Guild Wars

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Apr 26, 2005
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 503 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 403 out of 503
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 503
  3. Negative: 48 out of 503
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  1. DemonicAngel
    Aug 14, 2005
    6
    Before anything else is said, I must applaud NCSoft for putting together what seems to be an extremely robust and reliable online game (especially given the total lack of fees). The visuals, for a game with such relatively low system requirements, are utterly gorgeous. Sound is, well, fairly nondescript - the music is pleasant but unmemorable, and effects are fairly generic for the genre. Before anything else is said, I must applaud NCSoft for putting together what seems to be an extremely robust and reliable online game (especially given the total lack of fees). The visuals, for a game with such relatively low system requirements, are utterly gorgeous. Sound is, well, fairly nondescript - the music is pleasant but unmemorable, and effects are fairly generic for the genre. Now, onto the game itself. Guild Wars has garnered widespread critical and public acclaim for its skill-based gameplay, instanced PvE areas and (most of all) the lack of monthly fees, and I kinda enjoyed the beta weekend, so I picked it up shortly after release. Since then, I've played it about 6 times in total - I reckon I can't have put in more than a few hours in total. But that's only because the game seems so directionless that it's difficult to feel any motivation to play. Admittedly I'm a solitary gamer and tend to have an unfairly biased view of MMORPGs, but NCSoft claims there is incentive for single player play. If there is, it certainly didn't rear its head within the crucial first two hours. The gameplay is reminiscent of Diablo - click on an enemy to start attacking it, and you'll slug it out until one of you is dead. Whilst you're attacking you can use your various skills by pressing the hotkeys - typically these will deal extra damage, heal your wounds, or work in combination to produce even more powerful effects. The profession and skill system undeniably adds a huge amount of depth, but the system is intricate enough to totally put off RPG virgins such as myself. The game seems built around a mission structure of sorts, where you talk to people to receive quests as is standard for RPGs. Thus far, most of the quests I've done (I haven't really touched on the main story arc at this point) have been "go here, kill these monsters/rescue this attractive young woman/recover this artifact, then come back to me and I'll give you this item/these items/this amount of experience". If this is the standard by which MMORPGs are judged, then it's a genre I do not ever want to go near again, ever. I'd say rent first, but this isn't an option, so instead I'd suggest playing at a friend's for at least a few hours before you make the decision. I wish I had, in retrospect, then I wouldn't have wasted my money. That's not to say Guild Wars is a bad game - it's clear that a great deal of work has gone into creating it. It just doesn't appeal to me in anything more than a very superficial way. (Besides which, people are scary.)… Expand
  2. AdamL.
    Nov 30, 2005
    7
    Totally Awsome...Until My Guild Went out the window! It's one of the best games in the buisseness until your guild stops being active or it boots you. Get this with some friends or else it'll suck!
  3. BrodieS.
    Jul 14, 2005
    7
    Guild Wars is alot of fun at first..beautiful graphics, some cool story elements and definatly some very cool quest concepts that are not so much completly different, but a creative variance to the way most quest work in your standard MMORPG. That being said, its fun for what it is..but its not a WoW replacement or whatever your favorite MMORPG is.. it just doesn't have the depth Guild Wars is alot of fun at first..beautiful graphics, some cool story elements and definatly some very cool quest concepts that are not so much completly different, but a creative variance to the way most quest work in your standard MMORPG. That being said, its fun for what it is..but its not a WoW replacement or whatever your favorite MMORPG is.. it just doesn't have the depth that will keep you coming back for more or the character development that really makes you care about your character...honestly i can't even remember my characters name or what he looks like. If they could take some of those amazing interactive quest that make you feel like your making a difference in the gaming world..(like the catapult quest against the Charr for those of you, who have played the game) and blend them with more of the exploration, discovery and character development of WoW...I'd be sitting there now playing it, not writing this review.… Expand
  4. Fox
    May 4, 2006
    7
    great game with loads of pvp. for those saying this game sux because its not an mmorpg...just go outside and get some air. stop playing mmorpg damn retards arethe ones paying a monthly fee to play a game you already bought. just go hang yourself. and for those that says this game is the best game ever made... your fucken retarded. this game is great but not greatest ever made. overall i great game with loads of pvp. for those saying this game sux because its not an mmorpg...just go outside and get some air. stop playing mmorpg damn retards arethe ones paying a monthly fee to play a game you already bought. just go hang yourself. and for those that says this game is the best game ever made... your fucken retarded. this game is great but not greatest ever made. overall i give it a 7 all because of the controls,gameplay,and pvp.… Expand
  5. EvanC
    Nov 28, 2008
    6
    I've payed this game for 3 years and still think its good, but it has not aged well which is why there is not a 9 or 10. The problem is there is no one playing and the pvp is so hard to play if your not "good" enough to get into a team, in any case ican't find a guild anywhere that guildbattles anymore. If your thinking of buying guildwars i think you would do better waiting for I've payed this game for 3 years and still think its good, but it has not aged well which is why there is not a 9 or 10. The problem is there is no one playing and the pvp is so hard to play if your not "good" enough to get into a team, in any case ican't find a guild anywhere that guildbattles anymore. If your thinking of buying guildwars i think you would do better waiting for guild wars 2. When it comes out guild wars will probably lose nearly everyone playing it.… Expand
  6. JoeS.
    May 22, 2008
    7
    It feels a lot like a neutered World of Warcraft. The graphics and the world are beautiful, much better than World of Warcraft has ever been. Unfortunately, that's where the superiority ends. The lack of true multiplayer is kinda lame since you can only interact with real people in towns unless you've got a couple of friends playing with you. The fact that you can't just It feels a lot like a neutered World of Warcraft. The graphics and the world are beautiful, much better than World of Warcraft has ever been. Unfortunately, that's where the superiority ends. The lack of true multiplayer is kinda lame since you can only interact with real people in towns unless you've got a couple of friends playing with you. The fact that you can't just walk anywhere you please makes the world feel like one giant sidewalk. The spells and effects are lackluster and the quests are pretty boring. It is, however, free of the monthly fee that WoW has, which is a huge bonus.… Expand
  7. E.Grin
    May 4, 2005
    7
    This is *not* a MMORPG. This game is like Diablo II but in first person. Consider each town area like a Battlenet chat room. That being said, I still think the game is fun to play.
  8. Bas
    May 8, 2005
    5
    Pretty much sucks. Why? Well, the standard roleplaying game is boring, and just like every other MMORPG out there. So that leaves PvP mode. Guild Wars isn't like other MMORPG's, since you can only choose 8 skills at a time to use, so you need to choose your skills carefully. However, here's the main issue I quickly sold my game again: to unlock good skills for PvP only Pretty much sucks. Why? Well, the standard roleplaying game is boring, and just like every other MMORPG out there. So that leaves PvP mode. Guild Wars isn't like other MMORPG's, since you can only choose 8 skills at a time to use, so you need to choose your skills carefully. However, here's the main issue I quickly sold my game again: to unlock good skills for PvP only characters, you STILL need to play through the abysmal RolePlaying mode. So that means, even though the official site says otherwise, that you still need to invest lots of time into this game to become better then the others. Skill doesn't play as big a part as everyone wants you to believe sadly. I wanted to give it a 3, but ended up giving it a 5 because of the nice graphics and the lack of monthly fees, both of which are very good points of this game.… Expand
  9. TashaB.
    May 8, 2005
    6
    The game really does have stunning graphics, and takes out most of the tedious walking that accompanies most MMORPGs but that does not make up for its many pitfalls. First if you are in a party and travel by map (one of the major pluses) you get removed from your party and may end up in a different disrict than your friends making you have to change districts (more load time) plus invite The game really does have stunning graphics, and takes out most of the tedious walking that accompanies most MMORPGs but that does not make up for its many pitfalls. First if you are in a party and travel by map (one of the major pluses) you get removed from your party and may end up in a different disrict than your friends making you have to change districts (more load time) plus invite your friends into you group all over again. There is no quest sharing. The maps are awful. Virtually impossible to solo missions for you casual gamers. PvP is not worth doing unless you have your own lvl 20 customized character that you will fight with because available templates will get you nothing but a good ass whipping. But pluses are stunning visuals, fast paced combat (even for casters), easy to follow quests with helpful arrows on the minimap to guide you on each adventure and you can play with all your friends, even those in other countries.… Expand
  10. FelixJ.
    Oct 8, 2007
    5
    It's really wierd. You can't jump. Kinda screwed up there. And WoW is better. Because you can jump. And swim. And fall to your death. hmm...
  11. GH
    Jul 26, 2005
    5
    Its a real nice game in the beginning when ur just learning to play and getting ur character started, and it has some great graphics too. But the game isent rewarding enough to keep u interested. After hours of playing, and reaching high levels, ur just doing the same s**t u did when ur a lvl 1 character, only in a different area and with different spells. I agree on Palli N's point Its a real nice game in the beginning when ur just learning to play and getting ur character started, and it has some great graphics too. But the game isent rewarding enough to keep u interested. After hours of playing, and reaching high levels, ur just doing the same s**t u did when ur a lvl 1 character, only in a different area and with different spells. I agree on Palli N's point a couple of posts down, that the creatures u have to fight "feel" the same. Creature drops arent rewarding and later on in the game it gets seriously boring. Guilds are fun to make and invite other players to join urs is great fun. When u raise enough gold u can buy a guildhall and play guild vs. guild battles. When finished the main story line in the rpg part of the game, this is the only interesting way to go. Tho after a couple of fights this gets boring too and ull just be logging in to check whos online and chat with ur buddies u can just as well talk to on msn. Again; the game is unrewarding and it SUCKS.… Expand
  12. St33rpike
    Jul 18, 2012
    6
    Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of MMORPGs. The only other one I've played extensively is World of Warcraft, and I preferred that game by a large margin. Why? Well, Guild Wars always seemed like a more limited version of WoW. The level cap is lower, the possibilities for playing without being in a party are more limited, and the items are less varied and interesting. None of that wouldAdmittedly, I'm not a huge fan of MMORPGs. The only other one I've played extensively is World of Warcraft, and I preferred that game by a large margin. Why? Well, Guild Wars always seemed like a more limited version of WoW. The level cap is lower, the possibilities for playing without being in a party are more limited, and the items are less varied and interesting. None of that would matter very much if I really wanted to spend my time playing with other people, but there's nothing I find more frustrating than sitting down to play a video game and instead spending the next hour trying to get a group together, only to finally give up and turn it off. WoW offers gamers a lot of options for playing without depending on other players, and that is why I preferred it to Guild Wars.… Expand
  13. AnonymousMC
    Apr 20, 2008
    7
    I got this game at a great price 20bucks and no monthly payments and the game can be very 1 person thing with crew members you can hire and marked quest objectives, it makes the game fast and fun, I dont see why people like pvp so much not that good... The bad things is that you have like 6 skills at a time, the game gets very lonely when questing(and boring somtimes). Everybody assumesI got this game at a great price 20bucks and no monthly payments and the game can be very 1 person thing with crew members you can hire and marked quest objectives, it makes the game fast and fun, I dont see why people like pvp so much not that good... The bad things is that you have like 6 skills at a time, the game gets very lonely when questing(and boring somtimes). Everybody assumes that its not your first time playing and if the7y know it is they will try to rip you off, its easy to get into but hard to learn fully. Im not saying the curve is big, it is small, but people can be hard to commutate to and be mean, but all games have people like that.. overall Id say get it for 20bucks and play it casual, really no fee's.. You could get a pc game for 20 and play for about 2 weeks or play GW for year and still not run out of fun! I gave it a 7 because the games does get dull and long. Dont try to compare this to any other game too it is soo different to WOW and other games!… Expand
  14. aatassi
    Mar 3, 2014
    7
    Best RPG in 2005.
    Good things : story lines, missions, graphics, fights with mercenaries (NPC) like in RTS games, attributes, skills, leveling up, exploring, traveling by map, elite skills capture, different regions in Tyria, towns, fights with final boss Khilbron, class specific armors.
    less : CORP, looking for guilds, craft, auction houses, cities, 1 playable race, 1 starting point    Best RPG in 2005.
    Good things : story lines, missions, graphics, fights with mercenaries (NPC) like in RTS games, attributes, skills, leveling up, exploring, traveling by map, elite skills capture, different regions in Tyria, towns, fights with final boss Khilbron, class specific armors.

    less : CORP, looking for guilds, craft, auction houses, cities, 1 playable race, 1 starting point for pve

    Game play : 7/10, graphics : 6,5/10, back ground : 7/10, lifetime : 7/10, sound : 7/10, community : 8/10, world : 7/10    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2005
12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Inside Gamer Online
    90
    It’s impossible to describe the joy playing Guild Wars offers. It isn’t particularly deep, but it’s highly rewarding nonetheless. A friendly design and interface, and the simple, elegant combat, are bound to appeal to a wide range of gamers.
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  2. GameSpot
    92
    It innovatively and successfully combines many of the best, most addictive properties of action RPGs, online RPGs, and competitive multiplayer games in one beautifully produced package, which offers a tremendous lasting value yet none of the monthly fees typically associated with online-only games.
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  3. Yahoo!
    90
    If tedious leveling up, dull combat, or uninspired player vs. player gaming are your quibbles with today's massively multiplayer offerings, Guild Wars is the cure.
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