Product Description

You don't have to spend countless hours on a leveling treadmill to get to the interesting parts of the game, because combat is designed to be strategically interesting and challenging right from the beginning. You don't have to spend hours running around the world to prepare for a quest, because Guild Wars allows you to instantly travel to the beginning of any quest that you've previously unlocked. You'll never spend days playing only to discover that choices you made early on have left you with ... Read more

Features

• Built for Competition - After learning the game and building up your first character, you may choose to test your skills in head-to-head competition or guild warfare. The game is designed to reward player skill and teamwork, not time spent playing, so you won't need to spend hundreds of hours leveling up your character to compete.
• The game includes integrated support for guilds, with guild banners and halls, chat rooms and forums. Guilds can challenge other guilds to battle, compete for control of key parts of the world, and be ranked on a worldwide ladder.
• Unique Streaming Technology - ArenaNet's unique streaming technology forever eliminates the concept of patching a game. You don't have to wait a month for the next big patch to experience new content. Instead, the game constantly and intelligently streams new content to your computer in the background while you play. The world can change continually. This allows us to build a much more dynamic game world than any thathas existed before.

Reviews (53)

Guild wars got it RIGHT
My experience with mmorpg's include DAOC, SWG, PS, EQ II and WOW...yes I am a geek. Guild wars got it right

MISSIONS & TRAVELING:
There are missions to do if you choose to, missions basically lead a player from one town to another. The missions use waypoints to make it easy. You can choose to group with henchmen (AI) or other players. It does not take long to form groups, longest I have waited is 3 minutes (no kidding). Traveling from city to city that you have been to is as easy as opening up the map and clicking (no more time sinks).

LOOT:
Loot drops are automatically assigned to each player of a group. There are 3 different types of quality loot: white (least rarest), blue, purple, yellow (most rarest). I am level 15/20 and I have only seen yellow loot drop twice, super sweet stuff. I love searching for loot drops fun :)

PVP:
2 types of pvp arena and capture the flag. Capture the flag is played in groups of 8, 6 teams and is for the level 20s. If you don't want to level a character, just make a level 20, the game allows you to do this to play capture the flag only. U.S, Europe and Korea compete in capture the flag and the winners are announced in system messages. Arena is AWESOME. No need to find a group, just click join and you are randomly grouped with others for a 4-on-4 battle, fun because it is so balanced. Skill is the only thing that matters, did I say super balanced :) I often find myself in 2 hour sessions saying just one more battle and you get experience.

EXTRA:
There is NO monthly fee. The load times of this game are fastest I have ever seen, 1 sec for me. No more time sinks. I should have bought this a long time ago. If your going to buy 1 game for rest of 2005, it should be guild wars.

Game is not for All MMO players
this game is a good game but its not for all MMO playersits mainly for those that get board easily hehe who are low income and also for those that whine about kill steals

I like this game as it is set to where you can do most things solo at a early lvl and later on when you are established in a guild you can play for the higher lvls or just look around for a group granted there is some that rush through and some that dont know what they are doing there are always people like this in games but it is rewarding when you find a group that knows what to do and dont leave anyone behind if possible

i have a lvl 10 elementalist ranger at the moment and i have solowed for the most part with myself or 1 person in game or npc groupof 3 others with myselfthe group max is 4 now i believe i havent done any pvp yet but from the reviews ive read i doubpt i want to there are some invisable walls but you arnt lead down a path all the time you can cut crossed country in alot of areas

Economy is like all other games can be high in areas as people are greedy most of the stuff is found and sold on a auction channel of sorts but most basic thigns are bough from npc's

the avatars in my opinion as a female very beautiful atleast the elementalist but yes as in all games you have scruffy looking fellows too

The bottom line here is what one man's or woman's opinion of a game is not always the opinion you would give a game my advice is try it if ya dont like it sell it used or something like that or see if there is a trial or spend all your time reserching it and let somone else dictate rather you will or wont like a game you will never know till you play it for yourself.

Julie

Beware: MMO-Lite..All that glitter is not Gold
I frankly just burned my $50 bucks with this game. This game is Bad with a Capital 'B'. There is something seriously missing from this game(if you are a Star Wars fan..'the force is unusally weak with this one'). I find it hard to fanthom how so many people are claiming this game to be the next best thing since sliced bread. Trust me its not.
This game doesn't feel like an mmo its mostly a persistent single player online game. One of the main attraction of an mmo is to be able to see other people running around in a persistent world. You can wave them, help them out, have a chit-chat or maybe even duke it out if they are hostile to you. There is no such aspect to this game. Every mission is 'instanced'; its just you or your guild or AI henchman(AI lacks and they feel like 'npc's too). You dont get to see anyone else.
They are invisible walls in this game everywhere. Unlike many other mmo's you just can't walk over to where you please like in a real persistent world. Instead you are forced to follow and play along a path chosen for you. For e.g...you are going on the road and there is a nice water-fall you see some distance away. So you decide to walk down the hill and check it out. Surprise...there is a invisible wall blocking your way. You have to stay on the road..it was all just a illusion or some cosmetic matte painting. This cuts down the real virtual world factor right there and than. Your only chance of seeing a group of people is in the cities and the way the game is setup you wont be spending much time in cities anyway.The city further lack the community feeling with no inns, housing or gathering places everyone just stands in the middle of the town.
As far as rpg element is concerned, the classes and their powers are poorly setup. Only 8 of your skills can be used at any time. I want to be able to use more than 8 skills sometimes. Combining two clases is a good idea but the 8 skills limitation further cuts down the charm of this aspect.
There is no player run economy as to speak...you sell stuff to npc's ho hum. Player run economy is an absolute must in my view for an mmo to get some sense of realism.
PVP is where this game really falls apart. This mmo strong point was its 'pvp aspect'; however this is where it fails the most. Instead of providing a real war like feeling that is so well done in 'World of warcraft' this game throws you in team based instanced arenas. Just imagine playing a online fps like 'Unreal tournament' or 'Counter-strike' with fantasty characters as well as weapons and you will get the complete picture. Dont expect to be the ubber champ if you haven't first played the pve aspect of the game lvl 20 + and unlocked specials skills. Because you get the standard Lvl 20 template for those classes if you decide to just go pvp but not the special skills that you can unlock if you had tried the pve aspect first. Some of those pve learned special skills are clearly superior to the standard pvp template and players already know this aspect and have learned to exploit it. So it means that whether you want to do pve or not you will have to if you want to be really good in pvp and reaching to lvl 20 is still a time-intensive pve grind. Now i come to my biggest complaint when it comes to pvp. So many people are touting strategy and true skill-based pvp in this game. Well the truth is far from it. Unless you have established guild with people you know you will be thrown into random 4 man teams with each player specilizing in certain skills like 1 is ranger, 1 is tank etc.. You are forced to group to pvp whether you like it or not, forget about any sniper or solo support role. Not to my surprise this random team of unknown people falls apart rather quickly. Most of the teams i have played in like to just rush in or charge without any ryhme or reason and resulting mayhem causes utter confusion with the victor being a warior or someone who can mash buttons the fastest. Or everyone just go into different directions once they get into arena and you are pretty much on your own and good luck here if you a pure ranger. There is no strategy atall that i have seen any team discuss or even apply so far. Another huge pitfall is those invisible walls blocking you from striking at the opposing player. If say you are on a hill and you see the opposing players down below. Well you think that you have a strategic advantage here dont you escpecially if you are a full fledge Ranger/elementalist. Surprise...you just cant attack them in most cases because of those invisible cost-cutting walls and have to run down the long winding preset path to get them and in the meantime giving your position away. So forget about launching a surprise attack on anyone in most cases which is one of the major forte of true pvp. You will see many more pitfalls especially the feeling that there is no real war going on in this game. There is really no gain or charm from pvp except just for the thrill of doing pvp. You character dont gain anything. PVP should be a integral part of the game rpg aspect not some side wrestling match.
Last but not least, the character creation is worst of any recent mmo's I have played so far. Some of characters look like misfits out of a bad Gothic heavy metal group...just have a look at the game 'Necromancer'. Others look like drag queens(sorry not to offend anyone its just a quip). Ontop of it you just have few templates and cosmetic choices to apply. As a result most people end up looking much the same with a real bad wadrobe case. And dont get me started at the Warior template. Supposedly the warrior is the start all and end all class. What we get is an over-weight and bald extra reject from the Gladiator movie.
This is the end of my rant. If you look at my other reviews I give credit where its due and discredit where it is also due. This game is far from what some people are making it to be. There is a reason this game is not charging you a monthly fee and it shows. Read all the reviews and make a educated guess its just that there are far better 'real mmo's' out there too. Dont let fanboy's or overly exicited people mislead you. This game tries to do a lot of things all at the same time while cutting costs but in the end ends up doing nothing well. No-monthly fee here is a double-edged sword here. I for one will throw this game into my garbage can and they can forget me ever getting buying their other expansions. I got suckered once because of all hoop laa that surrounds this game...but no more.

Some aspects are very good, others need some work.
The first thing that should be stated forthright about this game is that it shouldn't be classified as a massive multiplayer online (MMO) game.Much of the game takes place in private zones that approximately 8 people can access at a single time.There are towns and outposts that can harbor many more players, but these are merely gathering areas to form groups for your private instanced area; the vast majority of this game takes place in very small groups that do not interact with anybody else.In nearly all other MMO games, you're interacting with a large number of people all the time.I suppose there are perks to having your own private area to share with a few other people, but I found much of the playable areas depressingly lonely since there is little, if any player-player interaction.

The game is divided up into two spheres: Player-Versus-Environment, and Player-Versus-Player, with specialized characters devoted to each.Player-versus-environment characters can explore the world AND engage in player-versus-player combat, but player-versus-player characters are restricted to just that: player-versus-player combat.As you progress through the main storyline and other side-quests with your player-versus-environment characters, the skills and items that you discover will be unlocked for any future player-versus-player character you create.If you haven't unlocked any items and skills and would still like to enjoy player-versus-player combat right off the bat, the game comes with several pre-made characters you can use solely for player-versus-player combat.There are six classes of players: warriors, rangers, monks, mesmers, necromancers, and elementalists.Each character has a primary profession and a secondary profession, allowing for interesting combinations of characters such as a player that is primarily a necromancer, but can swing a sword almost as good as a warrior.Some skill combinations don't really work too well, but the fact that there are a potential of 30 different classes combinations is pretty refreshing.In addition, even if you're the same primary and secondary profession as another character, you most likely have a different set of skills, of which you're only allowed to have 8 equipped at one time).This also aids in helping your character feel truly unique.

The main storyline is very good, and I enjoyed progressing through each quest as more of the main story was revealed.When you play through the main storyline, your character and whoever you're partnering up with, be it other human players or computer controlled "bots", are the focus of the quest, and your actions in the storyline make it seem like you're actually doing super-human deeds instead of some trivial task like delivering a package.It is your character that saves entire cities from certain doom, it is your character that holds off armies of undead as they march towards your location; nothing you do is trivial.

But once the main storyline is over, all you're left with is player-versus-player combat, which I personally did not enjoy.There are many strong strategies that people have already figured out for player-versus-player combat, so some battles are more luck than skill.Whenever I played in the player-versus-player arenas, I got the feeling that I was just playing some glorified first person shooter like Unreal Tournament, but with swords and spells.You can go back and try to unlock more items and spells, but this gets very boring and tedious quickly.I tried to play through the main storyline with a different type of character, but didn't find it as enjoyable or engaging as the first run through.

However the main thing makes this game unbearable isn't so much the game mechanics as it is the people who play Guild Wars.There is no community, and you will never see the same person more than one time.Also, in a game that requires a lot of team play and coordination, there is an overabundance of people who simply don't care for tactics and are bound to get your character killed with their carelessness.

The best part of Guild Wars is the fact that there is no monthly fee, and the steaming content that updates as you play.I'm sure ArenaNet will be able to do some interesting things with their streaming content system, but there really wasn't enough substance in the game to keep me hooked for long after I finished the main quest.The player-versus-player combat did not appeal to me, however if you believe that you'll like it, you'll most likely enjoy Guild Wars.If you're going to try this game, I strongly recommend you do so with a group of people that you already know, as there is no player community to speak of.

Better than any MMO EVER!
I've played almost every mmo out there and this game is definately a step above. I thought since there was no monthly fee that there would be a huge lack of content but boy was I wrong!!! I have played it since release and there is so much to do and so many styles of play that I feel I will never grow tired of it. I've cancelled all my monthly fee games to play this one and I haven't regreted it since! ... Read more

Features

• Increase rank and unlock awards; voice-over IP (VOIP) supported
• War simulation, online multiplayer action with 64 players on the PC
• Battle as U.S., Chinese, or Middle East Coalition troops
• 30+ land, sea, and air vehicles; choose from a variety of solider classes
• New state-of-the-art weapon systems, including heat seeking missiles

Features

• Increase rank and unlock awards; voice-over IP (VOIP) supported
• War simulation, online multiplayer action with 64 players on the PC
• Battle as U.S., Chinese, or Middle East Coalition troops
• 30+ land, sea, and air vehicles; choose from a variety of solider classes
• New state-of-the-art weapon systems, including heat seeking missiles

Product Description

Join a New Generation of Online Role-Playing! Guild Wars takes the best elements of today's massively multiplayer online games and combines them with a new mission-based design that eliminates the tedium of those games. You can meet new friends in towns or outposts, form a party, and then go tackle a quest together. Your party always has its own unique copy of the quest map, so camping, kill-stealing, and long lines to complete quests are all things of the past. Within a quest you have unprecede ... Read more

Features

• Competitive online role-playing game with head-to-head guild battles
• Explore fantasy world while pursuing professions and acquiring skills
• Open battlegrounds where victory determined by skill and teamwork
• Fully integrated support for guilds; streaming technology
• Cooperative group combat; single player missions

Reviews (53)

Guild wars got it RIGHT
My experience with mmorpg's include DAOC, SWG, PS, EQ II and WOW...yes I am a geek. Guild wars got it right

MISSIONS & TRAVELING:
There are missions to do if you choose to, missions basically lead a player from one town to another. The missions use waypoints to make it easy. You can choose to group with henchmen (AI) or other players. It does not take long to form groups, longest I have waited is 3 minutes (no kidding). Traveling from city to city that you have been to is as easy as opening up the map and clicking (no more time sinks).

LOOT:
Loot drops are automatically assigned to each player of a group. There are 3 different types of quality loot: white (least rarest), blue, purple, yellow (most rarest). I am level 15/20 and I have only seen yellow loot drop twice, super sweet stuff. I love searching for loot drops fun :)

PVP:
2 types of pvp arena and capture the flag. Capture the flag is played in groups of 8, 6 teams and is for the level 20s. If you don't want to level a character, just make a level 20, the game allows you to do this to play capture the flag only. U.S, Europe and Korea compete in capture the flag and the winners are announced in system messages. Arena is AWESOME. No need to find a group, just click join and you are randomly grouped with others for a 4-on-4 battle, fun because it is so balanced. Skill is the only thing that matters, did I say super balanced :) I often find myself in 2 hour sessions saying just one more battle and you get experience.

EXTRA:
There is NO monthly fee. The load times of this game are fastest I have ever seen, 1 sec for me. No more time sinks. I should have bought this a long time ago. If your going to buy 1 game for rest of 2005, it should be guild wars.

Game is not for All MMO players
this game is a good game but its not for all MMO playersits mainly for those that get board easily hehe who are low income and also for those that whine about kill steals

I like this game as it is set to where you can do most things solo at a early lvl and later on when you are established in a guild you can play for the higher lvls or just look around for a group granted there is some that rush through and some that dont know what they are doing there are always people like this in games but it is rewarding when you find a group that knows what to do and dont leave anyone behind if possible

i have a lvl 10 elementalist ranger at the moment and i have solowed for the most part with myself or 1 person in game or npc groupof 3 others with myselfthe group max is 4 now i believe i havent done any pvp yet but from the reviews ive read i doubpt i want to there are some invisable walls but you arnt lead down a path all the time you can cut crossed country in alot of areas

Economy is like all other games can be high in areas as people are greedy most of the stuff is found and sold on a auction channel of sorts but most basic thigns are bough from npc's

the avatars in my opinion as a female very beautiful atleast the elementalist but yes as in all games you have scruffy looking fellows too

The bottom line here is what one man's or woman's opinion of a game is not always the opinion you would give a game my advice is try it if ya dont like it sell it used or something like that or see if there is a trial or spend all your time reserching it and let somone else dictate rather you will or wont like a game you will never know till you play it for yourself.

Julie

Beware: MMO-Lite..All that glitter is not Gold
I frankly just burned my $50 bucks with this game. This game is Bad with a Capital 'B'. There is something seriously missing from this game(if you are a Star Wars fan..'the force is unusally weak with this one'). I find it hard to fanthom how so many people are claiming this game to be the next best thing since sliced bread. Trust me its not.
This game doesn't feel like an mmo its mostly a persistent single player online game. One of the main attraction of an mmo is to be able to see other people running around in a persistent world. You can wave them, help them out, have a chit-chat or maybe even duke it out if they are hostile to you. There is no such aspect to this game. Every mission is 'instanced'; its just you or your guild or AI henchman(AI lacks and they feel like 'npc's too). You dont get to see anyone else.
They are invisible walls in this game everywhere. Unlike many other mmo's you just can't walk over to where you please like in a real persistent world. Instead you are forced to follow and play along a path chosen for you. For e.g...you are going on the road and there is a nice water-fall you see some distance away. So you decide to walk down the hill and check it out. Surprise...there is a invisible wall blocking your way. You have to stay on the road..it was all just a illusion or some cosmetic matte painting. This cuts down the real virtual world factor right there and than. Your only chance of seeing a group of people is in the cities and the way the game is setup you wont be spending much time in cities anyway.The city further lack the community feeling with no inns, housing or gathering places everyone just stands in the middle of the town.
As far as rpg element is concerned, the classes and their powers are poorly setup. Only 8 of your skills can be used at any time. I want to be able to use more than 8 skills sometimes. Combining two clases is a good idea but the 8 skills limitation further cuts down the charm of this aspect.
There is no player run economy as to speak...you sell stuff to npc's ho hum. Player run economy is an absolute must in my view for an mmo to get some sense of realism.
PVP is where this game really falls apart. This mmo strong point was its 'pvp aspect'; however this is where it fails the most. Instead of providing a real war like feeling that is so well done in 'World of warcraft' this game throws you in team based instanced arenas. Just imagine playing a online fps like 'Unreal tournament' or 'Counter-strike' with fantasty characters as well as weapons and you will get the complete picture. Dont expect to be the ubber champ if you haven't first played the pve aspect of the game lvl 20 + and unlocked specials skills. Because you get the standard Lvl 20 template for those classes if you decide to just go pvp but not the special skills that you can unlock if you had tried the pve aspect first. Some of those pve learned special skills are clearly superior to the standard pvp template and players already know this aspect and have learned to exploit it. So it means that whether you want to do pve or not you will have to if you want to be really good in pvp and reaching to lvl 20 is still a time-intensive pve grind. Now i come to my biggest complaint when it comes to pvp. So many people are touting strategy and true skill-based pvp in this game. Well the truth is far from it. Unless you have established guild with people you know you will be thrown into random 4 man teams with each player specilizing in certain skills like 1 is ranger, 1 is tank etc.. You are forced to group to pvp whether you like it or not, forget about any sniper or solo support role. Not to my surprise this random team of unknown people falls apart rather quickly. Most of the teams i have played in like to just rush in or charge without any ryhme or reason and resulting mayhem causes utter confusion with the victor being a warior or someone who can mash buttons the fastest. Or everyone just go into different directions once they get into arena and you are pretty much on your own and good luck here if you a pure ranger. There is no strategy atall that i have seen any team discuss or even apply so far. Another huge pitfall is those invisible walls blocking you from striking at the opposing player. If say you are on a hill and you see the opposing players down below. Well you think that you have a strategic advantage here dont you escpecially if you are a full fledge Ranger/elementalist. Surprise...you just cant attack them in most cases because of those invisible cost-cutting walls and have to run down the long winding preset path to get them and in the meantime giving your position away. So forget about launching a surprise attack on anyone in most cases which is one of the major forte of true pvp. You will see many more pitfalls especially the feeling that there is no real war going on in this game. There is really no gain or charm from pvp except just for the thrill of doing pvp. You character dont gain anything. PVP should be a integral part of the game rpg aspect not some side wrestling match.
Last but not least, the character creation is worst of any recent mmo's I have played so far. Some of characters look like misfits out of a bad Gothic heavy metal group...just have a look at the game 'Necromancer'. Others look like drag queens(sorry not to offend anyone its just a quip). Ontop of it you just have few templates and cosmetic choices to apply. As a result most people end up looking much the same with a real bad wadrobe case. And dont get me started at the Warior template. Supposedly the warrior is the start all and end all class. What we get is an over-weight and bald extra reject from the Gladiator movie.
This is the end of my rant. If you look at my other reviews I give credit where its due and discredit where it is also due. This game is far from what some people are making it to be. There is a reason this game is not charging you a monthly fee and it shows. Read all the reviews and make a educated guess its just that there are far better 'real mmo's' out there too. Dont let fanboy's or overly exicited people mislead you. This game tries to do a lot of things all at the same time while cutting costs but in the end ends up doing nothing well. No-monthly fee here is a double-edged sword here. I for one will throw this game into my garbage can and they can forget me ever getting buying their other expansions. I got suckered once because of all hoop laa that surrounds this game...but no more.

Some aspects are very good, others need some work.
The first thing that should be stated forthright about this game is that it shouldn't be classified as a massive multiplayer online (MMO) game.Much of the game takes place in private zones that approximately 8 people can access at a single time.There are towns and outposts that can harbor many more players, but these are merely gathering areas to form groups for your private instanced area; the vast majority of this game takes place in very small groups that do not interact with anybody else.In nearly all other MMO games, you're interacting with a large number of people all the time.I suppose there are perks to having your own private area to share with a few other people, but I found much of the playable areas depressingly lonely since there is little, if any player-player interaction.

The game is divided up into two spheres: Player-Versus-Environment, and Player-Versus-Player, with specialized characters devoted to each.Player-versus-environment characters can explore the world AND engage in player-versus-player combat, but player-versus-player characters are restricted to just that: player-versus-player combat.As you progress through the main storyline and other side-quests with your player-versus-environment characters, the skills and items that you discover will be unlocked for any future player-versus-player character you create.If you haven't unlocked any items and skills and would still like to enjoy player-versus-player combat right off the bat, the game comes with several pre-made characters you can use solely for player-versus-player combat.There are six classes of players: warriors, rangers, monks, mesmers, necromancers, and elementalists.Each character has a primary profession and a secondary profession, allowing for interesting combinations of characters such as a player that is primarily a necromancer, but can swing a sword almost as good as a warrior.Some skill combinations don't really work too well, but the fact that there are a potential of 30 different classes combinations is pretty refreshing.In addition, even if you're the same primary and secondary profession as another character, you most likely have a different set of skills, of which you're only allowed to have 8 equipped at one time).This also aids in helping your character feel truly unique.

The main storyline is very good, and I enjoyed progressing through each quest as more of the main story was revealed.When you play through the main storyline, your character and whoever you're partnering up with, be it other human players or computer controlled "bots", are the focus of the quest, and your actions in the storyline make it seem like you're actually doing super-human deeds instead of some trivial task like delivering a package.It is your character that saves entire cities from certain doom, it is your character that holds off armies of undead as they march towards your location; nothing you do is trivial.

But once the main storyline is over, all you're left with is player-versus-player combat, which I personally did not enjoy.There are many strong strategies that people have already figured out for player-versus-player combat, so some battles are more luck than skill.Whenever I played in the player-versus-player arenas, I got the feeling that I was just playing some glorified first person shooter like Unreal Tournament, but with swords and spells.You can go back and try to unlock more items and spells, but this gets very boring and tedious quickly.I tried to play through the main storyline with a different type of character, but didn't find it as enjoyable or engaging as the first run through.

However the main thing makes this game unbearable isn't so much the game mechanics as it is the people who play Guild Wars.There is no community, and you will never see the same person more than one time.Also, in a game that requires a lot of team play and coordination, there is an overabundance of people who simply don't care for tactics and are bound to get your character killed with their carelessness.

The best part of Guild Wars is the fact that there is no monthly fee, and the steaming content that updates as you play.I'm sure ArenaNet will be able to do some interesting things with their streaming content system, but there really wasn't enough substance in the game to keep me hooked for long after I finished the main quest.The player-versus-player combat did not appeal to me, however if you believe that you'll like it, you'll most likely enjoy Guild Wars.If you're going to try this game, I strongly recommend you do so with a group of people that you already know, as there is no player community to speak of.

Better than any MMO EVER!
I've played almost every mmo out there and this game is definately a step above. I thought since there was no monthly fee that there would be a huge lack of content but boy was I wrong!!! I have played it since release and there is so much to do and so many styles of play that I feel I will never grow tired of it. I've cancelled all my monthly fee games to play this one and I haven't regreted it since! ... Read more

Product Description

DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the terrifying, intense action of DOOM 3, the fastest selling 1st person PC shooter ever, with an all new storyline featuring new missions, characters and weapons, including the return of the id signature double-barreled shotgun.Supported Video Cards:ATI Radeon 8500 ATI Radeon 9700 ATI Radeon 9800 ATI Radeon 9500 ATI Radeon 9600 ATI Radeon 9000 All Nvidia GeForce 3/Ti series All Nvidia GeForce 4/MX series All Nvidia GeForce 4/Ti series All ... Read more

Features

• Single- and multi-player action for ages 17 or older
• Fight back against a demonic invasion of a Mars research facility
• First-person shooter game with real-time dynamic lighting and shadows
• Realistic physics; revolutionary new 3D graphics engine
• Cinema-quality visuals; surround sound; ever-changing environment

Reviews (13)

Not good.
What the hell are you guys talking about? This expansion is terrible. Firstly in the first game you were in a never-ending maze of pitch black corridors that all looked alike. Here, you are in a never-ending maze of pitch black caves that all look alike. But caves are even more boring than metallic corridors. I mean at least the Id guys had to use some textures in the first game. But the guys who did this must have said "I know, lets make it easy on ourselves and only use 1 texture - ReddishBrown to simulate Martian sandstone." Secondly, in the first game you were constantly hit with childish horror-house tactics, eg. you walk into a room, 2 nasties appear in front of you, then the door locks behind you, the lights go out so you can't see a thing and have to fire wildly into the dark, while at the same time you hear that corny "evil" laughter - hehehehehe. Well here, you get exactly the same thing. But for me the worst thing in this expansion is the way they have filled it with platform style "obstacle courses". I hate those. They only put those in games when they've run out of ideas of what to do next. And there are a lot of them in this. You know the idea, where you've got to run before a descending wall crushes you but it is perfectly timed (even with that slow-down-time thingy) so that it takes you 8 attempts before you get it right. Annoying. That kind of thing belongs in Tomb Raider, not Doom.

They learned a thing or two...
I was personally quite pleased with the first installment of Doom 3. Some low points existed, however, for me. Like the whole 'flashlight' gripe about the fact that this is the distant future and you can't even have a flashlight on your gun or helmet like they've done already so many years ago! That was just silly. And obstructive to game play as well. They addressed that here. Sort of an apology for such a ridiculous fumble. Next is the fact that while there was an assortment of 'baddies' in the first game, too many of the same-ones were thrown at you of a few sorts, while others were barely even used. This games addresses that as well. You get a nice array of new demons to kill while a few of the lesser used ones were re-introduced into this program. This program is a tad shorter than Doom 3 in my experience. But, that's O.K. with me. Too much of a good thing can go sour. You revisit a few of the locales from the first installment. But, not so many that it feels like exactly the same game. The extra weapon was nice. Familiar when compared to the weapon in Half-Life 2. But, executed very nicely. The ending was very weak. However, i personally believe that they are making room for another add-on in the near future. So, Valve did one-up the original in a lot of ways, but the fear factor is a little bit lost. As the sounds and environments feel similar to the first in an atmospheric way. So, if you've played the 'hell' out of the first, you get a 'been-there-done-that' kind of feeling when you spot another demon in the dark. But, this did have a few moments for me where i had to stop it for a short while. It can get intense.

Double-barreled Savior
I liked Doom3, maybe a little too dark, but my eyes adjusted.This expansion pack wasn't much of an expansion, way too short even for $20!Living in the boondocks and all it probably took me longer to drive to the store buy it, get home and install it than it took for me to beat it, that just blows in my book.I didn't mind the fact that it was pretty much the exact same game because I really did like D3.I find it entertaining running around and mindlessly blowing $hit up.The one part that really saved D3 ROE was the fact that they made up for ID's slip - no double-barreled shotgun!What the hell, it was a great step up in Doom 2 and that crappy version they made for N64, I thought it was a guarantee that we would have been able to use it for the newest addition to the Doom family, but no.I mean come on, it's become a staple in ID's games since Doom 2, why the change?Maybe I'm flippin' out too much about a fake shotgun, but I'm sometimes like an autistic child, I'm very easily amused and upset (I'm going to hell for that one).Bottom line if you are willing to pay $20 for another 5 hours of Doom 3 go for it, otherwise the changes aren't that significant where you won't be able to live your life if you miss it.On a side note, if anyone knows where I can get a mod to use the double-barreled shotgun for D3 e-mail me or post it here. (johnkleineider@northwesternmutual.com) No complaint e-mails about my autistic crack, thanks.

I call that Resurrection of Crap
So, they did manage to squezee out an expansion pack for the DOOM3. I just finished the game today and I have to say that I am utterly disappointed.
First of all, let's talk about the original doom3, with all the poor ratings from mags aside, my personaly experience is poor. There's no doubt that the graphic is surperier, however most times you wont' even get a glimps of the glory, the entire set is way too dark for a video game, at some places even with the "never dying" flashlight you still can't see your own fingers. The story line is pretty simple, no something you would expect from a newer generations of hardcore games, especially from veterian developers such as ID software. I think they focued way too much on the details on the graphics of the games instead of develop a well ploted classic, and may I remaid you that you can't see the nice graphics most of the time!!!
Second of all, the expansion pack. To start off with, I think the game really did finish last time with D3, oh crap, the bad escaped at the end. What's gonna happen? He's gonna come back and cause another Hell return. That's where the expansion pack start. Needless to say, the plot was dry and boring, (IT'S EVEN DARKER THAN THE FIRST ONE). So you go through all these elevators killing monsters mostly from the first one. with the addition of one common one that throws plasma lightbulb instead of fireball. WOW, what an improvement!!! GUNS?? usually the expansion pack come with many new and improved gears and toys to crunch your thirst for blood. The D3 ROE comes with a new "shotgun" that has double barrel and ... wait, that's it! yeh, sorry to disappoint yall, but that was it. Oh yeah... You can't just give us royal fans just one gun for the expansion pack right? Let's borrow an idea from another game HL2, the grabber, you can grab and throw back! How original! For people who hasn't played HL2 before, this might just work as ID's IDEA.
Last but certainly not least, the ending, I can't say too much about the ending, but i can tell you this much, I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT IS DONE when it's done. short and simple, no thinking or other mind twisting strategies, there's isn't even a goshdarn final clip. I mean come on, even the lamest movies have something blow up at the end. THINK ID! THINK!
Ok, i gave it 4 stars from graphics when you can see them, 0 for darkness 'cause what's the point of rating if you dont' know what you are looking at? 1 for storyline since there's really not much to it. and 0 or -1 for the ending. Man, I just can't believe i wasted time for this Resurrection of crap. (try it if you want, if you are really bored)

Resurrection of Blandness
During the writing of this review I'm experiencing the same creative block that the developers obviously experienced when upper management told them to squeeze an expansion out of their rectums. Unlike them, however, I will not resort to stealing random ideas from other games (mainly the grabber, ie the equivelant ofHalf-Life 2's gravity gun) and covering the mess with lots of eye candy and dim lighting. ... Read more

Product Description

The year is 2008.

Citywide blackouts ... stock exchange sabotageelectronic hijacking of national defense systems...this is information warfare.

To prevent these attacks, operatives must infiltrate deep into hostile territory and aggressively collect critical intelligence, closer than ever to enemy soldiers.

You are Sam Fisher, the NSA's most elite black-ops agent. To achieve your mission you will kill from close-range, attack with your combat knife, shoot with the prototype Land Warrior rifle, and use radical suppression techniques such as the inverted neck break. Also take on cooperative multiplayer infiltration missions, where teamwork is the ultimate weapon.

As the enemy evolves, so must you.

• DEADLY AGILITY: Incredibly complete and fluid variety of moves including athletic moves, stealth moves, stealth kills.
• REAL WEAPONS OF TOMORROW: The most complete arsenal of weapons and gadgets from the knife to the experimental Land Warrior System.
• AS GOOD AS REAL: Never see before graphics technology offers the best visuals ever seen on any console yet. Advanced physics engine allowing rag doll physics, particle effects and perfect interaction with the environment.
• ULTIMATE CHALLENGE: Intelligent A.I with personal attributes, natural behavior where NPCs are aware of there environment and remember past events.
• AMAZING REPLAYABILITY: Totally open level design with multipaths and optional secondary objectives.
• COOP STEALTH: Play multiplayer with a friends and coordinate your infiltration in an all new multiplayer challenge

Reviews (13)

A must have buy.
I have played all the Splinter Cell games now after being hooked in by the Pandorra Tomorrow Demo. Chaos theory is a little easier than the previous games though I have only tried it on the 'normal' difficulty. Presumably the higher difficulties will be the way to play this game if you any experience on the series. The 'Starforce' protection issue is something however that you will need to consider. It hasn't caused issues with either my CD-RW/DVD combo drive or my DVD-RW and I have cloned my DvD's without any issues. Nevertheless removing it could be a problem for you so you may want to think about this. Personally I find this better than Steam anyday. Half-Life was such a pain to get going and in the end a slightly better than mediocre game that I decided never to go with valve again. Chaos Theory however is the best game I have had on my system since Far Cry. Not sure why others are having troubles with performance. It runs fine on my PC at 1024x768 with a 2.8ghz P4, a ATI 9600 Extreme (AGP 8X) and 1GM dual channel RAM, running with 2x Anti-Aliasing and 4x Anistropic filtering. There is sufficent performance to run the game at this level and leave bittorrent running as well. If your system is similar then you shouldn't have any troubles. The game looks great. The only downside to using the ATI card is the game downgrades to 1.1 shaders. The nVidia card supports shaders 3.0 so it may look better but I haven't seen it run on nVidia. Either way it looks right up there with Far Cry and half-life 2 so I wouldn't worry either way if you have ATI. The mission format is the same as the previous game and although there has been an attempt to create multiple paths the game is still fairly linear.As I have mentioned the game on 'normal' does feel somewhat easier than previous versions however all in all this is a ripper title that you shouldn't miss if you found any joy in the previous incarnations.

too bad its third-person perspective
I only tried to play the demo. But I have to say right up front that the third-person perspective hurts this game. Having extensively played another stealth game called Thief, from the first-person perspective, I find the third-person perspective of Splinter Cell downright unacceptable. Perhaps the game maker will see the light and go first-person in the next game.

I also found that this game taxed my computer. I have a 2.6 GHz computer with a 128MB video card, but the game video was sticky even at 800x600 resolution. I think that if we could get rid of watching the player's character from the third-person perspective and instead use a first-person perspective, this might alleviate some of the video problem.

Improved gameplay, awesome gaming experience
For those who played the previous Splinter Cells, you don't want to miss #3, and for those who have never played any S.C., here's your chance to catch up.
The overall gameplay is improved, with more moves and more possiblities, and so are the graphics, which are just fantastic.
As a reference, I am playing this with a Nvidia 6600GT and 1GB of RAM, and it looks absolutely gorgeous while being perfectly fluid.
The only critic I would have so far is that, once again, the solo campaign is too short. It's so enjoyable that it's a shame it can't last (the new possible moves and choices, like breaking locks, contribute to that unfortunately).
Other than that, that's a classic, run for it, you won't be disappointed.

Great game... too bad
This is an otherwise excellent game that unfortunately uses the intrusive copy protection software known as Starforce.Normally I don't care a whit about copy protection, but Starforce installs itself as a hidden hardware driver and sits between your IDE / SATA hardware and the operating system.This causes all kinds of system glitches, crashes, slowdowns and on occasions requires a complete reinstall of Windows.Much of this comes from careless and poor programming - but the truth is, as long as the game is protected, the publishers don't care at all what happens to your system.This attitude makes little sense, really since it only takes about a month for the latest protection schemes to be broken anyway.

Oh, and as an added bonus, the Starforce garbage remains on your system even after you uninstall the game.And the Starforce folks won't tell you how to remove it.

Best in series, co-op can be buggy
After being disappointed by Pandora Tomorrow's thoroughly mediocre single player campaign, I was highly skeptical of this title. However, Chaos Theory is vastly improved over its predecessors in every way. The level design is much better, production values rival any game on any platform, and the co-op mode is a fantastic addition to the series - provided it actually works. If the co-op mode had a few more levels and hadn't been so terribly buggy, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory would have been the best PC game in years. As it stands, it is still one of the finest stealth/action games ever made, and every fan of the genre should own it.

The cornerstone of this game is still the single player campaign. The previous titles have featured strictly linear levels with small maps. Chaos Theory features much larger maps and a much larger degree of freedom. It also boasts a much higher degree of interactivity with the environment. The levels are still not open-ended by a long shot. They are best described as "semi-linear". Each level features a linear series of mini-challenges that usually have two or three solutions to them. You might be able to enter a room through the front door or by a vent that comes from a storage room, but you still end up in the same place. On average though, the design and flow of the levels is excellent. The game keeps you moving towards your objectives without ever making you feel like you are on rails. The best part about each level is the size. The levels are very large and typically last you an hour or more, depending upon your style of gameplay. The game's ten levels will probably take you between 10 and 15 hours to finish.

Each level also contains one or more optional objectives, and a scoring system that rates you based upon how many alarms you set off and how many objectives you accomplish. This system works much better than the "three alarms and you fail" or "one alarm and you fail" system of the previous games. It also gives you incentive to replay each mission until you achieve a perfect score.

In addition to the better level design, the single play game features some other improvements. Chief among them is much improved audio - namely, a huge number of sound bites and well-written lines of dialog. The terrific voice acting from the first game has returned. You can interrogate most guards, and most of the interrogation dialog offers some amusing moments, as well as some useful gameplay tips. The atmospheric sound is superb as well. The terrific audio complements the game's gorgeous visuals, which easily rank amongst the best that the PC has to offer. Sam is decked out in detail all over his body and all of his moves look very cool. The environments are beautiful and the lighting is simply perfect. Chaos Theory sports arguably the finest production values in any PC game to date.

Does the gameplay have any faults? A few. One of them is inconsistency in the AI. The sharpness of the AI occasionally changes, based upon the level. Sometimes guards won't notice if their buddy gets knocked out three feet away from them. Other times, they will notice their KO'ed buddy when he is in complete darkness 35 feet away. Another minor flaw is that the game favors an overly aggressive approach versus a nonlethal approach. For most of the levels, You will have to self-impose a "no-kill" rule to give yourself some challenge.Also, like its predecessors, the campaign lacks lasting value, and the story is average.

Once you are done with the single player campaign, a true treat awaits you on-line with the game's innovative co-op mode. This assumes that you can actually get it to work. More on that later. The game mechanics of the co-op mode are largely the same as the single-player campaign, only this time you have a partner, and there are more guards. The game also throws some high walls at you that can only be scaled using special co-op moves. For example, you can give your friend a boost to the top of a wall, and then he can let you climb up his back to get up over it. The result is usually quite thrilling. The co-op mode is full of "you take the guy on the right and I'll take the guy on the left" moments. Quietly taking out a room full of guards with your buddy is an experience that is a unique and very memorable This part of the game is a long, long overdue addition to this genre, and you will probably be left hoping for an exclusively co-op game in the future.

Unfortunately, the co-op mode is riddled with so many bugs that there is less than a 50% chance that you'll actually be able to play it. Ubisoft has patched the game twice, but I wouldn't rely on being able to play co-up just yet. Plus, there are also only four co-op levels, and you can't save your progress. If these issues didn't exist, Chaos Theory would be worthy of a 9.3+ score. Nonetheless, co-op mode adds a lot to the overall package and helps elevate the game to elite status.

"Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory" has breathed new life into a series that was on the risk of going stale. It sets high standards for production values and, in the meantime, provides an innovative new gameplay mode. The single player is by far the best of the series, and co-op is pure ecstasy --- if you can actually get it to work. As an added bonus, you can get the DVD-ROM version for this game, instead of some clumsy 5-CD job.Sooner or later, you should own "Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory". ... Read more

Product Description

Contains Call of Duty and the expansion pack Call of Duty: United Offensive. Call of Duty Developed by Infinity Ward - a newly formed studio including 22 of the individuals, and all of the production leads, who developed the critically acclaimed PC title Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Call of Duty is the most immersive first-person action game yet.Call of Duty delivers the gritty realism and cinematic intensity of war as never before.For the first time, Call of Duty capture ... Read more

Features

• Call of Duty
• Play as American, British and Russian soldiers.
• Battle through 24 missions spanning 4 interconnected historical campaigns.
• Take on mission objectives ranging from sabotage and all-out assault to stealth, vehicle combat and rescue.
• Authentic weapons, locations, vehicles and sounds of war all contribute to the realism, immersing you in the most intense World War II experience yet.Call of Duty: United Offensive

Reviews (2)

For Mac users - this Edition is Not the Version for the Mac
Amazon made a mistake and put down that this version is for the Macintosh OS X operating system in addition to Windows.That is not the case.Activision does not release games on the MAC platform.They work with other, third party companies to do so.Aspyr is the company that makes Call of Duty on the Mac.Search for games by Aspyr and you'll find it there.

Just an FYI so Mac users don't buy the wrong game.

Possibly the Greatest War Games Ever Made!
If you've played it, then you know. If you haven't, give it a try. You won't be disappointed. Think of the HBO series Band of Brothers. Or the movies Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates. Single player and multi-player modes are equally excellent. ... Read more

Features

• Bomb damage may or may not be repaired, depending on enemy resources and command.
• Pilot three different variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
• Shoot a variety of air-to-air missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder.
• Simulate an entire war with the most advanced and truly dynamic campaign engine ever made for your PC.
• Participate in cooperative or adversarial multi-player flight over a LAN or internet.

Product Description

After Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, a new threat rises throughout the land and it's up to you to defeat it. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Experience a vast new chapter in the epic Warcraft saga
• Platform: Mac OS 9.0 or higher, OS 10.1.3 or higher; Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (88)

Great addition to a great game!
When I first went to my friend's house to play Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, I had lots of fun! I didn't enjoy the normal maps too much, sadly, and I wasn't really looking forward to buying the game.

Then, I went online with my free Battle.net account and downloaded a player-made map. I really loved the map, so I decided I'd save up and buy Warcraft 3. The game kept me entertained on and off. I'd play it for hours on end, then I'd stop for about 2 weeks, then go back to play it again! New maps are made almost every week, as players love to find fame. I, myself, have made a number of maps.

Anyway, when my friend got the expansion pack, I played a few Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne maps at his house. WOW! They were great! I couldn't stand having the game without the expansion! So, I got my allowance, and bought the expansion!

I recommend this to anyone who likes RTSes (real-time strategies) or even people who DISlike them, because the game could be called an "Action\Adventure Role-Playing Strategy Sports Driving Sim" or something! It's a multi-genre!

good stuff
this is definatly a good expansion set, just like the regular Warcraft3 itself. if you beat the first one, i suggest you buy this. graphics improved, more gameplay, and more fun. online action is great, including 1 new hero per race. i love this game and so does everyone i know who owns it.

1 year of frozenthrone playing and im not yet tired of it
Alright people that think this game is boring and it should have a Naga race and a Drenei race is stupid. I mean it would be pretty fun, but it would take lots of balancing and stuff so...no. Humans, nighrelves, undead, and orc are enough and the game is fun enough with out those other 2 races. I mean u can still play as adrenei or naga in the single player...and even on custom games...i was playing open rpg islands and i was a naga and i was swimmin anround shootin things with the naga seaweitch. The game really isnt that hard to play when u get used to it. Heros make everythign so intense and exciting which is why when ur fighting the enemy you really should take out the hero then work on the units.

The thing that i kinda hate about warcraft frozen throne and warcraft roc is the blademaster...cheap crap. he just got cheaper in this patch i mean now he can run through my units. Im always undead...and if youve been undead race u know what im talking about. Death to that dam blademaster. BUT finaly, they just got 2 new heros in a patch a alchemist and a firelord. I am very impressed with the alchemist he can take on the bladeamster pretty well.Anyways, people been saying how starcraft is better then warcraft and im like why? they say because its too shiney. I'm like ok...period over gotta go to enxt epriod...get this game ur kids will liek it buy it!! wee!!!!!!!!!!!Sinferno rulez!!!

Tried and true style of game works yet again
There really isn't much original about the Warcraft 3 game, and its expansion Frozen Throne campaign.It's yet another clone of itself/StarCraft/Ages Of Empires, etc. etc. etc. where you build, upgrade, build some more, upgrade, start sending your forces out, upgrade, replenish your forces, upgrade, repel enemies that may be attacking your base(s), start wiping out major concentrations of enemies, replenish your forces and complete any upgrades not already made, and finish off all your enemies.This has been done a hundred times before, and I'm sure it's not the last strategy game which will use the same method.The hero unit in Warcraft is cool, though.

The game is really easy to start, and gently eases you into the game.The cutscene movies are incredible, the best I've ever seen in a game.It's hard to say which campaign was the best, but I'd have to say it's a toss up between the Orc and Night Elf ones.I didn't like the Undead campaign, but the summoning of buildings was kinda neat.

I did get tired of hearing "Frostmourne hungers" everytime I moved my Undead hero, though.

the beast at this game beassssssssst
Warcraft is my favorite computer game. It has a lot of fun especially when you kill your allies. I'm level 100 because I play every minute of my life except for now and when I'm at school. When I play nobody messes with me. I'm the best person you could find on the game except for my brother. You should definitely buy this game. ... Read more

Features

• Exclusive in game pet
• Play the full game on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
• 1 month subscription to World of Warcraft
• 200 plus page hardcover art book
• World of Warcraft Behind the Scenes DVD

Reviews (409)

World of Warcraft
This game starts out very impressive:
1. Immersive graphics
2. you can craft items right away
3. Huge variety of nice-looking monsters and areas to explore
4. Similar variety of quests
5. you get a few points for exploring stuff

However, I have a 55 priest and a few assorted 30+ chars, and some parts are so bad I am forced to pay $16/mo because I keep doing month to month with the idea I will not stay with it much longer.

Bad Parts
1. Support, in game and email is so poor as to be laughable.My petitions are consistently not answered; my emails are met with non-applicable form letters.
2. Their download servers are a joke.On update days, my friend and I play City of Heroes, because we got tired of waiting 4 hours for their cheap download servers to feed us a few KB.Sometimes the download just plain does not work for a couple of days, and you cannot play without the update.Blizzard seems kind of "Hey, that's too bad but it goes with MMORP territory; now hand us your money."
3. Their infrastructure is inexcusable for a pay per month game.Every time they have a patch release or a busy spell, their "realms" are unusable, and all their web pages, account support, boards, etc go down.Are they running in a basement?
4. When you do manage to get on a server, you can expect frequent "lag" delays, even on machines like mine, with 1.5 GB of memory, and 3.2 GHz HT, and Nvidia 6800.They have a lag-time display in game, that "always" shows low latency (Green), even when you are lagging so bad you get disconnected.That's very helpful.
5. Don't play this for challenging PvP action; it's not going to happen.My 55 priest is on a PvP server, so I know what I'm talking about.95% of battles are ridiculously lopsided, with a level 55 / 60 team coming up behind a level 10, and killing them when they are almost dead in the middle of a fight with other monsters.Needless to say, there's no sense of honor or challenge in any aspect of most of these battles.As a general rule, you will rarely be attacked by people your own level or attack people your own level.Don't expect to get much done on PvP servers some days, except fighting other players (if you want to call a 3 second 60 vs 40 gank a fight)I would stick with a PvE server, that's where I play 90% of the time now, despite being almost 60 (max).
6. The variety of costumes in game is pretty weak, and the selections are typically a bit old-fashioned and prudish.Most characters look pretty much the same as others of their race.If you want variety of costumes, then pick up City of Heroes.
7. Trade / Profession Skills are not good.Enchanting is one of the toughest skills to move up in the game.I have a 266 enchanting skill that's basically worthless.Their skill system was full of variety and excitement early, but as you advance through the levels, what you can make becomes increasingly weak comparatively and crazy expensive.Don't spend a lot of time on their crafting system like I did.It takes a ton of time to move up, and you will end up not using it once you get to max level.Who wants a +5 enchantment on a sword that does 200 damage, for 20 gold?Nobody who gives it 10 seconds thought, is the answer.There's no reason to spend the money to go to max skill.Spend the money on a better sword.Gold is too hard to come by in this game to make the skills usable once they get this expensive.I would pick a skill like skinning animals or herb gathering, and focus on selling supplies to make money that you will desperately need.If you pick enchanting, use it only to dis-enchant items for components, that's what the majority of the people in my last two guilds are doing.Stick to quests (and PvP if you are the type of person that loves killing people way below your level).
8. The monster re-population is offensive and unrealistic.Blizzard thinks nothing of having 10 orcs appear around you suddenly, even if you are fighting another group at that location and almost dead.With lag, they pretty much start attacking instantly, despite what their documentation says.City of Heroes is a lot better in this respect.If they sense you are in aggro-range, they hold off on making the mobs appear out of thin air within sword distance.These sudden appearances are so unrealistic as to hurt the immersiveness of the game at times.
9. Every monster in the game is faster than you are.You will feel slower than you are rl, and not able to climb as steep of grades.That's their way of making the game challenging.
10.Priests and Druids draw aggro with heals and shields.I don't know of any other set of designers that's this stupid.Consequently, you will never be able to find enough priests and druids for groups.When battle gets rough, all the monsters run to the priest if they heal too much.The priest has cloth armor.The priest dies, the party dies.That's been a pretty common cycle.If you go priest, consider "Shadow", offensive path.One of the high-level priests in my guild pretty much refuses to heal, because you also don't get good "honor" (big joke) points for healing people, unlike for PvP kills.Would you want to draw monsters to you, die a lot, and not get credit for it?One of my MMO frequenter friends stopped playing this one after 3 weeks, claiming "they don't understand classes and balance".I have to say, she has a point, and she is having fun with her previous MMO for all too many hours.I go back there too, when this game drives me too crazy :)

That being said, I'm still playing so far, on PvE (Player vs Environment, not player), because there is a lot to do and amazing depthIt's a big world, and it feels realistic at those times that a 6 foot beast doesn't suddenly appear standing on your shoes :)

It's so fun at the early levels that I would definitely recommend playing it for a while.Despite how irritating the bad parts are, it's an awesome game.Just keep the shortcomings in mind and don't expect too much, especially from the PvP system, which is the worst in the market, imho.

World Of Warcraft...more then just a game
This the best game i have ever played frist you kill monesters do quests just like and other RPG but add to this: you can do it with other players.
there are also great trade skills to every thing from Makeing a Epic Admante Sword from long lost plans to Enchanting Bracers with spells of Protection
and Even after you have done Every thing Else you can think of in this game (wich may take you a year or too) you can still have fun with your Friends with the slash comands such as
/burp in the face of your Enmeys /slap those you offend you or get drunk and /dance on a Table (waring Magic Beer may have unwanted SideEfficts) you can /beg for gold or your life
(some funny things like:/hug ..."You Need a Hug") you can /flex your arms or /moon your Enmeys and Much Much more

One more thing . . .
It is not made clear mentioned anywhere but not only does one pay 45.00 for the software, they must pay for monthly access to the game system which means $$$ over time.This may not be acceptable to some.

A fun game, but can get boring real quick
First of all, Ive never played a MMORPG before nor ever heard of such of a brand.That was when Wow came into being and, immediatly, I became intoxicated with it.Now as some of you know this is a very simple, very easy game to get into.Blizzard has gone beyond the call of duty and has brought us what could be the most thrilling and comefortable experience we can ever have in an MMORPG.However, heres a big 'but', what you do too well can ruin you in the future.Now I know not everyone will quite get into this game right off the bat, but some do, I just wanna note something.You know how some people wanna reach lvl 60 so they feel all mighty and all later on? Well your in for a nasty surprise.Once you hit 60 theres no going back; youll find yourself in dungeon raids which isnt much fun at all, you wont get anymore XPs (oops), you be making alts just to feel like theres a new adventure, and youll find yourself farming the hell out of an area just sos you can go about affording the epic mount.I hope that Honor Systems and Battlegrounds Blizzards has made will come in and save the day, cause in a short while those community sites will look pretty empty, and some of us dont wanna see our friends go away when we need them the most.

I used to make fun of you people....
.... My roommate had an addiction. She was addicted to evercrack (everquest). I used to make so much fun of her and call her a geek and whatnot. Then she bought WOW and now she has got me hooked. I guess I will see you at the next star trek convention. ... Read more

Product Description

This Game Card offers a whole new way to experience The Star Wars Galaxy without using a credit card and it also makes a great gift. ... Read more

Features

• Pre-Paid 60 day subscription to Star Wars Galaxies
• One card packed inside a standard PC box
• 4 different collectable cards featuring your favorite classic Star Wars characters
• Requires Star Wars Galaxies online game (sold separately)

Reviews (12)

swg d.o.a. of cu 4/26/05
cancelled ROTW expansion when CU hit.
cancelled SWG days later.
CU= death of SWG, and everyone knows it.

WE WILL NOT PAY TO BETA TEST A PIECE OF S#$% GAME SOE.

CU Destroyed SWG
There has been a great disturbance in the Force, as though thousands of players cried out against the SWG "Combat Upgrade," and were silenced.

Star Wars Galaxies used to be an extremely fun, engaging game.However, as of the end of April 2005, the game has completely changed.Just read some of the other reviews here talking about the so-called "Combat Upgrade."SOE is losing a lot of customers because they ruined Star Wars Galaxies.Now, it's just a cheap EverQuest 2 clone with Star Wars skins.If you want to play fun Star Wars games, try Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic 2.

DON'Twaste your money!!!!
Here's an honest question then... I went to 6 different MAJOR cities and NONE I say NO ONE was grouping and I play in one of the most crowded galaxies)... so what am I suppose to do? I'm level 80 andgrinding Jedi (village points)... so I think ok ill give it try and try to FIND my level mobs to kill while I try to find a group, incappd, die, incapped, die, incapped, die, incapped die, etc...
I was soooo freaking frustrated I wanted to cry. So you saying that the ONLY way I can play this stupid game is if I hang around starports for hours on end and try to find some people to group with, THEN hope that they will actually fight when we get there, (which ive heard some people just sitting back in groups and raking in the xp for doing nothing), and I don't know about anyone else but after about 4 strikes to the creature im spent. I spend the rest of the time trying to heal myself (heal for 200 get hit for 1200, heal for 300 get hit for 1200...hmmm I wonder what comes next? incapped, die).
So seriously tell me how to play this game now if I can't group and I can't solo. Become a crafter or entertainer? Lol. Oh and BTW ALLL my friends have quit the game. And frankly im almost there too.
Gee you're right this is a better game, I love how I HAVE to depend on other people to get xp. And how if I wanted a well rounded char I have to get another acct (im sure SOE thought of that when dev this CU). You know and maybe people like to be alone sometime, to go exploring by themselves and not have to worry about being killed when I have to answer the phone, and may they like to watch their char fight instead of having to keep urn eye on the tool bar the entire time trying to gauge your next move...FUN!

Oh, and on top of it I just read that when you go to the higher level planets now and you die and don't have insurance you might wake to CYBERNETIC LIMB- and not a cool looking one like in the movies but a gross disgusting puny one that won't have any combat uses. (You'll have to get them taken off or replaced with another useful one) WTH????

Don't tell me these things are all bugs and just to wait till the devs get the head out of their a$$es. These are ALL actual gameplay problems that I would really like to have a serious answer to. Who has ever heard of a game released after 1 month of beta and NO game manual??? I have a master character and I still can't figure out all the crap they changed... why do we still have stimpacks if everything is "magic" based, and if everything is "magic" based why do I need an enhancer for everything? And why cant a MEDIC heal wounds or stop bleeding, wth is the definition of a medic then?

(OH and I haven't mention my other char who lost all his combat skill points to a buggy respec problem that cs says that MAYBE LATER they can get too, [is soe going to refund me for their buggy system since my husband hasn't been able to play for a week now?] or the metal recycler I was crafting that disappeared and im told SOL on that one too [a known bug that was supposedly fixed pre CU])

I cant speak for all the professions, just the ones ive come across playing my characters (I have 2 accts and 6 characters and my husband also has 3-4 character he plays) I was a master TKA which was one of the coolest professions before CU, now its worthless (I got incapped by a level 3 meatlump and I only have 3 moves- combo hit (which is not working) dizzy and knockdown. Well appartly EVERYTHING has resists to KD now so I really had 1 move and it didn't work (bug maybe)

The armor options are a joke- so I see everyone becoming a commando, or bounty hunter just to be able to wear half way decent armor, and the factional armor is joke too... you need fp just to wear it?? Wth... just being part of that faction should be enough. Bone armor for battle ...lol and who designed the retarded padded armor helmets... I look like I should be riding the short bus or maybe have a propeller on top of it.

*RANT*
What's the deal with A beloved Star Wars icon like Darth Vader hocking fan fest tickets... he is NOT SOE property to mock in any way they feel. I for one think it's in VERY bad taste and it truly offends me as a Star Wars fan to have him paraded like a clown.

This "game" is NOT Star Wars, anything star warsy about it is the remnants of a once beautiful game where a TRUE star wars fan could immerse themselves in something they had only dreamt about while growing up... now its just an abomination. The biggest problem I think is not the game itself, its company running the game and the TOTAL lack of respect it has for STAR WARS, its FANS and GEORGE LUCAS. I'm pretty sure he didn't ever imagine a star wars where all the fighters were on timers and they had special Tinkerbelle glitter evertime they did something, (and in game play what's the deal with my head looking like a siren when im blinded????) ... I don't know, I can't speak for him, maybe he did envision a company taking over the star wars name and making crap out of it... I for one am little less excited about the new movie coming out, little less excited about the hype of SW and the merchandise... I can take or leave it now. This is a sad thing.

What is really sad is all they had to do is maybe put a cap on some of the uber things in the last game and maybe tweak a couple of professions... that's it. Would some people still complain... sure they always did whenever something changed, but they probably would have just done what they always have done, and just got used to it. But instead they TOTALLY change the look and feel and the gameplay of the game giving you some thing completely different with out ever asking (at least I never received that question). I'm pretty sure if they would have they would have gotten the same responses as now...no... Just fix the bugs, and they would still have the thousands of accts in working condition. BUT I guess it's not our game (the paying customers), nor the overworked CSR (they have to be overworked with those terrible attitudes), nor is it George Lucas' vision anymore (I personally don't think he would let sooo many SW fans down)... it belongs to SOE. (A non SW, customer, CSR and George Lucas fan).

Well good luck SOE and I hope you do laugh all the way to bank, but after my subscription runs out you won't be laughing with my money.

This is only MY opinions and I had to say all this, to get it off my chest (this whole CU thing has made my literally sick), my husband has been pretty vocal on all this so far on the forums so figured since I loved this game as much as he did I should take a stand too. I'll be putting this in on every SWG review, post, and sending it to as many gamer web pages and to Lucas arts and to anyone else I can find. I only hope that other fans have done the same if they are serious about the anti CU.

PS. I NEVER thought I'd say this in a million years but I can't wait for *gulp* star trek to come out. :\

SOE destroyed a wonderful game
When Star Wars Galaxies was first launched, it was an incredible and visionary game. The designers created a game like nothing that had come before it. The range of different roles available to players was incredible, and the virtual world was immersive and expansive.

Players got the feeling that they were living in the Star Wars universe, something that many (myself included) had dreamed of since Star Wars first hit theaters.

The games original combat system was highly sophisticated with a broad range of special abilities and a wonderfully organic feel, and players were free to engage in immersive and exciting PvE (Player vs. Environment) or PvP (Player vs. Player) adventure.

Recently Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) the maker of the game, has replaced the core engine of the game, with a new one called the "Combat Upgrade". Unfortunately this new system is lacking the vision and sophistication of the original game and is instead a lackluster clone of every other MMORPG on the market. This so-called "upgrade" has left the game flat and uninteresting and Sony is suffering a mass exodus of players.

I for one have played the game almost since launch, and have learned to expect the routine introduction of new bugs into the game. I have also come to expect some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced with any product. These shortcomings however have always been mitigated by the fact that this was (until recently) one of the most immersive and interesting games ever released.

Sadly this is no longer true. The game no longer holds my attention. My wife, daughter, and I have spent many hours playing this game and have many fond memories, but we no longer enjoy the game and find that most of our friends are cancelling their accounts. We will follow them.

Although I was once a huge fan of Star Wars Galaxies, I cannot continue to recommend it. This is now one of the poorest conceived games I have ever played. If Sony were to reverse the last publish, it would be a great game again, but as it stands it is not.

I strongly encourage potential customers to consider other options rather than buying Star Wars Galaxies.

Subscription Fees
To clear up any misconceptions, Star Wars Galaxies subscription fees are as follows:
1 month - $14.99
3 months - $41.99
6 months - $77.99
12 months - $143.99

As you purchase more months at a time, the cost per month decreases. So since 60 days = 2 months, the cost is $14.99 x 2, or $29.98.

The game card is a good thing. You don't have to worry about your credit card on the internet. You can give them as a gift. And if you don't have a credit card, you can buy a game card and use that instead. The only problem is that you can only buy it for 2 months, so you don't get the discounts for more months.

As for the game itself, I enjoy it. It's quite addictive. It's a little tough to get started, but once you get going and joina PA (Player Association), you'll have a lot of fun. I recommend this game to any Star Wars or RPG fan. ... Read more