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Dangerously Addictive. Nuff said.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Guild Wars Prophecies is pretty much an awsome game. now before i start i have to say that i had baught the expansion pack/ Sequal Guild wars: Factions before Prophecies, and i must say the two games comploment eachother wondefully. The game play is the standard MMO hack n slash combat system with the normal rag-tag team of professions to choose from. There is the warrior, the healer, the mage, and so on. and best of all, theres no monthly fee, which is ofdenly the element that turns casual gamers away from massivly multiplayer online games. In a world of open-end gameplay prophecies is pretty singular. There are loads of sideq quests but there really isnt enough of a reward to do them, unless you want some extra skills of experince poinsts. I would have to recomend buying the expansion pack "Guild Wars: Factions" along with this game, because i think that id i haddnt had it, i would have gotten quite bored, quite fast. Communicating with other charicters and forming parties feels clunky and akward but isnt a huge problem.
Okay now for the good stuff. The combat system is fun and very addictive, and replaying old missions with charicters of difforent professions changes the whole experience. you can complete the game with a Warrior, and then do the same with an Elementalist and feel like its a whole new game. The truth is learning how to master each proffession is addictive and just down right fun. The dungeon design could use alittle life but all in all its survicable. The story is also a highpoint in Prophecies; the charicters you incounter are likeable and you truly care about what happens next. PvP (player Vs. player) is thin, but combined with the expansion pack, is all but extroardinary. I recomend this highly to the casual gamer who doesnt want to invest in a deeper, monthly fee- only accesable MMORPG, such as World of Warcraft. but dont buy this game if you dont have alot of free time.

A solid, but ever-changing game; refreshing to the RPG'er afraid to move onto pay-per-month MMORPGs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have to say, I only heard about the Guild Wars cult following a few weeks before the actual release. I heard about the game intermittently though various gaming sites, as a possible widely-accepted contender in the MMORPG world. Though not being a fan of the pay-per-month fees since my anticipated let down with FFXI, I did find that these non-existant fees were tempting.

I picked up a copy of Guild Wars on day-one and I have not been able to put it down since. It is a game that yes, if you are more used to the need of one godly class/combination that the other, you will be greatly disappointed with the game as many of the classes are fine-tuned to balance with the others. The lack of one profound character-creation over the other may be discouraging to some people, as each 8 skill customizable skill-set can have its shining moments and then be rendered powerless in terms of PvP and/or different areas of the world of Tyria.

The part that makes Guild Wars unique is the system that depends on teamplay during storyline missions and/or PvP combat--though I personally had problems with trusting people I didn't know, and utilized the in-game henchmen or my real friends to play. Superb cooperation and communication between team members, I found, was vital in tackling the most difficult of foes. Not even the best PvP guilds in the game can stay the best if another guild had better teamwork and commnication.

On the downside, Guild Wars can be a very entertaining game, but it also can be quite slow. The instanced areas makes the world seem desolate and fairly lonely (though that is the general feel in the post-searing aspects of the game). If you don't have a group or at least a friend or so already established playing the game with you, then it will be semi-difficult for you to enjoy the game first off. Also, there is a need for more engrossing storyline, but you can only expect so much out of the ex-Blizzard employees that brought you partially-intricate storylines most of their professional gaming careers.

Though others may enjoy the story, it is not one of its greatest features.

So all in all, the game is great in gameplay and execution. The overly balanced nature of the game can be its best feature and its own worst enemy. Solid and addicting, yet you can walk away from it at any time. Just beware of the lonely, long runs to other places and, of course, the men playing female characters pretending to be female to get free stuff.

One of the Better MMORPG's to hit the market

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Guild Wars had blown me away. I got the preorder as a Christmans gift and began playing in the beta weekend events and loved it, loved it so much I stopped playing EQ and CoH when the game went live. The graphics are incredible, the game is suited for some soloing but eventually requires teaming up - whihc the game also provides henchmen to fill that function after the "tutorial" world if you don;t want to team up with real people for whatever reason. The zones, other than the towns, are instanced which gets rid of any kill-stealing issues which seem to be abundant in other MMORPGs where someone waits until you've got a mob worn down, swooping in and claiming the kill for them. No poaching. And no monthly fees, just the fees for expansions, but you have that with the other MMORPGs as well, so no big there. If you haven't tried this game out, do so. You won't regret it.

Solves many of the MMORPG problems

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First of all I just bought the game not even a week ago. Already, I can see many issues I had with other MMORPG's eliminated. First of all, the monthly payments. I'm a busy guy and sometimes, just because I've already paid for this month, I feel the obligation to make sure I get my "money's worth". "I've spent $10-$15 for this month alone, and I haven't played once and there's only 5 days left in the month... it's time to chug away".

I personally like to step away from the game, and not having the monthly payments is a big one. It makes it easier when "real life" has it's demands on you.

Another big pro with the game is how they handle the environment. All the towns and outposts (the places where the killing isn't), You can meet up with anybody really; you can switch servers, so you're not limited with whom you can group with. Once you leave these towns/outposts you in your own instance basically. Nobody will take your kills or accidentially kill the boss of your quest... nor do you have to wait in line for quests to restart cause a bunch of people are doing them at one time.

One thing which is really nice is that while in town you can add NPC's to your group. The group limit is 4 people, that kind of sucks, but you really don't need more than 4 to do anything in game. There are 4 different NPC's to choose from: a fighter, healer, archer, and nuker. So when you're soloing or grouping with a friend or two and really need that healer and one can't be found... you've got one waiting on you in town. There's no fee, but they do absorb their share of the xp's, money and loot (quest items excluded).

Something else... from what I've seen, all the classes seem very well balanced and no one class really seems to stand out above the others. I could be wrong, but my first impression is just that.

One thing that's also really nice is that you really can't mess up your character building. Usually, once you've figured out the science behind building your Ever Crack toon or what have you, you find that the early level set up can make a big difference once you finally get to the max level for the toon. In this game, as long as you're in a town, you can remove points from one attribute and place them elsewhere should you decide that you want him to be different. So, you don't lose all that time once you figured out that he's not going to be at 100% come max level. It just isn't that way with this game. You can make your guy a fire mage and then decide at level 15 that you really wanted an ice mage... just switch the points around once in town. The only time you'd really want to delete a charater is if you didn't want to play that particular class ever again.

The quests are easy to follow, yet they don't hold you by the hand at every moment. So there is still some brain power. They help you keep track of the quest steps and take a lot of guess work out of the game. Quests are everywhere, and they're also a fun way to just level. Although, I really don't equate my character to level of power so much as just what can he do right now. Leveling in this game even seems different on a mental level from other games. Usually you're out to get the first 20 levels as fast as you can so you can play with all your online buddies. It's easy to have a low level guy play with a high level guy and not really have much hinderance in the group. The low level guy will level a little faster of course (hate PL-ing), but it's not something one has to do to enjoy the game.

These are just a few great points... I could be here all day, and yet I've only played this game for 3 days. So buy it if you can... I do plan on getter the other expansions once I'm well through this story line.

Can Be as Much as You Make it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

When Guild Wars first came out, my husband and I debated if we should get it. After all, it sounded like World of Warcraft or Everquest, and we weren't all that interested in some of the aspects of those games-- the fact that Guild Wars does not have a per-month fee to play ultimately let us decide to try it out. And we are glad we did.

While Guild Wars has much of its attention on PvP (Player vs. Player) or GvG (Guild vs Guild-- a guild being people who belong to a group, and have a customized cape, a special place like headquarters that they can defend, and other such things) my husband and I enjoy the PvE (Player vs Event) much more. There is a storyline that you can follow, with missions and quests to complete to get through the game. As of this writing, there are two sets of difficulties you can play in: Normal mode, which is what you need to be in when you go through the game the first time around; and Hard mode, which you can play once you complete the missions in normal.

Several friends (who play WoW or EQ) have bemoaned the fact that once you leave towns/outposts/cities, you are essentially on your own unless you have joined a temporary group (or you take the NPC henchmen who may or may not be of help), as well as the fact that GW limits your character level to 20. While the level cap is somewhat irritating (especially late in the game when you run into monsters/bad guys who are levels above you), you still gain skill points that you can then use to get more skills and increase the range of your character's usefulness. And call me anti-social, but sometimes I like being able to just go and do my own thing, or just have my husband along with the NPCs.

You have a choice of six core classes as your primary class, and you can pick out a different class as your secondary. There is a nice mix of fighter types, and spell casters. Later on in the game, if you feel like you need to change, you will have an opportunity by performing a special quest. Your armor and weapons usually will be directly related to your primary class, but you can customize it (including colors). If crafting isn't your style, there are collectors in the explorable areas that will offer armor and weapons for various items that the monsters drop (but do keep in mind that the crafted items are usually much better).

One of the nice things about Guild Wars is that the programmers do make updates and have special events for the players. Yes, some of the skills get screwed up for certain characters. But for a game that isn't earning a constant per-month subscription fee, it's impressive that NCsoft will continue to tweak and attempt to keep the players engaged.

Really, the worst part of the game for me is that-- like most aspects of life-- there are people who aren't the most mature in the world. Thankfully NCsoft includes a feature that lets you ignore their text, and if they mess up completing a mission, at least you can do it over again with no penalty to you except time lost. But from my EQ and WoW friends, this happens to them too so I won't say it's completely a Guild Wars problem.

I have a lot of fun and satisfaction in playing Guild Wars, and I would recommend anyone who likes RP games to at least give it a try. And who knows? Maybe I'll help you out in a mission or three!

Guild Wars review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game has a great story line for those interested in only playing PvE (Player vs. Environment) and adds a great element of strategy instead of having 50 buttons plastered all over the screen for your skills. It also does away with most of the farming found in other games. There is some, but it isn't nearly as painful. The multiplayer aspect is fantastic too, especially if you find a good group to play with. Of course, PUGs are always a problem, but if you like a challenge, they're always there for you ;)

Player vs player and teamplay is strategic and balanced and makes for a great time.

Online battle-fantasy game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

No monthly fees! Just buy the game and you're good to go. Walking around the town areas and chatting with people makes you aware that you're not alone in this game. You'll see characters in "pre-searing" Ascalon City walking around and dancing. It's kind of like playing The Sims, only each person(besides the NPC's) is under the control live from a real person. There isn't too much division between new and experienced gamers. The level cap is at 20 and after that you can continue earning skill points.

There are some things about the game that irked me a little bit. But I didn't count them against the game or lower my rating for certain reasons:

~There's the idea collecting gold to buy items. Some people may not like this because it just feels like managing money in real life. Kind of makes it feel like work for some people. Puts the feeling of spending vs. saving up in the game. But I didn't count this against the game because some people actually like this. Plus it adds some realism to the game, especially when buying, trading, and selling items to and from other gamers online.

~When walking through various environments, some objects such as trees and statues are absolutely gigantic compared to the size of the characters. Sometimes you'll walk by a simple plant with very few leaves that are taller than your character. But, it may have to be like this to make the rendering or whatever more managable. I'm sure if the trees were more realistically sized compared to the characters, the layout would look more like a flat viewed Sims. So I'm sure there are reasons why things like this are they way they are.

~This is a fantasy game. But it's also battle/fighting oriented with various weapons, armor, skills, spells, items, etc. As a fantasy fan, I always look for the fantasy enjoyment in things like this game. Sometimes it feels like I'm reading a fairy tale. But usually it's battle/fight oriented. And some people are into that so I couldn't count it against this game.

When you start playing this game, be aware of how many hours you plug away on it. It can be addicting so keep a control on yourself. And if you come across any Black Dyes or Rubies in the game, keep them! Don't let anyone rip you off by offering an amount of gold that's lower than those items are worth.

perfect game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is perfect fopr those of us that don't have all day to play.It is easy to learn, graphics are great and it is also a lot of fun. You can just pick up and play for 20 min, or two hrs. still playing this game twoyrs later and loving it.

Don't be fooled because it's "free" online play

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Guild Wars is giving me truly one of the best online gaming experiences I've ever had. Not only is it a quality game, it also has no monthly fee, which is always a given bonus. Don't let that fool you into thinking the game is shallow or has sub-par content however; this game has definitely exceeded expectations.

This game is skill based. Basically, if you've played any MMORPG before this one, you will know what I mean when I say that they're typically less focused on actual skill during combat. Certainly there is always some, but Guild Wars puts all the focus on skill. The 'difficult' parts of most MMOs are the grinding sessions when gaining levels, getting better equipment (which usually involves rather grinding or 'crafting', both of which are usually obscenely boring and time-consuming), or just waiting around for a PUG (Pick Up Group) to complete necessary missions or quests to advance your character in ranks and/or ability. Guild Wars tries to satisfy everyone's MMO woes by making an online experience as painless as possible.

1. AI allies called henchmen and/or heroes can accompany your travels instead of actual people when you do not have the patience to create your own party. This greatly eliminates downtime waiting to fill up a whole group for a mission or just traveling around on the world map. Many people choose to do quests alone. Every mission can be completed with a mix of both, or an entire AI party in many cases (although AI will often be inferior to skilled allies with actual brains).

2. Your world map is INSTANCED to you and your party members. To those who don't know what that means, basically the world map is you or your party's world to explore without worrying about bumping into anyone who may steal a 'claim' from you (rare spawned monsters in other MMOs that drop expensive items do not exist in this game. Their replacement? Extremely challenging quests that require skill to complete instead of sitting around for hours waiting for something to 'pop'). Towns and outposts are not instanced and you can meet people there.

3. Best rated armor and weapons is moderately affordable to everyone. The really expensive stuff still exists but the superiority is minimal. A lot of people find these extremely expensive armor and weapons appealing because they are aesthetically pleasing. The coolest, baddest armor will require those who enjoy that sort of status motivation to get it.

4. Battles are intense, and based off of skill. You can equip up to 8 skills at once and modify attributes scores in towns and outposts. You can gain up to roughly 300 unique skills for your profession (Elementalist, Warrior, etc) and there are 10 professions in all the campaigns combined. Because of this there is a great amount of strategy put into setting up your 'build', and in fact there are thousands of builds that people are discovering.. all are clever skill and ability point set-ups with strengths and weaknesses.

4. The level cap in this game is 20, and is fairly easy to achieve nearly halfway through the game (in the other campaigns outside of Prophecies most of the game is actually done at max level once you get off the beginner stages)! This is because the aquisition of skills throughout the game and the focus on skill and applying it to a variety of situations is the true challenge of Guild Wars.

5. This skill-based approach is exactly what makes Guild Wars PvP so much fun, and so incredibly complex. Setting up builds for up to a team of 8 players which complement each other well (some cases in alliance with other groups of 8 with a total of 32 people fighting each other) is extremely complex and fun. It wouldn't be far fetched to say Guild Wars has some of the best PvP ever. If you are into that thing, then the Factions campaign is perfect for you.

So there you have it. There is no grinding EVER necessary, the PvP is the best out there, the graphics are very beautiful (better than WoW's graphics IMO), it's skill based, and there is no monthly fee!

This means that you could play this game, and even if you got tired of it and put it down for a while, you could always come back to it. You could easily afford to play this game along with another completely different MMO and there would be no conflicts; not playing this game does not mean wasting a monthly fee, because there is none.

Lastly, the game is pretty cheap to buy so why not? Just make sure to NEVER buy it used! There is a non-replaceable CD-key that is basically the game itself. If it is 'used', the game is unplayable.

An engrossing MMPORPG? No subscription fee?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

...Are you kidding me?!

Apparently not.

Now, I'm a sucker for PC RPGs as I've been a fan of the genre since the days of "Bard's Tale" (boy does that date me), so I've seen my share of the spectacular as well as the mediocre when it comes to storylines. While the story in Guild Wars: Prophecies, the first offering in the Guild Wars line, isn't going to win any awards, the pacing is great and I was kept genuinely interested as I rushed to get my character strong enough to advance the plotline.

Speaking of advancing the character, Guild Wars has a very low level-cap (Level 20) which helps in eliminating the "Level 60 Overlords" that dominate in many other Online RPGs, thereby making the playing field a tad more level. The low level cap also allows players to experiment with and max out different character builds, thereby significantly increasing replayability value in my opinion. Your character also levels quite quickly, nearly eliminating what is often the most tedious (read: boring) part of RPG'ing: The Grind. You won't have to spend hours fighting hordes of monsters just to garner a few extra skill points.

Guild Wars also has an extremely active online community and the administrators are always coming up with weekend event specials to spice gameplay up. Also, certain areas of the game are only accessible when your country has "favor of the gods" status, gained by winning battles against factions/players from other countries, so there are always a lot of heated battles occurring.

While the gameplay mechanics and storyline may not be quite as polished as World of Warcraft, one needs to be reminded that you get what you pay for.

..And what do you pay again? Oh that's right, nothing.

...and for not paying any kind of subscription fee to enjoy this deep of a game, it's a ridiculous bargain that'll please newcomers and veterans alike.

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