Guild Wars 2

This is a fun game. I'm usually a highly strategic gamer and rarely get pulled into the game and just play it. GW2 is different. I think it is the combination of MMO play and the dynamic world that keeps driving me forward. As to my game play, it could definitely use improvement.

My first experience of the game was in the first open beta weekend event. I was playing a Charr Guardian and the overall atmosphere hooked right into my warrior side like no other MMORPG has ever done. The over-riding impetus was just "Go! Go! Go!" and I found myself at level 2 before I even started seriously wondering what the powers I was using did. But then some dynamic event started and I dove right back into the action. I didn't actually force myself to stop and do so until level 4!

I still a fairly vaguest idea what any of my abilities do, but that isn't for want of being informed--it just isn't where my attention is directed. Fortunately the game is fairly forgiving at this point and some semblance of a strategy is slowly forming amid the frantic forward movement and mad button mashing.

The dynamic events are great because the never really get boring. Well, okay the stampeding monotar thing in the Norn staring area is starting to get old and I've begun to only fight the minotaurs I actually run into while I'm running across the map. But between beta and now I've participated in that event well over a dozen times. But I'm ready to move on to greener pastures anyway...well, I guess the next area is snow-covered hills actually.

My experience couldn't be farther from the original Guild Wars. And that is totally a good thing. I wanted to like Guild Wars since ArenaNet is local and I've been getting bored with WoW for quite some time. But GW was just... dead. Part of it was the instanced environment which meant only running into players in town and took most of the MMO feel out of the game. But largely it was the richness of the world that was created. The art was good, but it was static and rather sparse. The cities were sprawling and dead. A few PCs clustered here and there or running about, but no other sign tha the world of GW was a real place.

By contrast the cities of GW2 are vibrant and bustling. Everywhere one goes stuff is going on. It is a living breathing world that I love being a part of.