Gameplay:
Since its first conception, World of Warcraft has taken on many changes and the new expansion Wrath of the Lich King takes the game to a whole new level. With the addition of a beautiful new continent laden with dozens of new areas to explore, a new level cap and brand new PvE and PvP content, the game is a milestone. The core gameplay of World of Warcraft has gone unchanged, but with the new hero class, Death Knight, and many new talents and abilities for all classes, the game is a new experience. For PvE fans, the new leveling content is jam-packed with content and there are more regions than are needed to get to the new level cap. The new dungeons are a lot more welcoming than before with the recent change in direction by Blizzard to make the game easier for new players. Also, with the addition of the Inscription profession and siege vehicles, Wrath of the Lich King is quite an impressive feat in the MMORPG community.
On the other hand the PvP experience has taken a dive for the worst. The PvP strategy has gone from survivability to burstability. Even with health exceeding 20,000 in some cases, most classes are dying within seconds or less. In arena, PvE gear is better than PvP gear for many classes and some classes are completely obsolete in competition. Solo play has been even more discouraged and now it’s a must to patrol around in groups when in Battlegrounds or doing world PvP. The addition of siege vehicles and the new Lake Wintergrasp are the only real plus and thankfully both are great additions. Lake Wintergrasp and the new battleground Strand of the Ancients both sport destructible walls and siege vehicles and make for great experiences, but the PvP imbalances plague the experience. With content constantly changing and class balancing always being looked at, these are a few things that can be disregarded and as a whole the content of World of Warcraft has definitely grown and the game simply can’t be matched by any other MMORPG on the market.
Controls:
World of Warcraft has been labeled the top of its genre for some years now, and a large reason for the game’s success is the fluid feel of the controls. To date, the control scheme for World of Warcraft has gone unmatched and many games have tried to replicate its design. By default the controls are bound to the simple WASD and mouse control movements but nearly every single motion and command can be changed to the user’s liking. Besides the inputs themselves, the way the game feels when commands are entered is not only instantaneous but just feels right. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich king has stuck with the natural design of the game and feels as grande as it always has.
Graphics:
World of Warcraft has been known for its artistic approach but over the years the graphics have fallen behind. Thankfully, Wrath of the Lich King has given the game a major makeover and with introduction of new shader and shadow effects has made the game as beautiful as ever. The real strength of the graphics is the fact that they can be tweaked low enough to run on an older computer, and high enough to give even the best computer a run for its money. Depending on your preference, the colorful and vibrant look of World of Warcraft will either be a huge turnoff or just another reason to play the game. In most cases, it’s the latter.
Sound:
When it comes to RPG’s, it is very important to be able to immerse the player into the environment and the audio plays a huge factor. Wrath of the Lich King has introduced many new sounds and music ranging from the terrific voice casting for NPC’s to the new Northrend soundtrack. Unfortunately the soundtrack can be quite bland and very repetitive at times. In terms of sound effects, only the new abilities released in the expansion accompany new sounds, and most of them reuse some of the old sound effects. All in all, the sound in most areas is rather disappointing but some dungeons and outdoor areas have marvelous atmospheric effects and music to accompany the beautiful scenery.
Replay Value:
It is nothing surprising to say that Wrath of the Lich King sports some of the most immense replay value of just about any online game ever made. The addition of several 5-man dungeons ranging from level 70-80, the raised level cap and the constant patches has made this one of the most spectacular games ever created. The new leveling experience can be quite tedious due to its length, but the content itself justifies the time to any RPG fan. Unfortunately, even with the addition of Lake Wintergrasp and new arena maps, the PvP is as bad as ever with rampant unbalancing of classes and the fact that PvE gear triumphs most of the PvP in many cases. However, for the price tag of 40$ and the 15$ monthly fee, this can be the game you get that makes you forget about all of the great titles coming out this year and is about as good as it gets when you have time to kill.
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Rating:
Story: 8.0
Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 9.5
Controls: 10.0
Sound: 8.0
Replay Value: 9.5
Overall: 9.2
Own, Rent, Avoid:
Own: If you love RPG’s and can muster up the courage to level from 1-80, this expansion is probably one of the most engrossing and satisfying online experiences you will ever have.
Last Thoughts:
Wrath of the Lich king has officially made it even harder for any other MMORPG developer to possibly get its foot in the door. With the wide-array of content and the introduction of so many new experiences, Wrath is a testament to how how far gaming has come.
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Written By
Jonathan Leack
1/31/2009
