is very deceiving at first. The diverse character creation draws you in, and you choose what your characters going to be like, before you even experience them playing the game. I played human mostly, and made a guardian and engineer. After killing a few centaurs from some random town attack, I'm called in to help fight some massive rock hand that emerged from the ground. After joining the 10 other players that are smacking the rock with their daggers and bullets, the boss dies with like 5 minutes, and then my character passed out. I'm then told to help the town out with their daily chores, watering corn, feeding cows and destroying wasp nests. Wtf? What happend to all the centaurs, why did they even attack. To be honest, I think the storyline and moral behind all this is very generic and didn't really interest me at all. The skills are very limited, and get very tedious after a while. The skill/trait system is very dry, and didn't inspire me to go further at all. The instanced city ruined the whole 'epicness' and the teleportation system isn't a very creative way of travelling. WvW consisted of attacking a gate for 15mins before it was destroyed, and showed little potential for melee clases, as they got destroyed if they ran into a 20 man pack of players, all AoEing the ground and using their root abilities to pretty much ruin melee potential. The last stand skill ruined pvp, as it always felt I had to kill the player twice, instead of a nice clean one shot. It was way too balanced as well, giving every class ability ranged and heal abilitys, there is no special "individuality" among the classes as they could all do similar things. The biggest reason I didn't continue though was the lack of potential. What was the point of hitting level 80, when you get the same benefits at any point of the game. They wanted to make the game balanced and fair, and they did. I got my money back on the game after playing the 3-day head start and a few days after that. If you've played WoW and loved it, don't play this game. This is all my opinion guys, many of you probably like the style of the game, but I guarantee you, after 6 months, this game will barely be heard of.… Expand
  6. Enclave_X
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    (Skip to 3rd paragraph for the actual review of the game)

    Basically this review is coming from an experienced gamer who hasn't had much experiences with mmos. Even though I'm only 19, I've been playing games since I was about 6. I've read about a few mmos here and there. People tried to get me to play World of Warcraft, and honestly it didn't look fun. (Some people will hate the comment    (Skip to 3rd paragraph for the actual review of the game)

    Basically this review is coming from an experienced gamer who hasn't had much experiences with mmos. Even though I'm only 19, I've been playing games since I was about 6. I've read about a few mmos here and there. People tried to get me to play World of Warcraft, and honestly it didn't look fun. (Some people will hate the comment I know...) Really the only mmo I ever played a lot of was Runescape. Honestly that was alright, but basically I used it as a time waster ( And a time waster it is..) because of its accessibility as a browser based game. I also tried SWTOR but only played for the first 2 weeks of my 3 month membership.

    Overall I have not been too impressed with the mmo genre... That is until I watched some people playing the beta of this game. I started watching content about Guild Wars 2 out of pure boredom a week before release. As a gamer I tend to keep up with games that are being released. The minute I saw the game on a small iphone screen I couldn't stop thinking about it. The next thing you know I watched probably 20+ videos in that week and couldn't even touch a game I was so excited for it. I didn't even know there was a Guild Wars 1 and something about Guild Wars 2 just "mesmer"ized me (Hah Guild Wars humor). I quickly preordered it and had my friends do the same. They don't like mmos either and I told them I'd pay them back if it was bad that's how confident I was this would be a huge success.

    Then came the release day, as soon as I was able I picked up the game and began its lengthy install. I was shocked at the 4-5gig patch especially since I have a 10 gig internet cap but it didn't bother me. I just told my parents I'd cover the internet bill (Which will be huge this month). Finally it was installed. I logged into my registered account and was taken to the character creation screen. I made my first character a Human Engineer. I was extremely impressed with the detail of the character creator. It was on par with one of my favorite series, The Elder Scrolls. The opening cinematic was also just as good. I thought this is finally what I've been waiting to see, an mmo with console like features. Already I fell in love with the story and I hadn't even played. Once that cinematic ended however, I literally became absorbed into my tv screen. I played for maybe 2 hours straight and it felt like 15 minutes that's how much fun I was having. I told my brother who was also playing, why couldn't we have wasted the summer on this instead of Diablo 3. Guild Wars 2 is one of the most impressive games I've played in a long time. The world feels full, characters are alive, events occur when I'm not around, people are generally pretty respectful, the stories flow, the graphics are amazing, combat is responsive, leveling is at a nice pace, the scaling is amazing, and aside from a few launch issues and small bugs and inconveniences, this game is just fun. That is the best word I can use to describe this game, is fun. I haven't felt this addicted to a game since Fallout 3. I am impressed on what the delivers delivered to the gaming world. I hope this game earns the success it deserves. Oh and by the way my friends love it. (Phew!)

    Good luck on your adventures! and if you haven't bought it yet you're missing out! :D    … Expand
  7. Inmysights
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    I have been a gamer all my life and I still remember the feeling I had the first time I picked up and played WoW, the first time I went to warsong gulch and ran screaming with a flag chased by those damnable horde, walked across the bridge in stranglethorn vale...... but as games do, it got old. Vanilla wow is a dream we all had that has long since faded from memory leaving behind theI have been a gamer all my life and I still remember the feeling I had the first time I picked up and played WoW, the first time I went to warsong gulch and ran screaming with a flag chased by those damnable horde, walked across the bridge in stranglethorn vale...... but as games do, it got old. Vanilla wow is a dream we all had that has long since faded from memory leaving behind the beastly cash cow that is wow nowadays. This brings me to GW 2. I was skeptical to say the least. Up until a week before the head start I was not even going to buy it. But I did...... and damn it I am having a blast. I have not enjoyed a game this much in years. I can't put into words everything that makes GW2 worth ppls hard earned money and time but I can guarantee no one will buy it and feel like they didn't get their moneys worth, and 9 out of 10 will feel as I do. Arena.net have brought the magic back to mmo's. This is a must buy. And free to play? Get in there my son. Today I found a hidden doorway in the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, made my way through a booby trapped cave with pressure plates and the ground crumbling beneath my feet only to emerge in an underground cavern to find a ghost ship and a wicked jumping puzzle that took me 15 minutes to beat.....to finally earn an achievement and a splendid chest. In WoW if u tried to go off the beaten track like that the best you can hope for is falling through the ground to your death.... And I have not even mentioned the dungeons which are hella hard but rewarding or the World vs world vs world pvp that ate up 3 hours of my life last night as I lead my server to domination..... I could go on but I think by this stage if u are still reading u are either a fan or are going to buy the game so stop wasting your time and get playing!… Expand
  8. tallanx
    Sep 6, 2012
    8
    I like how all the troll posts are spouting lies that are so obvious you can see them a mile away and a quick search on youtube will prove them to be false. Of the negative reviews that are not troll posts, I'd like to point out a couple of things: 1. People complaining about there being no Raids, no Holy Trinity etc and how they bought into the hype and was disappointed are stupid. ThatI like how all the troll posts are spouting lies that are so obvious you can see them a mile away and a quick search on youtube will prove them to be false. Of the negative reviews that are not troll posts, I'd like to point out a couple of things: 1. People complaining about there being no Raids, no Holy Trinity etc and how they bought into the hype and was disappointed are stupid. That stuff has been public knowledge for more than a year and in fact some of those things were actually used by the developers themselves to promote the game. If you know the game won't have those things, why buy it and then complain that they don't have those things? If you didn't know about those things, then why say that the game is different from the hype? Whether you like it or not is subjective of course, but it is exactly as promised. 2. Account Security. First and foremost, the large majority of people who lost their accounts to hackers only have themselves to blame for not keeping their details secure. That being said, ANet does need to improve certain parts of their security features, such as adding a 3 failed tries = timeout on their website (I have not checked recently, so they may have already added this). So ANet has to take partial responsibility for the accounts that were hacked through brute force methods, but the majority? It was their own fault. 3. Banned accounts. Anybody saying "I'm innocent why was I banned?" is likely lying. Go do a search for the Reddit thread with all the ban information. The large majority of those who complained were actually banned for perfectly acceptable, valid reasons. Some of them were so ashamed that ANet knows exactly what they did they actually deleted their original complaint. The minuscule few that were actually innocent were given apologies and un-banned quickly after a review. CS staff are humans too, sometimes they makes mistakes, but looking at the evidence the majority of bans were well deserved. What ANet can actually improve in this area though is to modify their "You we're banned" message to include the reason why. Now for actual comments about the game. This game plays like a TES game in that you are dropped in a world, with a little bit of direction and then you are mostly left to your own devices. People who like exploring and goofing around experimenting with stuff will love it. There are so many little nooks and crannies everywhere, it's insane. People who prefer a more linear, hand-holded/guided style of game likely will not. The combat plays in some ways like an FPS, but from third person view. In a traditional MMO, if you see a mob your own level attacking you, you eat the damage and stand still and attack while consuming stuff like potions when necessary. In this game, you need to actually dodge out of the way, either by moving sideways, hiding behind terrain objects etc (a la FPS games) or using the "temporary invincibility" dodge button that you can only use twice in quick succession and other damage mitigation skills. It's not quite "action-combat" but I would say is a hybrid between traditional MMO combat and actiony FPS style combat. Anybody who says that the Holy Trinity still exists is lying. You CAN get through certain situations using a Holy Trinity type setup (early game), but you will find that it is a lot harder and more inefficient than playing the game the way it's meant to be played, by watching the screen, not the hotbar. And being aware of your surroundings instead of focusing on hp bars. The Dynamic Events system is great, it makes the world feel alive. Everybody who says "it's just WoW questing" are slow people who are either blind or unable to read instructions, they mistake Renown Hearts for Dynamic Events, ignore the real Dynamic Events when they see one and then complain about it. Renown Hearts are static events that the game uses to draw you to Dynamic Event hot spots. They are two different things and serve different purposes, the majority of the PvE content are the Dynamic Events, Hearts are only there as a guide and was only added because initial play testers felt they needed more direction.The only real problem that the game has is that they underestimated the demand for their game and so had some infrastructure teething issues (which has already seen some marked improvements over the past 2 weeks). In fact, other than the usual small to medium bugs here and there that you expect from a software this size and scope, all of the other issues are infrastructure/capacity related. TLDR: The game is well designed with some excellent systems in place. They need to improve some of their backend infrastructure, which they have publicly acknowledged and are addressing. If you don… Expand
  9. Necromus
    Sep 6, 2012
    0
    I highly recommend that you try this game out on a friend's account or wait until there is a free trial available before you buy this game because it is very different than other MMOs and also very different than what all the hype says about it. Many of the ones who rated this game 10 seem to be "yes men" drinking the Guild Wars 2 "kool-aid" without critical thinking. I get the impressionI highly recommend that you try this game out on a friend's account or wait until there is a free trial available before you buy this game because it is very different than other MMOs and also very different than what all the hype says about it. Many of the ones who rated this game 10 seem to be "yes men" drinking the Guild Wars 2 "kool-aid" without critical thinking. I get the impression that many of them have played only the original Guild Wars but have never played another MMO, or have only played World of Warcraft around 2004-2005 before all the major improvements that improved WoW over the years such as phasing, etc. After reading an aritcle where ArenaNet Founder Mike O'Brien said "We were number two to World of Warcraft with Guild Wars, now we want to beat them" and over-hype such as how the Guild Wars 2 web site currently says "Join the MMO Revolution..." I got suckered into thinking this game was going to be something great and pre-purchased it. I soon learned after 60 minutes of gameplay that I had been duped. I kept playing it to see if it would grow on me, but after every two hours of trying to get myself to enjoy the game I just would have to log off out of sheer boredom. This is the first time I have bought a game and been so dissapointed that I regretted the purchase. The reasons I don't like the game are: 1) The combat system is horrible. When you press one of your action bar keys, it does not feel like your character is responding, It is hard to see what you are hitting with your abilitie what hitting you. The combat is very similar to WoW vehicle fights where you just spam buttons 1-5 on cooldown. Add running in a circle to dodge stuff and you've pretty much mastered the game.. Due to lack of mob tagging all of the dynamic events involving bosses or waves of NPC foes seem to be zergfests where a dozen or so players are attacking the same boss/foes and really you feel like your part is so minimal that you are insignificant. 2) Poor story telling: The personal story NPC cut-scenes where you see two badly voice-acted NPCs standing at the left and the right of the screen in front of a painted backdrop are lame.What was extremely annoying for me for the personal story was the way that every time you completed one or two simple steps in the personal story you would have to leave the personal story and go and grind your level up doing other things because your weren't high enough level for the next personal story step. They need to either make the personal story scale with your level or just get rid of the personal story all together imo, the personal story does not seem to be connected to the outside world anyway.3) World Questing: WoW-clone quests just without the middle-man: If you've played WoW or any WoW-clone you've done these types of quests before, fetch a number of these things, kill a number of these things, place a number of these things over there, etc. Guild Wars 2 presents them a little differently however. Instead of list of fetch 0/10 things, kill 0/10 things, put 0/10 things there, you get a bar that says something equivalent to "Help Bob by fetching things, killing things and putting things there" and you can do any or all of the things repeatedly until the bar fills up at which point you get mail from "Bob" saying something like "Thanks for the help! here's some coins and a piece of armor!", you don't even have to go to a mailbox. For me personally, it feels like I am just doing a bunch of random tasks. I prefer the old way where you talk to an NPC and listen to him speak and/or read his test giving you a back story to why you are doing what you are doing and return to him when you are done because it gives you a sense of purpose for doing stuff, without that it really just feels like just a grind, when according to the hype, Guild Wars 2 was supposed to be less grindy than other MMOs.I originally gave Guild Wars 2 a 3/10 I've lowered it to 0/10 for a few reasons. a) Someone seems to be gaming the metacritic system to remove negative reviews (including b) there are way to many guild wars fans just giving the game a 10/10 without any critical thinking c) a large number of accounts have been hacked, d) Guild Wars 2 policies to ban players for 72 hours for swearing when they have a profanity filter build into the game makes no sense, e) Banning players for 72 hours for minor naming offenses when it is a first offense is extreme. I think some cases such as names that contain swear words or making racist remarks are indeed worthy of a 72-hour ban, but being banned for 72 hours for naming yourself something "Adolf Critler" is a little excessive for a first offense, a forced name change and a warning would've sufficed. I'm also not clear if a parodied name like "Spruce Willis" for a Sylvari would get me a 72 hour ban or not. I also had a few nice things to say but had to remove them due to 5000 char limit, but they cannot make up for the bad things.… Expand
  10. Justice_Friend
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This is exactly what I've been waiting for. After 7 years, I can finally say goodbye to Azeroth. If you're on the fence about this one, all I can say is go buy it now!
  11. zaurus
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This game is simply amazing and deserves all the praise that it gets. It's not perfect, as I'll explain in my review, but the fact that it does everything so much better than any other MMO out there earns it a 10 in my opinion. Bugs and server issues are to be expected with a game like this, and those will get fixed. People who like to bash this game are usually people who only play MMO'sThis game is simply amazing and deserves all the praise that it gets. It's not perfect, as I'll explain in my review, but the fact that it does everything so much better than any other MMO out there earns it a 10 in my opinion. Bugs and server issues are to be expected with a game like this, and those will get fixed. People who like to bash this game are usually people who only play MMO's like WoW and aren't capable of adapting to anything different.

    A problem I see a lot of people make is they go into low level zones and do the easy events there and just button mash or try to do "rotations" and assume the combat is dull and easy because they are able to get away with that. Try some higher level dungeons or PvP against skilled players and you will see that there are no "rotations" in this game. You have to adapt to what is going on in the fight and use your abilities wisely so you don't waste them at times when they aren't as helpful. And I saw someone mention dodging doesn't work and they still get hit? This person obviously doesn't know what they are doing because dodging works 100% of the time.

    The dynamic events DO make a difference in the world. Not all of them do, and even the ones that do make a difference don't always do it in a huge way. But the fact that some can and do make a big difference in the world easily makes this system better than the standard quest system found in most MMOs. Something to keep in mind too is that these events often trigger new events when they complete. Stick around a while and pay attention to what the NPC's are saying and doing after an event, it adds a lot of immersion to the game.

    The weakest part of Guild Wars 2 is the personal storyline. I definitely has some cheesiness to it. But again, most MMO's don't even have anything like this (except for SWTOR of course). So it's better than not having it at all.

    I see a problem with people complaining about security too, and for the most part they are right. It would have been nice if ArenaNet had implemented some type of authentication system BEFORE release. However, myself and many others have been playing without these issues. Just don't be an idiot and use the same password for every game/website you go to.    … Expand
  12. Hiei987
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This is first MMO since Wow that has all the potential to be a hit for many years to come. ArenaNet have taken a lot of risks with going away from the traditional MMO style, but most of them have been received quite well. The game attracts all of types of players and provides a great amount of content fit for any player, whether casual or hardcore.
  13. Hazax
    Sep 6, 2012
    8
    Guild Wars 2 does it different but in the same skin as its competitors. In terms of setting it evolves upon GW-1, still having a storyline focused upon you the player as several political factions try to oppose the dragons and other powers that threaten the civilized races that form the loose alliance set around Lions Arch. The combat at first glance seems the same as WoW (hit button 1 toGuild Wars 2 does it different but in the same skin as its competitors. In terms of setting it evolves upon GW-1, still having a storyline focused upon you the player as several political factions try to oppose the dragons and other powers that threaten the civilized races that form the loose alliance set around Lions Arch. The combat at first glance seems the same as WoW (hit button 1 to use skill 1) but once you delve into it, it is nowhere close. Each class has skills tied to weapons (skills 1-5) and then 5 that are unlocked as you earn skillpoints to unlock them, beyond this each class has unique mechanics which further sets it apart… Expand
  14. Machineman87
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    Security is absolutely the most glaring issue with the game.

    After years of learning security best practices from other game
  15. ilpanda
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    The so-called dynamic events just repeats over and over, with no real difference in winning or failing the event, usually you are surrounded by lot of other players so you can simply press auto-attack key and go afk. Perhaps the game is good in pvp, but for the pve part it's nothing a real pve fan will play.
  16. GottFaust
    Sep 6, 2012
    9
    I picked this game up over the Labor Day weekend, and then my 3-day weekend ceased to exist. I haven't had a single evening since then either. It's been a long time since a game has made me utterly lose track of time. I've been having to set an alarm for myself otherwise I'd be up until 5:00 am every night. This game is what every MMO released in the last 8 years simply were not: Pure,I picked this game up over the Labor Day weekend, and then my 3-day weekend ceased to exist. I haven't had a single evening since then either. It's been a long time since a game has made me utterly lose track of time. I've been having to set an alarm for myself otherwise I'd be up until 5:00 am every night. This game is what every MMO released in the last 8 years simply were not: Pure, unadulterated fun. To top it off ArenaNet doesn't take crap from all the exploiters, botters, and hackers that plague most other MMOs. They're perma-banned quickly and efficiently, and if this continues it might be the only recent MMO whose economy is not completely ruined within a month of its launch. The only reason I haven't given this game a perfect 10 is because of the rocky launch though, admittedly, even that has been better than most other recent MMOs.… Expand
  17. NastyN8
    Sep 6, 2012
    9
    My experience with Guild Wars 2 has been exceptional. There are some minor flaws but the good qualities far outweigh the bad in Guild Wars 2. I'll start with the flaws: 1. I have come across one or two skill challenges and events are broken. 2. The way in which quests and events are presented does encourage players to work together towards something but I feel like it almost discouragesMy experience with Guild Wars 2 has been exceptional. There are some minor flaws but the good qualities far outweigh the bad in Guild Wars 2. I'll start with the flaws: 1. I have come across one or two skill challenges and events are broken. 2. The way in which quests and events are presented does encourage players to work together towards something but I feel like it almost discourages social player interaction because in many cases, nothing needs to be said to accomplish a goal. 3. Many of the utility skills seem useless to me for PVP or PVE. However, this could just be due to my lack of experience with my profession or the game in general. 4. Lack of tutorial. This is actually a plus for me because I like figuring things out, but I can see how this would frustrate some people.

    The good points in Guild Wars 2 result in a much longer list for me, so I will just stick to the major points: 1. Doing arbitrary redundant tasks (such as traveling back to a city to free up inventory space) are nearly eliminated. 2. With the character creation options, armor dyes, utility skills, trait points, transmutation, and weapon selection - character customization is on par, if not better, than any MMO out there. I have yet to see another Charr Necromancer that looks like me, so finding one that does look like me and has the same weapons/traits/skills seems highly unlikely. 3. Questing/exploration structure is very well thought out and dynamic events prevent the boredom from setting in. 4. Compared to other MMOs and similar games, the launch of GW2 went VERY smooth. There are minimal bugs and plenty of content at launch 5. Doing lower level content is still challenging and rewarding. To my knowledge, this is the first MMO to accomplish this and it opens up a staggering amount of additional content to play through. 6. Any race/profession combo is allowed 7. Players are encouraged to work together. You get good rewards for participating in an event, you get exp for reviving another player, exp and rewards are given to all players that participate, and resource nodes cannot be "stolen" by another player. 8. Graphics are really good. I have a very nice gaming computer and I still can get 95-100% use out of both my GPUs on high settings. Not many games on PC do that for me. 9. PVP is well balanced at launch! Making everybody level 80 for PvP is a brilliant idea too.    … Expand
  18. Drensis
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    This is a game for kids. Quests are so stupid, and your character seems like a body with a doolish head. No interaction needed with other players... everybody rush on "dynamics" events, you don't see anything and you do not need any skills to win the event... absolutly deplorable. World vs World is unplayable, and battlegrounds are boring. This is ver yfar from the revolution they annoncedThis is a game for kids. Quests are so stupid, and your character seems like a body with a doolish head. No interaction needed with other players... everybody rush on "dynamics" events, you don't see anything and you do not need any skills to win the event... absolutly deplorable. World vs World is unplayable, and battlegrounds are boring. This is ver yfar from the revolution they annonced ! Maybe F2P players like it.. I really don't understand this score...… Expand
  19. Sayanshaka
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    And by the way, there is an end to the storyline in guild wars2, a mmorpg. It's like Arthas is the last boss in UBRS or something, thanks for playing now go pvp xD. seriously ?

    welcome to the MMOPG genre, role it out yourself kid.
  20. Antisceptic
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Looks great, feels great, sounds great, plays great, runs great. PvP is perfectly balanced, PvE is dynamic and interesting, World vs World is always changing and has such an epic scale. The Music is by Jeremy Soule. The achievements system rewards you for every aspect of the game, which is good, because this is the best MMORPG ever created.
  21. Andore
    Sep 5, 2012
    9
    This game restored my faith in MMOs. It's the best thing since Ultima Online.
    Not only the best theme park ever made, but one of the greatest games ever.
  22. g10stpd
    Sep 5, 2012
    9
    First off, I haven't played every MMO out there, but I have been playing MMOs since 1999 starting with UO. The next game I spent a ton of time on was WoW since launch. I have tried many other 'next big things' that turned out to be failures within the first couple months. They either faltered due to poor launch, inexperience, or just lack of content. With Guild Wars 2, those are notFirst off, I haven't played every MMO out there, but I have been playing MMOs since 1999 starting with UO. The next game I spent a ton of time on was WoW since launch. I have tried many other 'next big things' that turned out to be failures within the first couple months. They either faltered due to poor launch, inexperience, or just lack of content. With Guild Wars 2, those are not concerns. ArenaNet is experienced and has plenty of content here at launch. I firmly believe this is 'the next big thing' since the juggernaut known as WoW has been around, I shall explain why. This list is in no particular order...

    1- This game is polished for release. There may be minor bugs here and there, but the game as a whole just works. I'm sure there will be more polish put on this with time. It can't compare to WoW here, but then again WoW has like an 8 year head start. Give it time. 2 - Depth of character: Open race and profession combinations. Anybody can be anything. The depth of how you can pick your utility skills and traits and have a real good chance of not running into anyone else with a cookie cutter build is very nice, especially since Blizzard killed off hybrids with Cataclysm and more so with Pandaria. 3 - Combat! Skills are determined by what you have in your hand more so than your profession. All buffs (boons) and debuffs (conditions) are of simple design. There is no dedicated Tank-Healer-DPS although there are some classes that excel at certain things more than others. Combat animations are done well and it seems to flow very smoothly. I am very critical on this as this is the exact thing that put me off of wanting in on The Secret World. There haven't been many MMOs to give you such an active mode of combat. Age of Conan tried and was very unbalanced between ranged and melee. Guild Wars 2 gets it right. You are able to fully Line of Sight some ones attacks or even actively dodge them!

    4- PvP at launch! This is a direct stab at Blizzard. They still haven't added it to Diablo 3 (still wouldn't make me want to play it again, heh) and WoW was going for months before it got it's first battleground. I give major props for Dynamic Level Adjustments up to level 80. There are no such things as lowbie twinks or leveling zone camping and gankfests. Racial abilities can't be used in Structured PvP also (no Human double trinket domination!)

    5- Robust crafting. This game has one of the most interesting crafting setups I've ever seen. It could use a bit more polish such as maybe showing you what you could make based upon components that you could make based upon your materials. I think there should be an option to consider your bank materials as well. I have only scratched the tip of this and am anxious to get more materials to craft more. Also, experience is gained for crafting and gathering!

    6- Dynamic questing system. You do have a main story line that gives you a clear direction on how to progress through the game, but a big chunk of your leveling will be done through dynamic quests kind of similar to Rift's rift system and Instant Adventures, but more dynamic. No forced grouping during leveling as the content adjusts to how many players are active and you automatically get heals or assists off whoever is killing the same target as you. The Dynamic Level Adjustment works opposite in PvE than PvP, if you go into a lower level zone, you get reduced to an appropriate level and rewarded as if you were higher level. It is impossible to out level the content and you also can't get a high level guy to just run you through something! Also, no looking for yellow ?s or !s on the map!!!

    7- The graphics are 2nd to none in MMOs. This is not a factor for many, but after spending thousands on PC hardware over the years, I appreciate being able to fully use it. This is the first game in years to have me taking screenshots because I am in awe of the design. A lot of MMOs don't put as much thought into design of the whole game as ArenaNet has done with just a single zone.

    8- I don't know what else to keep on about... You can join multiple guilds. You get nice rewards for 100% exploration of zones. You can 'fight for your life' instead of dying when you get downed. You can transmute gear for different looks. You can freely dye armor different colors. .... and quite a bit more than I have space or time to describe.

    Bottom line: Go get the game if you haven't already!!    … Expand
  23. sektor
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Revolutionizing the genre a must play for MMO and Action RPG fans. Miles ahead of similar action MMO's mindless gameplay. After reading most of the negative reviews I realize it comes from a lack of understanding of the game itself as well as a lack of awareness. People who are giving this a low score are coming into the game with a cookie-cutter MMO mindset. Come in with a blank slate andRevolutionizing the genre a must play for MMO and Action RPG fans. Miles ahead of similar action MMO's mindless gameplay. After reading most of the negative reviews I realize it comes from a lack of understanding of the game itself as well as a lack of awareness. People who are giving this a low score are coming into the game with a cookie-cutter MMO mindset. Come in with a blank slate and see why this is the best MMO of this year and probably this decade.… Expand
  24. Ocelot113
    Sep 5, 2012
    2
    This quote from the Manifesto video doomed this game IMO:

    "... in Guild Wars 2, it's your world. It's your story. You affect things around you in a very permanent way." "You are rescuing a village, that will stay rescued." I'll come right out and say it... Naaah. Not a chance, it's the same old, same old, never ending loop of quests. They have not come up with any solution for    This quote from the Manifesto video doomed this game IMO:

    "... in Guild Wars 2, it's your world. It's your story. You affect things around you in a very permanent way." "You are rescuing a village, that will stay rescued." I'll come right out and say it... Naaah. Not a chance, it's the same old, same old, never ending loop of quests. They have not come up with any solution for personalizing an entire MMO world to the player. Their main claim to revolutionary game design was a complete fabrication. That alone heavily drops the score for me. Secondly, the event system is very, very repetitive. Just as repetitive as any other MMO to date. They change who you are fighting, what you are fetching, what you are wiping off walls, and where you are, but you are still defending, fetching, and wiping just to move on and do it all over. Lastly, the personal story is level based so you must, MUST grind out on things that have no story, or a very weak on if any, in order to get to the meat of the story in the game. Bad design, personal story must level with the character so they can always progress. That right there made me stop playing because I was not going to WOW grind to get to play and enjoyable single player experience. Oh and don't try grouping with too many people because the overload servers can't keep parties on the same servers. Overall, Guild Wars 2 Is like a bargain bin CD of a bunch of niche MMO's. 50 classic games for $60, but really nothing in it to separate it from the competition and the lack of a goal makes it hard to press on.    … Expand
  25. Warfist
    Sep 5, 2012
    8
    Not the revolutionary genre changing game many of GW2's more zealous fans tried to tout pre-release, but a very solid, very good MMO with plenty to do and best of all no subscription fee.
  26. Mcwalco
    Sep 5, 2012
    4
    Disney on steroids or PCP great graphics ,crafting looks well done but some what tedious.Characters are great stories weak least thief was .I found it little better than WOW or most the other fantasy MMOs out there. I have been playing MMos since before Ultima Online .Its good but not up to the hype .
  27. gas
    Sep 5, 2012
    8
    After playin wow more or less 7 years i think tht GW2 is very very promising, i tried some others mmos in those years but didnt like any, except EVE online which is very good but another setting and kind of mmo.
    GW2 in my opinion is mostly based on PVP, the world vs world is very fun and the structured pvp is imo a lot better then wow, especially the fact its not gear based, its a lot    After playin wow more or less 7 years i think tht GW2 is very very promising, i tried some others mmos in those years but didnt like any, except EVE online which is very good but another setting and kind of mmo.
    GW2 in my opinion is mostly based on PVP, the world vs world is very fun and the structured pvp is imo a lot better then wow, especially the fact its not gear based, its a lot more skill based.
    The PVE is a lot less structured then wow, there are no raids, and instances are more about kiting / controlling.
    Its needed to understand how to play it, positioning, pulling, and the weapons used are key factor to beat the instance in the right manner in exploration mode.
    There is no more tank/healer/dps trinity which is imo really a great idea, ofc it leads to a PVE totally different from wow based games.
    If you like to pass the time stayin back of a boss pulling out max dps this is not the mmo for you, you will die every 2 seconds doing that, ive seen in those starting days a lot of ppl used to other mmos not understanding that the game here is different, its needed to be on the move, use the right weapons, hide when needed, use los and help the team with traits/utility skills.
    The quest system is great, very fun and well made, compared to wow its a blast.
    In many occasions its possible to complete events with follow ups that carry you around a lot before finishing.
    Every zone have a world boss event and at least a hidden puzzle zone to be discovered.
    Most of the new ideas are lightyears further compared to wow, the AH is the best one ive seen in any mmo, and overall i think this game will be a winning one.
    Anyway its not the mmo for anyone, ppl who are interested in raiding or really like tanking/healing system will not find those activities and mechanics in GW2.    … Expand
  28. Rok
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Others have already said it, even officially on reviewing websites, and I was one of the first to say it: yes, the long-awaited "WoW killer" is here! This doesn't mean that Blizzard will pack up and leave, but it means that WoW's near-monopoly, after 8 long years, is long gone now, thanks to Guild Wars 2.

    This does [not] come from a Guild Wars or ArenaNet fanboy; on the contrary, I'm a    Others have already said it, even officially on reviewing websites, and I was one of the first to say it: yes, the long-awaited "WoW killer" is here! This doesn't mean that Blizzard will pack up and leave, but it means that WoW's near-monopoly, after 8 long years, is long gone now, thanks to Guild Wars 2.

    This does [not] come from a Guild Wars or ArenaNet fanboy; on the contrary, I'm a WoW veteran who played WoW from day 1 EU release, and fell in love with WoW about 7 or 8 years ago, almost as much as I fell in love with Guild Wars 2 today! Believe me...if anyone can remember their excitement and love for WoW during the first week of release, hold that feeling and thought, and do know that GW2 can give you the same feeling [today]! If you let it.

    Guild Wars 2 puts all the sins of WoW through the years in the trash can of gaming history: all the fighting, spite, ill-will, frustration, anger and hatred among players, fighting over the most trivial of things, like a metal ore node, or an epic drop...all that greed and spiteful competition that Blizzard bred in our hearts, turing WoW's community into one of the worst gaming communities around, with so many jerks and anti-social people moving around...even Blizzard's guild leadership policies today breed the worst feelings and can take away years of hard work and effort from a guild master if something happens in real life and they need to spend a prolonged period of time away from the game...that guild master can return to the game to find their guild simply gone! That's how far Blizzard has gone in creating a game that just literally breeds hatred, frustration, elitism, spiteful competition, and distrust in the hearts of its community. And frankly, I've been waiting for years now for a "WoW killer", at least personal one that can help get my social fun away from all this negativity. And that personal WoW killer is here, thanks to ArenaNet with their Guild Wars 2.

    And let me tell you, I bought Guild Wars 1 at a bargain price, just to try it, and didn't like it at all. I bought Age of Conan, and it very quickly disappointed me. I never bought Rift because, although it was definitely a solid, polished, and fun game, it just felt like I'll be back to another WoW somehow. Never tried TERA because it was obviously a grind fest. Never bought The Secret World, even though I had hope in it in the very beginning; brilliant idea and nice creative new ideas, but unfortunately all gone to waste in bad graphics and uninspired or lackluster combat mechanics and feel...it's kind of like shooting a plastic gun compared to shooting the real thing at a shooting range, you know? SWTOR was lovely in many ways; I absolutely loved that each & every quest was spoken, loved the dialogue options in it, loved the romantic and partnership story twists that you can unearth while questing, but unfortunately, the graphics were uninspired and the combat, again, felt like shooting a plastic gun. After all those tries and years, finally Guild Wars 2 came along, with beautiful, awe-inspiring graphics (at least at the high settings with a gaming PC); lovely variety of world and personal quests (although they can certainly learn more from BioWare in this department and perfect the writing and storytelling further in GW2); soothing or motivating music; impressive sound effects, some of which have even already become iconic, like "Refreshing!", which is used by GuildHead as the punchline after the website name nowadays; and the icing of the cake, absolutely awesome combat mechanics [and] visuals...I'm telling you, just walking around killing stuff, without any NPC asking me, is sooo much fun in GW2! Combat is just inspiring and awesome in Guild War 2, literally! Whatever it is you choose to be, or whichever Profession (GW2's term for "class") you choose, combat just feels solid, awesome, and good, and [looks] good. If you are a Warrior wielding a two-handed hammer, it feels the whole freakin' ground is shaking once you land that final slam on the enemy; if you are a Ranger wielding a bow, everyone around you can see and hear your rain of arrows falling on groups of enemies; if you are an Engineer or Thief, dual-wielding pistols, you feel like a cowboy from the wild west just bam-bamming enemies; if you are an Elemental, you can see and hear your enemies wailing & see them flailing madly from your fire spells as they breath their last and roll on the ground then stop forever and ...all that, in any Profession, you are dodging attacks and strafing right & left (if you want) whichever spell or attack you're pulling. Combat in GW2...is...just...awesome!

    Hey, see you in Tyria!    … Expand
  29. Eleutherius
    Sep 5, 2012
    6
    Hi all. I'm writing this review because i feel like there are too many "personal" reviews (you know, the 10 or 0 score ones...) and i'd like to write the most objectively i can. I also know that one should play for some months before talking about a game, but i feel like this review can help those wondering whether to buy the game or not. There have been a lot of hype (not from me) aroundHi all. I'm writing this review because i feel like there are too many "personal" reviews (you know, the 10 or 0 score ones...) and i'd like to write the most objectively i can. I also know that one should play for some months before talking about a game, but i feel like this review can help those wondering whether to buy the game or not. There have been a lot of hype (not from me) around this game, mainly because of its "revolutionary" features. I honestly admit that there are some innovations, but the question is: are those innovations good? Let's talk about the combat system. You have 5 attack skills based on your equipped weapon/s, 1 healing skill chosen from a pool of 3, 3 so called "utility" skills and an elite one. You just can't customize your weapon skills: this means that every ranger wielding a greatsword will have the same 5 skills. Quite a constrain, in my opinion. The fact that almost no skill uses a resource (i.e. mana) makes the fights usually boring, since you will spam your skills when off from cooldown. The roll lets you evade an attack, but it is rare that a couple of rolls actually make the difference between a won and a lost fight; moreover, rolling is pretty much useless against both weaker enemies (you can take all of their hits) and champion-like foes (evade a couple of attacks, but when out endurance bar you're doomed). The "dynamic events" are just server-open quests, spawning every now and then and always requesting you to collect stuff - kill things. When a lot of fighting is involved it is common to have swarms of players overwhelming enemies just by numbers, not by skill. Even boss fights may become pretty boring, and you may feel useless since your efforts can be like a drop of water in an ocean. It should be mentioned that you will likely be unable to challenge yourself by trying and completing an event with only your 4 or 5 friends because everyone in the area will come and fight. Environments are well made and fascinating, with highly different locations and architectures. The graphics are acceptable although character customization is not so high (i.e. male human faces look pretty much the same). I was expecting a highly addictive and well made pve, but i'm sorry to say that my expectations were a little too high. If you don't play your personal story, the pve gets boring really fast. I'm sure that the devs expected this to happen, in fact they have added the gathering system, the point of interest / vistas "completion run", the daily / monthly achievements, etc. to break from the fight-move on-fight-move on-event-move on scheme. I'm not talking about pvp since i think it is too early on and still there are people not actually knowing what to do to play at a good level. All in all, pve wise (and please note that this is not like gw1, where pvp was predominant), Guild Wars 2 should be given a 7 or 7.5 but i'm lowering my score to 6 - 6.5 because i feel that all the innovations we should have seen in the game were either fake or simply unnecessary. Too much hype for a game that is actually good, but absolutely not a revolutionary one nor a mmorpg champion like WoW is.… Expand
  30. Jacksonbauer
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Simply put, if you give the game your time, you will get the fun the game allows. It starts you right into the action, and craving more in between. I've been excited for this game since its announcement; I was a huge GW fan. But to say the least, this game has still beaten my expectations even 72+ hours into game, and i don't see it getting boring anytime soon. Skipping the details, thisSimply put, if you give the game your time, you will get the fun the game allows. It starts you right into the action, and craving more in between. I've been excited for this game since its announcement; I was a huge GW fan. But to say the least, this game has still beaten my expectations even 72+ hours into game, and i don't see it getting boring anytime soon. Skipping the details, this game deserves a 10. The story is really well thought out, though the dialog can be a bit strange, and the combat system is fresh into the MMO scene, considering GW1 technically wasn't an MMO. That being said, this game feels like an RPG, and still sucks you in like the best of the best MMOs. So do yourself a favor by getting this game. Without a subscription fee, its impossible to pass the temptation.… Expand
  31. Shadows_Of_Fall
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    I have to say, it's been a very long time since I've found so much enjoyment in a game. A long time since I got so much for my money. A long time since I can say I've truly enjoyed almost every aspect of a game. And that game is GW2. The game does have its flaws, but they're nothing major.

    The combat is a little less 'actiony' than TERA but I welcome the change as I felt TERA was a    I have to say, it's been a very long time since I've found so much enjoyment in a game. A long time since I got so much for my money. A long time since I can say I've truly enjoyed almost every aspect of a game. And that game is GW2. The game does have its flaws, but they're nothing major.

    The combat is a little less 'actiony' than TERA but I welcome the change as I felt TERA was a little too 'all over the place' and chaotic. GW2 finds a nice balance between TERAs combat and WoWs combat. All classes heal themselves, can survive if you play them well and can be good at dealing damage. I have yet to see a situation where I went 'damn, I need an _____'. If I die, it's cause I failed to dodge, stood in AoE or ignored my heal.

    Questing is a combination of Dynamic Events (events which happen in the world around you and often tell the story of a zone (centaur attacks, portals to the netherworld, ongoing struggle against dragon minions etc)) and Renown Hearts ('standard quests' marked by large hearts where you have several ways to help out locals, Renown Hearts generally tell the story of the people who live in their zone/their daily lives). Together, these make the game unique and interesting. I also have to say that it really rewards exploration and getting lost in the world.

    Each race feels truly unique (and in 4/5 cases, unique to the genre itself) and classes all feel different (I love how a Warrior uses a Longbow differently than a Ranger). Some people are complaining that your first 5 skills are determined by your weapon, but I rather enjoy the concept of having a certain fighting style with a weapon versus it simply being a stat stick. I do however wish there were slightly more options within a weapon, just incase I didn;t like 1 out of 5 greatsword skills or wanted to change things up.

    Perhaps the biggest current complaint is the supposed 'lack of endgame' but that's, in truth, almost a non-issue. If you take your time enjoying the game as you go, taking time to explore and craft and perhaps even jump into some World vs World vs World or structured PvP, you won't have to worry about any sort of grind and the game will feel plenty full. Pair that with 12 dungeons JUST for level 80 and a total of 32 dungeons in the game AS WELL AS continuing support from ANet in the way of added Dynamic Events and possibly even more dungeons or regions ASIDE from planned Expansions, and the game has a ton of stuff to do now, with more on the way.    … Expand
  32. Sevvy88
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    Probably the best MMO to be released since World of Warcraft in 2004. It's been a long time, with alot of wannabes, and in recent years, there have been a couple of games that tried to shake the formula up in one way or another, but not a game that really, overall, produced something special. Guild Wars 2 doesn't completely revolutionize the genre, but if you want a game that perfects ideaProbably the best MMO to be released since World of Warcraft in 2004. It's been a long time, with alot of wannabes, and in recent years, there have been a couple of games that tried to shake the formula up in one way or another, but not a game that really, overall, produced something special. Guild Wars 2 doesn't completely revolutionize the genre, but if you want a game that perfects idea brought forth in Tera, SW:TOR, Rift, War, and yes, even WoW, and throws them in one pile, polishes them nicely, and improves upon them in almost every way, then Guild Wars 2 is worth a try. The PvE experience in terms of exploration and immersion in a world that always keeps you occupied and always keeps you playing and always keeps rewarding you is unmatched. World of Warcraft's questing system will truly show its age. Things like WvWvW are exhilarating. and for gamers keen on guilds and organized grouping will be rewarded by it. The thing that truly sets the game apart though is how seemelssly the experience flows together. There is a gentle guiding hand in Guild Wars 2, but it's so light of a touch that you won't even notice that you are being led along. It's doing what every MMO before it since WoW has claimed to do: improve the genre in almost every way imaginable. It's not a complete re-imagining of MMO's, but it certainly is the long awaited step towards the future that I think we have all been waiting for. Give it a shot.… Expand
  33. BloodyRandy
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    One of those games where you can tell the artists just sat back and enjoyed themselves. They level of detail to areas shows that the designers put their hearts into each and every little thing. I couldn't really compare the level of detail with any other mmo. I think it looks more like Dark Souls and even has the combat moves influenced by it. Each move does something distinct. MostOne of those games where you can tell the artists just sat back and enjoyed themselves. They level of detail to areas shows that the designers put their hearts into each and every little thing. I couldn't really compare the level of detail with any other mmo. I think it looks more like Dark Souls and even has the combat moves influenced by it. Each move does something distinct. Most mmos have the problem with having too much clutter. In Guild wars, you have the option. You can switch between weapons at level 11 making your combat even more unique. Ultimately the game is 60 bucks with no monthly fee. They don't ask for a credit card to keep on hold. Why is it that when a company has your credit card information they are bound to take at least one payment? I don't remember guild wars that much but it doesn't matter, Guild Wars 2 doesn't want you to. It does everything new, it's a new game with great features and an easy to get into but difficult to master atmosphere. This is no baby mmo like Wow. It has it's fair share of challenges and some stages can require some tact. Still if you have a decent PC pick this up you won't regret it.… Expand
  34. zaphod6502
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    GW2 is a groundbreaking, genre busting MMO. It introduces so many new gameplay concepts in the areas of combat, questing, crafting, travel, and more. The gameplay in GW2 emphasises minimal downtime and maximises fun activities. No grouping is required and there is no such thing as kill stealing. It naturally funnels players together to cooperate to complete quests, explore, and take downGW2 is a groundbreaking, genre busting MMO. It introduces so many new gameplay concepts in the areas of combat, questing, crafting, travel, and more. The gameplay in GW2 emphasises minimal downtime and maximises fun activities. No grouping is required and there is no such thing as kill stealing. It naturally funnels players together to cooperate to complete quests, explore, and take down world bosses. The combat system is active and direction based. There is no holy trinity and any player can fulfill many roles.

    GW2 has a high level of polish and the artwork and music are sublime. The achievement system is extensive and there is also a guild achievement system. Everything you do in the game will earn you achievements, money, and experience. If you are tired of the same old MMO gameplay then you must try GW2. Leave what you know about "traditional" MMO's at the door and embrace the new gameplay concepts GW2 offers. This is the best MMO I have played in almost 8 years and has rejuvenated my interest in the genre. You won't be disappointed!    … Expand
  35. WNxWind
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    I said prior that other titles had been the evolution of the MMORPG Genre' I am now sure that Guild Wars 2 is the start of the "Next Generation MMORPG" - Luckily it does not try to be too nudered down, something MMORPG's suffered from ever since the release of the Genre shifting (for the worse) release of World of Warcraft putting titles like Everquest, Ultima Online and Asherons Call asI said prior that other titles had been the evolution of the MMORPG Genre' I am now sure that Guild Wars 2 is the start of the "Next Generation MMORPG" - Luckily it does not try to be too nudered down, something MMORPG's suffered from ever since the release of the Genre shifting (for the worse) release of World of Warcraft putting titles like Everquest, Ultima Online and Asherons Call as relics of fond memory; any game attempting to be like them would fail - and any game attempting to be too much like WoW would fail.
    I Played the original Guild Wars at release like just about every other MMORPG looking for the next thing; and I "liked" it; but hated the use of instancing outside of city hubs; felt it to be over-all poor and figured the F2P design and lack of development funding in comparison to other companies may have been the cause and never touched it again - Thus I was not expecting much from Guild Wars 2.

    What I received was an MMORPG that had Story Quests in the Vein of SWTOR but barely consume the game and feel like a "distraction" from everything else you do; The games questing system is basically endless Warhammer Online "Public Event" style quests; endless people are aiding in them and great XP is awarded - You do not have to be grouped to split XP - another feature that is so welcoming is say ORE Vein or a Tree to cut down; if 6 people rush at the same tree; the first person doesn't steal it from you - you each get your own harvest from it :) This is very convienent.

    The combat system is near flawless in an MMORPG and the Graphics are Beautiful running on an SLI Geforce 680 GTX system with 16 gigs of ram and an 8 core AMD FX unlocked CPU - Everyone helps eachother out! you don't have to ask; you'll be revived; buffed; enemies killed with you as people run by (same XP) you gain XP for basically anything you do in the game which is also very very conveinent and refreshing.

    The most NOSTALGIC and "Leap of Danger" that Guild Wars took with the game is the main PVP system; It's World versus World (3 worlds battling over 4 HUGE terriotories which feature many camps; towers; keeps and a main castle to capture, defend, retake etc along with Orbs of Power - This instantly reminded me of DARK AGE OF CAMELOT but on a LARGER SCALE!!! It's mind blowingly well done. The fighting struggle for territory never ends; and everyone scales up to level 80 still gaining XP from NPC enemies around the huge battleground; and from player kills (who also drop great loot!)

    The other PVP option we also have around is "Mists" which are 5 different Server Based 16 player max, two team PVP Warzone/Battleground's in a "first to 500 point" style Capture objecctive warzone. No Level Up XP is gained through this mode and everyone has a preset level 80 template with all abilities unlocked (unlike regular world versus world which is level 80 with your gear scaling up along with the abilities you have unlocked thus far; but are able to continue to level up as it shows both your regular level then the scaled 80) --- In these warzones you get the PVP XP and level that up every level getting a treasure chest with PVP specific gear and it is a nice competetive breather; but takes the strategic world versus world PVP away.

    Nothing like building siege weapons- or aiding in building them and controlling them to help smash down the gates of a castle and slaughter all the players coming out; with a frontal assault then a flank after they retaliate!

    GW2 is the MMORPG TO GET!    … Expand
  36. sin151
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    Let me start of by saying two things first of all I do NOT give high scores for the sake of giving them and I usually only take time to write reviews if I really like the game. Second of all, all I have seen from the lower to mid ratings is complete jealousy that it beat out their favorite MMO. I'm sorry, but AN did so many things right and so little wrong.

    I would like to go over some    Let me start of by saying two things first of all I do NOT give high scores for the sake of giving them and I usually only take time to write reviews if I really like the game. Second of all, all I have seen from the lower to mid ratings is complete jealousy that it beat out their favorite MMO. I'm sorry, but AN did so many things right and so little wrong.

    I would like to go over some things that I felt were not touched upon in several of these other reviews that are just so brilliant. First off the story, music, atmosphere, combat, pvp, and events are perfectly done and incredibly engaging anyone who says otherwise; it's just not their cup of tea or again they are jealous that it really is done this well. Arenanet's attention to detail is unfathomable, the amount of work that went into their puzzles and mazes and keeping it varied consistently is nothing short of extraordinary, you always feel like you are doing something new or different when you come upon these. Then their are skill challenges and if you are lucky enough to solo of these it really does give you a sense of difficulty and what you still need to master, whether it be timing, precision, or just combos. I really enjoy a particular one where the guy kept you laughing the entire time. Next, the group events these are not so much engaging as game changing literally. If you fail to stop a Giant attack on a city for example, then you will not be able to use any merchant or events in this area until that Giant has been taken down. Likewise whole areas can shift from control to NPC to enemies based on if you succeed or fail an event. There is alot more to touch up on, but I feel these few should give players an idea just what makes Guild Wars 2 so enticing.

    Then we have to cons these range from miniscule bugs to the very simplistic crafting. The bugs from what I have seen so far are few and far between whether it's getting stuck in the map, creates that just give up, or NPCs that don't want to advance the story. There is always a workaround and they never bring you out of the experience. Then there is the crafting, which is mainly build up resources, refine said resources, use special materials to make inscriptions or insignias and repeat. I do like the discovery tab, but they give you almost zero recipes that are not common sense, really taking away the feeling of making something special to just the next thing on the list to get your bar higher. I feel if they added more mystery and adventure to their recipe making that people would have alot more fun crafting.

    This is just a small slice of what GW2 have and the PROS well outweigh the CONS, do yourself a favor and give it a try for yourself with no subscription fee you never locked into anything and can quit anytime and pick it back up later. I feel that my purchased was well justified and I hope you will feel the same. I did want to say one more thing the WvW feels exactly like the brilliant mode from DAoC and can be jumped in at anytime, which offers its own rewards and xp towards PvE. There simply is too many thing to about, I just hope people who read this actually see a better reason to pick it up, as for me I am back to enjoying this game 100 fold.    … Expand
  37. Kruos
    Sep 4, 2012
    0
    Do not buy this game if you are looking for a deep MMO to play long term, that certainly is not what this game is. This game is a decent game for about a month of PvE play. The dynamic events are not dynamic at all, there is absolutely no end game content at all. You can get all the best gear in about a day or two of level 80 play, and after that there is nothing more the strive for. ThereDo not buy this game if you are looking for a deep MMO to play long term, that certainly is not what this game is. This game is a decent game for about a month of PvE play. The dynamic events are not dynamic at all, there is absolutely no end game content at all. You can get all the best gear in about a day or two of level 80 play, and after that there is nothing more the strive for. There is no carrot and nothing to progress. The game play is shallow at best. In PvP all your abilities feel like they are lagged, however this is by design as Arenanet wants you to be able to Dodge roll away from attacks so they put a delay on nearly every ability, which ends up making the combat feel slow and laggy. If you are looking for a quality long term MMO, then definitely stick with World of Warcraft, your money is far better spent there.… Expand
  38. CinderellaMan
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    I am not a big MMO fan. I did play Age of Conan and LOTRO for about a year... but they could not keep my attention. The reason: some quests require a party. I don't play enough to join a guild; I just want to jump in for 30-60 mins and have fun. I have played GW2 for about 10 hours and have not had to join up with anyone. I can essentially play the game solo with group events occuringI am not a big MMO fan. I did play Age of Conan and LOTRO for about a year... but they could not keep my attention. The reason: some quests require a party. I don't play enough to join a guild; I just want to jump in for 30-60 mins and have fun. I have played GW2 for about 10 hours and have not had to join up with anyone. I can essentially play the game solo with group events occuring randomly... no need to "get organized". I really like this approach that caters to my class of gamer. Now, how well this works in high level zones with smaller populations remains to be seen... but for now I'm very pleased with my $60 purchase.… Expand
  39. Ozimandeus
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    The Best MMORPG on the market today, no.. the best MMORPG on the market since Ultima Online. This is close to perfection and Arenanet have delivered everything they said they would, a near flawless release and an experience unsurpassed in its genre.
  40. 2Netz
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    New era in MMO has begun! The main feature of the Guild Wars 2 is completely new level of quality, brand new and exciting combat system and a dynamic world, we did not know before. The game is very complex and multilayered. But oddly enough she gets a lot more exciting. The fact is that in addition to the latitude of the world, we get also the depth and breadth of the game mechanics withNew era in MMO has begun! The main feature of the Guild Wars 2 is completely new level of quality, brand new and exciting combat system and a dynamic world, we did not know before. The game is very complex and multilayered. But oddly enough she gets a lot more exciting. The fact is that in addition to the latitude of the world, we get also the depth and breadth of the game mechanics with all its newness.
    Absolute hit, game grabs you for a long time.    … Expand
  41. Superduperjew
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    I am hooked. What an impressive MMO. You are fed the feeling of "raid" from other MMOs CONSTANTLY through simply doing tasks. Events happen nearby and everyone rushes there to get a huge amount of XP. You're left with HUGE battles that are extremely satisfying.

    I can't believe how imaginative this game is! Its graphics are top notch for an MMO. The controls feels very natural and I keep    I am hooked. What an impressive MMO. You are fed the feeling of "raid" from other MMOs CONSTANTLY through simply doing tasks. Events happen nearby and everyone rushes there to get a huge amount of XP. You're left with HUGE battles that are extremely satisfying.

    I can't believe how imaginative this game is! Its graphics are top notch for an MMO. The controls feels very natural and I keep wondering how it could be any better. World vs World PVP?!? I mean come on, you can't beat that. Loads of fun to be had in this addictive game.

    Great job ArenaNet! I'm officially hooked.    … Expand
  42. ComplexConf
    Sep 4, 2012
    6
    This game is by far the one of the most boring MMO's I have ever played. It is a over-hyped game with loads of people riding the bandwagon claiming it is awesome and cool with an ingenious quest system and dynamic off the **** events. Some will even say that the next big MMO's to come out will take pointers from GW2.

    Let me just say I hope not, 'cus I have never been more disappointed    This game is by far the one of the most boring MMO's I have ever played. It is a over-hyped game with loads of people riding the bandwagon claiming it is awesome and cool with an ingenious quest system and dynamic off the **** events. Some will even say that the next big MMO's to come out will take pointers from GW2.

    Let me just say I hope not, 'cus I have never been more disappointed and bored playing an MMO. I liked SWTOR, TSW, TERA much more than this drivel. The combat is boring and repetitive, you have an extremely limited number of skills that you can have active. It is said that they designed the combat to be more action-oriented and more skill-oriented. Well that is nonsense. There is nothing that is more skill-oriented about gw2's combat and it doesn't really feel action-oriented (I can recommend TERA for action oriented/skill combat tho'). It falls flat along with it's questing which boasts itself on a boring story quest set in an uninteresting world with lore you don't give a halflings hat about, and with a multitude of sidequests (Heart icon-shaped NPCs that will appear on your map) that are triggered by being near the NPC's, then you will have multiple objectives in the area close to the NPC, which are all, "click some stuff on the ground and such" or "kill some mobs". It is not very exciting. Yes you don't have to click the NPC to get the quest, yes you don't have to use your brain to go somewhere and do something for him. No no. You just trigger the quest by being in his general area and then you click things on the ground and kill mobs to complete the quest. Yay.. fun? no. No not really.
    Questing for kids with no attention span sry. Surely a step back in making questing engaging and exciting, instead it is just a nonsense uninteresting grind.

    I have said enough about this game. I bought it thinking it would be good, everyone seems excited about it and praising it. All the articles I read pre release was positive and happy about the game.

    Mega Huge Disappointment. Everyone are mass delusional thinking this is the best thing since sliced bread. *facepalm*    … Expand
  43. Dretch
    Sep 4, 2012
    5
    The low level zones are polished the higher level zones are buggy at best. Some of the dynamic events don't work at all. The Dungeons on story mode Leave a lot to be desired unless you like to corpse-run your dungeons. AC is ludicrous. Our guild ran CM on explorable last night way over leveled and side-kicked to level, and we only managed to get 2 bosses downed. At the staggering cost ofThe low level zones are polished the higher level zones are buggy at best. Some of the dynamic events don't work at all. The Dungeons on story mode Leave a lot to be desired unless you like to corpse-run your dungeons. AC is ludicrous. Our guild ran CM on explorable last night way over leveled and side-kicked to level, and we only managed to get 2 bosses downed. At the staggering cost of about 30-50 silver makes them not worth your time at the moment. And not fun at all! For 5 tokens a boss towards gear that is under level. Arenanet what are you thinking here? I realize there are pressing issues Ie. trading post and hacking. You better rethink balance in this game fairly soon. Especially for those of us that want to pve as well as wvw. Overall the potential for a fantastic game remains high. I am skeptical that it will be addressed in a timely manner though. Apparently Arenanet does not want much feedback either. No forums. Posting daily updates to the wiki.? No in game option for feedback.
    Now crafting: What a joke! (not a funny joke) This is one of the worst crafting systems I have seen in an mmo. It's so convoluted. I typically enjoy crafting too. So between the lack of balance for pve a poor crafting system and Arenanets total lack of Input/feedback the best I can do is a 5, and I think thats optimistic at the moment. I'm also tired of seeing you fanboys fawning over clearly broken un-balanced systems. Have you kids made it out of the starter zones yet?    … Expand
  44. Gwydiian
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    I've played a good amount of MMORPGs, starting way back with Everquest and Ultima Online, and this is the first MMO since then to make me so excited to take it slow and enjoy the content.

    Graphics/Art style: 10 Beautiful landscapes and tremendous cities make this game's environment the single greatest in any MMO to date. There is no doubt that a lot of heart and soul went into the    I've played a good amount of MMORPGs, starting way back with Everquest and Ultima Online, and this is the first MMO since then to make me so excited to take it slow and enjoy the content.

    Graphics/Art style: 10

    Beautiful landscapes and tremendous cities make this game's environment the single greatest in any MMO to date. There is no doubt that a lot of heart and soul went into the development of this game and it shows nowhere better than in the art.

    Music: 8

    The music is well composed and doesn't intrude on your play, but it isn't anything especially heart pumping or iconic, like some of the game's competitors.

    Gameplay: 10

    Though the combat can get repetitive, just as in any MMO, this game makes up for it with plenty of other things to do. Exploration is fun and rewarding, with many jumping puzzles and other landscape games. Crafting is rich and exciting, allowing the players to make great leaps in crafting skill with some careful planning and experimentation, rather than grinding out the same recipes until new ones become available. Mini-games are a great break from normal game-play. PvP is fantastic, fast paced at the small scale, and deep and strategic in the large scope.

    Replayability: 10

    With each race and class having a very unique playstyle and personal story, this game will easily give you hundreds of hours of new and fun content, at a bargain of a one time price.

    Ultimately Guild Wars 2 has raised the bar on what it is to be a current generation MMO. While WoW will still retain it's loyal player base with it's tried and true style, Blizzard will have to make some groundbreaking changes to pull players away from this game. A great pickup for any fan of MMOs or RPGs    … Expand
  45. EchoedTruth
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    I felt compelled to register for metacritic just to write this review. Guild Wars 2 is a game that any PC gamer who enjoys RPGs, MMORPGs, MMOs, Action Adventure, just about any genre, could enjoy. The world is massive - and by far the most interactive I have seen in my 20+ years of gaming. I am thoroughly impressed with the job that ArenaNET has done. You owe it to yourself to play thisI felt compelled to register for metacritic just to write this review. Guild Wars 2 is a game that any PC gamer who enjoys RPGs, MMORPGs, MMOs, Action Adventure, just about any genre, could enjoy. The world is massive - and by far the most interactive I have seen in my 20+ years of gaming. I am thoroughly impressed with the job that ArenaNET has done. You owe it to yourself to play this game (a nice PC is recommended!).… Expand
  46. Xaia
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is literally the best MMO I have played since World of Warcraft VANILLA. From the graphics to the combat, to the amazing questing system; this game delivers on all fronts. Anyone that rates this game negative is a real life loser or a fanboy hater.
  47. Siegy
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    This is the MMO that we all have been waiting for all this years, the best word we can use to describe this game is fun, thats it, its simple as that, the game is FUN in every way possible, the gameplay is awesome, you can move freely in the battlefield, there is plenty of content to do and there is a little of everything to everyone, give it a shot and you will definetely not stop playing it!
  48. dinhjk
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    I think we already know a lot about GW2 so I'm only going to focus on somethings that might be confusing for people. [--A--] Game launches are unusually the peak performance you expect for a game (Take this into account for many negative reviews). [--B--] The combat system is neither stale nor overly hard. You can't expect to play this like other MMOs (I know some have said it's overlyI think we already know a lot about GW2 so I'm only going to focus on somethings that might be confusing for people. [--A--] Game launches are unusually the peak performance you expect for a game (Take this into account for many negative reviews). [--B--] The combat system is neither stale nor overly hard. You can't expect to play this like other MMOs (I know some have said it's overly complicated, and others have said it's a re-hash of other games, but in all honesty I have not seen this kind of flexibility in other MMOs. You can kite and hide and sliver your opponent down. Or you can play smart and blind your opponent, interrupt major attacks and not even move. I've done it both ways. People just aren't giving this game a unique opportunity like they should.) [--C--] ANet is awesome. Somehow I think too many people have left out the love and care that this company has for their game. At one point during the launch week, they shut down their store. Now before you consider this a flaw, think about it this way: They said it was to stop current customers from experiencing lag. This store is also their (so to speak) business model. They don't have a subscription, they try to make money off the initial purchase but also from their in-game store. And they shut it down. For customers to experience less lag from the few customers who were buying too much from them. And the content isn't hard for them to add. In one Beta Weekend Event they created something solely for that weekend that took up many players the whole weekend and it only took ANet 3 hours to install it. From "idea" to "working game copy". It just can't be stressed that ANet wants you to play a game and enjoy the art that they've worked very hard on. I find it hard to critique them when what they aimed to do.... they did very well.… Expand
  49. ZteamOverlord
    Sep 3, 2012
    3
    So when I started the game, I was impressed by the voice acting and the polish of the graphics. I was also impressed with the amount of character classes i could choose between. I was also impressed with the idea of being able to customize my character's story line by choices made before the game began. Once the first 5 hours of game play was completed I was then let down by a tediousSo when I started the game, I was impressed by the voice acting and the polish of the graphics. I was also impressed with the amount of character classes i could choose between. I was also impressed with the idea of being able to customize my character's story line by choices made before the game began. Once the first 5 hours of game play was completed I was then let down by a tedious quest sytem, repetitive random events and ptiful PVP system. Im just going to get this out of the way right away, I come from the old school of everquest, Asheron's call, Ultima online ect... and am really only interested in pvp but i can apreciate a deep story driven PVE system like The Old Republic Online. In the old days you had an active choice to make at the beginning. Do I join a PVP server or a PVE server, This game gives you no option witch worried me right away. As I am going through playing multiple classes and multiple levels feeling real lonely because the quest system does not encourage teaming up, instead if you happen to be in the same area as another player,guess what, you are a team, and once the event is over you all disperse, never exchanging names or talking at all because well, what the point? Ok so I kept on going, deciding to join the pvp system at lvl 20 just so I knew what I was doing with the character before I joined. I expected a dynamic PVP experience. Instead all i got was a chaotic combat system and yet another linear experience. Go here to defend this, Run here to defend that, with no clear and defined rolls to play in the battle.The PVP was just like the rest of the game, Linear and lonely. Overall i cannot give the game the lowest score because it has pretty looking skills and spells with clean graphics that cover up a hollow role playing experience. in short, good graphics, linear and repetitive PVE experience, and pathetic and totaly seperate from the game PVP sytem. Not exactly what i was expecting, but when its free to play, how good can it be? as a side note, what the hell happened to open world PVP servers where anything goes? I miss those days.… Expand
  50. graphite
    Sep 3, 2012
    2
    This is one broken piece of software. So many events and dungeons are broken, preventing you from completing areas ... but you will throw away a couple of hours before you realies you have waisted your time. No AUCTION house, well there is one but it's broken too. SHUT forums wtf? Bots, hackers and the list goes on. Worst of all, it's the same wolf just in different clothing
  51. shadow822
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing. I've put about 40 hours into it already and I haven't had a moment of doubt. Buy this game. Do not listen to any of the complainers that gave the game below a 5 or 6, or even a zero, that's retarded because this game in no possible way deserves a score like that. It is the most fun you will ever have playing an mmo
  52. ynotndalton
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    First off, i don't see how people can say the graphics aren't good in this game. Turn all the settings to max and turn on supersampling and the textures are awesome .. that mixed with the art style and the world looks fantastic along the lines of AOC.. way better textures than skyrim.. (not hating on skyrim just proving a point). Hear people saying the dynamic events aren't reallingFirst off, i don't see how people can say the graphics aren't good in this game. Turn all the settings to max and turn on supersampling and the textures are awesome .. that mixed with the art style and the world looks fantastic along the lines of AOC.. way better textures than skyrim.. (not hating on skyrim just proving a point). Hear people saying the dynamic events aren't realling dynamic they are static and repeating, while that may be true they do a fantastic job in making the world feel alive and making it way easy to end up playing with other live people.. Loved it in Rift but the problem was they were always the same.. rift events.. no variety.. in GW2 they are different.. maybe repeating at the same area but as you explore they are varied.

    I think the real seller though is the convienence factor.. everything that was a waste of time or annoying in other mmos they have made super easy.. Mail from anywhere, fast travel everywhere but only after you've explored it. No incredible grind. Quest rewards are mailed directly to you. Ways to gain xp are so varied. Head to unlock a vista encounter a dynamic event on the way back complete with 20 others.. do a heart find a point of interest.. etc etc. VS with other mmos -> Go to hub collect 10 quests on a list of tasks such as... collect 20 rat hides and vice versa .. go out and grind them down .. run back turn them in.. rinse and repeat. Armor customization is a breeze . Pvp is so easy to get into. Combat is Awesome for one reason really.. u can freakin move while channeling spells and abilites .. no stand in one spot for a 3 second channel .. Your constantly moving positioning.. casting channeling all at the same time. People say customization is limited.. only because it appears that way at the beginning.. throught traits , race abilites .. weapon skills and utility and healing skills and elite skills.. and 2 swapping weapons .. you actually have more options in the long run of interesting abilities than in other mmos.
    Take for example .. i'm and elemental norn.. i can equip dual daggers ... and have 5 skills x 4 elements for 20 skills at one time just on that weapon loadout.. then u have sceptor / focus.. staves rods all with 5 skills x 4 elements.. on top of that is the utility skills unlocked and healing slot.. then transform into a bear or other creature with the norn race.. thats alot of thinks to do imo. Bottom line... Other mmo's is akin to clocking in and grinding... GW2 is akin to logging in and playing..
    puts the fun back in this genre    … Expand
  53. Veritas
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    As users like Chaiwallah and others don't understand with their supremely entitled natures, is that a launch of a huge game, such as Guild Wars 2, is not without it's hiccups. Games have gone from being a platform completely forgotten by a developer after release (so the finished product needed to be 100 percent out the gate) to living environments that need to be upkept and maintained.As users like Chaiwallah and others don't understand with their supremely entitled natures, is that a launch of a huge game, such as Guild Wars 2, is not without it's hiccups. Games have gone from being a platform completely forgotten by a developer after release (so the finished product needed to be 100 percent out the gate) to living environments that need to be upkept and maintained. Nobody cares one little bit that you spent extra money to make a machine to play this (graphically intensive game?) That is a red herring, it has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Likely, your account was hacked and you need to visit Reddit to confirm that. The game is great for a non-subscription game, which is exactly why I tend not to play games like WoW, I can't justify playing a grind game that I pay extra for each month. Anyway, the game deserves a 10 just for treading in a new area in a different way. Also, to counter dumb arguments for jaded, entitled consumers that think the world revolves around them.… Expand
  54. lilioups
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    best mmo in recent years and i dont i have to explain why

    all i can say its im playing mmo's since wow vanilla and gw2 simply crush it with eaze and style..i wont bother to mention other mmos since 90% of them are all wow clones.

    Proudly gw2 isnt and thats what make it the best mmo since wow:LK exp
  55. Sugewise
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    Absolutely amazing game. This is the mmo that I've been waiting for. A wonderfully beautiful pve experience and a skill based meaning full pvp system! If you're an mmo fan, you are doing yourself a dis-service by not playing this game!
  56. jigme
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    Fun, if predictable and uneven. I have played all the major MMOs and have had the most fun with this one. It is well designed, accessible, and yet with depth and detail. My only issues have been minor and largely have to do with this being a new game (no auction house yet, etc). I can see this having the most playability and longevity of any game I have played in years.
  57. goettel
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    GW2 is remarkable, not for bringing fresh ideas to the table, but taking fresh ideas and polishing them until they shine and shine. The finest MMO so far, and that includes WoW. If you're just into MMO's for raiding, it won't cater to you. If you're into them for a huge,explorable mountain of fresh content, artwork, amazing combat and previously unseen production quality in an MMO: get it,GW2 is remarkable, not for bringing fresh ideas to the table, but taking fresh ideas and polishing them until they shine and shine. The finest MMO so far, and that includes WoW. If you're just into MMO's for raiding, it won't cater to you. If you're into them for a huge,explorable mountain of fresh content, artwork, amazing combat and previously unseen production quality in an MMO: get it, there's no MMO out or even on the horizon which can stand next to it.… Expand
  58. AlienMagi
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    The game brought everything that was promised. It's an excellent example of an mmo that tries something different successfully. A purchase is definitely recommended.
  59. zolias
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    This game has been the most fun I have had in any game period, thats all its about is fun not about lame elitist and gear grind garbage its all about pure fun if you dont like it simply stay away.
  60. mahuang
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    Played the betas, and read all the hype. I'm max level now, and it was even BETTER than expected. By FAR the most meaningful dynamic combat system in any MMO, despite not advertising it. Dodging and positioning actually matters in this game, unlike TERA or Mabinogi Legends where it's mostly for show. If you're not dodging in the endgame dungeons, you're gonna die. That's it. Graphics notPlayed the betas, and read all the hype. I'm max level now, and it was even BETTER than expected. By FAR the most meaningful dynamic combat system in any MMO, despite not advertising it. Dodging and positioning actually matters in this game, unlike TERA or Mabinogi Legends where it's mostly for show. If you're not dodging in the endgame dungeons, you're gonna die. That's it. Graphics not the best but big MMOs always have toned down graphics to attract more people. GREAT armor design. Not stupidly sexy or ridiculously fantastic, but fashionable and realistic. The only game with similar amount of content is WoW. SWTOR, Aion, TERA, Secret World etc don't even come close. And best of all, NO PAY2WIN. Only pay4skins. There isn't a single item in the shop that makes you better at PvP. Like Guild Wars 1, GW2 has staying power. Games like Aion and Rift quickly dropped to a few thousand concurrent players, GW1 still has several times that amount after 7 years. GW2 will be even better.… Expand
  61. LVCritic
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    This Is The Best MMO So Far ! I usually never write reviews but this game deserves it. I played WOW from the beginning and this game actually made me stop playing WOW. SWTOR failed to do that and I thought I would never see a MMO that would change that, but it did. I know it has some problems but I'm sure they will get them fixed in the coming updates. The one thing I really don't like isThis Is The Best MMO So Far ! I usually never write reviews but this game deserves it. I played WOW from the beginning and this game actually made me stop playing WOW. SWTOR failed to do that and I thought I would never see a MMO that would change that, but it did. I know it has some problems but I'm sure they will get them fixed in the coming updates. The one thing I really don't like is the ingame store and the biggest grip I have with that is the extra bag slots you have to purchase and crafting bag slots for every new character I'm really against that or they should change it so karma points will buy bag slots. As for the rest of the items in the store there no big deal since leveling in this game is best so far it doesn't feel like it drags so you don't feel the need to purchase store XP boosts. And I like how it slows down gold farmers since you can use your gems to buy gold. I Like that idea. That would be my biggest grip with the game. But the this game has awesome gameplay you really have to try it to see how it puts to shame all the other MMOs. And one guy who reviewed this game said that he doesn't like the way you have to unlock skills. He is wrong WOW does that this too once you get to a certain level you have to buy more skills with gold. But this game uses skill points to buy more skills and it seems you can buy more skills even after you level capped but don't worry there is a limit to the skills you can get. But once you get them all it's like getting more ways to play the game. I Have to say this even with the store flaw this game. This is the Best MMO to date ! The reason I didn't give it a 10 is because nothing is perfect. Sorry for the spelling mistakes and grammar issues But I'm Limited on time I have to leave Town on a trip. All the users reviews that are low are most likely WOW fan boys and you tell by they way they compare this game to WOW.… Expand
  62. alecient
    Sep 3, 2012
    0
    For me this game looks quite unattractive because of high fantasy setting that is so popular in MMO genre in our days. Visuals are also not so great, world design is quite childish and of course tons of too colorful SFX in more or less large combat. CPvP is the only thing that can save this MMO since there is no other end-game content because mass PvP seems to be random zerg based byFor me this game looks quite unattractive because of high fantasy setting that is so popular in MMO genre in our days. Visuals are also not so great, world design is quite childish and of course tons of too colorful SFX in more or less large combat. CPvP is the only thing that can save this MMO since there is no other end-game content because mass PvP seems to be random zerg based by design (due to long queries all serious guild coordinated action is usually impossible).… Expand
  63. SHiRKiT
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    I've been playing MMO's since 2000, when I started playing Ultima Online. That was the best game I've ever played, until Guild Wars 2 came out. The same non-leveling feeling is here, different from other MMO's. You don't need to be strong to be in PVP areas, and even if you are high level, you can still go for lower level zones and still get some good rewards there. This is a game totallyI've been playing MMO's since 2000, when I started playing Ultima Online. That was the best game I've ever played, until Guild Wars 2 came out. The same non-leveling feeling is here, different from other MMO's. You don't need to be strong to be in PVP areas, and even if you are high level, you can still go for lower level zones and still get some good rewards there. This is a game totally different from any other game I've ever playing, motivating me to continue playing it. I'll wait to see how is the high end content being managed, and how the currency will be. For example, in WoW (which I've played for 4 years) nowadays gold means nothing, as anyone has 10k to spare. I totally hate those behaviours, and if that also happens to GW2, I'll be really, really sad.… Expand
  64. nsignific
    Sep 3, 2012
    0
    I hated it before I played it (wasn't pleased by vocal fans touting it's many "new" features, none of which were actually new). Having had a go at release, I liked it at first, felt better than most, graphics were OK but not great (really low poly counts), but with some impressive layouts (PVP) and some really dull ones (PVE).

    After a couple of hours playing I realized it's just ****    I hated it before I played it (wasn't pleased by vocal fans touting it's many "new" features, none of which were actually new). Having had a go at release, I liked it at first, felt better than most, graphics were OK but not great (really low poly counts), but with some impressive layouts (PVP) and some really dull ones (PVE).

    After a couple of hours playing I realized it's just **** The floaty animations, disconnected feel of the controls, boringly simplistic skills (mesmer may be an exception) and a pointless dodge function. I went from "hey this combat feels ok" to "i want my WoW back" in the time it takes to finish the battleground tutorial. Hated the questing system, auto-grouping is OK but it just makes everything so mindless and repetitive - which is what they hoped to avoid with dynamic events.

    Character progressions is nonexistant in the true MMO fashion - even as far as themeparks go. You activate skills by using the appropriate ones before hand - something which has no point other thant to keep your interest the first couple of levels (which is how long it takes to unlock them ALL). You're insta max level in BGs, which can be useful if you don't like to level (and therefore don't like MMOs), but I don't have to explain what an oxymoron that is, do I? They could've easily done tournament servers ala WoW, where you can create max level characters, if that's your game.

    tl;dr, don't belive the hype.    … Expand
  65. eboko
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    First MMORPG I've truly enjoyed since oldschool Star Wars Galaxies. Tyria is utterly gorgeous, and yet it's not the kind of resource hog you find in games like Age of Conan - the setpieces are absolute art, and everything is very efficiently rendered. The gameplay itself is a breath of fresh air. Everything feels fluid and natural - for once I can explore areas at my leisure, go follow myFirst MMORPG I've truly enjoyed since oldschool Star Wars Galaxies. Tyria is utterly gorgeous, and yet it's not the kind of resource hog you find in games like Age of Conan - the setpieces are absolute art, and everything is very efficiently rendered. The gameplay itself is a breath of fresh air. Everything feels fluid and natural - for once I can explore areas at my leisure, go follow my friends around and just enjoy the game world without worrying about quest "chore" lists. I'm just getting into pvp, but so far it seems like it'll be fun and challenging, and not entirely dependant on gear. Another amazing aspect of this game is that it's free to play after purchasing the box. You're probably thinking, "Oh, well that means it'll be full of flashy, obnoxious cash shop buttons and pay-to-win gear." I'm extremely pleased to inform you of the contrary. The in-game gem store is not only subtle and polite, but it is filled with legitimately interesting cosmetic and convenience-providing items that in no-way harm the balance of the game.

    The only downsides I can think of so far are related to the growing pains that any newly-released MMORPG is guaranteed to experience, but even those aren't that bad compared to other launches in my recent memory. Almost every "issue" GW2 is currently facing is related to the extreme burden placed on their network by the million + people enjoying the game. Over the week, secondary game features such as the trade post and mail system have been sporadically unavailable, but it's clear that they are making great progress in getting those services back up. If you're burnt out from the tedium and grind of linear themepark MMOs, take it from me: you should definitely check out Guild Wars 2.    … Expand
  66. fiRsTcLAiMs
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing. i love wow and all blizzard games but this game is better than wow in almost every way. all the young kids or ignorant adults that are giving this game a 0 because there computer sucks or has no good maintenance are stupid and quickly show that they wont ever rate any game fairly. for one, they gave the game a 0 on day 1 of release. which shows they didnt even botherThis game is amazing. i love wow and all blizzard games but this game is better than wow in almost every way. all the young kids or ignorant adults that are giving this game a 0 because there computer sucks or has no good maintenance are stupid and quickly show that they wont ever rate any game fairly. for one, they gave the game a 0 on day 1 of release. which shows they didnt even bother to check the whole game out before reviewing it. or they can just be wow fanboys. a lot of work had to go in this game from what i see and i cant disrespect the developer by giving them a 0 because the game has a few bugs or small launch issues that will be fixed. when diablo came out it was unplayable for me because i would get kicked every 30 seconds but as frustrated as i was, i didnt come in here and gave them a 0. the problem is now fixed and the game is great. metacritic needs to figure out how to get these dumb 0 score reviewers out of here soon. be fair with this game and all games and dont hate or be mad that your computer sucks and makes the game play like crap. this is the wow killer and i love wow but i admit that this is it. but now is diablo, starcraft and guildwars 2 from now on for me.… Expand
  67. hrangel92
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing. One of my biggest concern with most games is combat. I've played ToR, Aion, and Rift. One of the things i hated about most of those games was the combat. especially ToR. Some abilities would have the animation take priority over the effect, so you would basically use and "instant cast" stun but it's animation would take 2 seconds! To some this isn't really a big dealThe game is amazing. One of my biggest concern with most games is combat. I've played ToR, Aion, and Rift. One of the things i hated about most of those games was the combat. especially ToR. Some abilities would have the animation take priority over the effect, so you would basically use and "instant cast" stun but it's animation would take 2 seconds! To some this isn't really a big deal but to me it's pretty game breaking especially in PvP. One of the major reasons I kept going back to WoW was because of the combat, it just flows way better than any of those games. Guild Wars 2 combat isn't as great in terms of flow but the way its structured is really good. You run around with 2 weapon sets (1 for elementalists but you get 4 elements to swap through instead) and you swap them around during combat. You can really customize your play style by having a burst combination in set and a tanky combo in the other or w/e you like. The pvp in this game is also amazing. The sPvP is really putting an emphasis on skill rather than gear as everyone has equivalent gear. World vs. World vs. World pvp is HUUUUUUUUUUUGE think of like 4 or 5 Tol' Borads put together. Although you can only zone into one of the four areas it is still pretty big area. Combat and more specifically PvP are an important part for me playing an MMO and this game has great combat and great PvP. If you're like me and enjoy these aspects of the game I really do recommend this game. I mean even Arena Net are hosting their own tournaments for this game and have high hopes of it becoming an eSport.… Expand
  68. David-b
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    So nice with a game that finally dared to mix things up a little. Or not "a little", but a lot actually. Doing so many bold moves, people aren't familiar with and it works. Also a massive community feedback on every little error or bug there is. Never seen anything like it, and definitely also counts in on the score, when it's this significant.
  69. Krushull
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    I think the average user score is quite fair. There are obviously some people who may not like the game, Blizzard fanboi's aside. The days of tough, complex MMO's are long gone to make way for the 10 year old gamer generation. The lack of End Game will probably affect this game sooner or later, while PvP is fun the imbalance really affects it and constant battles just outside our world'sI think the average user score is quite fair. There are obviously some people who may not like the game, Blizzard fanboi's aside. The days of tough, complex MMO's are long gone to make way for the 10 year old gamer generation. The lack of End Game will probably affect this game sooner or later, while PvP is fun the imbalance really affects it and constant battles just outside our world's spawn area have really ruined the experience for me. After a few hours of WvW I really haven't seen any of the mechanics apart from spamming each other in the middle of nowhere. Unless there is some balance in place PvP at the moment really minds me of the old Tarren Mill vs Southshore days of WoW.

    PvE is fun but getting locked in to 4 skills per weapon is starting to become old already and I'm not even very high level. Traits etc might break this up but it doesn't really seem to be enough. Instead of swapping weapons it would be good if you could just use both weapon skill sets on the fly to make it a little less monotonous.

    F2P is a good feature especially on a high a end title but I'm sure content will be released quite quickly that we will need to fork out cash for and buying gems etc is already looking quite tempting.

    Will it stand up against Mists of Pandaria or the test of time? We will see.    … Expand
  70. x_ares_x
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    Guild Wars 2 is what an MMORPG is supposed to be. The standard questing system of kill # of monster or gather # of resource is not present here, at least, not present in its familiar form. Yes, you still do kill # or gather # of objects, but ArenaNet have cleverly hidden these objectives in the form of a public questing system. They have taken out the ho-hum grind of doing these quests inGuild Wars 2 is what an MMORPG is supposed to be. The standard questing system of kill # of monster or gather # of resource is not present here, at least, not present in its familiar form. Yes, you still do kill # or gather # of objects, but ArenaNet have cleverly hidden these objectives in the form of a public questing system. They have taken out the ho-hum grind of doing these quests in the form of Heart NPCs. You get Xp for nearly anything you do, from crafting to just exploring. While the game does have a few problems, mostly with the auction house, it is still a very fun, very social game. The game is full of surprises. You can pass an area hundreds of times and still find that there are things you missed. The world is colorful and alive with NPCs talking with one another about different events. Everyone can revive one another and has their own personal heal. I won't say Guild Wars 2 innovates, but I will say they have vastly improved on a genre which has long been stagnate. I almost forgot to mention; the game is NOT free to play, nor is it pay to win, it is however buy to play with the option of paying in the form of a gem shop, which I have experienced first-hand. The boosts which people have fretted over for so long are of such little consequence that it don't matter whether or not you have them. You can perform just as well without them. They're so insignificant in fact, that most of the time, I forget to even use them. If you want a great, social game with interaction everywhere and you want to do in in a world teeming with beauty and life, get this game, it is well worth the money you will pay for it.… Expand
  71. throwback8
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the new revolution from the brilliant minds over at Arena Net. Playing GW2 for the first time is one of those exceptional feelings you experience only a certain number of times in you're gaming career. Incredible ideas converge with intense, masterfully crafted combat, and the most beautiful visuals ever seen in an MMO to create a mind-blowing masterpiece. The world isGuild Wars 2 is the new revolution from the brilliant minds over at Arena Net. Playing GW2 for the first time is one of those exceptional feelings you experience only a certain number of times in you're gaming career. Incredible ideas converge with intense, masterfully crafted combat, and the most beautiful visuals ever seen in an MMO to create a mind-blowing masterpiece. The world is alive in GW2 and exploring it on you're own or with friends really is astounding. There are times when you will have to just stop and slowly pan you're camera around you to take in the absolutely stunning sites you will see throughout the gameworld, combined with a rediculous amount of attention to detail. The dynamic events are perfectly placed throughout the world and calling out for help in "Map" chat to see 20 people rushing into a hidden underwater cave to team up against the mean Blood Witch really is one of those wow moments that shows how well GW2 brings players together without forcing them to party up. If you aren't playing GW2 already(which you should), please do yourself a favor and checkout what is MMO's best chance of knocking off the reigning MMO titan....lookout WoW, GW2 is here.… Expand
  72. Althusser
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    This is the first next generation mmorpg un post wow era. Maybe you dont like the game per se, but in an honest view this game is by far a tecnical superior that all morpg games in actual market (yes, including WoW).
    A really MUST buy.
  73. kendrickdk
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    I've now played the game for a couple days and have to say it's really good. The character creation is top notch, the game mechanics are smooth and the graphics look great. The game seems to run really nice but did have to put it in windowed mode to clear up a pixalation issue. I also like how you don't have to reset key binds every time you make a new toon. The quests was confusing atI've now played the game for a couple days and have to say it's really good. The character creation is top notch, the game mechanics are smooth and the graphics look great. The game seems to run really nice but did have to put it in windowed mode to clear up a pixalation issue. I also like how you don't have to reset key binds every time you make a new toon. The quests was confusing at first but now I get it. I also like how a quest automatically will add people to it, kind of like rift. This have is well worth $60, especially when you don't have any monthly fee's.… Expand
  74. ZDB
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Despite a few flaws at launch, this game is the new gold standard for MMORPGs. I've been playing MMORPGs since Ultima Online and no game has provided the amount of entertainment that Guild Wars 2 has in the brief time that I've played it. Some games might have done certain elements better; WoW has better dungeons, SWToR had a better story, but those games were seriously lacking outside ofDespite a few flaws at launch, this game is the new gold standard for MMORPGs. I've been playing MMORPGs since Ultima Online and no game has provided the amount of entertainment that Guild Wars 2 has in the brief time that I've played it. Some games might have done certain elements better; WoW has better dungeons, SWToR had a better story, but those games were seriously lacking outside of their strengths. Guild Wars 2 has the total package: fun PvE with epic world bosses, PvP that is well balanced and addicting, and a story that draws you in and immerses you in the lore of the world. Oh and did I mention it looks fantastic?… Expand
  75. ilovemmos
    Sep 2, 2012
    6
    Dynamic events
    Dynamic events are an in game realization of In Media Res (see Wikipedia). They are events (tied to a local) whose initiation and progression triggers automatically. The player can shape the outcome, but the event will progress whether players participate or not. This helps establishes the context of what you are doing through action rather than cut scenes or quest text.    Dynamic events
    Dynamic events are an in game realization of In Media Res (see Wikipedia). They are events (tied to a local) whose initiation and progression triggers automatically. The player can shape the outcome, but the event will progress whether players participate or not. This helps establishes the context of what you are doing through action rather than cut scenes or quest text. I say helps because you still get quest text telling you what the objectives are and there is still a progress bar that advances as you complete quest objectives.
    This has some plusses and minuses. On the plus side the world feels more alive and active, there are several possible outcomes for each stage of an event, and at least until the event recycles (anywhere from 10 min to perhaps a couple of weeks for rare triggers), it gives a sense of having impacted the world (although this feeling is pretty dang ephemeral for the events with short re-trigger timers (which understandably is most of them). On the negative, until you acclimate to the system, players used to quest hub mechanics are going to feel a bit lost. You also lose a sense of connection to the characters in the world. Yes they send you a happy e-mail and you can buy karma gear from them, but the mechanic honestly doesn    … Expand
  76. coustoe
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Best game I've played in 5 years, great gameplay mechanics, decent story line, great art and the best part? no subscription fees, the Auction House system is amazing, its like actually trading stocks. I can't count all the innovative features, including the skill system, everything felt easy, like I was never grinding, quest are easy and the majority are autojoin, no more looking forBest game I've played in 5 years, great gameplay mechanics, decent story line, great art and the best part? no subscription fees, the Auction House system is amazing, its like actually trading stocks. I can't count all the innovative features, including the skill system, everything felt easy, like I was never grinding, quest are easy and the majority are autojoin, no more looking for groups. the fighting mechanics are amazing with lots of action fighting mechanics, much better than tera.

    Guildwars2 thanks for restoring my faith that mmos can be great again.    … Expand
  77. Decretorius
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the most fun I've ever had playing an MMO, and I may end up deciding it's the most fun I've ever had with any video game.

    To provide some context, I've played Ultima Online, Wow, the original Guild Wars, and SWTOR. For a variety of reasons, none of them kept my interest for too long. GW1 showed promise but didn't feel like the full-fledged MMO I was looking for. Then    Guild Wars 2 is the most fun I've ever had playing an MMO, and I may end up deciding it's the most fun I've ever had with any video game.

    To provide some context, I've played Ultima Online, Wow, the original Guild Wars, and SWTOR. For a variety of reasons, none of them kept my interest for too long. GW1 showed promise but didn't feel like the full-fledged MMO I was looking for.

    Then GW2 came along. It retains all of the best parts of GW1 (the environments, emphasis on skills, etc.) and improves on everything the original got wrong. GW2 is fully persistent, has improved crafting, improved presentation, improved questing (i.e. "dynamic events"), open-world PvP ("WvW"), and still doesn't have a subscription fee. This is a big point for someone like me with a job that demands long hours and a six-month-old. I play when I have time, and if I don't have time, I don't have to worry about "wasting" $15 per month. Also, the level of polish is extraordinary. You may say that many of the features listed above aren't new, and that's true. But they all work so well that they still feel refreshing.

    There are other little things that really increase my enjoyment in game. These include being able to deposit collectibles into the bank from anywhere in the world, fast travel, and getting experience rewards for just about everything. It's hard to imagine playing an MMO without these features after having experienced them.

    Perhaps my favorite improvement is the combat. Gone are the days of staring at my skill bar and going through rotations. Just as ArenaNet intended, I find myself actually watching the fight, using skills on the fly as appropriate, dodging, and focusing on positioning. It may not seem like much, but considering that a big part of any MMO is combat, these improvements make the game much more fun than the other MMOs I've played.

    Is there any room for improvement? Of course, The trading post was down for a while (but is up now), and there have been a few bugs to work out, but: (a) that's to be expected with any MMO launch; and (b) it hasn't detracted from my enjoyment of the game. Simply put, I've had an absolute blast every second I've spent in GW2.

    One final thing I want to say is about the reviewers who are complaining about bans and giving the game a zero. THIS IS A GOOD THING. 99.9% of people who play the game will never have to worry about being banned because they won't pick racist character names or intentionally exploit bugs, thereby ruining the economy for others. And make no mistake, the people who were banned were intentionally exploiting things. ArenaNet stated that the only people who were permanently banned were exploiting the same bug hundreds of times, and the bug itself was that rare gear was priced at 1/1000th of its normal price. If you bought something hundreds of times at 1/1000th of its normal price, you knew what you were doing and have no excuse. For the rest of us, we should be thrilled that ArenaNet is sticking to their guns and preserving the integrity of the game for the non-exploiters at the expense of a few 0's on Metacritic.

    Bottom line: if you have even a passing interest in MMOs, get this game. And if you don't, watch a couple videos and read some more reviews, and if you're at all interested, get the game. Without a subscription fee, GW2 is a relatively low-risk purchase with a ton of upside.    … Expand
  78. Misjah
    Sep 2, 2012
    4
    Huge disappointment, completely over-hyped...
    World graphics are only slightly better then WoW and the quest system is a complete ripoff from Warhammer, just like Rift. WvW also reminds me much of warhammer open world PvP, the pvp could be great but has a big chance of ending up completely **** like warhammer did.
    The jumping puzzles were difficult and fun but nothing new having just    Huge disappointment, completely over-hyped...
    World graphics are only slightly better then WoW and the quest system is a complete ripoff from Warhammer, just like Rift. WvW also reminds me much of warhammer open world PvP, the pvp could be great but has a big chance of ending up completely **** like warhammer did.
    The jumping puzzles were difficult and fun but nothing new having just played SWToR.
    The engine was a HUGE disappointment, the game has a far view distance and lot's of character polys, NONE of which makes the game run very well, the input delays completely killed the experience for me, without without v-sync it was horrible!
    The most exciting part of GW2 was the weapon/ability system and i had completely discovered all my weapons and abilities by level 8, taking a quick glance of the unlockable abilities and traits did not boost my excitement one single bit!
    WoWHammer2 was just another theme park clone with slightly exciting pvp, the ONLY great thing about it is the little polished lore there was, a chance for some fun WvW PvP and the fact that's it's F2P.
    For that, I give it a 4/10.    … Expand
  79. Arthack
    Sep 2, 2012
    0
    -Combat in general is slow and there's even input delay. This is a big issue when this is pretty much what you'd be doing most of the time.

    -Server load issues. Overflow is a big one when trying to party.

    -Bad voice overs and dialogue lines.

    -PvE questing areas, open quests, dungeons, finding vistas and whatnot are just in extreme boring.

    Not my game at least.
  80. Surrealis
    Sep 2, 2012
    2
    I rather dislike a lot in this game. For all the hype, I expected a lot. However, the graphics are nothing to write home about, the story is not that enjoyable, and the combat system simply isn't engaging. I cannot recommend it enough that you try this game for 6-8 hours before buying it. Be sure to play it for a while, you'll notice many people are adjusting their reviews as time goes on.
  81. mjukicpro
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    A game based completely on having FUN. FUN! Dynamic PvE events, an awesome exploration system, incredible artwork that saturates the game and a great dev/community relationship. Guild Wars 2 is an awesome MMO for those who hate grinding and just want to have fun.
  82. MajFauxPas
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    This is the pinnacle of visual video game artwork. The questing system is ingenious and eliminates errand running and quest spam/quest grind. Armors look good, characters look good, and are customizeable. Animations are a step ahead as well. Voice acting is excellent, music is excellent. Races are slightly odd, but very distinct, and you can always fall back to Human. Skills are vast andThis is the pinnacle of visual video game artwork. The questing system is ingenious and eliminates errand running and quest spam/quest grind. Armors look good, characters look good, and are customizeable. Animations are a step ahead as well. Voice acting is excellent, music is excellent. Races are slightly odd, but very distinct, and you can always fall back to Human. Skills are vast and varied, relying mostly on weapons for types of utility. The caveat is that you can only have 5 weapon skills and 5 character skills active at once, and they are mostly the same types of skills. Want to build a pure healer? You can't. Only one heal skill per player, and typically one heal skill per weapon. Each character will be 80% damage and 20% support, leaving huge gaps in teamwork and group play. If there were more utility, or a choice to go all utility or all damage, the game would be 10/10. It is, after all, the best MMO world ever made.… Expand
  83. stefmor90
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    First off, this game is nothing like the first. Each have their own qualities and differences. The world is beautiful and there are decently sized zones which I wish were less rectangular and maybe a bit larger, but no game is perfect. Then there are the classes. As someone who loves combat and strategy in a combination, the engineer is dominant in both categories. And the best part isFirst off, this game is nothing like the first. Each have their own qualities and differences. The world is beautiful and there are decently sized zones which I wish were less rectangular and maybe a bit larger, but no game is perfect. Then there are the classes. As someone who loves combat and strategy in a combination, the engineer is dominant in both categories. And the best part is that the engineer neither feels underpowered or static in its abilities. It takes factors from games like TERA such as real time dodging and weapon size making a factor on how much is required to back up to dodge. Also there is nothing more badass then being a mesmer with a floating two handed sword that shoots magic. There are tons of ways to mix up your class depending on what you can use, like an engineer can use a unique pistol and shield combination, hunters using guns and throwing weapons at the same time, and so on. As stated by others, this game has a strange dynamic questing system, as in there are no quests, but rather areas for completing various tasks for a final quest-like reward. This makes the game not a back and forth rinse and repeat game, but lets you explore the world without constantly checking the quest log where to go. If there was any way to describe this game shortly I would say it's a game that takes the good qualities out of other MMO's and combines them in a new and interesting way, as well as adding new elements on top. It's the correct way an MMO should be made.… Expand
  84. ultimateballoon
    Sep 1, 2012
    8
    Graphics: The game is beautiful. The art design is somewhere between stylized and realistic. The worlds are rich, vibrant and full of colour. Each area seems to feel alive and full of character. If you have the PC to handle it, max out those settings, this is an exceptionally good looking game. 8/10

    Sound: The music is engaging, and really fits the world. It never feels annoying or gets    Graphics: The game is beautiful. The art design is somewhere between stylized and realistic. The worlds are rich, vibrant and full of colour. Each area seems to feel alive and full of character. If you have the PC to handle it, max out those settings, this is an exceptionally good looking game. 8/10

    Sound: The music is engaging, and really fits the world. It never feels annoying or gets in the way, it just quietly hums along in the background, and adds character to the areas. Spells sound powerful, and swords sound sharp. It works very nicely. 9/10.

    Story: The voice acting is touch and go. Some of the voices are brilliant, making the character feel like it has personality, however most of the time, it is poorly delivered. The personal story is a nice touch, and it does feel like this is my characters story, however I never get a sense of weight on the enemies. Some of the characters make me truly hate them for all the right reasons, others make me hate them because they are bland and annoying, or just poorly fleshed out. I have yet to feel that the world is truly in peril from the dragons, hopefully that will change further in the game, for now though, story is meh. 5/10

    Combat: The combat system is fast and active. It is fun and works well. Each class only has access to 10 skills at any one time, and while this allows for a lot of variety in builds, however as you're only using a few skills at any one time with the remainder being situational, it ends up feeling repetitive, I guess it is meant to fit in with the fast paced nature combat that they were going for, but it falls kind of flat. No skills require you to remain static while casting them, and keeping on the move is important to stay alive. Targeting can be a pain as the game seems to want you to focus on the nearest enemy, even if you have locked on to someone, it will sometimes switch. 7/10.

    Crafting: I love crafting in games, it's one of my favorite things to do. The crafting system in Guild Wars 2 is excellent! You have to gather raw materials such as wood and scraps of cloth, refine them into usable items, like wooden planks and spools of string, then use the refined ingredients to make items. It makes sense, and it's fun. You also get experience from it! I cannot fault the crafting, so 10/10.

    Bugs: During my time with the game, I personally have not experienced any issues, however this is not the case for all. My Girlfriend gets random crashes with no real indication as to why. It appears that the game is not as optimized as it should be, as we both run fairly spec heavy machines, hers being more powerful than mine, which makes even less sense as to why she is having problems and I am not. Nothing that has happened was game breaking though. 8/10.

    Questing: The game really shines here. It feels like you are in control of where you want your adventure to take you, not the game holding your hand. It is fun to just say "Hey, what's over there?" and go. There is always something happening, and something to discover. Exploration is rewarding, and events are placed perfectly. The game guides you through interesting terrain and landmarks, rather than just saying "Go here, do this".

    The events that happen do get repetitive after a while, so it looses marks here, but otherwise it is a brilliant system. 9/10

    Multiplayer: I really hope this is just new game blues but MAN is it hard to group up with your friends. If one of you is in an overflow server, it can be near impossible to join together. That aside, the rest of it is fine. Players come together naturally due to the design of quests. You're rarely playing alone, and it is nice. 7/10 (Only due to the friends issue)

    So, all up, this is a wonderful game. It's beautiful, gives a sense of adventure, and is all around fun. It's really let down by the story and voice acting, though neither of those are necessary for enjoying the game. Overall score: 8/10    … Expand
  85. Amadus
    Sep 1, 2012
    4
    I won't spoil anything here, but the game is no super marvel. This is just another cog in the great MMO wheel migration. Another game churned out, another spin taken by a huge nomad gaming community. The perk being that you only pay once is a huge draw, and yes you can assume I am a player who is hardly pleased by the MMO spectrum. To break it down, the controls are a 2.5 for me. TheI won't spoil anything here, but the game is no super marvel. This is just another cog in the great MMO wheel migration. Another game churned out, another spin taken by a huge nomad gaming community. The perk being that you only pay once is a huge draw, and yes you can assume I am a player who is hardly pleased by the MMO spectrum. To break it down, the controls are a 2.5 for me. The characters reactions to my inputs are a 2.5, this goes for movement animation gliding and the such. Yes, I am nit picky. (Not a latency issue unless it's server side, my ISP services are Broadband 250Mbps DL and 15 Mbps upload with no network interference.) The Graphics are amazing, absolutely and I won't touch that because lets face it, that's not what makes a game fun.

    The narrative and story is flat out suck, I won't bore you with this because I am comparing it to TOR and while that game is not the epitome of story, in the standards of MMO, it's the highest there is. The pvp system is interesting and plays similar to Warhammer online, albeit improved and it has it's own level of excitement. Combat mechanics are your standard fare but with some interesting twists on how things are utilized... Like the great sword for a certain stealthy caster class. It still comes down to being the exact same thing as any other game. Push this, cast that, move this way, avoid the fire, kite kite kite kite. Sadly, you can't escape this kind of mechanical build for the MMO genre, it's just what works best.

    Still, I feel this game will go the way of all current MMO types. The main base will work hard at it, play hard and at the 3 month mark, you will see the servers start to dwindle in population size. The 6 month mark we are going to see free server transfers and server merges. It will go the way of the Old Republic and settle into it's normal numbers and have a nice base of players. I will not likely be one of them but I will give the game 6 months of my time and post another review then. It's not awful, it's just another mmo that doesn't push or change anything in any extreme manner. Weapon swapping isn't new, it's just given a bit more range and utility other than stat dancing. The one thing I do like is how the Thief plays out and I will be looking to push this class as far as I can. In comparison to other MMO games of the current few years, TOR and GW2 are the only ones I will be bouncing between because the rest really can't touch either of them. TOR has a long ways to go and I hope GW2 is the motivation to make that game grow into a great f2p game to bounce to when I get sick of GW2 and vice-versa. My only other problem is that I feel coddled in this game. It does good for a large player base with a wide range of tastes but I feel there is nothing that will keep me tied to the game in the end of all my time spent. This is of course, my personal opinion and I don't expect to have anyone see it as I do.    … Expand
  86. Humblehawk
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    Many of tje negative reviews here are personal issues, rather than true reviews of the game. Sad really. If you review at least say you do not like the graphics or mechanics, something objective. Anyhow, Guild Wars 2 in my humble opinion is simply awesome. Easily worth $60 investment and perhaps even some cash shop appearance items. Who can resist a few cool or cute minis following youMany of tje negative reviews here are personal issues, rather than true reviews of the game. Sad really. If you review at least say you do not like the graphics or mechanics, something objective. Anyhow, Guild Wars 2 in my humble opinion is simply awesome. Easily worth $60 investment and perhaps even some cash shop appearance items. Who can resist a few cool or cute minis following you around. The best part of the cash shop is that there are no items in it that are needed t play play the game to its fullest. Its simply cosmetic or convenient. I think the look in the world is awesome. I've caught myself just looking around in awe more than once. Coming out of one particular shore town I walked out on to the beachand rounding rock cropping there on the water line, I looked up to see in the distances across the water a huge floating rock island with a castle on it. Mega awesome moment. The graphics are not state of the art, using older tech, but the way Anet uses that tech is stunning. And optimized for even slightly older machines. I use 5i intel with Nvidia 460GTX average fps is in the 60s. Do not listen to the griefers or the haters. Buy this game and enjoy the sovial aspect of the game. Play at your own speed. A++… Expand
  87. AlexBugella
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    So, I've been looking for a good MMO for awhile, and I think I found it. GW2 is no doubt a great MMO. The character creation seems to provide players with enough to make their character unique, in terms of looks and even play style. The combat I find to be really interesting. Each weapon type has its own skill associated with them and the more you use these weapons, the more you use theSo, I've been looking for a good MMO for awhile, and I think I found it. GW2 is no doubt a great MMO. The character creation seems to provide players with enough to make their character unique, in terms of looks and even play style. The combat I find to be really interesting. Each weapon type has its own skill associated with them and the more you use these weapons, the more you use the weapon type, the better skills you unlock for the weapon. Fights are pretty strategic at times, especially when fighting higher level enemies and using your various abilities, including the new dodge mechanic. Crafting is pretty much the same as other MMOs, useless, but in GW2, Crafting gives you tons of XP. The in-game world is pretty huge and with a way point system, discover way points and teleport to them later for a small fee. Now, the really reason to play an MMO is to play with your friends and tons of people, which GW2 doesn't disappoint in their new PvP game type, World v World v World. Its really exactly what it sounds like, 3 servers fight each other on 1 map, for 3 days. each server has their own area to defend from the other 2 servers but theirs also an unclaimed section of the map where the servers fight for constantly and which ever server holds this area, pretty much wins the match. But this game type is some much fun, in a flock easily 20 to 40 people heading to an enemy controlled base, clashing with their group of 20 to 40 people, and its all out war and so satisfying when you are slowly gaining ground. I would tell you to get the game just to play WvWvW, but honestly, every aspect of the game makes this a good buy, and hey, you pay the flat 60 bucks and no subscriptions, if you want to put more money into it you can, to get things like XP boosts or vanity items. I wouldnt be surprised if we start to see WoW fade out because of this game.… Expand
  88. MisterF
    Sep 1, 2012
    6
    Game feels fairly uninspired. Not the revaluation in gameplay I was lead to believe from vocal fans and game promotions. Controls feel sluggish and you're still pressing your number keys on cool down. Just like World of Warcraft and Everquest did before it. Astheticly pleasing, but dialogue feels clunky and the voice acting can be cringe inducing. Lastly, lots of trouble even logging inGame feels fairly uninspired. Not the revaluation in gameplay I was lead to believe from vocal fans and game promotions. Controls feel sluggish and you're still pressing your number keys on cool down. Just like World of Warcraft and Everquest did before it. Astheticly pleasing, but dialogue feels clunky and the voice acting can be cringe inducing. Lastly, lots of trouble even logging in also. 4 days out from release as well. That's something that I think even the maligned Diablo 3 launch fixed fairly quickly by comparison.… Expand
  89. zfile
    Sep 1, 2012
    1
    Why are people so hyped for Guild Wars 2? This game is So medicore.Dated graphics & Repetitive and boring combat. also have Limited character developement and customization.Don't waste your time playing this game.
  90. chrisbougs
    Sep 1, 2012
    9
    This game is a lot of fun. People who get involved in the story and want to quickly move to the next chapters might get frustrated at higher levels, as the game encourages (forces, rather) non-linear play. Other than that, the experience is unmatched by any other MMO. Rewarding PvE and PvP combat, beautiful environments, clean interfaces, and great voice acting and music.
  91. SadlyNot
    Sep 1, 2012
    8
    Starting with the good, this is a fantastic MMO. The combat is a big improvement on the standard button mash and stand still that a lot of MMOs have established. The world is gorgeous, you actually have lots of motivation to explore instead of grinding the same spot. Leveling is easy, so if you want to hit end-game you can do so. Even then, you don't need to hit end-game to enjoy the PvPStarting with the good, this is a fantastic MMO. The combat is a big improvement on the standard button mash and stand still that a lot of MMOs have established. The world is gorgeous, you actually have lots of motivation to explore instead of grinding the same spot. Leveling is easy, so if you want to hit end-game you can do so. Even then, you don't need to hit end-game to enjoy the PvP and WvW because you are scaled up. Overall, awesome experience for the first few days playing with friends. Also, the launch was great. I logged in the second servers became available at 9 pm PST and enjoyed hours of play. A few things were down, like trading and mail, but compared to some other big launches (Diablo 3) at least I could play immediately.

    The bad - I haven't been able to play for three days. Won't get into details but in short I changed my password because of recent hacks and now I can't log in. Support is being swarmed with users having similar login issues, so as a relatively young company not used to dealing with this much traffic don't expect much help beyond a confirmation for a while. Not saying they are a trash company - I'm saying that if you haven't bought this game yet, do yourself a favour and wait a few weeks. By then support will be working, there won't be in-game problems like mail system and trading being down, and you can fully enjoy the game from day 1 of purchase.    … Expand
  92. haberman13
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    What a game. Better than any MMO before it, for someone who likes a hardcore game, but doesn't want the 'life investment' that comes with WoW. Caters to all types, quick PVP, perfect MMO world, big battles, easy grouping, fun combat. Truly the next big MMO, no doubt.
  93. hidefrompublic
    Sep 1, 2012
    8
    GW2 is not a "WoW" killer because "WoW" is already been killed by blizzard maybe 3-4 years ago. First thing i experienced was that you don't spend time talking to NPC in order to receive a quest which i believe is a great way of making mmo-rpg fun because you already consume time walking around the world clueless. However i'm gonna make it easy for those that are debating to try a new MMOGW2 is not a "WoW" killer because "WoW" is already been killed by blizzard maybe 3-4 years ago. First thing i experienced was that you don't spend time talking to NPC in order to receive a quest which i believe is a great way of making mmo-rpg fun because you already consume time walking around the world clueless. However i'm gonna make it easy for those that are debating to try a new MMO by stating few key points on why you should get GW2. Of course i might have missed few things but i only wrote on what interested the most. Everyone is different and experience differently (not everyone is gonna like GW2).

    Positives
    +If you are sick of WoW, then you should try GW2. +If you don't like talking to NPC's then you should get GW2. +If you love "zergfest questing," then you should get GW2 (i actually like zergfest, not sure what people are complaining about).
    +Better graphics than WoW (anything is)?
    +No rush on leveling
    +Free to play
    +No more debating on healers/dps/tanks
    +Easy questing overall
    Negatives
    -Getting use to a new MMO (especially after playing WoW for 4 years).
    -Walking/moving dynamics feels a little weird and camera view (maybe it's just me).
    -Not user-friendly for those that are new to GW2.    … Expand
  94. aazru
    Sep 1, 2012
    7
    Short version: Nice, but nothing(literally nothing) special. Sound fx are hit and miss, at the worst annoying as hell. Some of them forced me to turn off sound. Too much particle effects kill any enjoyment from combat. Graphics go from good characters to bad textures. World is pleasant too look at only from a distance. Did I mention overblown particle effects? The world is big but theShort version: Nice, but nothing(literally nothing) special. Sound fx are hit and miss, at the worst annoying as hell. Some of them forced me to turn off sound. Too much particle effects kill any enjoyment from combat. Graphics go from good characters to bad textures. World is pleasant too look at only from a distance. Did I mention overblown particle effects? The world is big but the size feels like forced. Story can described in one word: filler. It has good parts, mind you. But too far apart to call it good as a whole. Whole dynamic event thing is glorified filler. Only thing that makes this game is combat. It is too "spam the same button" for my taste but still good. In summary: It is worth the box price but doesn't ask for a sub fee because it isn't worth a sub fee.… Expand
  95. Nerdlife
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 set a new standard for MMOGs. It's a polished game with everything you could want in a massive game. A very well balanced and fun PvP experience and some amazing PvE moments. But GW2 shines when it gives the player to option to play as he likes. You will be rewarded for exploring, killing or crafting. You might play the game the way you want and not the way the devs want youGuild Wars 2 set a new standard for MMOGs. It's a polished game with everything you could want in a massive game. A very well balanced and fun PvP experience and some amazing PvE moments. But GW2 shines when it gives the player to option to play as he likes. You will be rewarded for exploring, killing or crafting. You might play the game the way you want and not the way the devs want you to do it. The story is well written and the world is alive with events. You might arrive in a small town and see it under siege by hordes of centaurs and when you save it you see the soldiers regrouping to counter-attack and you join them. It's highly polished and really well done. It's not a revolution, but an evolution of the genre. A must have for MMO gamers. Technically the graphics are amazing and the sound effects are well done. Music ? Well, Jeremy Soule, that's all i have to say. The game have flaws ? Of course it does, but they don't make it less fun and all of them will be fixed in due time. Without a doubt this game has everything to be the new king of the genre.… Expand
  96. JunasLB
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    This game is just the perfect MMO for me. Why? Because it allows casual gameplay. The game is very polished and despite some bugs here at launch, has definitely been one of the most smooth MMO launches ever. One of the most fantastic things about the game is how it's built to encourage cooperation - not competition - in PvE. Resource nodes are not shared, so it doesn't matter that someoneThis game is just the perfect MMO for me. Why? Because it allows casual gameplay. The game is very polished and despite some bugs here at launch, has definitely been one of the most smooth MMO launches ever. One of the most fantastic things about the game is how it's built to encourage cooperation - not competition - in PvE. Resource nodes are not shared, so it doesn't matter that someone gets to it before you. You can't tag monsters, you get credit for a kill even if you didn't hit first. Everyone gets rewarded simply for helping - and thus GW2 is a much nicer game to play.… Expand
  97. righteously
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    It is questionable as to whether GW2 got rid of the dreadful grinding concept of the MMOs. ( I find myself repeating the same things over and over to fill up a heart) What isn't doubtful though is the brilliant and exciting cover-up of such mundane norm of the mmo convention. I may have been repeating the same things, but was NEVER bored. The more-realistic combat system, gorgeousIt is questionable as to whether GW2 got rid of the dreadful grinding concept of the MMOs. ( I find myself repeating the same things over and over to fill up a heart) What isn't doubtful though is the brilliant and exciting cover-up of such mundane norm of the mmo convention. I may have been repeating the same things, but was NEVER bored. The more-realistic combat system, gorgeous atmosphere, uniquely orchestrated sounds, never-the-same dynamic events were all happening simultaneously while I was satisfyingly watching my quest bar go up. (interesting note, they don't just say kill 10 bazingas and the numbers show up, but an abstract progress to how far you have "assisted" the frog people) So in a sense, they did kill the grinding system because players won't notice it that well, and even if they do, they won't care because the experience was so good. All in all, Guild Wars 2 is a fantastic of its genre, very innovative, and has taken a first big step to a mmo revolution. In the future, people will ask you, " do you WoW, or GW2?"… Expand
  98. hanibaldemp
    Sep 1, 2012
    9
    This game is fun and that is all.congrats to abet for making such a great game thats not such a grind like every other mmo but is concentrating on the fun factor which is what was needed in the mmo industry.
  99. redfrick
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    Guild Wars 2 is without a doubt the best MMO on the market today and it is only 3 days old as I write this. After playing the game since Beta it has ruined every other MMO out there for me. No game available today can touch it. There are pieces of other games that when added up could be as good as this game is but not one MMO has as much awesome as this one does. While waiting forGuild Wars 2 is without a doubt the best MMO on the market today and it is only 3 days old as I write this. After playing the game since Beta it has ruined every other MMO out there for me. No game available today can touch it. There are pieces of other games that when added up could be as good as this game is but not one MMO has as much awesome as this one does. While waiting for Guild Wars 2 to be released I played a few of the "top" MMOs out to kill time. Let me tell you this, I didn't last more than one hour in any of them. After getting a taste of what Guild Wars 2 had to offer every one I tried seemed stale, tired or just plain boring.… Expand
  100. Azill
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    Easily the best MMORPG I've played since Pre-BC WoW. The only things missing are no FOV slider (which would really help to show off the beautiful world Arena Net made), no camera zoom out distance option, the zoom out distance is pretty low and it can cause headaches for some. Class balance issues are also a small problem which will for sure be balanced out in the next few months so it'sEasily the best MMORPG I've played since Pre-BC WoW. The only things missing are no FOV slider (which would really help to show off the beautiful world Arena Net made), no camera zoom out distance option, the zoom out distance is pretty low and it can cause headaches for some. Class balance issues are also a small problem which will for sure be balanced out in the next few months so it's not really a big deal. The good parts of the game is everything else. The combat is all skill based, where you have to swap between weapon sets, use your dodges at the appropriate times, and be careful of which skills you choose to use at certain times. The world is MASSIVE, the biggest i've ever seen in a game. There are also tons of incentives and rewards for exploring it which is amazing. There is no end game, as the end game is all throughout the game as events, which are incredible fun, especially if you have a group of friends to level together with. The zones all look gorgeous and highly detailed. Your personal story also has tons of choice with consequences based on your choices as well. The skill points and trait skills are all based on personal preference, and there is no cookie cutter build. You build your class however you want to build him. The cash shop is interesting, in the fact that it's all cosmetics or some minor bonuses. The minor bonuses can also be found in the world as well. You don't even have to pay money for the cash shop as you can actually convert gold you earned in game for the in game cash shop currency. Overall, the game is easily a solid 9 for me and it's for sure going to be my choice MMORPG for a longgggg time. If you are sick of WoW and your typical WoW style cookie cutter mmo's this will be a huge breath of fresh air for you.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2012
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    90
    GW2 has made a powerful impact on the MMO scene, confirming years of expectations. Stunning presentation and revolutionary design guarantee a thoroughly enjoyable experience. However, it’s not flawless, nor complete. The beautiful vistas, the massive PvP element, the rich leveling experience- those can offer hours of gameplay, but the endgame is desperately seeking for enrichment. [November 2012]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Jan 2, 2013
    95
    Guild Wars 2 surpasses the original in every aspect, from its massive and atmospheric world to its addictive and engrossing gameplay.
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  3. RPG Fan
    Nov 28, 2012
    80
    After spending fifty hours with GW2, I have a lot of praise for ArenaNet's work and the way it changes up some of the typical trappings of the MMO. And yet, I find myself thinking less and less about it each day. It's not a declaration against the product, mind you, but simply a fact that this game still is very much an MMO, and your enjoyment will directly relate to how much you enjoy the genre. For many who were hoping for a clean break from MMO design philosophy, Guild Wars 2 will probably come across as a slight disappointment. It pushes the genre slightly forward, however, and could lead to even further development in the future.
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