Blizzard Entertainment the maker of such bestselling games Warcraft 3, Diablo 2 and Starcraft is now unleashing their greatest endeavor yet World of Warcraft. Warcraft 3 was an amazing strategy game with RPG(role playing game) elements but with the success of MMORP(massively multiplayer online role player) like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI. This was naturally the best direction to go in the next chapter of the Warcraft Universe.
GAME SET-UP
The first thing you notice when you purchase the game is that it comes with 4 discs and an hour long installation that requires you to swap each disk after each installs. Then you have to wait another half hour for an update from Blizzard. After this wait you can finally begin to develop your character .Which you choose after you register the game and create a profile with your credit or pre-paid card account numbers. The first month is free and after this trial period your credit card will automatically be charged.
CHARACTER SELECTION
The character selection screen gives you the opportunity to select between Horde races or as an Alliance race. Though once allies the Horde( which are made up of Orc, Tauren, Undead and Troll) and the Alliance( Human, Dwarf, Elves and Gnome) severed all ties after the great war with the Burning Legion. With the world almost destroyed and the enemy defeated the old tensions and differences surfaced once again. So with this in mind races from the Horde races can interact with races from the Alliance side but only in hostile form. If you plan to create clans make sure they are compatible races or you and your friends will not be able to team up and may end up on opposite sides of the world or realm. The character selection screen gives you the option of picking what race and warrior class. Then you customize the face hair and skin color to your liking.
GRAPHICS
The landscapes and detail are amazing. The music and interactions with other players is also smooth and seamless. Blizzard does one extra and allows you to bring down frame rates if your graphic or video card is not the up to the task. This is a great feature for those with mediocre systems. One of the early problems is with the lagging. Some of their servers were shut down because of heavy traffic and thus we suffered with slower game play while Blizzard works to correct this it is quite annoying.
AZEROTH HERE I COME
This first attempt at a MMORP is definitely up there with Everquest and Final Fantasy in terms of graphics gameplay and teamwork but what sets this game apart is the multiple characters for each account. Final Fantasy XI is a great game but you have to purchase another profile to just play as another race when you can have as many characters in as many realms as you want with Warcraft. Orc, Elf, and Dwarf all at the same time simultaneously playing from each side of the conflict. This is a must have if your into role-playing games and with a small monthly fee is minimal compared to the endless missions and quests that can be done it’s like a never ending saga with new content added regularly this is a no brainier for a Lord of the Rings fantasy fan and casual gamer alike.
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