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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. sircerx
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    Absolutely astounding. There's something for everyone, even the ex-WoW veterans. PvP is truly skill-based, not about who has the better gear. World vs. Word (read: server vs. server) is a perfectly chaotic clusterf*ck, PvE is never boring with events around and dungeons on top, plus there's lots of uncharted exploration. At $60 and no monthly fee, it is a much better deal than ToR for $60Absolutely astounding. There's something for everyone, even the ex-WoW veterans. PvP is truly skill-based, not about who has the better gear. World vs. Word (read: server vs. server) is a perfectly chaotic clusterf*ck, PvE is never boring with events around and dungeons on top, plus there's lots of uncharted exploration. At $60 and no monthly fee, it is a much better deal than ToR for $60 and $15 a month. Also unlike ToR it is not a bleak, repetitive game that rewards time investment over skill.

    A piece of advice for reading reviews - if they say they quit after an hour, their review simply doesn't count. You can NOT see this game in an hour. It is most akin, like it's predecessor, to Magic: the Gathering. It is a complex, nuanced, combinatorial, tactical experience that leverages your "deck building" (read: skill selecting) skills as much as your reaction time (there's collision detection and realistic, live-action dodge-rolling) and time management skills (to rez, or not to rez?).

    No need to try before you buy - it's some grade-A stuff.    … Expand
  7. drakomel777
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing, beautiful and so alive, compared to other MMORPGs out in the market right now. I've played World of Warcraft for 3 years now and it was fun, for those 3 whole years. But let me just say that when I played Guild Wars 2, it felt like I had more fun than in those 3 years of playing World of Warcraft. Some people might ask, what can this game offer that other gamesThis game is amazing, beautiful and so alive, compared to other MMORPGs out in the market right now. I've played World of Warcraft for 3 years now and it was fun, for those 3 whole years. But let me just say that when I played Guild Wars 2, it felt like I had more fun than in those 3 years of playing World of Warcraft. Some people might ask, what can this game offer that other games cannot? Well, my answer to that is "life". What ArenaNet did to the game was not only to make a game enjoyable by everyone, but also make a game with a world that feels so immersible and alive. Just yesterday, before I wrote this review, I was playing GW2 with my brother, finding and mining ores until suddenly an NPC just came up to us and asked us to help his village. And we just followed the NPC. And by the time we arrived at his village, it as overrun by centaurs. So me and my brother fought and won and it was a really satisfying experience. Another example was when the NPCs just go about their lives, talking about their past adventures and making moves no other NPCs from MMORPGs can do. But this is just a fraction of detail as to how the world is alive. You will find out more when you play the game itself.

    Another feature is the personal story. This is a very big rpg element which was introduced to GW2 and I have to say, ArenaNet did an amazing job. The personal story lets you choose from plenty of choices which will affect how your character interacts with other NPCs and how his story will be laid out. The personal story is not like SWTOR's character story. In SWTOR, it just like letting your character play a big script and the only choices you make will affect only how you interact with your companions but it is different in GW2 since the choices you make will actually affect your character, your home instance, your NPC friends and your story. For example, you are given two choices to either save your friend or the city, when you choose your friend, there be more branches added to the story, but if you choose the city, different branches will also be added. So in short, everything you choose in your Personal Story will affect everything about your story.

    The features that I gave above are only a tiny bit of the features Guild Wars 2 has to offer. IF you want to find out more. Buy the game and see for yourself :D I guarantee you will like it.

    For me, I feel that Guild Wars 2 really deserves the GOTY award, although I am not sure if MMORPGs can win GOTY awards at all.

    So to anyone who reads this. I gave Guild Wars 2 a perfect 10 because of my experience with the game and not how the game is presented, so our opinions may vary.

    So once again, buy the game and if you like it, then have fun :D    … Expand
  8. trichomes
    Sep 8, 2012
    8
    I was backing this game before it came out, just like I did with the first guild wars, I played beta with both games, and liked what I saw, but again, I feel the way I felt with the first one, boring, clunky, and no, there is still no better MMO then WOW, " in the fantasy mmo world". I hate what WOW has become, but yet, it destroys this game in every facet of mmo's. I see alot of peopleI was backing this game before it came out, just like I did with the first guild wars, I played beta with both games, and liked what I saw, but again, I feel the way I felt with the first one, boring, clunky, and no, there is still no better MMO then WOW, " in the fantasy mmo world". I hate what WOW has become, but yet, it destroys this game in every facet of mmo's. I see alot of people saying gw2 is better PVP, I don't think it's even close to WOW's pvp. I made an 80 in less then 1 week, wtf is that? sorry, but this game has too many flaws and shortcummings that have been explained by others. I've been wanting an mmo to replace WOW for quite sometime, this isn't it. Graphics are over-rated, pvp/pve is hugely over-rated. Professions are silly....just not my cup of tea. Still, all and all, it's a descent mmo for the casual player new to the genre, and may grow on you. Also, yeah, there's no month fee like other mmo's, but it still cost money to have internet, for me, over $60 a month, so, this game is not free to me at all, if there was an offline pve mode, or an ability to run my own dedicated server with some friends for pve, then, yeah....it's free afterwards. Good luck to arenanet, and for those who love this game, I'm happy for you, me, I'll be waiting for the next mmo, maybe elderscrolls online ha ha.… Expand
  9. Nariax
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    This game is fantastic, beautiful graphics, tons of content, and a huge, immersive world. The quality of this subscription-free game shows up how laughable the subscription model is.
  10. Renegadexf
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    I'm in Love with this game, specially using my eyefinity setup also its pay to play n such amazing graphics at every zone,what else can i ask for ? :]
  11. untoten123
    Sep 12, 2012
    9
    Overall a great game! I made a YouTube video on it's gameplay and what's so great about it. Make sure to check it out.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT8HAYUz74g
  12. 3lfk1ng
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    First of all, my playstyle is hardcore and I have a lot of MMO experience.

    I have been playing MMO's for almost 10 years starting with the release of Shadowbane. I have subscribed to roughly 8 different MMO's during that time-frame, BETA tested another 10 or so, and I am not afraid to admit that World of Warcraft was my previous favorite MMO. but now...Guild Wars 2 has easily taken    First of all, my playstyle is hardcore and I have a lot of MMO experience.

    I have been playing MMO's for almost 10 years starting with the release of Shadowbane. I have subscribed to roughly 8 different MMO's during that time-frame, BETA tested another 10 or so, and I am not afraid to admit that World of Warcraft was my previous favorite MMO.

    but now...Guild Wars 2 has easily taken the throne as my #1 favorite MMO of all time. Despite minor issues at launch which in no way affected my ability to login, level up and actually play the game, this game is nothing short of amazing. There is just so much detail and depth, all while offering players the ability to play hardcore or casual... with no monthly fee. You can login for an hour or two and walk away feeling accomplished.

    The crafting system is a blast. The learning curve for playing classes can be steep, but only if you want it to be. There is no longer a need to grind for gear or farm for reputation. If you have a steady job, you can be just as good in game as your jobless friends. There is no need to set aside two nights a week for raiding or collecting the materials beforehand. No need to avoid playing with other players that might take your loot. No longer do players have to ask for a gear score or look you up on armory before doing a dungeon. They have almost completely eliminated the whole standing around for 30minutes looking for a healer or a tank fiasco. Finally, this game is based on skill. It's not about who has no life and the ability to invest the most time. It's a game where you can login, hit level 2, and go straight into PVP and be on almost even grounds, only skill will determine how well you do.

    ALL of the things that were (mostly) dreadful in previous MMOs, have been made (mostly) enjoyable in Guild Wars 2. Huge thanks go out to ArenaNet. I disliked Guild Wars 1 but this game is totally different and phenomenal. There is absolutely no reason that anyone should even consider continuing to pay and play World of Warcraft or any other MMO for that matter unless you dislike the fantasy genre all together... in which case, the fact that you're reading this would suggest otherwise.

    I give it a 96/100
    There is always room for improvement.    … Expand
  13. Kashinoga
    Sep 12, 2012
    9
    This is the first game ever, in which I genuinely have had a great, fun time playing. I am not forced to grind or to do anything that makes the game feel like a chore. Playing with friends who've just got the game is not a burden (content scales!) and best of all, there's no subscription fee.
  14. deusemx
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    Awesome, in a single word best describes my experience thus far with Guild Wars 2. After sinking over 100 hours in the game, achieving level 60, rank 5 in structured PvP, and battling it out in World vs World (where I spend the majority of my time) I still cannot find enough time to play this game. I write you this review only because I am stuck at work and cannot log in from here ;)

    I    Awesome, in a single word best describes my experience thus far with Guild Wars 2. After sinking over 100 hours in the game, achieving level 60, rank 5 in structured PvP, and battling it out in World vs World (where I spend the majority of my time) I still cannot find enough time to play this game. I write you this review only because I am stuck at work and cannot log in from here ;)

    I wanted this game to be my PvP game as the first Guild Wars had a reputation for it. I wanted something to replace WoW's PvP for me. I played WoW for both 3v3 arena and rated battlegrounds which I achieved 2750 an 2450 ratings respectively. I wanted a game that rewards skill and strategy and not time spent playing and I believe GW2 does just that. This is a game about positioning and coordinated execution. There exists "Combo Fields" and "Combo Finishers" in which any Combo Finisher that interacts with a Combo Field gains additional power. This system of synergy allows coordination to rein king. Structured PvP is interesting because the moment you step into the structured PvP zone your character reaches maximum power equal with all others. If you think you see an overpowered combination you can quickly and easily copy their setup to see for yourself. The competitive mode is 5v5 on a 3 node king of the hill map, a standard configuration. I haven't quite figured out all of the mechanics of all the classes so I cannot really comment on balance but it feels good so far. Each class is very customizable almost to the point of being overly complex. Of your 10 abilities half of your abilities depend on the weapon(s) you are wielding while the other 5 are selected from a pool of skills depending on your class and then there are additional traits that affect you in various ways. However, World vs World PvP is where you'll most likely find me. Defending and laying siege to towers, forts, and even castles. Huge battles with over 100 strong on both sides. Your entire server is your team and you are against 2 other servers in a battle to control the most territory--to get the biggest slice of the pie. Periodically the servers get mixed up and paired based on your servers performance. Right now things are a little dicey in WvW due to all the mixing currently. Sometimes one server greatly overpowers another but with the mixing and match-rating it will inevitably create a better experience as time goes on. But now for the bad news! As much as I love this game it does have some technical problems. I have a Crossfire video card configuration but I am not able to make any use of my 2nd card. Some areas in the game drop my FPS while others are brilliantly smooth. The queue times for World vs World were initially exceeding 2 hours! The queues have come down since then. This game definitely has some growing pains but Arenanet seems dedicated to fixing it. They patch the game every single night. I remain hopeful that they will iron out these issues but I am still having a blast regardless.    … Expand
  15. orange56738
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    This is a great MMO and it is getting better. Forget WoW. This is it! I love the fact that the holy trinity of tank/healer/dps does not exist nor is it necessary. The game is not about gear or grinding. All those other annoying things in other MMOs have been gracefully dealt with in GW2.
  16. Falcor
    Sep 20, 2012
    8
    So far i am realy enjoying the game itself. the combat system is great, the personal storyline all that, but there is one major flaw. one that people often overlook. the support team are nothing short of incompetent. they struggle to help with even minor issues. i can understand that they take a long time to reply, the game just launched and tonns of people are contacting them for aSo far i am realy enjoying the game itself. the combat system is great, the personal storyline all that, but there is one major flaw. one that people often overlook. the support team are nothing short of incompetent. they struggle to help with even minor issues. i can understand that they take a long time to reply, the game just launched and tonns of people are contacting them for a variety of reasons, and some people appear pleased with the work suport does. but me and alot of the people i play with have had naugth but infuriating dealings with the suport team!… Expand
  17. theDangel
    Jan 9, 2014
    10
    Over my three accounts in this game, I have easily spent over 1,500 hours and I don't regret it a bit. This game is absolutely charming and wonderful.
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. Scoobydruid
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    Game is a breakthrough in MMOs. It respects my time and doesn't favor people with monster amounts of time over adults with families and jobs. Grinding is essentially eliminated and the world event quests are very fun. No pressure to get to max level. Extremely Casual Player Friendly. RvRvR is fun and you can participate early one once you've acquired a few skills (otherwise you don'tGame is a breakthrough in MMOs. It respects my time and doesn't favor people with monster amounts of time over adults with families and jobs. Grinding is essentially eliminated and the world event quests are very fun. No pressure to get to max level. Extremely Casual Player Friendly. RvRvR is fun and you can participate early one once you've acquired a few skills (otherwise you don't have enough skills to do much).

    Lots to do. This game rivals any of the MMOs that have sub fees. The fact it has no sub fee is simply astonishing. The quality is second to none.    … Expand
  21. mromih
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    Incredible. The only downside is struggling with the addiction to play everyday. Beautiful graphics. Incredible sound effects and music. And you can do sooo many things in this game other than just concentrating on killing monsters for farming xp or entering an instance for 3 or 4 hours and ending without any loot cause you lost all rolls (like ..well.... you know) This is a WELLIncredible. The only downside is struggling with the addiction to play everyday. Beautiful graphics. Incredible sound effects and music. And you can do sooo many things in this game other than just concentrating on killing monsters for farming xp or entering an instance for 3 or 4 hours and ending without any loot cause you lost all rolls (like ..well.... you know) This is a WELL balanced game. PC gaming always will rule!… Expand
  22. Tempestozaur
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    An amazing game! I especially like the exploration part of hidden caves and dungeons spread around the world which in general reward you with loot chests or special events.
  23. Kangamangus
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    The game is good bang for your buck, especially if you don't want to pay over and over again for content that will probably become routine if you crack out on it. No monthly fee is a strong point. Some people will say Diablo 3 is good for that reason, but I never got a chance to connect to the servers before I got my money back. Also, you don't have to worry about your account beingThe game is good bang for your buck, especially if you don't want to pay over and over again for content that will probably become routine if you crack out on it. No monthly fee is a strong point. Some people will say Diablo 3 is good for that reason, but I never got a chance to connect to the servers before I got my money back. Also, you don't have to worry about your account being banned if someone hacks it, because it's your fault if you get hacked in the world of Blizzard. As far as the game goes, it's familiar MMO in interface and typical fantasy themes, but some unique twists keep it interesting. I never found myself bored or wishing I didn't have to cross the map, because no matter where you are, there are usually world events happening nearby. These are missions or objectives that vary in size and difficulty, and anyone can participate. You don't have to worry about competing for kills or drops, though, as you get your own loot. Most of the time, other people's contribution counts towards yours. Kinda neat, making the community and players friends instead of foes, more often than not. Yes, someone can still draw adds to your fight and get you killed. You'll never stop stupid people or jerks from being on the internet. Blizzard and their junkie whore fan base is proof of this. A lot of concessions were made for the player. You can send mail from anywhere in the world, and download crafting resources to your bank from any where in the world, meaning you can loot an insane amount before you'll need to sell stuff or visit your stash. This game was working 3 days before launch, and has been working very consistently since official launch. No need to defend that.… Expand
  24. betelguise
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is fun. However...
    If you rush to max level (PvE only) thinking that's where the "fun" starts, then you may hate this game.
    There is no rush, there is no endgame. There is no monthly fee. The game is like Skyrim, by that I mean the journey is the fun, not the ending. Or it's like a good book. What? I will try to explain. The best books can't be opened to the last chapter    Guild Wars 2 is fun. However...
    If you rush to max level (PvE only) thinking that's where the "fun" starts, then you may hate this game.
    There is no rush, there is no endgame. There is no monthly fee.
    The game is like Skyrim, by that I mean the journey is the fun, not the ending.
    Or it's like a good book. What? I will try to explain. The best books can't be opened to the last chapter and enjoyed. It's the journey and the experience to get to the end that is entertaining. Same with GW2.

    Play it, don't rush and enjoy the journey, not the ending.

    Don't like to read? OK
    Do you like to have sex? It's not the squirt at the end that makes it fun, it's getting there and everything in between that's the fun. The squirt is just the ending.
    PvP is flat out fun. No uber gear to pwn nubs. All are equal. It's all how you play.

    There are issues but what massive mmo does not have those.
    Anet is working to fix the issues and doing a fine job so far (15 days from launch and there is a patch every day)

    For a flat fee and a game that can entertain for years, this is one bad ass game!    … Expand
  25. DamoclesRising
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    This game offers much to players starved for change and innovation, while still giving the great feeling of progression and reward MMORPGs strive to give. Players are naturally encouraged to play together thanks to systems they have in place, and are all rewarded equally for things they participate in, whether that be quests or simply kills. Rewards also scale to your level, and your levelThis game offers much to players starved for change and innovation, while still giving the great feeling of progression and reward MMORPGs strive to give. Players are naturally encouraged to play together thanks to systems they have in place, and are all rewarded equally for things they participate in, whether that be quests or simply kills. Rewards also scale to your level, and your level scales to the difficulty of the event. The event itself scales in difficulty to the number of people currently partaking in it. Guild system is great, providing cool things like Guild Emblem armor, or banners for forts in WvWvW, the multi-server persistent siege-warfare pvp battlefield. that being said, once you hit max level, the game returns to feeling like a grind as you try to obtain all the best gear, but it still provides a fresh experience in doing so thanks to the innovative gameplay. There were some bugs on release, but most have been dealt with in a timely manner. Its a great game guys, try it out.… Expand
  26. victor2012
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    I played WOW starting BC
    I feel that WOW was like a job - login at raid time, try boss, try again...ever, to make a raid progress.
    spend time and money for nothing. Also no content updates since 2011, but anyway each patch was just new boss skins. GW2 became as a fresh air! Really great game! Beautiful, big and deep. I just relax and enjoy playing Really GW2 feels like a MMO. In GW2    I played WOW starting BC
    I feel that WOW was like a job - login at raid time, try boss, try again...ever, to make a raid progress.
    spend time and money for nothing. Also no content updates since 2011, but anyway each patch was just new boss skins. GW2 became as a fresh air! Really great game! Beautiful, big and deep. I just relax and enjoy playing
    Really GW2 feels like a MMO. In GW2 finally you see other people in the world who help you to make dynamic events for example, in wow (during leveling) you play almost solo.    … Expand
  27. eroninja
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    After playing this game hardcore for over a month, I feel that the hype has finally worn off and the game truly deserves a 10 rating. It's by far the best MMO right now, even better than World of Warcraft (though that's mostly due to Blizzard's failings).

    Arenanet delivered on every promise they made prior to releasing the game. You are always happy to play with other people, you    After playing this game hardcore for over a month, I feel that the hype has finally worn off and the game truly deserves a 10 rating. It's by far the best MMO right now, even better than World of Warcraft (though that's mostly due to Blizzard's failings).

    Arenanet delivered on every promise they made prior to releasing the game. You are always happy to play with other people, you never feel like you're forced to compete against others, the visuals are stunning, character creation is surprisingly deep, and the action during even the most mundane event is amazing and fun. Anet has taken MMO gamers off the hamster wheel (endless loot cycle) and given us a game that's supposed to be fun. I can honestly say they delivered.    … Expand
  28. IndigoEyes
    Dec 13, 2012
    5
    Guild Wars II feels like it's heading towards a new genre that's not mmorpg. Players who hate mmorpgs but wants to play a game with multi-player options should give this game a try. Players who love mmorpgs and wants the same feelings they acquired from previous mmorpgs should avoid this game at all cost. - Unless you approach this game like how you approach a ps3/xbox console RPG.

    The    Guild Wars II feels like it's heading towards a new genre that's not mmorpg. Players who hate mmorpgs but wants to play a game with multi-player options should give this game a try. Players who love mmorpgs and wants the same feelings they acquired from previous mmorpgs should avoid this game at all cost. - Unless you approach this game like how you approach a ps3/xbox console RPG.

    The reason for the mediocore score is because this game doesn't have the pull factor after weeks or months of gameplay. Mmorpgs are supposed to make players stick for years. It's subjected to individual because everyone has different burn-outs. Among the many mmorpgs I played, this game has burned me out the fastest. It has a weak end-game that caters mainly the casual players. If you love to play mmorpgs where you can reach the max stuffs + achieved every addictive goals so that you can stop being lured into the game and only login once a month for special events, this game is just for you.

    This mmorpg punishes dedicated mmorpg'ers while awards action/skill-gamers who favors games like Tomb Raider and Ninja Gaiden. It lacks the avatar progression from traditional mmorpg. It severely lacks the rewards factor in progression. Guild Wars II seems to mainly focus towards players-to-npc interactions than players-to-players interaction. All or most of your memories are you being with npcs. A true mmorpg leds players to create memories with other players. Social interactions and character progression are the 2 weakest elements in this game. The strong points of this game is the graphic, npc to player interactions, customisable looks, side-quests and casual-friendly. If you're an action/skill gamer that came from games like Tomb Raider, street fighter, ninja gaiden and super mario, GW2 is just for you. If you're a rpg gamer that came from games like Final Fantasy, pokemon and asian rpgs, GWII is not for you. Please judge mmorpg by it's merits, not by the hype. The games that shine the most are those who spent millions of dollars into advertising than improving content.    … Expand
  29. teejaymmk
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Really a big breath of fresh air after playing countless WoW clones for the better part of 10 years now. If you are like me and have long been bored of the tried and true formula approach to all MMOS for the past 10 years, this is what you have been looking for. Just give it a shot, its free so why not?
  30. stocean
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game made me think that Arenanet might be the new Blizzard at least for me. The quality and quantity, effort put in, and fun you expected from Blizzard but couldn't get recently, this game has them all. The game looks amazing especially for an mmo The music, voice acting, and sound effects are top notch The gameplay is very fun and challenging. The game's longevity also seems veryThis game made me think that Arenanet might be the new Blizzard at least for me. The quality and quantity, effort put in, and fun you expected from Blizzard but couldn't get recently, this game has them all. The game looks amazing especially for an mmo The music, voice acting, and sound effects are top notch The gameplay is very fun and challenging. The game's longevity also seems very optimistic. Firstly there's no subscription fee! So you could come back anytime you want. Also there are many different stories, professions to play through in a variety of ways. Lastly the game's endgame focuses on horizontal scale rather than vertical scale. Vertical scale is your typical WoW raid or D3 tier system in which you get higher and higher gears as you play. In vertical scale, once the contents are gone, there's not much to do. Since GW2 is a Horizontally scaling game it focuses more on customization and PvP where your skill, choice, and play rather than your gear, gold, and playtime matter. High-end dungeons only reward cosmetic items and don't really give you a gameplay edge over others. This is generally much better for replayability unless you add contents faster than gamers consume. Anyways, this game really can't go wrong with its great quality and huge amount of contents. I urge you to go buy this game if you want a very decent mmo with both good PvE and PvP.… Expand
  31. nodq
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Really? Really? .... Really? The best MMO since WoW, and this time for SURE people! You can not compare WoW and GW2 but you can compare MMO releases and the fun of it and the feeling it brings at release + bugs etc. and GW2/Arenanet made an awesome job for sure. 9.5! Giving 10 because of 0 rating trolls here.
  32. InfinityBlaze
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is amazing. There is no other word for it. The art style is minimalistic and charming. The combat is fun and fast paced. And there's no tedious, addictive gameplay with the $15 sub fee. Not to say its not addicting though. Guild wars 2 has great PvP, an engaging story, and fantastic crafting. MMO player or not, GW2 is a must buy.
  33. plaguebourne
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game impressed me in closed beta both in quality and amount of things to keep me busy. The map flow is impressive given the event locations are nonlinear. It's the first time I've played an MMO in years that has offered me a challenge, looked beautiful, and kept me wanting more. I also am impressed with the fact that the dev team made leveling a bit of a challenge and seemed to wantThis game impressed me in closed beta both in quality and amount of things to keep me busy. The map flow is impressive given the event locations are nonlinear. It's the first time I've played an MMO in years that has offered me a challenge, looked beautiful, and kept me wanting more. I also am impressed with the fact that the dev team made leveling a bit of a challenge and seemed to want it to be an important part of the game rather than a quick grind to max level/endgame content... and looking at the amount of leveling content and the quality of it, I can see why. This game makes me want to explore every corner of every map, tame as many creatures as I can, and learn as much about the lore of the world as I can absorb. Also, the crafting system is fun, allowing you to discover new recipes and enhancement items rather than just serving you up the recipes and making you sit and grind out a hundred of one item.

    Congratulations to the ArenaNet team on an amazing accomplishment. You've taken a bitter old hardcore MMO gamer and made her a believer in the genre again.    … Expand
  34. Alargus
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    BEST GAME EVER! Definately a great sequel to the legendary Guild Wars. I am very excited to max to max out all of my characters. They mastered every aspect of MMO's
  35. WeTehPeople
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    I'll admit, at first I was skeptical about Guild Wars 2. My overall impression of the gameplay and information collected by internet sources made me think this game had a lot of promise. Problem is, I felt that way about a lot of MMO's that also emanated "Promise". Turns out this is actually quite a fantastic game. Not to mention F2P? I mean come on. The concern people express in theirI'll admit, at first I was skeptical about Guild Wars 2. My overall impression of the gameplay and information collected by internet sources made me think this game had a lot of promise. Problem is, I felt that way about a lot of MMO's that also emanated "Promise". Turns out this is actually quite a fantastic game. Not to mention F2P? I mean come on. The concern people express in their negative views is quite minimal. Okay, lets get this straight, this isn't going to be some ground breaking "New Age" of MMO where everyone is going to go ape sh*t over it. If you've never played an MMO you might not like it...on the other hand you might fall in love with it. Its a quality game, combats fun, visuals are good, voice acting is okay, but most of all the community is awesome! 9/10. Finally an MMO WORTH my time.… Expand
  36. Kingmannie
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is utterly fantastic. I'm not even going to begin to compare it to other MMO's because this game is in a league of its own. Apart from the hiccups that every huge MMO gets during launch, Guild Wars 2 has drawn me straight into its amazing story based PVE experience, exciting PVP (wvw) experience plus its enthralling and beautiful world. I get all this without having toGuild Wars 2 is utterly fantastic. I'm not even going to begin to compare it to other MMO's because this game is in a league of its own. Apart from the hiccups that every huge MMO gets during launch, Guild Wars 2 has drawn me straight into its amazing story based PVE experience, exciting PVP (wvw) experience plus its enthralling and beautiful world. I get all this without having to worry about money coming out of my bank account each month and how much 'value' I'm getting. I can pick this up or leave this down yet I find myself unable to stop playing and I can anticipate based on the history of their expansions that it will have me hooked for a very very long time. Some of the pros I see immediately in terms of gameplay are; The lack of grinding due to interesting and varied approach to experience rewards... yes that right you can travel the whole map and PVP and level up at the same time. When your actually doing the PVE content you can do dynamic events which number in the hundreds across a sprawling beautiful map, they are fun varied and interesting. When you get to the story, its presented in a more personal light, you don't just click on an NPC and click the text off again. You actually see your character in all his/her glory with the gear and your creative input on the screen. Whether you love PVP, PVE, story based content, exploring content or just sheer messing about Guild War 2 has it all at a low cost without the super addicting but highly negative push of a monthly fee. Guild Wars 2 does it all and does it with style, do yourself a favour and take the chance. SB… Expand
  37. 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
  38. femogiga
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    This has to be the best game I have ever bought. I had vaguely heard about guid war 1 but did not bother to investigate what genre it was.i stumbled upon a review of gw2 on one of my tech news feed and immediately went to amazon to purchase the game on the Saturday after release. Apparently I was lucky as it went out of stock one hour later.promptly installed and I can say that I haveThis has to be the best game I have ever bought. I had vaguely heard about guid war 1 but did not bother to investigate what genre it was.i stumbled upon a review of gw2 on one of my tech news feed and immediately went to amazon to purchase the game on the Saturday after release. Apparently I was lucky as it went out of stock one hour later.promptly installed and I can say that I have been hooked ever since. Am still learning the ropes , reading guides and getting to know the mechanics of the game. I chose to be a ranger and have levelled to 14 but I have to tell you ,my misses has not pleased at all. I have seen wow in the past and was not impressed.repetitive,cartoonish and childish.not to talk of £10 a month subcription.but this one is just different.watching event and the environment changing right beyond your eyes is just unbelievable. And the beauty of this game on my top range new build ;the graphic is something else. Let just say I have not touched mw3 in the past week. There is something or somewhere to discover everyday.it is also unbelievable that the game is free. I can see guild war becoming the multi billion dollar franchise like call of duty in coming years. This if they concentrate on doing things well and making it bette .rather concentrating on excessive profit. If this game had been sold for £50 , it would have been worth it. They should avoid the temptation of the subscription model.Focus on the community and improve the game . For anybody wondering whether to buy, forget those expert reviews. Buy buy.… Expand
  39. 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.
  40. 200mg
    Sep 9, 2012
    9
    This game is NEXT LEVEL. Absolutely fantastic graphics, gameplay, everything....You can tell the devs really paid attention to detail, it's the little things like auction from your backpack, instant mail, the robust travel system, the list goes on and on and on. This is an MMO milestone!!! If you like MMO's you will love this game!
  41. Shadamehr
    Sep 8, 2012
    9
    This is what WoW should have been if Blizzard had the courage to do a revamp. I'll be honest, my first opinion wasn't great, just so much to take in with no idea what I was doing. Played for an hour then didn't come back to it for a few days. Then I found the more I got into it, the more depth I found. The amount of detail is amazing. If you are an explorer type like me you're going toThis is what WoW should have been if Blizzard had the courage to do a revamp. I'll be honest, my first opinion wasn't great, just so much to take in with no idea what I was doing. Played for an hour then didn't come back to it for a few days. Then I found the more I got into it, the more depth I found. The amount of detail is amazing. If you are an explorer type like me you're going to have a blast, this game encourages exploration. Finding and completing secret areas are real achievements. My only worry is that a lot of players, PvP players in particular, who don't like challenges while leveling or taking too long to get to end level (its the reason why WoW's ezy mode leveling is so popular), will force leveling nerfs on Arenanet. As a 5 year player that gave up on WoW last year during the B Team's Cataclysm, I thought I'd found my WoW replacement in SWTOR, but their stupid choices of adopting a game engine that wasn't theirs and a rigid led by the nose main game questing has dulled my enthusiasm for it. GW2 has none of the stunlocks or flopping around for the best part of minute while the game loads up graphics that SWTOR suffers from (eg. exiting Corellia, Alderaan spaceports, Tattooine, Balmorra etc.).
    The game actually has elites (called Veterans) roaming the countryside. It encourages grouping up (you don't have to be in an actual party, you all get credit so long as you participate) to defeat them, or you can try soloing them for a greater challenge. It also encourages rezzing fallen players, they show up as icons on your minimap, and you earn xp for doing so. The only downside I can see is its crafting system, out of the 3 MMOs I'd rate SWTOR's the best and GW2's the weakest. You are always starved of mats. I have a sneaking suspicion this is to encourage impatient players to buy gems (an in game currency) from their online store. Apart from that 9/10.    … Expand
  42. 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
  43. skeith
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    This is the best MMORPG I have ever played so far. It doesn't suck your money like a hungry vacuum. Leveling is at ease. Full voice acting in main story. Exploring is also fun and actually rewarding. Very soothing music. Please, try the game, it doesn't even need monthly subscription to play.
  44. KCSW
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    Fun game play. Nice Graphics. bye trinity, good riddance. Funnest MMORPG I have played in a while. Recommended for everyone.

    See you all in game.
  45. 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
  46. kaldric30
    Sep 9, 2012
    9
    Great game. Graphics are amazing. The events are a nice replacement to one-time quests. Waypoints make travel easy. Combat is very fluid, and with limited hotkeys very easy to learn.
  47. 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
  48. Ridd21
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    Guild wars 2 is a amazing game is it perfect? no but its close enough, yes it has bugs that need to be fixed and they are as quick as possible but coming from a former WOW player of 4 years this game feels modern it feels up to date unlike other MMO's ive played including SWTOR and rift. people worried about PVE because no raids well I can tell you take 5 people in the dungeons in EM andGuild wars 2 is a amazing game is it perfect? no but its close enough, yes it has bugs that need to be fixed and they are as quick as possible but coming from a former WOW player of 4 years this game feels modern it feels up to date unlike other MMO's ive played including SWTOR and rift. people worried about PVE because no raids well I can tell you take 5 people in the dungeons in EM and you will encounter many deaths. This game isn't easy as say WOW everything isn't handed to you on a silver platter. The basic mob in GW2 can kill you its a skill game and if you can't learn when to dodge your going to struggle. its no longer looking at a rotation like crazy or waiting for Deadly boss mods to call stuff out for you to move in GW2 its a team effort in dungeons 3 people cant carry the other 2 players if they just don't cut it like you can it most MMO's. people have been wanting a game with a challenge and is fun well here it is. and if you don't cut it like probably half of the 139 negative reviews don't go fussing on site sayings it a crap game because its far from it. GW2 is a beautiful game both in art and graphics with the talk of maybe allowing Direct X 11 in the future as a option will only make it more beautiful of a game. The combat is fun the traits and skills are fun and as a person with a lvl 80 Thief I can tell you their is plenty of endgame its actually almost overwhelming all the things to do at 80. Dungeons for awesome looking gear. WVWvW is a blast (and I'm not a big pvp person) and farming to get ready for the Legendary's. just to name a few but the list could go way on. Overall if your tired of outdated MMO's or new to MMO's I think you will engoy it.… Expand
  49. Dhurk
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    GW2 is an amazing game. I think it have features for lots of kind of players. Casual players can walk over an astonishing world carefully created, play structured PvP (with exactly the same character as a hardcore player), etc. Hardcore players can play Dungeons (story and explorable mode), play World vs World, re-roll PvE with different Personal Stories, collect weapons and armors skins,GW2 is an amazing game. I think it have features for lots of kind of players. Casual players can walk over an astonishing world carefully created, play structured PvP (with exactly the same character as a hardcore player), etc. Hardcore players can play Dungeons (story and explorable mode), play World vs World, re-roll PvE with different Personal Stories, collect weapons and armors skins, get some titles... One nice thing is that you get xp on almost everything you do (crafting, killing, quests, world exploration). Of course GW2 doesn't have years of polishing, but it had a truly amazing start. If that's not enough: it has zero fee!!!… Expand
  50. Fritz91
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    I am thoroughly enjoying GW2. I can jump in and play for an hour or so, or I can play for 6, it's all easy and fun. I never feel the grind, and the world is stunning. Overall, it's just a really good game.
  51. michaelnator
    Mar 16, 2014
    9
    I will start off by saying that I have put in well over 500 hours of game play in Guild Wars 2!
    This is overall an excellent game!
    The combat system in the game is excellent with the combat dodges, weapon based abilities and combo abilities! The first time going through the game and leveling up is the most fun you will ever have in an MMO, there is 0 grind involved in leveling up in    I will start off by saying that I have put in well over 500 hours of game play in Guild Wars 2!
    This is overall an excellent game!
    The combat system in the game is excellent with the combat dodges, weapon based abilities and combo abilities!
    The first time going through the game and leveling up is the most fun you will ever have in an MMO, there is 0 grind involved in leveling up in fact, if you choose not to do the quests in the mainland you can choose to level up by playing the world Vs word if it more suits your style.
    Each dungeon in the game is very fun and different from one another with multiple paths, a story mode and unique boss fights!
    Also, there is a PvP arena which uses seperate gear from the mainand. You unlock new weapon skins and finishers by leveling up here, which gives a great incentive for many players to participate.

    However, I do remove 1 point from a perfect 10/10 score for three reasons.

    1. There is not much to do in the "endgame" once you have acquired the best gear in the game
    2. The content added to the game does not interest me much. A good majority of the content is called "living story" which is basically just a one time boss fight, which usually has it's bugs on release and generally ruins the overall experience of the content.
    3. The World vs World PvP in this game, despite being an amazing experience for the first few weeks you play the game, can get boring rather quickly because of the concept. This is largely due to the way that it is played, which is zerg vs zerg combat and the bigger zerg wins.    … Expand
  52. Twocents
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    Too many people giving this game an undeserved zero. While the worse elements of this game could be rated as low as a 7.5, the best elements could easily be given a perfect 10. Having scrutinized this game over anything and everything, my rating would range from 8.5 to 9.5, with my consistent rating at 9.25. My advice for anyone reading user reviews, ignore anyone who put down a zero. ReadToo many people giving this game an undeserved zero. While the worse elements of this game could be rated as low as a 7.5, the best elements could easily be given a perfect 10. Having scrutinized this game over anything and everything, my rating would range from 8.5 to 9.5, with my consistent rating at 9.25. My advice for anyone reading user reviews, ignore anyone who put down a zero. Read what people wrote who gave this game anywhere from a 6 to a 9, as their reviews aren't driven off some immature emotional outcry. Also, if you are still unsure about this game, wait a while. Watch videos, read reviews, read about the classes and gameplay. If you are still on the fence, don't buy it, or play it at a friends house. Just don't buy it and rate it a zero for no real reason, as no game really deserves a 0 unless it flat out does not work.… Expand
  53. Zefis
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is a revolution. The way how it all works together is amazing. You gain experience almost from everything you do, so you no longer need to play it for 20 000 hours to reach the best equip and to enjoy high level instances. I am playing a norn ranger and it is so much fun, with all the pets you can tame and all the skillsets you can use. Another thing is the enviroment, it isGuild Wars 2 is a revolution. The way how it all works together is amazing. You gain experience almost from everything you do, so you no longer need to play it for 20 000 hours to reach the best equip and to enjoy high level instances. I am playing a norn ranger and it is so much fun, with all the pets you can tame and all the skillsets you can use. Another thing is the enviroment, it is stunning. Despite the problems with the trading post I must say it is a game that really deserves the 10/10… Expand
  54. hnwan
    May 16, 2015
    3
    I played Guild Wars 2 for a few thousand hours, and I wouldn't recommend it.

    The focus on monetization. Every update that comes out is only filler stuff (busy work achievements) coupled with new real money promotions, or as of recently only the real money promotions without any content. Uninstanced open-world events leave you with a feeling of "why am I even doing this". You cannot    I played Guild Wars 2 for a few thousand hours, and I wouldn't recommend it.

    The focus on monetization. Every update that comes out is only filler stuff (busy work achievements) coupled with new real money promotions, or as of recently only the real money promotions without any content.

    Uninstanced open-world events leave you with a feeling of "why am I even doing this". You cannot meaningfully influence the outcome because it's just a gigantic blob of people spamming skills. Might as well go AFK. The loot is trash and itemization is overall very frustrating due to the phenomenon of "boxes within boxes", that ultimately cannot drop anything meaningful.

    The end-game is a joke. Dungeons have been completely neglected, and never had any challenge to start with. Everyone has max gear or almost max gear just from hitting level 80. The developers are constantly saying once you're 80 it's about the skins, but skins are what they sell for real money. There have been hundreds of new skins added since release, 95%+ of them on the in-game store.

    Overall the game is just very bland, despite shiny graphics, and the only thing holding some people back are the achievements and daily rewards that force you to login every day for fear of missing out. That and the monetary investment that a lot of people have made into their characters, it's a defensive mechanism to keep believing all the money and time is not invalidated.

    The game also has a lot of bugs, and those are not superficial in-game bugs but actual technology issues. The auction house and guild panel are actually websites displayed by an in-game browser, with detrimental effects on framerate and interactivity. Network service has major issues where it will disconnect you partially, making you unable to read/write certain chat channels or accept group invites, or puts you into the wrong region for the LFG browser, so that after finding a full group you find out you cannot actually join their instance because they are in a different datacenter.

    LOADING SCREENS. They take a minute or more to load on a very decent (i7, SSD) computer. A compounding issue is that the game is constructed so that you have to constantly teleport between maps, and people regularly sit through 3 loading screens in a row in order to avoid a waypoint fee. The world is split into small rectangular zones with portals on the sides, it's not a contiguous map like you would expect from World of Wacraft.

    A lot of items that were said to be exclusively for the East (China) have found their way onto EU/NA servers' in-game shop: Teleport to Friend, VIP restricted area passes, DMG/Armor/Healing booster, Daily Login Reward Track.    … Expand
  55. NinjaPepeprs
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    This game is fun. To start the, the game is action-packed, the quest system is unique, the graphics and art style are beautiful and the music is pleasant. It took me about 1-2 hours to work out how to play the game. By no means does Guild Wars 2 hold your hand, it instead takes the approach of throwing you in the middle of the pool so to speak, not the deep end. They give you just what youThis game is fun. To start the, the game is action-packed, the quest system is unique, the graphics and art style are beautiful and the music is pleasant. It took me about 1-2 hours to work out how to play the game. By no means does Guild Wars 2 hold your hand, it instead takes the approach of throwing you in the middle of the pool so to speak, not the deep end. They give you just what you need to go off and learn for yourself. I think this is refreshing compared to most other modern games. I can't pick to many negatives with this game other then it will be confusing to work out some of the mechanics; but as previously mentioned it is enjoyable in its own right.… Expand
  56. Kermie
    Oct 1, 2012
    9
    A terrific blend of social questing, incredibly flexible game mechanics that engage rather than bore, and a deep, beautiful, and magical world to explore is something we've seen from many games in years past. But take that and apply it to an MMO...and do it incredible well...that is truly a remarkable accomplishment. It's fun, It's huge, and it's abounding with far too much content for aA terrific blend of social questing, incredibly flexible game mechanics that engage rather than bore, and a deep, beautiful, and magical world to explore is something we've seen from many games in years past. But take that and apply it to an MMO...and do it incredible well...that is truly a remarkable accomplishment. It's fun, It's huge, and it's abounding with far too much content for a single human being to comprehend. The grind is there, but is masked by the ingenious social events and fun and varied quests that you accomplish. It's the art style that is truly wonderful, ranging from massive snow topped peaks to the depths of Tyria and everywhere in between. Jeremy Soule's score is, yet again, magic. I love it, and I hate MMO's. Consider me a believer; ArenaNet has produced a remarkable package, and if you pass for any reason you'll be missing out on an incredible adventure.… Expand
  57. Conure
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    When I first logged in, and for the first half hour, I thought this game was just like World of Warcraft - I was wrong.

    The more you play, the more you realise that Guild Wars 2 is a significant step forward for the genre. The music and visuals lend to a highly engaging atmosphere, and I never feel as though I am grinding. The entire world has been lovingly crafted with the type of    When I first logged in, and for the first half hour, I thought this game was just like World of Warcraft - I was wrong.

    The more you play, the more you realise that Guild Wars 2 is a significant step forward for the genre. The music and visuals lend to a highly engaging atmosphere, and I never feel as though I am grinding. The entire world has been lovingly crafted with the type of detail rarely seen in games of this scale. The "quest system", if you could call it that, allows you to play how you want, where you want. For example, there are often multiple ways to complete a quest, and should you grow bored of one area (unlikely!) then you can easily go elsewhere. the game has a real sense of exploration which you would find in a game like Skyrim, but with the detail of The Witcher 2.

    After disappointing releases over the past 12 months with The Old Republic and Tera, this game is a welcome and fantastic game. I will give the game a ten, based on the fact that after a weeks play it is the best early/mid game MMORPG that I have ever played.    … Expand
  58. 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
  59. Kimomarudotcom
    Sep 11, 2012
    10
    This MMO is amazing. It does ape so many of the mechanics that make MMOs great (and, yes, if you're sole intention is to level up you will certainly be grinding), but it's ambitious in so many ways. Events are dynamic, so in just roaming the country side you'll find yourself joining in on dynamic world events, harvesting resources to craft weapons, armor, and jewelery or even justThis MMO is amazing. It does ape so many of the mechanics that make MMOs great (and, yes, if you're sole intention is to level up you will certainly be grinding), but it's ambitious in so many ways. Events are dynamic, so in just roaming the country side you'll find yourself joining in on dynamic world events, harvesting resources to craft weapons, armor, and jewelery or even just traveling to all sites marked on world map for the completionist players. I must say, however, that the greatest thing about it is the Black Lion Trading company, GW2's online market. Ever get tired of storing stuff in your inventory just to sell them back in town? Right click on your inventory objects and sell them right away on Black Lion - you'll get money for them later when people buy what you posted. So awesome. Tired of grinding for gold to buy armor on Black Lion? If you're like me, paypaling ten dollars is definitely the way to go - the gold I got in return was more than enough to amp up my character and still have plenty left over for my character bank account. I'm on level 45 so far and GW2 remains one of my favorite games this year. GW2 is a triumph of the genre and you're missing out if you don't pick it up.… Expand
  60. kiwicube
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    GW2 is a fantastic MMO that has made a great change to how MMO's will operate in the future (at least i hope) . Graphics for this game are amazing, however, needs a good spec PC to run. The game has a wise variety of classes and unique skills for every race. Not necessarily classed into tank, healer, DPS but you are able to customise every class to what you like. Personal story starts offGW2 is a fantastic MMO that has made a great change to how MMO's will operate in the future (at least i hope) . Graphics for this game are amazing, however, needs a good spec PC to run. The game has a wise variety of classes and unique skills for every race. Not necessarily classed into tank, healer, DPS but you are able to customise every class to what you like. Personal story starts off amazing until around level 60 where I personally found it fell off. Questing is made fun and the dynamic events are great fun when in a large group of players, however some areas lacked event number and variety. WvWvW is a brilliant idea, however slightly imbalanced at the moment due to servers starting up. Exp gaining is solid all the way through, grinding is taken out of levelling, however farming materials did become tedious. Dungeons were very difficult, however, were very fun to play through once I found for narrative purposes. Other issues I found is that auction house took a while to fix, some personal story quests were bugged and some hearts quests were very difficult to complete compared to others. Also there is a limited amount of lvl 80 content at the moment which is disappointing, however, they still need to complete the rest of the map. Would love to see flying mounts to show off the scenery more as well as more variety in WvWvW, maybe a few extra weapons and finally more tough dragons.
    Can't wait to play the expansions that will hopefully be arriving!!    … Expand
  61. runefromoslo
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    First off, as usual, don't believe most of the negative user reviews. They are by and large written by so-called "fanboys" of other competing MMORPGs. You will find the same phenomenon going on with all of those types of games, as well as "COD" vs "BF" fans etc.

    Guild Wars II is, in one word, refreshing. I'm someone who has been playing MMOs since the mid 90s when they first came on    First off, as usual, don't believe most of the negative user reviews. They are by and large written by so-called "fanboys" of other competing MMORPGs. You will find the same phenomenon going on with all of those types of games, as well as "COD" vs "BF" fans etc.

    Guild Wars II is, in one word, refreshing.

    I'm someone who has been playing MMOs since the mid 90s when they first came on the market as graphical MUDs, like Sierra's The Realm. I've played great games like Lineage, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and many others. The first breathe of fresh air injected into MMO's came with the highly polished and now legendary World of Warcraft. But it's now 2012 and even legends get old and dull when you've played them for several years, let alone 7-8. Other major MMO releases of late have never been able to compare to WoW. Until now.

    Guild Wars II is a breathe of fresh air, and sets entirely new standards for graphics, environments, combat, and flexibility of game systems. The game lets YOU decide what you want to do. No grinding involved. The PVP is massive and very well balanced and enjoyable even for non-PVP fans like me. The PVE system has no real quests per se apart from your personal story which is based on your character race, and a 'task' system where you go around helping certain NPCs how you see fit. But where Guild Wars 2 really shines is in dynamic events. The world changes according to player input. And the result feels... massive.

    Best of all: No subscription.    … Expand
  62. Gothic90
    Sep 8, 2012
    8
    If I want to describe GW2 with one sentence, I would say: "an MMO that gets most of what it intends to do right." There are three separate worlds of the game, sPvP, WvW and PvE. sPvP features flat progression: there's build differences, but there is no vertical gear difference (you can choose different gear but it's always about trade-offs). This is imo the most important feature of GWIf I want to describe GW2 with one sentence, I would say: "an MMO that gets most of what it intends to do right." There are three separate worlds of the game, sPvP, WvW and PvE. sPvP features flat progression: there's build differences, but there is no vertical gear difference (you can choose different gear but it's always about trade-offs). This is imo the most important feature of GW style PvP. Newcomers shouldn't have an unfair disadvantage of having worse gear than old players. Also good players shouldn't need an artificial faceroll advantage over lesser players. sPvP should be skill based instead of gear based. Classes can build into different roles and adds more variety to PvP. WvW may seem like a zergfest, but mindless zerg will seldomly win you games. Supply control, being responsive to opponent movements and strategies are all important. Three faction is also a good thing to bring back from DAoC. While two factions can't artificially ally, when your server claims more land, there is indeed a higher chance of being attacked from both sides. The only problem I have with WvW is that some servers have heavy Asian/Russian/Oceanic population and they have different time schedule, and their rating often under/over estimate their strength. Hopefully Anet can release an Asian server to alleviate this problem. I also wish there would be more focus on open field battle rather than base offense/defense. The PvE world is, unfortunately, not that awesome, and quite a few issues needs to be fixed. Exploration reminds me of Skyrim and is a pretty good part of the PvE world; The reward system is quite nice, coin/karma segregation design is elegant: it discourages annoyances such as gold farmers (they'll have to farm a lot harder than usual), but is not so frustrating to normal players. However, a few problems: dynamic events could be a little more friendly towards solo players; right now some events take too long for solos or 2-3 players and may become an issue once the heat from release is over and newbie zones become less populated. The PvE world, especially the personal storyline, is also quite buggy unfortunately. Some dungeons are also too hard, especially Ascalonian Catacombs; it seems to have an unreasonable difficulty. Trade post was not so good for the first week. Though I heard it's a conspiracy theory to discourage gold farmers, and in that case it's not good but understandable. Overall the PvE world isn't on a smooth release. I also happen to not like the dungeon reward system that rewards you more for going to a same dungeon over and over again than going to all dungeons. Overall it is a good MMO and a pretty smooth launch, and since it doesn't have a subscription fee, I can play at any time I want and don't feel "I have to play tonight, or it's not worth my subscription". Cash shop items are also not unfair towards free players. Problems of the PvE world needs to be patched, and hope Anet adds some more varieties to PvP. Other than that, the game is pretty damn good and I have been playing it almost non-stop.… Expand
  63. Calico01
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    Fresh, innovative, social... Guild Wars 2 has it all and a lot more. Beautiful Art and Graphics, wonderful Soundtrack by the messiah of the Games Industry Jeremy Soule, 3 Worlds in glorious and ever changing Battles, structured Team PvP, etc. the list goes on and on and on. No Subscription Fee, No Pay-to-Win, No **** To quote a famous Youtube Critic: Bad-Ass Seal of Approval 10/10,Fresh, innovative, social... Guild Wars 2 has it all and a lot more. Beautiful Art and Graphics, wonderful Soundtrack by the messiah of the Games Industry Jeremy Soule, 3 Worlds in glorious and ever changing Battles, structured Team PvP, etc. the list goes on and on and on. No Subscription Fee, No Pay-to-Win, No **** To quote a famous Youtube Critic: Bad-Ass Seal of Approval 10/10, Legendary Status.

    This is the first MMO of the next Generation. Not a revolution, but a huge step of evolution. And a call to to arms for the entire Industry.    … Expand
  64. drwebs
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Awesome game, no subscriptions. This game is perfect for what you want in an mmo. Arena net set a standard here folks. Don't be shy come join in on the fun and no more subscription based games!
  65. scorthyn
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    THIS GAME IS THE NEXT STEP IN THE MMO GENRE, being a experience MMO player and played wow for more than 5 years with other mmos in between, I can tell this is the only game that can provide the same amount of fun I had as the first mmo ever played. The world is alive, you'll never get bored and there's always something to do!
  66. evokerz
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    - No subscription fee -
    - An ever changing PvE world -True action combat - Your level scale to zone - No more tank-healer-dps role system
    - No more grinding to level before I can start PvP - Skill based pvp where no more grinding for PvP gears so I can steam roll others or others can steam roll me because they have higher PvP rank and playing longer than me (sPvP) - Huge PvPvE world    - No subscription fee -
    - An ever changing PvE world -True action combat - Your level scale to zone - No more tank-healer-dps role system
    - No more grinding to level before I can start PvP - Skill based pvp where no more grinding for PvP gears so I can steam roll others or others can steam roll me because they have higher PvP rank and playing longer than me (sPvP)
    - Huge PvPvE world with myriad of different objectives (W v W v W)
    - Huge PvE maps and a lot of zones to explore

    What else can you asked? This game worth every penny of your dollar spent to purchase the box.    … Expand
  67. kelvinlatif
    Aug 30, 2012
    8
    Crafting still useless like another games, does not really help progression, Dynamic Event's rewards are much better than crafting stuffs. Sidekick feature is not enough, only base lvl is reduced to be matched with area level, but equipments and skills are not, still a 30 lvl character would one hit kill lvl 5 monsters. It would be better if equipments and skills are matched too, as theCrafting still useless like another games, does not really help progression, Dynamic Event's rewards are much better than crafting stuffs. Sidekick feature is not enough, only base lvl is reduced to be matched with area level, but equipments and skills are not, still a 30 lvl character would one hit kill lvl 5 monsters. It would be better if equipments and skills are matched too, as the result that would be lot of things to do because low lvl events would not be fun with overpower/lvl character. Events are good (marked with hearth icons on the map), it actually same with quest in another games, but most of them could be completed without talking to npc first. Dynamic events are great, but most of them are too difficult to be completed with public people, it need a deeper organization to finish the dynamic event successfully. Personal story is good, but nothing special. sPVP like other games. WvW is great, but the matchmaking is still bad, a server could own two servers with more than double scores. Combat is good with little actions, but still click to attack view mostly. I have not tried dungeons, but as I see on serveral videos and heard from friends same as another games dungeons (WOW, Rift, etc.).… Expand
  68. dansamy
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    Great game. Some launch issues, but a better launch than many other recent games. If you want to rush through the level treadmill and do large-scale end-game raiding, this isn't your game. If you're about the journey, you'll like this game.
  69. nKoshi
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Sequel to the first and it keeps the great formula going. No subscription fee, cash shop that allows you to buy boosts for PvE and cosmetic stuff. The shop works in a way that you exchange game currency for store currency thus you can buy everything you'd want by just playing the game, no need for cash (though it is faster to do so ofcourse).
    And naturally you could also spend the money    Sequel to the first and it keeps the great formula going. No subscription fee, cash shop that allows you to buy boosts for PvE and cosmetic stuff. The shop works in a way that you exchange game currency for store currency thus you can buy everything you'd want by just playing the game, no need for cash (though it is faster to do so ofcourse).
    And naturally you could also spend the money you would normally spend on a subscription fee and get some goodies for it instead!

    The main gripes I keep hearing about are no endgame PvE. Thus you get bored.
    I personally have been max level for some days now and I'm simply enjoying the crafting, getting achievements, PVP'ing and I started another class as an alt.
    The PvE is also quite good with the 5 man instances. Exploration mode is fantastic and a good challenge!

    Plus with the no subscription fee you can put it aside and resume any time you want.

    So far so good!    … Expand
  70. Ruckainc
    Sep 28, 2012
    9
    This game is simply incredible. It excels in just about every aspect. I have some problems, which I will explain near the end, but for now, the PROS:
    Game Play: The game play is very unique and in depth. Each weapon has different abilities for each class. A warrior with a sword will have different abilities than a ranger with a sword. One is able to use two different weapons, which allow    This game is simply incredible. It excels in just about every aspect. I have some problems, which I will explain near the end, but for now, the PROS:
    Game Play: The game play is very unique and in depth. Each weapon has different abilities for each class. A warrior with a sword will have different abilities than a ranger with a sword. One is able to use two different weapons, which allow one to pull of interesting and in depth combos. You could use an axe and horn on the ranger, allowing you to buff yourself and debuff then enemy, then switch to something like a great sword so you can charge into battle to clean up. Each race also has different racial abilities which provide a unique experience between them. As for the actual game play, it is very fast paced and exciting. For an MMO, there is plenty of action while fighting. Moving and using spells is enabled (for most spells), giving you a more exciting experience. All and all, game play is great.
    Story: Story is good. Each race has a different story and each story is unique and interesting. There really isn't much to say about this. It's a legitimate story where the feeling of urgency is imposed on you, making you aware of how important the events unraveling are.
    Art: Quite possibly the BEST looking MMO I have ever seen. The art is fantastic. Each area reflects the race said province belongs to. It could look at war-ridden and damaged, like the Charr's area, or all technical and advanced, like the Asura's area (both of which reflect the personalities and history of the races). The environments look great, the models look great, and all around everything just looks great. This game is eye-candy to its truest form.
    End Game and Loot: The end game is kind of in a weird spot, as is the loot. While there is end game and a great loot system, it doesn't really keep you as interested as does in World of Warcraft. If you are a grinding machine and just love to farm, there is a great end game for you (unlocking and creating legendary weapons). Otherwise, you might being to feel bored with what is provided. I am not considering this a con, however, because there are ways to keep yourself entertained in the end game. One could do events, earn money, engage with a guild, and much more. People tend to think that end game simply means raiding big bosses and getting the loot. In my opinion, that is not it. A good end game is an end game that keeps you entertained and happy, not one that just throws bosses and items at you until your gear lust is satisfied. CONS:
    Music: Don't get me wrong; I LOVE the new music in the game. But there's an issue. There is new music and there is reused music from the last Guild Wars games. The new music is good, but as someone who is a Guild Wars veteran, it kind of made me feel a bit sour about what was provided to me as a fan of the old game. The music is fantastic, it really is, but I've already heard it... hundreds of times... Something that is already old to me gets older. To me, it just seems lazy. PvP: Can you believe it? Guild Wars PvP is a con! But, alas, it is true. What Guild Wars 1 and it's expansions prided itself in was the PvP. That is what the game was, and still is, known for: it's incredible, in depth, and skillful PvP. However, in Guild Wars 2 the whole aspect of PvP is just lazily done and feels rather boring and unrewarding. World v World v World is fun, but it really devolves into a zerg fest as to who can get the most territory the quickest. Sure, guilds can cooperate in order to control the points, but that merely is just a more organized zerg fest that tries to get the most territory the quickest. WvWvW is fun if it's small skirmishes, but that is usually rare and generally those fights end before you even realize it. The 5v5 PvP matches aren't really zerg fests. They require more strategy and tactics. That being said, there are only four maps, all of which have the same basic principle: reach 500 points first. Each map is "kinda-sorta" different, but the general idea is still there: hold more points and get more kills, as well as attack or defend any critical events that map may have. I found myself becoming legitimately bored with the PvP very quickly.
    OVERALL: 9/10
    Fantastic game which will be sure to keep most gamers entertained. It's fun, fast paced, and enjoyable. Most people wonder this: is this game a WoW killer? Maybe not, but it's a start. I haven't had this much fun with an MMO since vanilla WoW, and that's saying a lot. This game truly stands out above all other MMOs that are out there.    … Expand
  71. Best-DA
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This is the best mmo right now. Don't listen the negative review they are just a bunch of kids who lost there friends on wow and cant afford the game right now. Best graphic ever best map exploration ever best fighting style ever.
  72. 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
  73. 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
  74. Megurine
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing in my own opinion. The graphics are spot on and the visual schemes are amazing. I am still playing and i feel so immersed. Besides the PvE which i can go meh at sometimes (compared to many other mmo's where the pve is just BLAH), it rescues itself in PVP. It is legendary in that aspect. I'll admit although that the story lines somewhat branch off to random places butThe game is amazing in my own opinion. The graphics are spot on and the visual schemes are amazing. I am still playing and i feel so immersed. Besides the PvE which i can go meh at sometimes (compared to many other mmo's where the pve is just BLAH), it rescues itself in PVP. It is legendary in that aspect. I'll admit although that the story lines somewhat branch off to random places but the new story lines that they introduce are so immersible that I didn't really give a care. The branching story lines was great and the crafting system is truly a new change in the mmo concept and will mark the beginning of evolution of mmo's. Sometimes the bosses are so hard and make you so irritated but they motivate you to keep trying! The game is A BIG ASS PARTY. Not one party, a huge ass one lol. You can also frequently change weapons so, you get 5 skills per weapon set which makes 10 skills but this requires revolutional which weapon to choose at an certain time unlike those people who complain. This brings about a whole new system of balance. For instance, i can go Dagger and Dagger mage to do single target DPS or i can go staff to provide aoe cover and viable support to my team. All classes are balanced in their own unique ways! To be honest i didn't know what class to choose at first since i loved them all so much and that none of them were op, all of them had their own pros and cons and were all perfectly balanced. This one mmo actually had you think and plot plans instead of going in to the middle and blasting everything away with a huge aoe skill or with op items. This is why when u go to a low level place on the map, they scale you down in order to provide a challenge and make so many things so entertaining!… Expand
  75. geohams
    Sep 16, 2012
    10
    Like WoW in its time, Guild Wars 2 borrows the finer aspects of its predecessors, but also blends in enough variety and freshness to give it the edge we always craved from the "WoW killer" MMORPG. Stylistically, it feels like what a Final Fantasy MMO should've been, but with the technical crispness of WoW's best moments, strong world PvP like Dark Age of Camelot, and world group eventsLike WoW in its time, Guild Wars 2 borrows the finer aspects of its predecessors, but also blends in enough variety and freshness to give it the edge we always craved from the "WoW killer" MMORPG. Stylistically, it feels like what a Final Fantasy MMO should've been, but with the technical crispness of WoW's best moments, strong world PvP like Dark Age of Camelot, and world group events such as those found in Rift.

    Incredibly, the PvE aspects are as good as any game I've played, which I felt was a huge shortcoming of the original Guild Wars. Granted, I'm only a short way through the plotline, but the way it's going I don't think I'll be bored with any aspect of the game any time soon: whether multiplayer or solo, against players or monsters, questing or crafting or simply exploring the rich game world, everything in GW2 scintillates.

    This game rules. Buy it, play it, love it, tell your friends, and don't forget to go outside once in a while...    … Expand
  76. Zaytsev
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    I waited yers for this game to come out and truth to be told it was its trailer that made me try Guild Wars 1 which I played for some ammount of time. This game really did live up to expectations, the gameplay is really fluid thanks to the way the combat is designed for movement while fighting making you able to dodge, roll, jump, etc out of the way of damage while making your attacks inI waited yers for this game to come out and truth to be told it was its trailer that made me try Guild Wars 1 which I played for some ammount of time. This game really did live up to expectations, the gameplay is really fluid thanks to the way the combat is designed for movement while fighting making you able to dodge, roll, jump, etc out of the way of damage while making your attacks in turn while they very interestingly added something similar to a special attack you can build up by attacking. Your attack skills are earned by using the weapon of choice which change depending on the weapons you have on you, this essentially gets rid of the annoying "level up to get that skill!" and making it more versatile and practical by making you unlock the skills through fighting rather than waiting for each level up to earn something. Another great thing is the cooperative gameplay that makes it that as long as you contribute you get exp. so that makes it impossible for people to steal exp, monsters or loot while everyone can revive you AND heal themselves, so you'd group only to see your friends on the map. The graphics are very beautiful and even with my medium end pc I can't quite completely max everything with the ammount of details everywhere. To this I will also that it's kind of interesting how castles, mountains and whatnot LOOK like paintings. The story of the game will very very very different for each person as it changes depending on your choices as well as you character's back story. It's really a hell of a game, I feel as if every penny that I payed should have been dollars because it really is such a magnificent game that I think I payed less than I should have. Great job Arenanet, it REALLY was worth the wait.… Expand
  77. Tabbycat
    Sep 26, 2012
    9
    I am really enjoying Guild Wars 2. I gave the game a 9 because there are some areas that the game still needs improvement. Overall though, the game is well worth the $60 price tag. Plenty of character customization, interesting races, beautiful landscapes and a surprisingly fun leveling process. For a buy to play game, this game definitely has plenty of content to keep you busy. One wordI am really enjoying Guild Wars 2. I gave the game a 9 because there are some areas that the game still needs improvement. Overall though, the game is well worth the $60 price tag. Plenty of character customization, interesting races, beautiful landscapes and a surprisingly fun leveling process. For a buy to play game, this game definitely has plenty of content to keep you busy. One word of advice, do not rush your way through to 80 but take your time going through the zones. No need to worry about out leveling the area you are in because you will be down leveled so the game is challenging regardless of where you are playing. The Dynamic Events are fun and they do scale depending on how many others are participating them. The reason I didn't give the game a perfect score is because there are some problems with rewards and a little thing called Diminishing Returns. Some of personal stories could use some work as well. But for a brand new game that has just come out, these flaws can be mostly overlooked. ArenaNet is constantly working on improving the game and communicate with players on their forums.

    I am greatly looking forward to seeing how this game develops in the future.    … Expand
  78. wavylife
    Sep 27, 2012
    9
    So far I'm really enjoying GW 2. I do wish that my character's movement was a little more fluid. Sometimes it's feels like I'm moving a tank around the screen, but nevertheless, GW 2 is a move in the right direction for an otherwise tired genre, and the fact that's it's f2p makes me question how much money another major mmo has been taking from me in the form of sub fees, but thanks toSo far I'm really enjoying GW 2. I do wish that my character's movement was a little more fluid. Sometimes it's feels like I'm moving a tank around the screen, but nevertheless, GW 2 is a move in the right direction for an otherwise tired genre, and the fact that's it's f2p makes me question how much money another major mmo has been taking from me in the form of sub fees, but thanks to GW2, I have cancelled that subscription for good! Visuals: 10
    Gameplay: 8
    Lasting Appeal: 10
    Overall Value: 10    … Expand
  79. Xiny
    Sep 27, 2012
    7
    I Loved the game, excellent quests, unique combat and even has a separate story quest line. However, the love for this game quickly died when i started doing dungeons. The fun, reward, and sense of purpose for GW2's dungeons is one of the biggest fails I've experienced in any MMO and by far the worst mechanics. However due to not having a holy trinity i don't think they would be able toI Loved the game, excellent quests, unique combat and even has a separate story quest line. However, the love for this game quickly died when i started doing dungeons. The fun, reward, and sense of purpose for GW2's dungeons is one of the biggest fails I've experienced in any MMO and by far the worst mechanics. However due to not having a holy trinity i don't think they would be able to properly recover from this fiasco, so i got a refund. If you want this game i would avoid dungeons till they are patched.… Expand
  80. snook
    Sep 29, 2012
    10
    So I just read some red reviews like "I hated it before I played it" and I notice that people are not satisfied because the game is more for casual players with no intention to play a year to achieve a fully playable character. I noticed more than once that the problem is mostly that the game does not support the I'm being better than you style, but you guys forget something - that is notSo I just read some red reviews like "I hated it before I played it" and I notice that people are not satisfied because the game is more for casual players with no intention to play a year to achieve a fully playable character. I noticed more than once that the problem is mostly that the game does not support the I'm being better than you style, but you guys forget something - that is not the targeted player base. It is a pay once game, so why the heck they should bind players for long term like monthly fee mmos? As also I will clear something up - not everyone is interested in graphics - and for a mmo this is awesome... I started playing with Anarchy Online - yeah there where games before WoW (I never understand why someone play that game) and to all those crying - calm down and play a game not 10 years old and then we talk again about gameplay and graphics. It is like with everything - human are never satisfied for long term, but this game is just better than everything else out there if you consider you just pay the price for a normal AAA game with 6-10 hours playtime and NO monthly fee. You dont get it right? There is absolutely nothing you can say against this game if you keep that in mind.… Expand
  81. Brandon_De_VITO
    Oct 11, 2012
    10
    Because of the pricetag, Guild Wars was a title which I returned to many times. It was a cycle of death and rebirth which ended in misery each time it played out. This was due to the fact that Guild Wars was a mouse heavy, Asian MMO, and had the UI of a generation 1 RPG. It was unwieldy, grindy, and made you work to experience the story. This is, of course, the exact opposite of Arena Net
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. BackslashAZ
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    I signed up for an account here specifically to review this game. This is the best MMO I
  85. Smilezey
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game deserves a perfect score, in my opinion. The game is structured to be a fun experience and not a chore that might reward you in the end. The "fun" element has been missing from mmo's for a while now. The elements of this game that make it fun are the immersive story, fantastic combat, constant rewards, ect. No other game has made your character's combat and story as personal asThis game deserves a perfect score, in my opinion. The game is structured to be a fun experience and not a chore that might reward you in the end. The "fun" element has been missing from mmo's for a while now. The elements of this game that make it fun are the immersive story, fantastic combat, constant rewards, ect. No other game has made your character's combat and story as personal as Guild wars 2 has. There might be a few problems here and there but they are so small and nit-picky that they aren't even worth mentioning. The game has a theme of teamwork and that(including previously mentioned points) makes the game new and refreshing. In the end, this game deserves its perfect score for being what video games should be....fun!… Expand
  86. 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.
  87. 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!
  88. 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
  89. suzakuii
    Sep 25, 2012
    7
    Overall not too bad of a game. The best thing about this game is still the PvP. The pvp became better with the WvWvW system implanted that could affect your PvE. Many times people resort to just clicking everything they can when it is off cd. Not a particular effective way of going about PvP. Theres a certain element of anticipation and knowing your enemy before engaging recklessly.Overall not too bad of a game. The best thing about this game is still the PvP. The pvp became better with the WvWvW system implanted that could affect your PvE. Many times people resort to just clicking everything they can when it is off cd. Not a particular effective way of going about PvP. Theres a certain element of anticipation and knowing your enemy before engaging recklessly. Everyone will start off reckless, myself included, but as you play your character class more, you realize theres more than just spam can save your tail. Perhaps waiting for them to start channeling then stun them would be wiser than just stunning them upon seeing them. dodge roll back as you see them charging toward you. Stealth the moment you enter a fray (people don't even know you are there) and start reviving downed allies. Many more possibilities can be explored. Unfortunately PvE of this game is kind of lack luster. Daily achievements helps you level up your character, but always the smae thing. Dynamics events attracts your attention for the early game, then after a while it all became the same. Defend spot/character/building for x waves of enemies, kill the leader of y group to disband, collect z items and deliver. However theres a few very interesting dynamic events. Early dynamic events has almost no consequence for failing. However some would actually have a town wiped out and events will follow to try and restore the town back to normal. Other really interesting events includes bosses that rarely spawns, like a dragon that will be almost 100x bigger than you. These although fun to try and kill, there will be too many people around, it lags the crap out of you. Story for the characters seems rather generic. Each choices in the character creation affects your story line for like the first 30 levels. After that all the stories are just the same. There are some choices in paths of the story like using brute force, sneak and assassinate, or like gather info. Ultimately it just makes you fight in a different setting and still merge back to main story afterwards. Fighting in PvE is purely spamming. auto set your first skill to auto cast. This just means that is your normal attack. everything else have a cool down you will probably use the moment it is off cd. PvE has auto adjust to level of surrounding if surrounding is weaker than your total level. This way you will still feel like doing something in the beginning areas (esp areas of other races) don't feel like you were simply overpowered. There are some rather intricate mazes/jump quests layed out in just about every map. Can try to find the secluded entrence by your self and everything afterwards is pretty straight forward with the jump quest. Each level up is not too difficult. It feels nearly the same as going from lvl 8 to 9 as lvl 79 to 80, there really isn't your typical grind fest of like 10 days to get 1 level. Aside from the few set backs, I think this is a game that deserves and good look at… Expand
  90. 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
  91. konawolv
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game is everything it was hyped up to be. It is a gorgeous and lush fantasy world, with tons of exploration to be had. Dynamic events/heart events allow for a very smooth and unique grind (it doesnt seem like a grind, because what you do changes the world around you). This is not a game that you want to rush to max level in. Take your time, explore, have fun.

    You know what's great?    This game is everything it was hyped up to be. It is a gorgeous and lush fantasy world, with tons of exploration to be had. Dynamic events/heart events allow for a very smooth and unique grind (it doesnt seem like a grind, because what you do changes the world around you). This is not a game that you want to rush to max level in. Take your time, explore, have fun.

    You know what's great? You dont have to level if you dont want to!! You can head straight to max level pvp if that is what you enjoy! Or, you could do WvWvW and level while doing pvp. This is what you are headed for if you buy this game (personal experience):
    I was looking for a Point of Interest on the map which was located behind a waterfall in an underground cavern. I ended up traveling to the wrong of the creek by accident and went into a different cavern. While there i met a random person on an overflow server, and we found ourselves scaling and platforming down about 300 feet. We kill the misc. monsters and continued another 200 yards through the cavern and popped out at the other end of the map. There, we snagged some strawberries from the pasture and nabbed a view point that had us looking out over the vast ocean.

    My favorite thing however about this game is the Mass Effect style personal story.

    Pros:
    Gorgeous looking game in every aspect.
    Script writing is bar none in any MMO and rivals that of strict RPG's
    Combat is 60% skill based, 40% gear (good balance) in pve, and 100% skill based in pvp
    15 hour long WvWvW battles
    Dynamic events    … Expand
  92. 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
  93. Twitch375
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    10/10 damn it! This game is amazing. Not by any means, a average mmo. In fact it blows all others out of the park. There is absolutely no grinding for levels, (unless you of course wan't to get to lvl 80 fast) no annoying unresponsive combat, and is a beautiful game graphically. Separate pvp is a seamless addition to the game and is fun when you want to take a break. Best part no10/10 damn it! This game is amazing. Not by any means, a average mmo. In fact it blows all others out of the park. There is absolutely no grinding for levels, (unless you of course wan't to get to lvl 80 fast) no annoying unresponsive combat, and is a beautiful game graphically. Separate pvp is a seamless addition to the game and is fun when you want to take a break. Best part no subscription fee.… Expand
  94. effataigus
    Sep 25, 2012
    8
    I have strong mixed feelings about this game. TL;DR, this game isn't as good of a story-driven single player game as The Witcher, and it's not as good of a MMO as WoW. Whether taking great elements from both of these games made something better than either is up to you. If you're worried about spending money on this game, I'd say definitely buy it... fantastic entertainment per dollar.I have strong mixed feelings about this game. TL;DR, this game isn't as good of a story-driven single player game as The Witcher, and it's not as good of a MMO as WoW. Whether taking great elements from both of these games made something better than either is up to you. If you're worried about spending money on this game, I'd say definitely buy it... fantastic entertainment per dollar. If you're worried about spending time on this game, I'd say perhaps skip this one... doesn't have *great* story progression like Witcher and Bioware's games and doesn't build toward any coherent complex endgame like other MMOs.

    Good things include: 1. A bunch of changes combine to make it so that you spend much less time staring at things that are not the main game (such as item inventory and quest text windows). 2. The game is the perfect mix of high fantasy and realism in enemies and scenery (for me). 3. The story and world is internally consistent and engrossing. 4. Music wasn't annoying if that's your thing (yes, I think this is unusual). 5. Dynamic events exists in many games like this, but GWII uses them extensively and to great effect.

    Bad things include: 1. Dynamic events are very buggy and poorly tuned (for now)... 30% will be nonfunctional, 20% will be over by the time you find them, and the remaining ones are either impossible to solo or just a mind-numbingly easy group spam (tested it, and yes, most times you can switch to rdps, hit auto-attack, afk, and get a gold rating)... still more fun than traditional questing for now though. 2. There are cripplingly-few powers available at a given time. I appreciate their bold move in making so many powers linked to weapons (and all of the good things this does for balance), but right now my warrior has five powers that are just a consequence of using the best weapon for me, four powers that are passive buffs that are greatly incentivized, and only one power that I chose because I LIKE it (I'd swap out passive buffs for other powers I enjoy if there were any). 3. With the removal of the holy trinity, the only group synergy is spammed aoe buffs/debuffs... combo fields are cute (but silly) and not really engaging since you're using all of your powers on cooldown anyway, and chances are your combo field will just override someone else's... even in a small group. 4. for all of their effort to make a compelling underwater combat, they've failed to fix the fact that humans are bad at seeing things on a z-axis... their failure to recognize this as the MAIN problem for underwater combat has lead them to put much too much of it into their game.

    For all of my criticisms, I'm giving this game a high rating. I've been entertained enough to keep going for awhile now, and the passion and vision of the developers for the game is clearly evident. I'd like to see more power options (both slots and possibilities for those slots) and less bugs, and then I'd really fall in love with the game.    … Expand
  95. harry125
    Feb 14, 2015
    2
    After the initial high scores were in, ArenaNet pulled a 180 and added as much grindy content as they could, including a gear threadmill.

    An mmo with a no-grind policy that has more grind than most. A developer recently 'adjusted' their no-grind claim stating "it only applies to the levelling process". All other content besides levelling (which ArenaNet considers optional) is loaded    After the initial high scores were in, ArenaNet pulled a 180 and added as much grindy content as they could, including a gear threadmill.

    An mmo with a no-grind policy that has more grind than most. A developer recently 'adjusted' their no-grind claim stating "it only applies to the levelling process". All other content besides levelling (which ArenaNet considers optional) is loaded with grind until it spills over.

    And in their upcoming release, they added a new level cap disguised as 'Masteries' which requires players to grind away to unlock content? Sure, but it's not against their claims because technically, it's not levelling...

    Steer away from this one and all future releases. It's a big bait&switch scam.    … Expand
  96. Ultramerican
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    There are a lot of people throwing poor reviews at this game to be edgy, and it's pretty unfair. I've played dozens of MMOs, from launch, including WoW, Warhammer, City of Heroes/Villains, Rift, UO, EQ, Champions Online, SWTOR, Asheron's Call 1 & 2, and countless others. This game is better than the best parts of all of them. It polishes every mechanic, every zone, every experience to aThere are a lot of people throwing poor reviews at this game to be edgy, and it's pretty unfair. I've played dozens of MMOs, from launch, including WoW, Warhammer, City of Heroes/Villains, Rift, UO, EQ, Champions Online, SWTOR, Asheron's Call 1 & 2, and countless others. This game is better than the best parts of all of them. It polishes every mechanic, every zone, every experience to a brilliant gleaming shine. I didn't raid more than 3-4 nights, total, in the 5+ years I played WoW, through every expansion up to a month after Cataclysm's launch. I'm a PvPer at heart, and become bored if the combat is in any way unresponsive (Warhammer, Rift, SWTOR, Champions Online, etc) or if the game itself can't compel me to reach maximum level.

    This game has me enjoying leveling so much that I'm not quite maximum level yet, simply enjoying the process. I hate leveling. And I love leveling in Guild Wars 2. It's incredible. I've barely scratched World versus World and structured PvP, and those are my main goals in the long term. On top of that, the combat is responsive and unique, requiring awareness of what's going on outside your UI. There are no enemy cast bars. There is no "healer" or "tank" class, every class can do a bit of everything in different ways.

    The game world is gorgeous, the character customization is extensive, the content is refreshing and avoids being monotonous. This is the best MMO I've ever played, not because its predecessors were terrible, but because it learned from everything they did and avoided every mistake, while approaching each part of an MMORPG from a new, creative angle. I give this 10/10 without hesitation after just over two weeks of playing, over a hundred hours in total.    … Expand
  97. Emerica
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    This game is by no stretch a perfect game but I would say it certainly meets its expectations in almost every way. The graphics are excellent, and anyone who doesn't think so needs to realize the difference between an FPS and an MMO. MMO graphics are notorious for being a bit outdated due to performance issues, if a software company pumped out an MMO with top tier graphics you best beThis game is by no stretch a perfect game but I would say it certainly meets its expectations in almost every way. The graphics are excellent, and anyone who doesn't think so needs to realize the difference between an FPS and an MMO. MMO graphics are notorious for being a bit outdated due to performance issues, if a software company pumped out an MMO with top tier graphics you best be ready to shell out serious cash for top tier hardware. The combat system is excellent with plenty of dynamics to vary each confrontation. Things such as skill swapping, weapon swapping and dodging make combat less linear. The quest system while not new is a bit refreshing becasue you have plenty of ways to accomplish the same common goal and you never have to return or even talk to the quest giver at all. The downlevling system is flawless and amazing in every way making every piece of content challenging and new. The crafting system although not innovative is thouroughly enjoyable and well worth the time and effort. For all of those complaining about the bans going around for the "exploit". I totaly agree that it is not fair to punish people for not knowingly or knowingly exploiting a blatant developing mistake, but it is fair for them to warn the players that doing this in the future will have consequences. Problems like this can ruin the economy of the game almost indefintley. A-net spoke on Reddit about it, not to brag but to warn: we are watching and we will punish you for your actions. For all of those saying that the launch was horrible, you clearly have never been a part of a launch of an MMO ever. The Guild Wars 2 launch was almost perfect with very small hiccups along the way. If you will all remember the Diablo 3 launch, or SWTOR launch or even WoW launch. They all had some game crippling issues out of the gate. Arena net gave us what they could with what they had and didn't compeltley kick us out. Although with all of the great things there are still aspects of the game that are left undetermined. First off the issue of the endgame. Without a gear grind or treadmill what will be left to do? Will WvWvW and PvP be enough to keep this game alive? Right now we are all acting on blind faith that Arena Net will patch in content and make end game whatever we dream it to be, well thats what they are saying anyway. But like anything there will always be a hint out doubt, we will have to wait and see. Secondly the ban hammer may be a little to liberal and Arena net needs to chose their battles, banning people for being racist is one thing but banning people for mild remarks about a player is a totally different thing.

    Through all the great aspects of this game there are some things that are still unclear and may end up becomming shortcomings.

    TL;DR: Games not perfect, but well worth $60. It is a pick up and play MMO with no monthly fees. Hopefully Arena Net will continue to support it with new content regularly. For now 8.5 (Rounded to 9 becasue of the massive amount of trash 0 reviews)    … 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. JohnnyB01
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    This game is definitely one of the best games I have ever played, and THE best MMORPG out there at this, and a much longer, time. Everything from graphics to storyline are beautifully done. The game can pleasure your needs as a gamer by being able to level up multiple ways (and if you are tired or in the mood for a change, it's easy!), anywhere from watering flowers, to exploring, toThis game is definitely one of the best games I have ever played, and THE best MMORPG out there at this, and a much longer, time. Everything from graphics to storyline are beautifully done. The game can pleasure your needs as a gamer by being able to level up multiple ways (and if you are tired or in the mood for a change, it's easy!), anywhere from watering flowers, to exploring, to bashing people with beer kegs, and even to intense fast-paced huge scale battles in World Versus World Versus World. Even though it is a bit buggy (still one of the most bug-free MMO releases to date though), a bit slow game support, and missing a few things, it is nice to know that the amazing game developers are always working on a fix 24/7. The game really allows you to play how YOU want, alone, with a party, or even in a giant group. The personal story line mixed with the originality of the races, and professions, really makes you feel different from the crowd. There is always something more to do in GW2, all with no subscription fee! I definitely recommend this game to any gamers library. See you in-game!… Expand
  100. Tikvaw
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    Nice graphics and immersive world, very detailed and made with love. Beautiful main cities. Interesting combat mechanics, with different skills for different weapons additional to traits and other skills. Meaningful crafting with discovery of new reciepes and xp gain. Travel instantly from anywhere to designated teleporters. Funny events and quests. WvW is very funny and gives bonuses toNice graphics and immersive world, very detailed and made with love. Beautiful main cities. Interesting combat mechanics, with different skills for different weapons additional to traits and other skills. Meaningful crafting with discovery of new reciepes and xp gain. Travel instantly from anywhere to designated teleporters. Funny events and quests. WvW is very funny and gives bonuses to the whole server. Game runs smooth. Only downside yet, trading post still isn't working and they have sometimes connectivity issues.… 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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