So, Tim talked me into buying it since my WoW retirement. I'm just bored out of my fucking mind. I don't like raiding much, I prefer to do BG's but hate the fact that there are only a few BG's one of which I loathe. WoW is the hamster in a wheel bullshit and it's driving me nuts.
After AoC, I wasn't really interested in WAR to be frank with you. LoTRO also left much to be desired. Both games... didn't like the character movement. AoC didn't like the 123 combat stuff or the feel of combat. LoTRO combat was very boring with even more boring classes. EQ2 is just plain ugly and I feel it's full of technical issues given it's age. Lineage 2, pretty package, shit everything else. Horrible controls, horrible community etc etc. Then you have other games which I don't even feel like going into. All in all, I never care for the classes or combat of other games when compared to WoW. In a nutshell, they are missing one critical part, Fun.
From this point forward, my review is to be compared with my WoW Gnome deep fire Mage.
So anyhow, with much pessimism and overall distaste, I installed it, loaded it up, and watched the intro video.
Holy shit, the intro video rocked my world. Ok, well, it's just an intro video.
First of all, let me start off by saying, I adore the art. It's beautiful. Is it WoW like? Yes, next next generation. The graphics are beautiful, but still with the cartoon edge, which I like (it's a freaking video game, I hate playing a waxy corpse.) The spell animations blew me away. You log into the middle of battle, not a pup tent and some corny kiddie quests. It seemed as if my realistic yet fun looking wizard was actually casting a spell vs vibrating her triangular shaped hands. Or clunking a wolf upside the head (slowly) with some blunt mace. Quests were straight forward... fun, didn't take too terribly long and wasn't collect 56 freaking Trogg teeth. I like it. So much in fact, I really don't want to be any other class. It was what a Mage/Wizard SHOULD be, but never quite was. Even with my gnome's good gear and the fact I could farm like no tomorrow, the wow factor was always missing. All around me bombs are going off, canons are being fired, there is action action action. There is a large glitz factor here, start right in the middle of action. But I should at least check other stuff out... you know, other classes.
Next I tried Dwarf Engineer. Oh my GOD. Are these dwarf chicks ever pretty, cute, and VERY FUN. Dwarf women in WoW couldn't bed down a 4 toothed trucker. I find the engineer class FUN. I was smiling from ear to ear. However, I heard that the Engineer Class has a strange ulitity, basically irritate and confuse with some AoE. Sorta like a CC thing. Jack of all trades master of none, so I decide to tinker around a bit more (but VERY hooked on the Female Dwarf)
Enter the Greenskin Shaman. Really cute and all, not my deal, too creepy/gross, I log out after I give him one good hop (I even got the named Pickle btw, which is pretty cool) and try a Witch Elf.
The Witch Elf is so pretty. But not feeling it so much, not my taste, I think it's because I like the Goodies more than the Baddies. So....
I try a Dwarf Rune Priest. I think I'm in love. She is so fun. With this class I don't start off with 3 spells, I get 2, a damage spell and a heal spell, but I love the feel of it. I feel sort of torn. I've always been a mage/wizard type. Always. And... god DAMN my Bright Wizard chick is a FOX. Whew! This chick has tattos that are on fire people, and it doesn't look stupid. Even games like Neverwinter Nights, then again I did like Necromancer in Diablo, and who's to say I might not enjoy behing a healer. I do adore the Dwarves, I really do, it just has that fun feeling, like my old gnome.
The Score SO FAR with only several hours played - Give me a few days to see where the numbers REALLY stand10 UI and Graphics. Simply beautiful. Each race gets a little different of a UI, with a different sort of icon. The graphics I give just about a perfect 10 other than when a bug pops up, but to be frank, with all the whining about bugs and lag, I haven't encountered anything really yet. I remember when WoW first came out, our PC's would lock up in flight or in IF... and this other than a very slight stutter is nothing. Maybe when I hit the RvR stage, it will be different. Also like the compass around my character so I know where I am headed without looking on the minimap. Also like that I can track more than 5 quests at a time on my screen. All sorts of little bells and whistles... that make me realize, WoW implemented stuff like the ! and ? because of this game.
9 Quests. At level 2 I was firing and aiming cannons, pretty cool. some typical quests as well, but very fun. I also like how early on from the starting point, you feel immersed in action and war.
10 Spells, Combat and Animations. The combat is not quite as fast as WoW for some classes, but it feels more natural and real, without feeling clunky. I very much enjoy casting, it really adds to the fun factor. Animations are very cool, the eye rolling and hair flipping of my Witch for example. I also like how the mobs/people I fight all look different. Not killing the same freaking face over and over. Very refreshing.
8 Bugs and clunk. Hmmm, very little so far. I was expecting a lot more.
9 Innovation. Can't comment yet, but as far as layout and combat, the wheel hasn't been "fixed" if you catch my drift. I like it just the way it is. Will score top marks because I only see an improved wheel, not a square one.
10 Fun factor. So far? Big fun. I can't wait to log in. It's early still, and I will post as the week goes on.
9 Potential. From what I see, tons and tons of potential. Now I know why WoW opened up PvP to Pve and back transfers. I think this game would make Blizzard a lot more nervous for their monthly bottom line. However, everyone is very very wary of new MMO's, because it's been one nasty tank after another. I'm having a lot of fun and I really hope it continues that way. I think they (Blizzard) may very well be afraid of WAR taking a sizeable chunk of their already burned out income. Will it be a WoW killer? No, some people won't ever give it a try, especially because all the other MMOs are bombs (Van, AoC, and IMO LoTRO is also pretty lame, all be it not bombs and much better than Van and AoC) compared to WoW. Some people might think, ew it's PvP. And I may yet still find it's not for me, but this is a damn good game, you can tell that there was a lot of solid effort put into it by real pros. I don't want to grind for fiftyeleventyseven hours or raid for 5 hours to face monster repair bills. Suddenly, WoW seems so... simple. Very very... simple. Even if I opt not to choose WAR and I'm 90% sure even at level 3 I will be, that this game has shown me there is some real solid potential out there.
So far, it's beautiful, and I love it. So far...

Here are some screenshots:
The Goodies and My First Toon (Bright Wizard)

My Very Pretty Witch (Witch Elf) in the middle of a blink and hair toss

Witch Elf (I made her blind, so her eyes glow funny)

Witch Elf casting

Rune Priest accepting her first quest

Rune Priest casting

Rune Priest healing

Rune Priest in combat

