Top 50 Video Games: Number 2

#2: World of Warcraft
System: PC
Publisher: Blizzard
Released: 2004
Players: 2,000,000+

Nacumbe and Diggles AKA Kat and Bryan

I never wanted it to be this way. I never intended to pick up one those damnable Massivley Multiplayer Online games. "Why pay $15 a month for a game? I have lots of games that don't cost me fifteen bucks a month to play." I said. But you see, I have this thing with music artists: after a few strong releases, I will simply buy anything the artist releases before hearing a single track; I know, based on their track record, the album will be good. Pearl Jam and Tool are a couple of examples. This line of thinking also extends to Blizzard (and only Blizzard) in the world of video games. Their 3 Warcraft games, 2 Diablo games and Starcraft have all been fantastic. I have a tremendous amount of faith in them. So much so that they led me to purchase my first MMORPG, World of Warcraft. I wondered what all the fuss was about and I figured who better to usher me into the world of persistent online gaming worlds than Blizzard?

World of Warcraft is incredible. It's a reminder of why we play video games. It truly has something for everyone. You can play the game solo if you wish, though there are some areas (which are optional) where you'll need to join up with a group to have any hopes of success. The game's multiplayer is (obviously) very very strong as well, and there are always people looking to group together for adventure. You can join a guild of like-minded players - some guilds are all about roleplaying, some are all about helping each other out. There are eight playable races and nine classes to choose from, though the class customization isn't quite as distinct as it was in Diablo II, the talent system works much in the same manner. The classes are well balanced and well thought out. The standard fantasy classes of Warrior, Mage, Priest and Rogue are here as well some fun ones like Warlock (a dark magic user who summons demons) and Druid (a nature oriented, shapeshifting jack-of-all-trades.) You can do as much or as little roleplaying in the game as you wish.

Christine the warlock sleeps while her voidwalker keeps a vigilant watch.

There is certainly a lot to the story for those who choose to follow it, and for the rest of us there are tons of quests across a huge variety of locations offering loot, loot and more loot. For many players the game is about outfitting your characters with the best/coolest equipment possible. There is dueling and Player vs Player action available as well, such as Alliance vs Horde capture the flag. The game is also rife with that tongue-in-cheek Blizzard humor I've come to love. Engineers can make things like Exploding Sheep and Goblin Jumper Cables. Brilliant!

One area where the game shines is the availability of professions for your characters. Each character may have two main professions, some of which go hand-in-hand. For example Turlen, my dwarven Paladin, is a miner and a blacksmith while my human Priestess Therdreyn knows herbalism and alchemy. They can create weapons, armor and potions which can be used or sold at the auction house. I've already ranted about the auction house on here, but the auction house is just awesome. It's a venue for players to buy and sell their wares in the game. One of my characters has become filthy rich in the auction house and provided money and equipment for myself and my friends. Thursten, my dwarven warrior, has mining and herbalism for his professions so he can gather and sell the components needed by other players for their crafting.

Now in the afterlife, Helicity reflects upon her own death.

The game's dungeons are the high point for me. When you enter a dungeon, the game loads up a copy of the dungeon solely for you and your party. These often take at least two hours to finish, and require patience, teamwork and communication to successfully complete. I remember my first dungeon - it was the Deadmines in Westfall. I kept reading in the chat where people were talking about killing Edwin Van Cleef in the Deadmines, so when I finally got to journey into the Deadmines and (four hours later) square off with Van Cleef himself, it was thrilling. Kat and I have gone through the Deadmines together multiple times and spent countless hours playing this game together. We helped usher Couch through his first dungeon.

World of Warcraft has nearly infinite replayability. I've been playing the game since January and I haven't even come close to seeing half of what there is to see. The game is open and free, so you there are always multiple areas to choose from for adventure. I've done much of the mid-low level Alliance stuff, none of the high level stuff and a lot of the low-level horde stuff. That's a whole lot left to be discovered for me. I know this is my first MMORPG, but the hugeness of the game world cannot be overstated. The game is also very beginner-friendly in comparison to what I've heard about many other online games. In fact, the only real complaints I have with the game are the performance in some highly populated areas (More RAM would probably help) and some of the players are assbags (can't help that.)

The aftermath of Turlen's meeting with good-guy-turned-Pirate-Captain Edwin Van Cleef.

World of Warcraft is the complete game. The best part is, if I decide to quit for a few months my characters will all be waiting for me whenever I come back. I can reccomend this game to anyone who enjoys video games.