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Polygon updates its GW2 review - from 8.5 to 9
Gaia_Hunter
Member UncommonPosts: 3,066
It is not very common to see something like this.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/24/3728326/guild-wars-2-review-second-coming
"NEW!
UPDATE: 04/24/2014
GUILD WARS 2 REVIEW UPDATE: THE LONG GAME
If there was one concern I had about Guild Wars 2 when I initially reviewed it in September 2012, it was the future. An MMO lives or dies by its updates, and since ArenaNet chose a non-subscription model for its game, it theoretically had less reason to provide consistent, free content updates.
I'm happy to report that if that temptation existed, Guild Wars 2 has dodged it completely. While the game had big updates monthly from the start, beginning in April of 2013 ArenaNet launched an ambitious plan to provide meaningful new content every two weeks for free. It sounded unbelievable — it still does! — but it has been pulled off almost flawlessly.
(...)
While Guild Wars 2's population has fluctuated, the mix of constant new content and no subscription fee has made it easier for players to jump back in whenever they feel like. And the additions to the game are, by and large, very good — whether it's wacky platforming challenges like the April Fools Day-themed Super Adventure Box or serious ongoing stories like the saga of the villainous Scarlet Briar and her effects on the whole world."
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
Comments
Great review. By far the best MMORPG I have played, and the one I have enjoyed the most since Pre-NGE SWG.
Guild Wars 2 is one of the only games where other players are not an annoyance or a distraction. It's not a perfect game, not by a long shot but I really enjoy it. It's just sad to see so many misconceptions thrown around. People who don't really explore the underlying layers of the variety of builds you can do that are effective are missing out a lot of what makes it great.
Similiarly, WvW is not a fun experience if you are not playing with some good guys. If you play on a server and you just get whopped, you need to change to a place with more passionate commanders. Not all the servers care about WvW and that hurts it a lot.
My big MMO grip is with dungeons and raids. Instanced encounters like this have little to do with what MMOs should be about. That's just my opinion. I dont get the living breathing world feeling from this. I find Fractals of the Mists Dungeons like a good challenge, but I dont enjoy the 10 dungeons (or any of the 30 so dungeon paths) very entertaining. But thats the whole genre thing.
On the other hand I find the mega world bosses like teq and wurm more fun than any raids I have done in other games. But again.. its only as fun as the people you are playing with. People really are not going to have fun if they dont find time to find the right people to play with, and that aint always easy, but its possible. Once a 300 man effort to take down Teq has been achieved. Feels pretty damn great!
I agree with Polygon on this. The latest patch surely fired it up. Megaservers is the perfect match for a game like Guild Wars 2, and the wardrobe is fantastic. GW2 is a skin collecting game. It really is. It's not about stats like WoW, so it's fair to say the wardrobe is a big deal.
This game is the best in the genre by far. I'm playing since release and didn't even take a break once. Great job ArenaNet. Please keep up the good work...
Gw2 really deserves it.
Its not perfect by a long shot, bt its best out there.
I couldn't agree more. GW2 has now surpassed FFXI as my second most played MMO of all time. It's core foundation of awesome features, beautiful world, and downright fun gameplay in conjunction with the frequent updates - which have come in all shapes and sizes, including many types of content that I never even imagined experiencing in an MMO setting - have kept me returning to this game over and over again since its release 20 months ago.
Also agree, should of replied here before starting my own thread about how GW2 has improved. When you try out all the newer MMO's , you start to realize how good GW2 is.
The new April 15th patch has been outstanding for the game.
Anyway, I started a thread praising GW2 just a bit ago, so i'll stop now lol.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
Gw2 fan here.
my new opinion is that combat and abilities are stale, as is pve content... Character builds in this game are far worse than wow and company. They promised large weapon skill additions and new weapons in 2013 and have failed to deliver.
its still a good game, but no variety or sustain after you have played for a month or so at max level.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
I just can't get into it. I have one build for my mesmer and I can't seem to set up another that works.
I log in, do a heart quest, and wonder what I'm doing. I zone to WvW, and I randomly run around until I get zerged by an enemy group.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but this game feels even more bland now than it did at release.
I feel like it has potential, but I think I'm just doing it wrong.
Yeah... no. I've played both (GW2 extensively from launch). GW2 is a solid game and a lot of fun, but it's a very different game than TESO. TESO is fantastic, but in a diamond-in-the-rough kind of way. Time will tell if they go with it and build it into the game it should be eventually (mostly talking about endgame here - despite bugs, the PvE leveling experience is fantastic imho).
The real issue that I ran into with GW2 is the post level cap progression. A lot of people in the game like it the way it is, though in the end, I've found it to be quite static, like a poster above commented. Ascended gear gives a bit of progression, but in the end, chasing new skins for your character can only be so rewarding.
I'd love to see them add some new skills and weapons to each class, I think that would breathe some life into things. As it is, I think the living story just isn't enough to keep the game interesting. But if that's your thing and you're enjoying the game enough, power to you! That's cool.
Little forum boys with their polished cyber toys: whine whine, boo-hoo, talk talk.
GW2 is very old school in a sense, because it's as good as the people you're playing with/around. You don't need to be grouped to advance or do content, but you really need to find a guild, and some people to play with in the open world, wvw and spvp.
In games like WoW and SWTOR you get a rewarding solo experience. You can play and be entertained by the story and quests without joining a guild or anything. In Guild Wars 2 you have hearts, but hearts are really nothing. They are there to novice players who can't find any dynamic events, but really they are not a means to complete or do anything.
The meat of GW2 is running around and exploring, almost aimlessly, taking it all in, going off the beaten path and do the events that starts around the world. You can travel between the lands of each races progression and explore. But doing the hearts are really doing it wrong. Nothing wrong with doing them, but doing them to advance is tortuous and not fun. Unfortunately some people think they are GW2s quests, which is not the case at all.
You really need to find some cool people to play with. This online game begs for it. Even if you wanna run around solo, it's a dangerous world and you need savages. when you run around in WvW alone, you meet thiefs and other solo-guys who build their characters just to destroy people 1-on-1. The trade off is always that they do worse in groups or in support.
Mesmer is a great class, and it changes depending on what you do with it. Check out Brazils Mesmer guide updated for this feature patch:
My advice is to explore all the newbie zones, and do the events and explore. Try and see if you can get 100% if you want to. Focus only on the hearts if you want to, but try and find the PoIs and Vistas and skill points.