World of Warcraft (PC)
Manufacturer: Vivendi Universal Interactive Part number: 72211
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The number one online role-playing game.
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Gamespot editors' review
World of Warcraft (PC) price range: $19.99
- Reviewed by: Greg Kasavin
- Reviewed on: 11/29/2004
- Released on: 11/23/2004
The bottom line: The number one online role-playing game.
Though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed.
World of Warcraft is amazing in many ways, but above all, it's a really fun game.
In World of Warcraft, you create your alter ego by choosing from a variety of colorful races and powerful classes, and then you begin exploring, questing, and battling in Azeroth, the fantasy setting featured in Blizzard's Warcraft real-time strategy games. Fans of those games (especially Warcraft III and its expansion pack) will spot tons of references here, and they will be impressed at how faithfully World of Warcraft translates so many of Warcraft's little details and even some of the finer points of its gameplay into such a seemingly different style of game. Meanwhile, fans of other online role-playing games will be impressed at the sheer breadth and volume of content on display in World of Warcraft, whose setting seamlessly connects a bunch of wildly different-looking types of places and somehow makes them appear as if they all belong as parts of a whole.
World of Warcraft is superficially similar to numerous other games that came before it, and it clearly draws inspiration from some of them. The fundamentals are all here, such as fighting dangerous creatures (optionally including other players), exploring the countryside either alone or in the company of other players, undertaking various quests, gaining experience levels and new abilities, and acquiring powerful items. However, directly comparing World of Warcraft with any of its predecessors would be almost like pitting a professional sports club against a school team. With all due respect to the other online role-playing games out there, World of Warcraft is in a league of its own. The game clearly benefits from not being the first of its kind, as the design issues that plagued previous online role-playing games are handled extremely well in World of Warcraft. In addition, the game's own subtle innovations turn out to have a dramatic impact on the flow of the action from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, and beyond. So the particulars of the game's design--along with its incredibly vast, beautiful, majestic world--translate into a one-of-a-kind experience that seems fresh and original in its own right.
Fortunately, the game is very approachable. World of Warcraft is a complex game whose complexity is carefully disguised by a simple, highly legible, uncluttered interface and an impressive 3D graphics engine, which delivers high performance on a wide range of systems while not skimping on pure flash. The game's interface is so slick and easy to learn and understand, and the gameplay itself is so quickly intuitive, that there isn't even a tutorial to wade through; there are just some helpful, optional pop-up tool tips, as well as an excellent printed reference manual that goes into specific detail about most of the various aspects of play. It's also important to point out that World of Warcraft runs fast and smooth. You can go from your desktop to being in-game in just seconds, and it's virtually just one great, big, seamless world. Loading times are as rare as they are brief. They only crop up when traveling across the game's enormous continents or entering some specific higher-level zones that are instanced for each player group, which guarantees you a fresh challenge.
So World of Warcraft is painless to get into--with the possible exception of you needing a credit card or prepaid game card to create an account, as well as initially deciding on which sort of character to play, since so many of the options seem like they could be interesting. And it turns out they are. So why not try them all? The game lets you create multiple characters on the dozens of different available "realms," each of which is a unique instance of the gameworld that is capable of hosting thousands of simultaneous players. Some of the realms cater to role-playing fans that prefer to play in character the whole time, while other realms are custom-tailored for player-versus-player action. Regardless, World of Warcraft's realms are nicely (if not densely) populated already, and the unfortunate issues with login and lag that plagued the game when it first launched were mostly taken care of in a matter of days. The game just has a solid feel to it that's uncharacteristic of the genre, and for an online RPG, World of Warcraft is surprisingly responsive. Actually, no qualifications are necessary: World of Warcraft boasts the tight control and polished presentation that's desirable in any kind of game.
The imaginative world of Azeroth is already teeming with players.
After countless hours spent playing, the great first impression doesn't wear off. This style of gaming is notorious for being a time sink and for effectively forcing players to engage in repetitive, monotonous gameplay for hours on end in order to make progress. But in contrast, World of Warcraft will keep throwing variety at you, and the combat system at the heart of it features fast, visceral, action-packed battles that are fun and intense, whether you're fighting alone or in a group. Furthermore, World of Warcraft finally achieves that long-sought-after goal of many massively multiplayer games, which is to make the player feel rewarded regardless of how much time he or she invests in a single sitting.
This is due to several key reasons. For one, World of Warcraft has a nice, brisk pace to it, and the fast-loading, seamless world obviously has a lot to do with this. But, in addition, recovery times between battles are minimal, as even those characters without healing spells can still easily recover from their wounds by using bandages, eating a quick meal, or just from natural healing. The battles themselves are quick, too, and they scale nicely so that higher-level encounters don't just seem to drag on. Yet the pacing of the combat seems to strike a perfect balance, because it's not so hectic that those unaccustomed to fast-paced action games will feel overwhelmed. You can also look forward to facing some fairly intelligent foes that will do such things as flee when injured, tag-team with their comrades, and use some dastardly special abilities against you.
User reviews
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Amazing game, but is far from the end all...
by Ebonfire on February 26, 2005
Pros: Tons of low and mid level content, and devoid of campers.
Cons: No endgame, repetitive actions, and a relatively easy to reach level cap.
Summary: I've prowled around MMO's for quite some time now, and I was suprised at how quickly I grew tired of WoW in relation to other games I've ...
Summary: I've prowled around MMO's for quite some time now, and I was suprised at how quickly I grew tired of WoW in relation to other games I've played....
Great interface, graphics, and the client runs smooth even on low end computers.
There is a mind numbing 2200+ quests in the game, but most are simple "go kill *x* creature type and return." I was very impressed in the beginning, but then I started to notice that it was just the same "kill, deliver, and escort" over and over.
Crafting system is fun, and most players seem to find it worthwhile if their willing to put in the time. I came from Star Wars Galaxies, and it has an incredibly complex crafting system, so I was not very impressed with crafting in WoW. High level equipment takes weeks, or sometimes months to assemble all the rare materials for one finished product. That was a big yawner in my opinion.
Endgame... I was happy to reach the level cap of 60, and I did a little dance around the room for 20 or so minutes. Then the repetitiveness of 3 high level raid instances came into play. I was handed the endgame, and it entitled running these instances 10 or 20 times looking for one item, and then rolling against others looking for the same item. The lack of a PVP honor system, and the absence of the promised battlegrounds gaveway to little reward at the end of the game.
PVP... Its a good all around system, and the addition of PVP servers should be enough for anyone who plays MMO's for the PVP element. There are blatant 1 vs 1 class imbalances, but there is nothing gamebreaking.
My bias: I quit in favor of a hectic class schedule, and because of the lack of enjoyable things to do ingame. Massively Multiplayer Onlines have become the great escape, but I think its better to choose life.
WoW the end all? Nope, nice try. Close though.
** This is my opinion, and I don't expect everyone to agree. Respectfully submitted.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Beware of this Game!
by ti6er on April 29, 2005
Pros: Too Addicting
Cons: No sleep, no food, no restroom break...except for smoke break
Summary: I'm a game player, I wouldn't say a fanatic. I played Counter-Strike since it came out and I lost my first wife to Counter-Strike. I've since given ...
Summary: I'm a game player, I wouldn't say a fanatic. I played Counter-Strike since it came out and I lost my first wife to Counter-Strike. I've since given up on my beloved CS-Source so I can invest more time in this game. Never would I thought that would happen. Now my new wife is playing this game, she's even worst than me. She practically plays 24-7, now I have to cook for myself, wash my own clothes, take care of the baby, basically I'm doing all the house work and she's playing MY game. I'm just waiting to give her the news that you have to pay monthly, it'll be funny because she's a level 32 Rogue in a week. Funny how it took me nearly 3 weeks to get my Paladin to level 37. Can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out you need to pay monthly to keep on playing. Hopefully she doesn't demand that I keep up with the monthly services too or I'll lose my 2nd wife. Perhaps I should build me another computer and have another game install with another account so she can play along with me? Might be a good idea but all the money I'm spending, can't make a clear decision on this issue.
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Blizzard Support is horrible, absolutely HORRIBLE
by agntb83 on June 29, 2008
Pros: Overall, this is a very addictive game
Cons: Pray that you never have to deal with the support apparatus, also leaves your system vunerable regardless of what security you use
Summary: Heres the story, I began playing WoW about 2-3 months ago and leveled up a character to level 60. I come home Friday night, with a just bought copy of ...
Summary: Heres the story, I began playing WoW about 2-3 months ago and leveled up a character to level 60. I come home Friday night, with a just bought copy of burning crusade in my hands so i can level up past 60 only to find my accounts been locked??!?! and for CHEATING?!!?? I had never cheated, and it cited that I was using some sort of Gold exploit, and funny thing is I've been hurting for gold in game, as I needed to buy an epic mount which costs untold amounts of gold. So I try to contact blizzard by phone, the guy tells me he can't help me as its under 'investigations' and he cannot even tell me why it was suspended. (This, I would really need to know, as it seems my system was compromised in some way, and I only use that computer for WoW and WoW alone. Its been almost 72 hours and I still have not received a reply from the 'accountadmins', 72 hours of minutes I PAID FOR. The people I have so far talked to on the phone have been very, VERY arrogant, even when I was nice at first. To say my account is in 'investigations' is a little over kill, plus given the fact I DON'T cheat and the fact they have all the game logs should be like less than a one hour process to remove my suspension and send me an apology.... yet not even a 'we're looking into this, sorry for your inconvenience' email has been sent.
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, OR ANY BLIZZARD GAME UNLESS YOU PLAN ON FLUSHING 2 MONTHS OF HARD WORK DOWN THE DRAIN ONLY TO END UP WITH A SUSPENDED ACCOUNT FOR NO REASON BUT PLAYING BY THE RULES.
THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD WITH A GAME AND HAS BEEN THE WORST, THE WORST!!! CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED FROM ANY!!! COMPANY.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Absolutely Most FUN game EVER!
by Liberalguy on June 20, 2008
Pros: FUN FUN FUN, interactive & social, competitive, adventuresome, always changing, great graphics & sound
Cons: addictive, time-consuming, easy to lose track of time because it's so fun, kinda pricey
Summary: By far the game I've played the most. I've played pretty regularly for over 3.5 years - started in Nov 2004 and still enjoy it in June ...
Summary: By far the game I've played the most. I've played pretty regularly for over 3.5 years - started in Nov 2004 and still enjoy it in June 2008! I used to play daily, and now probably just 5-10 hours per week. When the 2nd expansion comes out, I'll probably be back to 2-3 hours per day.
I like that Blizzard makes all of their games PC/Mac compatible from the beginning. I also like how it gets updated all the time. After years of PVE adventuring, now I mostly enjoy Player-vs-Player. Blizzard developers apparently have good senses of humor as my brother and I are always discovering funny puns and such in names of quests, monsters, npcs, etc.
My brother and I live on opposite coasts, and it's fun to play a game like this together all the time... even though we're in our 30s, it's like we're still 10 years-old playing with toys!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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EQ2 has nothing on this game
by sloglets on March 6, 2005
Pros: Immersive content, Solo or Group play, Sys req not too harsh
Cons: Hard to find a copy to buy nowadays, this game is HOT!
Summary: I bought EQ2 first and I was liking it but the solo playability dries up fast in that game and the people seem very snobby. I played EQLive for 5 ...
Summary: I bought EQ2 first and I was liking it but the solo playability dries up fast in that game and the people seem very snobby. I played EQLive for 5 years and I have to say I have never had as much fun as I have been having in WoW! So much to do and so engrossing. Nothing is forced on you to do like EQ2. Want to do your own thing and not be stuck doing endless quests for little to no reward? Buy this game.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Game! Bad Servers!
by Jay R___well on July 12, 2005
Pros: Warcraft Setting in a MMORPG
Cons: Lag Mixed with Bugs
Summary: Well, when WoW first came out it was loaded with bugs. The game would crash constantly, servers were always being taken down for repairs, it was a hell of a ...
Summary: Well, when WoW first came out it was loaded with bugs. The game would crash constantly, servers were always being taken down for repairs, it was a hell of a mess. Now they seem to have a good chunk of the servers fixed, but the lag is still there.
Overall World of Warcraft has the standard feel of what has become the world of MMORPGs. Like City of Heroes, Final Fantasy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and the MMORPG's that came before those, WoW has the same look and feel even though it's a different setting. While I do agree that the graphics in WoW are extremely beautiful, if you've already surcome to boredom with one of the affore mentioned MMORPG's then this isn't for you.
On the other hand if you have played one of the mentioned games and are an old fan of Warcraft then this game is definately for you! That is, if you don't become angered by lag. Unless you are an extremely well off individual using a T1 connection and a state of the art computer you will notice some stuttering in gameplay when moving through some of the more popular cities, and sometimes even some of the half-empty ones.
My only real issue with the game, besides having to pay every month, is the fact that the server lags. In this day and age there is no reason for it. There are known "private servers" operated by the average "joe" with an average PC running up to 1000 players with little to no lag, which leaves me wondering what is wrong with the billion dollar company hosting this one? Doesn't make much sence to me, unless they're running on the cheapest server they possibly can get away with, thus the rating.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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World Of War Crack
by JediMstr2044 on June 16, 2005
Pros: This is the funnest game I have played in a long time, and definelty the best MMORPG out there on the market now
Cons: you may lose friends/job/family from playing this game too much, its like crack!
Summary: This game is honestly too fun for its own good. Luckily I have RL friends to play it with who crack out more than me so I dont feel as ...
Summary: This game is honestly too fun for its own good. Luckily I have RL friends to play it with who crack out more than me so I dont feel as bad when I play all the time. If you like computer games or MMORPGS play this NOW!!
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Terrible game for new players
by Raistmajere on September 27, 2009
Pros: None. I like the genre, but found the game totally lacking
Cons: Both the developers and users all hate one another
Summary: I played for 3 months, didn't have fun at any level. The people are cruel that design/play this game. Early levels expect curses and spitting in an attempt ...
Summary: I played for 3 months, didn't have fun at any level. The people are cruel that design/play this game. Early levels expect curses and spitting in an attempt to bully, late game expect to be excluded from activities because you're new. Absolutely terrible and in no way redeeming gaming experience. I would have rated lower given the option.
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REALLY HOPELESS
by the_zushamen on July 24, 2009
Pros: PLZ DONT TRY THIS ITS HOPLESS WORKING IN OFFLINE PLATFORM...U CANT FIND ANY QUEST IN OFFLINE
Cons: I HATE THIS THY LOST WARCRAFT PLYERS BY THIS GAME
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Too many people=LAG
by jrastamann on January 31, 2009
Pros: averagely fun and addicting game
lots of map space
lots of unique spells/weopans/itemsCons: Takes up a lot of memory
Full of LAGGGG
You have to choose a specific realm, if your friends arent in the same one you cant play with them.
Monthly fee
When your realm is overcrowded, you have to wait time to get in. I waited 6 hours once.Summary: If you want to play a game with tons of lag this is the one! The first time i put the disc in, finished the antagonizing instalation which took forever, ...
Summary: If you want to play a game with tons of lag this is the one! The first time i put the disc in, finished the antagonizing instalation which took forever, including the 10 blizzard updates which took an hour each, i loaded into the realm that my friend plays in. It took 4 hours to get into the reaalm because there were to many people in it at the time.
When i pay 20 bucks for a game, and have to pay 15 bucks each month to play it, i expect to start playing right when i put the disc in. Instead i had to wait 4 hours, and once i started playing, i found its graphics didnt compare to guild wars, and that the average "funness" didnt compare to Diablo 2.
World of warcraft is a universal "famous" game but is not nearly the best. Buy a game like Diablo 2 or Guild wars which are funner, and you DONT HAVE TO PAY A MONTHLY FEE.
I was also dissapointed because i have friends in other realms. Once you make charcters in one realm, they stay in That Realm. This really bugged me then because i had to choose between which of my friends i spent the most time with playing World of Warcraft.
The game itself is cheap. Only 20 dollars coming with a 1 month free card. However when you add up the monthly fee, your pocketbook becomes broke. Suspecting you play the game for 5 years, Which is less then most people, you would be down 1200$ That is one thousand and 200 hundred dollars people! For a mediocre kids game with awful graphics!!!!! i for one am never going to pay a monthly fee for a game ever... (that is unless Diablo 3 has a monthly rate hehe) But seriously if you are buying the game just because of its highly popular name.. You are getting ripped off.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vivendi Universal Interactive
- Part number: 72211
- Description: Four years have passed since the aftermath of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and a great tension smolders throughout the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the battle-worn races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, threats, both ancient and ominous, arise to plague the world once again. World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of Warcraft heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," World of Warcraft allows thousands of players to interact within the same world. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. A dedicated live team will create a constant stream of adventures to undertake, lands to explore, and monsters to vanquish. This content ensures that the game will never be the same from month to month, and will continue to offer challenges and adventures for years to come.
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Teen - Blood,Use of Alcohol,Suggestive Themes,Violence
- Genre Role-Playing
- Elements Online games - RPG (MMORPG)
- Context Fantasy
- Number of players Massively Multiplayer
- Connectivity Online
- Difficulty Medium
- Learning curve About a half hour
- DirectX version v9.0
- Operating system Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
- Online modes Competitive,Team Oriented,Cooperative
Minimum
- RAM 512 MB
Game
- Developer Blizzard Entertainment
- ESRB Teen
- ESRB descriptors Blood,Use of Alcohol,Suggestive Themes,Violence
Manufacturer info
- Vivendi Universal Interactive
- Manufacturer profile
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- Website: http://www.vivendi.com/corp/en/subsidiaries/index_music.php
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