A game you simply must experience for yourself (World of Warcraft (PC))

Member Name: Dejavudreams

Product:	World of Warcraft (PC)
Date:	09/01/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Massive open-ended world with innumerable gameplay options

Disadvantages: Can become a huge drain on your social life (but only if you let it)

I had always been aware of World of Warcraft, but as I believe is the case with many others, had never wanted to try it out for myself lest I become addicted and end up in a similarly tragic state to the boys of South Park in the now infamous episode 'Make Love, Not Warcraft'.

However, I had run out of games which provided me with my RPG fix and so I decided to take advantage of the game's free trial, and am I ever glad I did.

World of Warcraft is an Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game, with the word massive being by no means an exaggeration -- this game is huge, and I constantly found myself overwhelmed at the amount of exploration that I knew lay ahead of me. However, uncovering for myself every corner of Azeroth, while intimdating at first, also turned out to be one of the most exciting and satisfying gaming experiences I've had in years.

Before beginning the game I would advise that the budding player does a bit of research on each class of character available, whether it be the damage-soaking Paladin, the unholy, melee-based Death Knight or one of the numerous other options available to you, as this choice will certainly dictate how much you enjoy this game -- I myself spent months levelling a Night Elf Hunter to the mid-60s before deciding that I really didn't like the character all that much, and I can tell you from first hand experience just how demoralizing a feeling that is. DO NOT DO THIS. Instead give all classes a run through the early levels (you can have several characters at once) until you find a mighty warrior that you can call your own.

Once this task is complete, get out there and play. Although, how you play can also be a rather difficult decision as there are simply so many options available. Learning from my own mistakes once more (I was very one dimensional with my style of play and stubbornly stuck to one path throughout most of my first run through the game), I must recommend that you try every option available to you.

- Questing and following the various intermingled storylines can be incredibly fun and helps you see every part of the world. It is also necessary for acquiring gold and loot, while will help you progress and become more powerful.

- PVP is also very exciting, and playing against people whose reactions aren't programmed can be incredibly thrilling (this was indeed my favourite part of the game). Certainly get involved with PVP battlegrounds as early as possible, as the rewards and satisfaction associated with them are some of the best to be found in the game.

- Instances and raids are another option, and allow you to team up with other players to take on building-sized beasts and acquire some of the most powerful items in the game. Taking down a boss 50 times larger than yourself is something that must be experienced by every single Warcraft player.

I will say 'etc' here, as I would be here for weeks if I attempted to list all the gameplay options available within this behemoth of a game

Although to the casual gamer, World of Warcraft may seem a little TOO much to take in (frankly, I still feel this way and am STILL discovering things I didn't know on a daily basis) they should not be put off by this and should instead embrace it, as although there is a monthly fee to play the sheer depth of content makes this small amount more than worth your while, and if you still remain unsure about letting Warcraft in your life, give the no obligation trial a whirl and find out just why this is the biggest and most popular game on the planet.

Summary: The most popular game in the world, and for good reason