Guild Wars

Overview

Guild Wars is a game so unlike anything else available on current MMORPG the market, that some people may be initially put off by its game play. Indeed, it's a game that, in the beginning, doesn't do a whole lot to draw you in. The tutorial area does a basic job at explaining the core game play mechanics, but the game itself takes some time to become fun and exciting. It's a good thing then, that once you are past that point, the sense of challenge and storyline progression ( which is absent in almost any other MMORPG found on the store shelves), never lasts until the final mission.

Gameplay

The game play of Guild Wars is fundamentally similar to other role playing games. The player assumes the role of a young hero, traveling across the land, killing monsters and improving his/her combat skills. However, Guild Wars manages to set itself apart from other games in the genre, thanks to some unique features.

What is so innovative about Guild Wars' game play is how it manages to maintain the fundamentals of a massively online game, such as cooperative and competitive play, as well as character progression, without including some of the more tedious features of other such games, namely, the level grind. I've heard some people mention that a MMO without level grind simply wouldn't work, but Guild Wars manages to prove otherwise. You see, in Guild Wars, the maximum character level  of 20 is achievable in a matter of days. Most of the character progression comes from optional titles (similar to achievements), and from obtaining purely cosmetic weapons and armor. This allows players without hours of free time a day to still compete with people who spend their entire day playing video games, and that could only bee a good thing.

Another prominent feature of Guild Wars is how player abilities (called skills) work. Every time a player enters a mission or an explorable area, he is locked to only 8 skills, that can be freely reassigned in town areas. This means that, in order to succeed, the player must not only have quick reflexes, but must also strategically choose from over 200 pretty well balanced skills to create a combination best suited to the situation in a given mission
Those skills are arranged into 6 very different classes, each with it's own strengths and drawbacks. The player can choose to use the skills of two character classes, further expanding the possible skill combinations.

The main part of the cooperative campaign is spent in storyline missions. Those are instanced areas with objectives like attacking an enemy fortress, or defeating a giant boss. The player may either attempt to complete these missions by himself (with the aid of computer controlled henchmen), or team up with up to 7 other players.
You see, most of Guild Wars content is designed with team play in mind but, sadly, the options for organizing a team of players together are rather limited. Indeed, the most common way of finding a team is to just shout that you are looking for one, but this has mixed results. Sometimes, it will work perfectly, while at other times you will simply be ignored. You may also choose to embark on shorter side quests, that all happen in instanced explorable areas. This means that you will never directly interact with anyone other than your party for the duration of the mission/quest. While it makes the world feel less persistent, it also solves problems with kill stealing and waiting for a specific  monster to spawn, problems that some players are all too familiar with

You can also choose to compete against other players. Sadly, the options here are rather limited. You can either play random or arranged team 4v4 games, as well as 8v8 guild battles. The only slightly non-standard competitive mode is Heroes Ascent. In it, you and your team fight in several maps with varying objectives, like capture the flag and holding a specific point on the map to earn points. Winning a battle allows you to progress to the next fight, while defeat forces you to restart from the beginning. It's a shame that this mode in particular lacks any real player interest at this point, and getting into a group without first achieving a high PvP rank (earned by winning battles) is extremely difficult. The game also offers monthly tournaments and leader boards for Guild vs. Guild battles, a welcome feature, even if the statistics tracked are rather limited (mainly the number of wins and loses, as well as a graph that shows your guilds performance over time.)

It is in the competitive modes that Guild Wars' skill system really shines, as only the team that manages to pick the better balance between offensive and defensive skills will manage to win. It is an element that makes trading games so addicting and fun, while at the same time remaining deep and strategic.

Storyline

Sadly, Guild Wars really does suffer in this department. The story is your standard fantasy affair. Your home country gets destroyed by an aggressive hoard of beastly enemies, and from there you travel across the land, searching for a home for your people, encountering many different plot twists along the way. Even if the story itself is a bit above average, it suffers from extremely poor presentation. All of the game cut scenes are presented within the game play engine, and the voice acting is, for the most part, sub-par at best.

Conclusion

If you are able to look past some of the flaws, such as poor voice acting and a bit of a learning curve, you will be rewarded with an extremely unique game play experience, and, while some may feel that the fully instanced areas make the game fell less like a MMO, others will be pleased to see a MMO that isn't just a WoW / Everquest clone.
Besides, the game lacks monthly fees commonly associated with MMO's, and should sell for below 15$ in most of game retailers. Anyone who is looking for something original should look into purchasing Guild Wars, although be warned: There's a reason most games stick to a well established formula - some people just don't like change.

Gameplay: 10 out of 10
A lot of original ideas that work really well together. An enjoyable combat experience that requires reflexes as well as strategy

Graphics: 8 out of 10
While they may seem a bit dated, the game can run at surprisingly low system requirements. Different locations such as deserts, snowy mountains and lush forests also help the game's overall appearance.  Pre-rendered movies would definitely be welcome though.

Sound/Music: 6.5/9.5 out of 10
The voice overs are average, but the musical score composed by Jeremy Soule is simply beautiful.

Lasting Appeal: 8 out of 10
The main campaign will take about 20 to 40 hours to complete, but the competitive modes, as well as optional quests and titles can extend the experience, provided you like competitions or collecting achievements.

Overall: 9.5 out of 10
(Not an average!)