It’s incredible that WoW has achieved the success that it
has over such a long time. On the eve of its 8th birthday Mists of
Pandaria will be hitting the shelves. But will the party be crashed by the new
contender Guild Wars 2?
WoW has simply battered all competition that has challenged
it for the fantasy MMO top spot. And rightfully
so, which is sad to say in a way. Many MMOs have come and gone with new ideas,
leaving Blizzard picking over the corpses like a vulture. It seems cruel, but such is the nature of the
games industry. The strongest survive.
Mists of Pandaria takes the strategy a step further by
rather blatantly copying from Pokémon with the new pet battle system. Companion
pets that are collected in game can now battle each other, level up and gain
new skills. Although lacking in originality, it will no doubt be a fun aside to
dip into. What many MMO makers forget is that players need something to do
outside the main PvP and PvE content.
MMOs are large social games and having asides to main
content creates a fun chat room. Wrath of the Lich King was the real start of
this extra content, bringing over a thousand achievements. It was fun to just
play casually earning silly titles and pets. Having more to do than farming
crafting materials and raiding added to the longevity of the game for me.
So what else does the new expansion bring to the table? Well
the main attraction is of course the Pandaren. Fans have been requesting their
inclusion since release, but have had to wait patiently while four other races were
added before them in previous expansions. The Monk becomes the eleventh class
available in the game. New classes are the most satisfying extra content for me,
as they provide a new way to experience all of the content. It’s a shame that the
Monk is only the second to be added since the original release.
Scenarios and Challenge Mode brings new PvE content, which
has historically been dominated by raiding. As to whether they are just fun digressions
or meaningful new content can only be determined by the reaction of the player
base on release. The talent system is receiving a much needed overhaul.
Previous expansions had simply added to it, but changed little. The
statistically best builds were always obvious, leaving almost no room for
personal choice. Blizzard planned the new system to shake things up, but since
it’s a game based on numbers, you have to wonder if that’s even possible.
Of course fans are once again expected to pay full price for
an expansion on top of the subscription fee. Some things never change. But does
this provide an opening for Guild Wars 2 to finally change the market? No
subscription fee for a title with equal quality, that’s a very attractive
prospect. I have long since stopped playing WoW as I became frustrated with the
lack of content for the price I was paying. Blizzard revealed recently that
subscriptions had been falling. This could be the push for more to follow.
The exact opposite happening is also possible. Pandaria
brings a lot of content the fan base have been asking for. Enough to entice old
players back. And why not play both games? This will be an interesting battle
for control of the market. And WoW still has the free to play model as an ace
up its sleeve. So who will win? Is it even a competition? Only one thing is a
certainty. Time will tell. Sooner or later, time
will tell.
