Welcome to the World of Warcrack!
By Wendel Schwab
A long time ago, there was a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called EverQuest. Now, everyone loved this game, and played it all the time with their friends. Actually, this game was like a nefarious drug! It pulled in whoever played it and made it so they could never stop! They had to open rehab clinics this game was so bad! Eventually, the game EverQuest was dubbed "EverCrack" due to it's drug like qualities.
But, truth be known, "EverCrack" wasn't for everyone. The graphics were terrible, the gameplay was very difficult to get into, the controls made no sense, the user interface (the little buttons on the screen you can click with your mouse) was unusable. EverCrack, and most MMORPGs since then, was geared toward the hardcore gamer. People who could sit around and play video games for eight hours a stretch. And this game was just a tiny sample of what MMORPGs would one day be capable of, and that vision has nearly been realized. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you a game so addicting the rehab clinics will be bursting at the seems: The World of Warcraft (or WoW,) a new MMORPG developed by Blizzard. If anyone remembers the original Warcraft games, they were RTS (Real Time Strategy, you get to move and control your own armies on the field of battle) games loosely based on the Tolkien universe of dwarves, elves, humans and orcs. The first game Warcraft: Orcs and Humans revolutionized the RTS genre of games, the second Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness went a step further with beautiful graphics, vast improvements to the game play and great online play in the BattleNet Edition. Though these two games are arguably two of the most important RTS games ever made, World of Warcraft is based more on the third installment in the series: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (and it's expansion The Very Cold Toilet. I mean, The Frozen Throne sorry.) While the series changed drastically from a RST to a MMORPG, the roots that were planted in the original game are still there, and very healthy.
One of the unique features of WoW is the fact that there are two sides. There is the Horde, which is comprised of orcs, trolls, tauren (think cows standing on their hind legs,) and undead (think exposed bone and rotting flesh, but no cries of "brains... BRAINS!!!" these undead are quite articulate!) And the Alliance, where such races can be found: humans, gnomes, dwarves, and night elves (dark elves, but under a different moniker.) Both factions are locked in an eternal war for dominance of Azeroth, which is the "world" WoW takes place in. If you choose to play an Alliance character, communication with the Horde is impossible, likewise if you choose a Horde character, you'll never be able to speak to the Alliance characters. The game is set up to allow player versus player (PvP) combat between the two sides, there's the hope of all out war later on in the game, but so far that has only begun to be implemented.
Even without any player versus player battles, there is still a whole lot to do in Azeroth. You can complete hundreds, maybe even thousands of quests for NPCs (Non-Player Characters,) each quest involves a little storyline, and often there will be a string of quests that paint a larger picture. So far, I've found the quests to be challenging and interesting. And while the PvP system will shine in the later stages of the game, its nice to start with some less stressful NPC quests.
The graphics of WoW are based quite directly on the graphics for Warcraft III. That is, in the same artistic style, but definitely far better than the game's RTS sibling. I found that some of the scenery took my breath away, while sometimes I'm annoyed by sky that seems to stop halfway from the ground, only to be replaced by blue fog, and the smooth mountains, no rocks or sharp corners jutting out.
Despite its few flaws, WoW has nearly infinite replayability. You can start with any of the eight races and many classes for a great number of character combinations. Each race has a different storyline, and every class has special quests. In fact, Blizzard greatly encourages players start as many characters as they wish so you can engage in the entire storyline.
World of Warcrack may soon become the new drug of choice as far as MMORPGs are concerned. But by far the game's largest advantage will be its ability to hook and reel in casual gamers. While most MMORPGs are built for the hardcore gamer who can spend as much as eight hours a day playing, WoW can be enjoyed by casual and hardcore gamer alike. For example, it may take the hardcore gamers as little as five days to reach the level cap, while it will take a casual gamer several months of focus on a single character to reach the level cap.
If you're looking for a new, immersive gaming experiance then World of Warcraft is the game for you, whether you're a hardcore or a casual gamer.
