Guild Wars Review

Celebratory naked dancing

Things I Hate About MMORPGs, Number 2: Too much choice. First I must choose a character's race and class, then their profession, then their skill areas, then remember which options are relevant to me in the stats menu so I know which ones to spend level-up points on... where was I supposed to be going again? Damn this structure-less mess of a game! Which spells do what, now? What does it mean if this item is highlighted in green? Which of the eleven different weapons I have collected is properly suited to the exact enemies I am about to fight? What if my combination is misadvised and will ruin my game? Oh, to hell with this, I'm going back to bloody Sonic Mega Collection.

Not so with Guild Wars! No, your character has one of six primary professions, which determines their appearance, and can take up a secondary one at leisure, which can subsequently be totally ignored if you so wish, but allows for many diverse combinations. The stats, though still satisfactorily complex, are easy to understand, and only those relevant to your character are shown. Certain characters' abilities and skills are more complex than others, but impatient people like me can always just choose a warrior, start hitting things and to hell with any more complex avenues of opportunity. You can't make a choice which, two hours later, you realise has totally and irrevocably ruined your character. And you can have up to six of them without paying any extra, so should you wish to play through the game six times with the six different character classes, you can.

Ah, sunsets out on the plains

Things I Hate About MMORPGs, Number Three: One-upmanship. Mr Level 4854 over there has the ultra-rare Sword of Deathcalling and sits there looking smug all day, holding it out in front of him. You wonder if he ever gets around to doing any quests, he's so busy lording it over all the 'noobs'. Plus, that's a really nice sword, the bastard.

Firstly, in Guild Wars, there are 'only' twenty levels. Once your character gets that good, they 'ascend', and you are no longer measured by the little number next to your name. The surroundings are always perfectly suited to your character, so you won't get people of a much higher level than you consistently in your line of sight. Secondly, there are so many different possibilities with customisation and types of weapon that there's no 'ultimate' - you can pick, craft and treasure your own. Of course, there are favourites; swords are always in high demand, and the fiery dragon sword is coveted by all hot-blooded Warriors. But you can always go out adventuring and find one, for you can find anything through adventuring, or if you must rely on your fellow players, though it's never necessary, you can buy one. Players are different in Guild Wars, not better - there's so little of the traditional 'noob' culture evident here that one could almost forget it existed.