I know no one cares what I think. None of this is brilliant or new insight. But I feel the need to express my love for the masterpiece that is this game.
Personally I think GW is the best game I've ever played. The EOTN content cements that. I find the Nordic theme very captivating. The music is fantastic - sounds very fittingly Wagnerian. The artwork is stunning - possibly the finest graphics I've ever seen on the PC barring some of the very latest releases. Also, Jora's a hottie - she looks like my ex. Great mini-games.
Quests are interesting. This is the main thing in PvE that sets GW apart from WoW. Quests in WoW are mindless, the only parts of PvE that are even remotely challenging in WoW are the boss fights in the instances/raids. The missions/quests in GW are varied and engaging and force you to think about what you're doing. I detest everything about the WoW endgame: raiding, farming, rep grinding, and let's not get started on PvP. Of course, I was addicted to WoW too, but I began to realize the relationship was an abusive one so I finally got out.
It's possible to level to 70 in WoW without learning how to play. After the 2.3 patch nerf non-instanced PvE became a joke (90% of the non-instanced elites were nerfed). That, for me, was the worst thing to happen to WoW yet no one seemed to care but me.
Gear: less elitism, more customizability. Brilliant.
Only one thing drives me nuts about GW: the lack of an auction house. Here's my theory about why it was never implemented: ANet knows that a certain amount economic inefficiency is needed to keep the economy afloat. A lack of AH prevents money from changing hands. I think this prevents inflation but I don't know enough economics to be sure. In ANet's mind GW was never about gear hence AHs are not crucial the way they are in WoW. Still, trying to hawk my gazillion weapon mods in ten different districts always drives me crazy. No one can really know how much something is worth. Price checks are highly subjective.
I love the idea of districts. I like playing on the French server occasionally to practice my French.
The GW population is at least as mature as the WoW folks. Personally I'm not bothered by stupid people.
Not much of a PvPer, but it's pretty damn clear this game was built for PvP. This ain't no warsong gulch.
I just hope GW2 doesn't try to pander to the traditional MMORPG crowd too much and lose what made GW1 so unique. From what I've read GW2 wants to compromise. We'll see.
i


