Dear diary, today I learned I can't possibly enjoy certain games if I reach certain arbitrary age threshold. The internet told me so so it must be true.
Really? I play games for fun. I know. Foreign concept. Some people here seemt o play games to prove something for whatever reason they might have. Am I interested in WildStar? I don't know, I haven't played it yet and no amount of videos will really give me the same idea as hands-on experience.
Looking at your post, its obvious that Wildstar isn't a game for you. Thats going to be true for some people, which is simply the way of such things. It looks entertaining to me. I like the graphics (I'm not fixated on "realistic" graphics in a fantasy game.). It will also play well on a larger percentage of the installed hardware base, out and about (which is the same reason WoW has its graphics style).
I like how the combat system works, and I also like the various specializations, and the housing options. Over all, it looks like an entertaining game. Which is all I look for these days.
People crack on WoW but the truth is, most of us here played it for a year or more. Most games today hold me less than 90 days. If this game is like WoW and can keep me interested for more than 90 days then I am excited to see it launch.
"Sean (Murray) saying MP will be in the game is not remotely close to evidence that at the point of purchase people thought there was MP in the game." - SEANMCAD
I watched a few videos and the Total Biscuits play and after watching I'm trying to understand why anyone playing current available MMOs anyone would jump into this.
A) First off, in the Total Buscuit Video, he asked how would you differentiate this from WOW. The representative's only responses were:
1) The Combat
2) The Changing Builds
If that is the best answer he could give, this game is not the holy grail these forums are making it out to be. A combat only focus didn't work for TERA and though I think GW2 is a good game, changing builds doesn't make it the worlds best game either. I stopped at end level and had no desire to continue playing.
The graphics/ artistry is going to turn off anyone who prefers more realism such as AOC, GW2, Rift, and hopefully Elder Scrolls Online once people realize the leaked video will not look as graphically unappealing as what that idiot playing showed by turning down all of the graphics settings. This to me looks like an Ipad Game. Kids will like it though. Yes, I believe graphics do matter in todays age. I have a powerful computer and I want something that looks nice. If people want to hang onto a 7 year old computer with a GT 7800 thats your problem.
C) Same issue that plagues other games. Mobs just stand around doing nothing. Liveliness of the world will depend on players. A good modern MMO must have a world that feels alive and that includes the NPCs.
D) Despite the ability to explore, me being an explorer, it doesn't look like a pretty enough world where I would want to.
So am I missing something that is a shocker feature that says, wow, this is awesome, I haven't seen this in other MMOs, let me jump to this game? Anyone?
The game is not going to be the reinvention of the wheel, however they have not promised this. Secondly i honestly lose most of my respect for arguments made against the game when part of it invovles saying the graphics, are childish, old, unispiring or the elephant in the room, they look like wow. does this game have super realistic photo style graphics? nope. Does it require a juggernaut of a pc to run? nope. are these graphics for a kids game? nope. Are they stylised, immersive, full of character and represent the style of humour and story telling that wild star is going to achieve? yes, and then some! If your (not necassrily the op) the type of person who simply cannot play a game if the graphics arent the same as looking out your bedroom window, or think that only ralistic styles can deliver an immersive experience then i promise you it is a fact your missing out on a ton of games that will suck you into their world better than worlds like skyrim do, (i actually love skyrim and its an amazing game.)
Put GW2 on medium settings it does start to look very Cartoon Stylized. But on max settings GW2 doesn't look anything like WoW. It's really an odd game that changes so much by adjusting the graphics settings a little bit.
Ok, if that's the case then I'll buy that and accept' mo's statement.
I always play it on max so it doesnt' com off that way.
wildstar is supposed to be a whimsical, humor filled game. The art design follows that.
As far as that art style appealing to "adults" how many of us adults watched "the simpsons" or "The Tick" or "Pinky and the Brain" or "Family Guy" or pick your poison, because the humor appealed to adults and kids would never pick up on the subtle jokes and references?
I think that is what Wild Star is going for.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
The game is soooo close to being really good,but yes the more i watch it,the more i see Blizzard written all over it.
The graphics are not just cartoony,they are really cheap,like 12 palette colour.
However there is a lot this game does that Wow does not and the combat is pretty good along with the reward for how well you do in combat.Housing is a nice touch as well.
What i see here is a game that could be a 9/10 IF it was anyone but former Blizzard employees.I think Blizzard employees can't help but just want to get various apsects of the same old same old from Wow.
Really aside from graphics,the only problem area i see is everything MIGHT be total linear game play.We know and can see the automatic yellow marker hand holding and linear questing.Why have to choose between explorer or soldier?Why not implement all aspects of a rpg into the same player experience,it really seems like a poor decision there.
I also get the feeling you might not have an open ended game here,more like you are locked into your faction area.
What this game looks like to me,is it was originally designed and made to run in a browser,perhaps they were funded some money and decided to go bigger,with the housing and such and attract a larger audience.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Might have as well made a thread with a question why would anyone above 17 want to play video games. What the hell has age got to do with taste. There are as many successful adult players in games like maple story like in Eve or any other game. Stupid and ignorant thread.
I don't think you have even got to the adulthood yet to have not understood that people have different tastes and more than 50% of the population would literally just kill themselves rather than live in your personal dream world.
When my oldest was about 5 I tried to get him to drink out of a 'bottled' water bottle and he got very angry because he thought it looked too much like a baby bottle and he HAD to prove he wans't a baby. It seems to be that there is a certain group of gamers that have to somehow prove that they are 'mature' by accusing every cartoony game as being a 'kids' thing. I'm 38 years old and have come to fully admit that I love cartoons, video games and comic books. Some people are too busy proving how mature they are to realize they are still just playing a video game.
If in 1982 we played with the current mentality, we would have burned down all the pac man games since the red ghost was clearly OP. Instead we just got better at the game.
While I do not like the art style or the graphics, I have always said that they do not make a game and eventually I learn to live with them so it ends up being a moot point. I am intrigued by Wildstar for these reasons:
Firstly, the guy behind the studio was also responsible for Asheron's Call and that is an automatic "make me want to play the game feature"
It is PvE focus
It has good combat that isn't tab targetting
it has HOUSING
Seriously that is all that needs to wow me any more and that is the reason why I am going to play it.
Why have to choose between explorer or soldier?Why not implement all aspects of a rpg into the same player experience,it really seems like a poor decision there.
I'm sure that has to do with augmenting the replayability of a faction.
OP the reason people over 17 want to play this can be explained with a few words. It has the opportunity to feel like FIREFLY. Whimsical in parts and serious in others.
I watched a few videos and the Total Biscuits play and after watching I'm trying to understand why anyone playing current available MMOs anyone would jump into this.
A) First off, in the Total Buscuit Video, he asked how would you differentiate this from WOW. The representative's only responses were:
1) The Combat
2) The Changing Builds
If that is the best answer he could give, this game is not the holy grail these forums are making it out to be. A combat only focus didn't work for TERA and though I think GW2 is a good game, changing builds doesn't make it the worlds best game either. I stopped at end level and had no desire to continue playing.
The graphics/ artistry is going to turn off anyone who prefers more realism such as AOC, GW2, Rift, and hopefully Elder Scrolls Online once people realize the leaked video will not look as graphically unappealing as what that idiot playing showed by turning down all of the graphics settings. This to me looks like an Ipad Game. Kids will like it though. Yes, I believe graphics do matter in todays age. I have a powerful computer and I want something that looks nice. If people want to hang onto a 7 year old computer with a GT 7800 thats your problem.
C) Same issue that plagues other games. Mobs just stand around doing nothing. Liveliness of the world will depend on players. A good modern MMO must have a world that feels alive and that includes the NPCs.
D) Despite the ability to explore, me being an explorer, it doesn't look like a pretty enough world where I would want to.
So am I missing something that is a shocker feature that says, wow, this is awesome, I haven't seen this in other MMOs, let me jump to this game? Anyone?
Dunno for me people that complain about something as superficial as graphics before they experience the actual game is like turning down a date with a supermodel just because she's wearing a schoolgirl outfit. Sure she could dress like a slut to enhance the visual effect but honestly I'd still want to tap that just to see how she runs...
But for some clothes matter and for others they don't. It's as simple as that and I respect that decision. But to come off the bat trying to belittle others that may not mind stylized graphics over Robert E. Howard type graphics is a bit 17 and under if you ask me. I just happen to enjoy both from time to time.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
Originally posted by Roxtarr When my oldest was about 5 I tried to get him to drink out of a 'bottled' water bottle and he got very angry because he thought it looked too much like a baby bottle and he HAD to prove he wans't a baby. It seems to be that there is a certain group of gamers that have to somehow prove that they are 'mature' by accusing every cartoony game as being a 'kids' thing. I'm 38 years old and have come to fully admit that I love cartoons, video games and comic books. Some people are too busy proving how mature they are to realize they are still just playing a video game.
Exactly. It's MMO hipsters worried about looking cool or mature instead of simply having fun. The irony is that it's the older people that couldn't care less about appearing mature.
For me, it's the going back to vanilla/TBC WoW type raiding with twitch combat, player housing system, the pathing system, warplots(which is essentially raiding for pvpers), and I actually like the art style. It has that Futurama feel that I love. You can fight an evil vending machine! How is that NOT cool?
Might have as well made a thread with a question why would anyone above 17 want to play video games. What the hell has age got to do with taste. There are as many successful adult players in games like maple story like in Eve or any other game. Stupid and ignorant thread.
Mechanics matters a lot more than graphics to me. Honestly I think the older you get the less you care about graphics and the more you care about how the game plays. "Photorealistic" games make me feel like I'm in a alternate dimension or something because stuff only ever looks almost right. There is always something in the back of your mind telling you things are not right. Stylized game graphics don't have that issue since they look nothing like the real world.
Also I think not all but a lot of the people who like photorealism in games are a bit on the unmature side themselves. A large precentage of them tend to expect things like blood and gore and boob sliders.
As for your other arguments we will just have to see how it goes. Wildstar is a lot of promise right now with little in the way of information to back it up. Although since it does't even have a release date yet that's ok with me.
OmaliMMO Business CorrespondentMemberUncommonPosts: 1,177
Originally posted by Vembumees
Might have as well made a thread with a question why would anyone above 17 want to play video games. What the hell has age got to do with taste. There are as many successful adult players in games like maple story like in Eve or any other game. Stupid and ignorant thread.
I don't think you have even got to the adulthood yet to have not understood that people have different tastes and more than 50% of the population would literally just kill themselves rather than live in your personal dream world.
It's the no fun allowed crowd. Once you turn 17, your tastes are supposed to immediately change. No more soda, you will take your coffee black without sugar and like it. Also, you're an adult now. Anything you watch is going to be brutal, and realistic, and have copious amounts of blood, dismembered body parts, and tits.
Some of us don't want anything new. Wildstar takes what works and improves on that, that's good enough for me. I was waiting for something new as well and tought gw2 would be 'it', but I was wrong, so I gave up and will stick to games that are so called 'wow clones' until I am proven wrong. Wildstar for me has all the features I would want in a mmo (raids, arena's, bgs, housing etc.).
About the graphics, I don't mind them. They're cartoony and funny and it just sorta works for the game. Although I do prefer more realistic graphics, I do get why they went with this route. The graphics won't get outdated as soon and some people just prefer cartoony graphics. It's also less requiring, so you won't be needing the latest hardware.
But you obviously don't like the game and are just hating on it from what I have read, so why bother with this thread? You're not trying to understand anything. We gave you reasons, but you don't care.
You obviously didn't read the OP and are just getting defensive. I am trying to understand and as I wrote the only thing I saw (at the time of your post) was references to improved combat and builds which is nothing new and I can't imagine any of my friends in WOW leaving an already similar proven playground with tons of tons of features and friends for a two somewhat medium to minor improvements (even if I tired of WOW many years ago).
Originally posted by miguksaram So OP you are saying that you as an adult don't understand how another adult might have a different perspective/opinion on a given topic/subject matter than you? The Borg is looking for people such as yourself.
Where did you say that I wrote that? Don't mis-paraphrase. I'm trying to understand to an adult that is currently either playing WOW or another recent MMO why this MMO which looks geared toward younger folks appeals to them. Based on the character models, the marketing, and everything else I have seen it is not in the spirit of games that would target the older generation. Of course there are always exceptions. I know lots of people that still are in the 30s and watch Saturday morning cartoons...actually, I don't know anyone, except my one friend Gio, but he's weird.
The graphics have an almost, Pixar-like charm to them, that I really appreciate. Realistic graphics are hard to nail down. One of the reason I quit Rift, was that the art-style, just didnt click with me at all. I prefer things a bit exagerated and stylized. GW2 was stylized enough to feel right. AoC, eh, the graphics were good quality, everything just seemed to be green and brown for the most part.
With GW2 I thought I was ready for the trinity to be over, but, I realized I really feel at home as a healer or DPS (tankings a bit to stressful for me). GW2 dungeons, were difficult, but doable, but, to me, they just weren't FUN. So I'm looking forward to a return so some of the more tried mechanics. Not to mention housing is a real big draw for me.
I can respect this opinion. For you it really is an art style preference. Rift art style was right up my alley, but I though the lore and questing system was boring even though I liked the Dynamic Event concept.
Might have as well made a thread with a question why would anyone above 17 want to play video games. What the hell has age got to do with taste. There are as many successful adult players in games like maple story like in Eve or any other game. Stupid and ignorant thread.
well said
I was being sarcastic about the specific age line so stop crying. So far, almost nobody has said anything that answers the question I asked, only defensive rants. I guess this means the game really won't pull too much of the WOW crowd away let alone those who don't like WOW anymore.
Originally posted by ShakyMo It's less cartoony, but its still cartoony.
If you look at wild star or wow's characters or world you will find exagerated proportions and angles.
There is no such thing in GW2. It might have adopted a more vivid color palettebut but it aims to be a more "real" representation of the world and its inhabitants.
Wild Star's art design follows its whimsical nature.
And last I checked, adults (some adults) can still appreciate whimsy.
edit: additionally, if you actually zoom in and look at the skin of any guild wars 2 charcter you will actually find skin texture and small imperfections.
Put GW2 on medium settings it does start to look very Cartoon Stylized. But on max settings GW2 doesn't look anything like WoW. It's really an odd game that changes so much by adjusting the graphics settings a little bit.
OP is not as desperate for something different as many of us. I really dislike stylized cartoon graphics but I'm so desperate for some different ideas/gameplay in the genre I'm willing to over look the graphics. Gameplay is infinitely more important than graphics.
not really..
these were all taken on medium settings...
On topic... it's not really important what gstyle the game uses as long as its fun and has good mechanics with a good company/devs to back it up with updates and/or expansions/DLC and constant upgrades when needed...
WOW still attracts alot of people (yes, alot of people also quits) but it doesn't mean people who play the game are immature or whatever (I guess you're trying to say gstyle is immature so I guess that's the word you were targeting?). I mean, why should someone feel like he shouldn't be playing some game becaus of it's art style?
It's like saying "cartoons and animated movies are for kids". I'm sure alot of people would jump right on the flame train instantly
With that said, I don't really see much in this game that would interest ME. It doesn't look like there's much to offer apart from the "same old, same old" thing that I've played for too long and overburned it. It does "look" kinda okay and I guess they're not really targeting for the top 5 places of mmorpg titles.
"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life." -------------------------------
Well, i'v read the topic so I'll try to respond with facts!
First of all, yes, the game looks cartoony. But not the same cartoony look as WoW. The characters are really Art-stylized, with special body constitution and not realistical body like WoW humans or undead, or elves. In WS, even the human seems to come from a Ratchet and clank game or a Pixar movie.
The graphisms fit with the global humor of the game. The atmosphere is really unique, and the art contributes to the immersion.
In my point of view, I see the graphisms like an expression of the skills of the artists. The art is clean, the graphic engine is really powerfull with really nice textures who do not age. It's not like a 2005 game. We don't see the polygons everywhere and the crapy textures we see in WoW.
If you look closer into the graphic mechanisms, you can see that the faces of NPC/ player characters are totally animated, and it feels really nice. The whole bodies are well-animated, from the feet to the fingers who are independants, not like WoW for example. The esquives, sprint, swin, jump/double-jump animations are completely fluid. So you absolutely enjoy the game when you play it
The gear is fully textured with the relief and animations of different parts. I don't know of they use the tessellation process, but it's not like a "printed texture" on the character body like WoW.
When we look at the world, we can see that he is living!!! The fauna and flora follows their lives, the scavengers eat the corpses, the plants interact with close npc/pc. The wind affects plants, trees, flags, sheets etc... And the water is amazing
For me, it's way more realistic than games like GW or Rift, because the sensation of a real world around is just perfect. Look at how characters of GW run They have a stick in their a**
And we are only talking about the graphisms and the art! The features are simply bluffing, in my opinion, WS is just THE mmo I was waiting for since many years!! The MMORPG of my dreams :P
So I'm 25 years old, I do a lot of sport, I like fashion, movies, music, cars, trip and I'm handsome (+ i'm not English, so i hope you can understand all my answer). So i'm not the stereotype you can imagine, and I hope this answer will help changing your opinion about this game, and cartoony games in general Because It would be really silly if you missed a great game only for his graphisms!
Comments
Dear diary, today I learned I can't possibly enjoy certain games if I reach certain arbitrary age threshold. The internet told me so so it must be true.
Really? I play games for fun. I know. Foreign concept. Some people here seemt o play games to prove something for whatever reason they might have. Am I interested in WildStar? I don't know, I haven't played it yet and no amount of videos will really give me the same idea as hands-on experience.
Looking at your post, its obvious that Wildstar isn't a game for you. Thats going to be true for some people, which is simply the way of such things. It looks entertaining to me. I like the graphics (I'm not fixated on "realistic" graphics in a fantasy game.). It will also play well on a larger percentage of the installed hardware base, out and about (which is the same reason WoW has its graphics style).
I like how the combat system works, and I also like the various specializations, and the housing options. Over all, it looks like an entertaining game. Which is all I look for these days.
The game is not going to be the reinvention of the wheel, however they have not promised this. Secondly i honestly lose most of my respect for arguments made against the game when part of it invovles saying the graphics, are childish, old, unispiring or the elephant in the room, they look like wow. does this game have super realistic photo style graphics? nope. Does it require a juggernaut of a pc to run? nope. are these graphics for a kids game? nope. Are they stylised, immersive, full of character and represent the style of humour and story telling that wild star is going to achieve? yes, and then some! If your (not necassrily the op) the type of person who simply cannot play a game if the graphics arent the same as looking out your bedroom window, or think that only ralistic styles can deliver an immersive experience then i promise you it is a fact your missing out on a ton of games that will suck you into their world better than worlds like skyrim do, (i actually love skyrim and its an amazing game.)
Ok, if that's the case then I'll buy that and accept' mo's statement.
I always play it on max so it doesnt' com off that way.
wildstar is supposed to be a whimsical, humor filled game. The art design follows that.
As far as that art style appealing to "adults" how many of us adults watched "the simpsons" or "The Tick" or "Pinky and the Brain" or "Family Guy" or pick your poison, because the humor appealed to adults and kids would never pick up on the subtle jokes and references?
I think that is what Wild Star is going for.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
The game is soooo close to being really good,but yes the more i watch it,the more i see Blizzard written all over it.
The graphics are not just cartoony,they are really cheap,like 12 palette colour.
However there is a lot this game does that Wow does not and the combat is pretty good along with the reward for how well you do in combat.Housing is a nice touch as well.
What i see here is a game that could be a 9/10 IF it was anyone but former Blizzard employees.I think Blizzard employees can't help but just want to get various apsects of the same old same old from Wow.
Really aside from graphics,the only problem area i see is everything MIGHT be total linear game play.We know and can see the automatic yellow marker hand holding and linear questing.Why have to choose between explorer or soldier?Why not implement all aspects of a rpg into the same player experience,it really seems like a poor decision there.
I also get the feeling you might not have an open ended game here,more like you are locked into your faction area.
What this game looks like to me,is it was originally designed and made to run in a browser,perhaps they were funded some money and decided to go bigger,with the housing and such and attract a larger audience.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Might have as well made a thread with a question why would anyone above 17 want to play video games. What the hell has age got to do with taste. There are as many successful adult players in games like maple story like in Eve or any other game. Stupid and ignorant thread.
I don't think you have even got to the adulthood yet to have not understood that people have different tastes and more than 50% of the population would literally just kill themselves rather than live in your personal dream world.
If in 1982 we played with the current mentality, we would have burned down all the pac man games since the red ghost was clearly OP. Instead we just got better at the game.
While I do not like the art style or the graphics, I have always said that they do not make a game and eventually I learn to live with them so it ends up being a moot point. I am intrigued by Wildstar for these reasons:
SUP
I'm sure that has to do with augmenting the replayability of a faction.
Dunno for me people that complain about something as superficial as graphics before they experience the actual game is like turning down a date with a supermodel just because she's wearing a schoolgirl outfit. Sure she could dress like a slut to enhance the visual effect but honestly I'd still want to tap that just to see how she runs...
But for some clothes matter and for others they don't. It's as simple as that and I respect that decision. But to come off the bat trying to belittle others that may not mind stylized graphics over Robert E. Howard type graphics is a bit 17 and under if you ask me. I just happen to enjoy both from time to time.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
Exactly. It's MMO hipsters worried about looking cool or mature instead of simply having fun. The irony is that it's the older people that couldn't care less about appearing mature.
For me, it's the going back to vanilla/TBC WoW type raiding with twitch combat, player housing system, the pathing system, warplots(which is essentially raiding for pvpers), and I actually like the art style. It has that Futurama feel that I love. You can fight an evil vending machine! How is that NOT cool?
well said
EQ2 fan sites
Mechanics matters a lot more than graphics to me. Honestly I think the older you get the less you care about graphics and the more you care about how the game plays. "Photorealistic" games make me feel like I'm in a alternate dimension or something because stuff only ever looks almost right. There is always something in the back of your mind telling you things are not right. Stylized game graphics don't have that issue since they look nothing like the real world.
Also I think not all but a lot of the people who like photorealism in games are a bit on the unmature side themselves. A large precentage of them tend to expect things like blood and gore and boob sliders.
As for your other arguments we will just have to see how it goes. Wildstar is a lot of promise right now with little in the way of information to back it up. Although since it does't even have a release date yet that's ok with me.
It's the no fun allowed crowd. Once you turn 17, your tastes are supposed to immediately change. No more soda, you will take your coffee black without sugar and like it. Also, you're an adult now. Anything you watch is going to be brutal, and realistic, and have copious amounts of blood, dismembered body parts, and tits.
You obviously didn't read the OP and are just getting defensive. I am trying to understand and as I wrote the only thing I saw (at the time of your post) was references to improved combat and builds which is nothing new and I can't imagine any of my friends in WOW leaving an already similar proven playground with tons of tons of features and friends for a two somewhat medium to minor improvements (even if I tired of WOW many years ago).
There Is Always Hope!
Where did you say that I wrote that? Don't mis-paraphrase. I'm trying to understand to an adult that is currently either playing WOW or another recent MMO why this MMO which looks geared toward younger folks appeals to them. Based on the character models, the marketing, and everything else I have seen it is not in the spirit of games that would target the older generation. Of course there are always exceptions. I know lots of people that still are in the 30s and watch Saturday morning cartoons...actually, I don't know anyone, except my one friend Gio, but he's weird.
There Is Always Hope!
Deleting comment
There Is Always Hope!
I can respect this opinion. For you it really is an art style preference. Rift art style was right up my alley, but I though the lore and questing system was boring even though I liked the Dynamic Event concept.
There Is Always Hope!
I was being sarcastic about the specific age line so stop crying. So far, almost nobody has said anything that answers the question I asked, only defensive rants. I guess this means the game really won't pull too much of the WOW crowd away let alone those who don't like WOW anymore.
There Is Always Hope!
not really..
these were all taken on medium settings...
On topic... it's not really important what gstyle the game uses as long as its fun and has good mechanics with a good company/devs to back it up with updates and/or expansions/DLC and constant upgrades when needed...
WOW still attracts alot of people (yes, alot of people also quits) but it doesn't mean people who play the game are immature or whatever (I guess you're trying to say gstyle is immature so I guess that's the word you were targeting?). I mean, why should someone feel like he shouldn't be playing some game becaus of it's art style?
It's like saying "cartoons and animated movies are for kids". I'm sure alot of people would jump right on the flame train instantly
With that said, I don't really see much in this game that would interest ME. It doesn't look like there's much to offer apart from the "same old, same old" thing that I've played for too long and overburned it. It does "look" kinda okay and I guess they're not really targeting for the top 5 places of mmorpg titles.
"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life."
-------------------------------
Well, i'v read the topic so I'll try to respond with facts!
First of all, yes, the game looks cartoony. But not the same cartoony look as WoW. The characters are really Art-stylized, with special body constitution and not realistical body like WoW humans or undead, or elves. In WS, even the human seems to come from a Ratchet and clank game or a Pixar movie.
The graphisms fit with the global humor of the game. The atmosphere is really unique, and the art contributes to the immersion.
In my point of view, I see the graphisms like an expression of the skills of the artists. The art is clean, the graphic engine is really powerfull with really nice textures who do not age. It's not like a 2005 game. We don't see the polygons everywhere and the crapy textures we see in WoW.
If you look closer into the graphic mechanisms, you can see that the faces of NPC/ player characters are totally animated, and it feels really nice. The whole bodies are well-animated, from the feet to the fingers who are independants, not like WoW for example. The esquives, sprint, swin, jump/double-jump animations are completely fluid. So you absolutely enjoy the game when you play it
The gear is fully textured with the relief and animations of different parts. I don't know of they use the tessellation process, but it's not like a "printed texture" on the character body like WoW.
When we look at the world, we can see that he is living!!! The fauna and flora follows their lives, the scavengers eat the corpses, the plants interact with close npc/pc. The wind affects plants, trees, flags, sheets etc... And the water is amazing
For me, it's way more realistic than games like GW or Rift, because the sensation of a real world around is just perfect. Look at how characters of GW run
They have a stick in their a** 
And we are only talking about the graphisms and the art! The features are simply bluffing, in my opinion, WS is just THE mmo I was waiting for since many years!! The MMORPG of my dreams :P
So I'm 25 years old, I do a lot of sport, I like fashion, movies, music, cars, trip and I'm handsome (+ i'm not English, so i hope you can understand all my answer). So i'm not the stereotype you can imagine, and I hope this answer will help changing your opinion about this game, and cartoony games in general
Because It would be really silly if you missed a great game only for his graphisms!