With all the hype over World of Warcraft and Everquest II it seems Guild Wars isn't getting the press that it deserves. Guild Wars deserves as much attention as the first two games -- if not more. ArenaNet, the developer, was formed by ex-Blizzard employees. It shows. After playing both World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, Guild Wars definitely feels more like a Blizzard game.

Please be aware, Guild Wars is still in testing and the world preview event may not be representative of the final product. However, the game appeared very polished with only a few minor, non-critical bugs. At this stage we suspect ArenaNet is tweaking the elements of gameplay. It looks like Guild Wars is right on schedule for an early 2005 release.

Guild Wars unique features set it apart from the other MMORPGs. Guild Wars has far less focus on leveling. Its not difficult to get right into the gameplay. Unlike other games Guild Wars lets you recruit NPCs into your party. You don't have to pay them anything but they take their share of loot. A welcome change from the usual frequent death solo leveling in other games. You will be slaying real monsters within minutes.

 

You might be wondering about the "guild" part of guild wars. This is where the game gets exciting. Team-based PvP is a big part of the game. Guild Wars brings the team-based first person shooter multiplayer experience to online roleplaying games (that was a big sentence.) In many online RPGs, such as Ultima Online. PvP was a real pain in the ass. PvP meant getting ambushed outside of town by a bunch of jackasses, loosing your inventory and your painfully-slowly gained experience. In Guild Wars you don't have to worry about either.

The graphics in Guild Wars are particularly impressive. Many gamers questioned if the screenshots they were seeing were actually taken in-game. They are. Of course you need a good video card to fully appreciate all the detail. Even while playing at 1024x768 resolution without anti-aliasing Guild Wars looks damn good. Unlike the soulless graphics of Everquest 2, Guild Wars is both realistic and stylized at the same time. For gamers turned off by the cartooniness of World of Warcraft or the dullness of Everquest 2, Guild Wars is a breath of fresh air.

Like Diablo, Guild Wars is fast paced with a strong emphasis on action. Thankfully there is no shortage of missions with strong storys and cinematic cut scenes (something nearly all MMOPRG lack.) One thing is clear here for sure -- NPCs giving you a one-paragraph of text mission just isn't going to cut it anymore. Over the years I have heard many complaints of the lack of story-driven gameplay in many MMORPGs. Ironically it is Guild Wars, the fast paced game, that is finally delivering real mission-based gameplay. Yes, this means it is a bit more linear than traditional MMORPGs. The story based missions work similar to games like Dungeon Siege -- there is a pre set path for you to travel. Unlike Dungeon Siege you can return and re-explore areas on your own.

Some people don't believe that Guild Wars screenshots are real -- have a look for yourself

 

Unlike other MMORPGs you won't be running into any other players outside of your party while on a mission unless in PvP tournament mode. This and the more linear nature will turn many hardcore MMORPGers off to Guild Wars. But to be fair, just the opposite is true with MMORPG. The simple fact is there is no perfect game for everyone -- not even an online RPG. Fortunately for MMORPGers there is no shortage of options to choose from.

The Diablo influence shines through Guild Wars even though some of the player models look like they have asian art influences. The monsters you encounter in Guild Wars are cool and original -- something that most games have trouble achieving.

Speaking of asian art influences -- Guild Wars is bound to be a big hit in Korea. With NC Soft behind ArenaNet Guild Wars is a potential international hit. You may remember that the founder of the Ultima Universe, Lord Garriott left Origin for NC Soft . NC Soft are the guys behind Lineage -- a Korean MMORPG launched a year after Ultima Online. Lineage blew away UO away in numbers of total subscribers (4,000,000.) Needless to say, there is a good chance the big guys, EA and Sony, are not going to be the winners of the MMORPG war. During the world preview event we encountered a few Koreans during team PvP. While everyone was joking about all the funny characters one of them said "Yankees!" And then we got our asses beat.

Battling the undead

 

The action-RPG is not a new concept. In recent years we have seen games such as Dungeon Siege be moderately successful. Diablo was probably the first notable action-RPG with obvious roots in text-based Rogue. Action RPGs appeal to a wide variety of gamers. The problem with most MMORPGs is that they are neither action based nor involve heavy roleplaying. At the most basic form they are addictive leveling games. This is great for certain types of gamers but isolates the majority who do not want to play a game for 20 hours a week. There are tons of companies trying to move into the MMORPG market right now -- fighting for the level of success of Everquest and UO. Too bad for them, they are trying to emulate the two rather than innovate. In a tight market innovation is the only way to win -- something Guild Wars has done successfully.

The amount of time it takes to play an online roleplaying game isn't the only issue that isolates many gamers. Monthly fees are a big issue for many. Its not very hard to justify $15 a month for many hours of gameplay. The problem is justifying $15 a month for multiple games. Guild Wars will not have a monthly fee. Instead gamers will purchase expansion packs which add new material and missions. Theoretically this could continue on for years if Guild Wars does reach a critical level of success. Ultima Online is still releasing expansions years after it went gold.

I have plenty of opinions about Guild Wars, but I decided to see what other people were saying about it. I took a look at the IGN message boards. The complaints were laughable. People claimed that they had played games in 1999 with better graphics. People were complaining about the henchmen being "blatantly stupid." So far, I have only seen them get stuck once after several days of play. I was actually quite impressed by their AI. Other people were complaining that Guild Wars was a Diablo clone. The posts were relatively well written which surprised me. As amusing as they were, its unfortunate that they are misleading people who haven't had a chance to play Guild Wars.

Guild Wars brings action based RPG gameplay into the MMORPG universe. With an intense MMORPG war that is taking place this innovation is needed to ensure Guild War's success. Gamers have many MMORPGs to choose from today, many with established names. Many gamers are eagerly awaiting Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft. Others include Star Wars Galaxies, Lineage II, Final Fantasy XI, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, and of course Ultima Online. With so many choices how to you get your profitable market share? Be different. Because of this I believe Guild Wars has what it takes.

The terrain in Guild Wars is both diverse and impressive

Whats the bottom line with Guild Wars? If you enjoy fast paced gameplay that cuts straight to the fighting your going to love this game. If you consider yourself an Everquest zealot who enjoys playing MMORPGs for more than 20 hours a week Guild Wars might not be for you. The gameplay elements are solid and we believe that Guild Wars will have no trouble becoming a big hit.