After Playing GW2 for two days I'm going to give it a quick review. This is a comparative review taking into account other games in the genre.
I'll start with the good:
NO SUBSCRIPTION! one of the best parts of this game. No 15 per month fee adds massive value to this game. But don't let it fool you, this is a quality MMO.
Graphics as far as any MMO I've played (allot) GW2 has the best graphics in the genre. I'm not really into graphics but its worth mentioning.
Sound: Also great, some of the best sounds I've heard in the gaming biz; (key example the ranger's rain of arrows) the sounds in this game make you feel powerful, from the swing of the warriors sword to the quick moves of the thief.
Combat: Bottom line its more complicated than it seems. Very soon you will have to read your enemies movements to predict what ability to use next. There are many different play styles to choose from based on your weapons, although sometimes you will have to pick the right tool for the job. There was one quest at level ten as a thief where I got stomped I thought I was going to have to use a friend to help me but I tweaked my strategy a little and I won with ease. Again don't be fooled be how easy it looks, you probably aren't doing any were near optimal damage.
Story: A good measure above other MMOS. Instanced story parts make it so you aren't doing the same "personnel story" the guy standing right next to you is. Voice acting and cut scenes help bring it to life. I was intrigued by my own story and the game has enough lore to keep you interested. However GW2 does not have as much story choice as SWTOR does. ( it needs to be said though, GW2 does allot of things better than SWOTR)
Crafting: If you are into crafting there is allot for you do do in this game. Its complex but not annoying. You don't have to compete with other players for nodes, you can deposit most crafting mats into your bank from anywhere on the map! Discovery in crafting works kinda like Minecraft crafting you put some stuff together and see what it makes (discovery I hear is far more beneficent than other ways). Also and maybe the best part is if you know a little bit about crafting you can actually use the stuff you make and not suffer from using under level gear; I've played so many MMOS where you make something and its useless because its not better than what you can find on the ground. But it does take a little know how.
PvP: To be honest I didn't do much pvp but many of my other friends that did love it. From what I saw is there are options for different kinds of pvp: 1Server vs Server, 2sPVP (arena type pvp)3 and I believe there is a third type (not entirely sure) with smaller objective based maps somewhat like arathi basin in WOW. The World vs World map is huge and includes supply lines (very important) siege weapons, multiple keeps, and more.
PvE: I think PvE is good, the monsters look great and there is many different types of mobs. Dynamic events break out in the area and offer you the chance to get a boatload of experience and karma points (to buy karma items) and some coin. There are tons of ways to get experience check out the achievements section in game. The environments are gorgeous, not everything is a just a different colored hill and under water isnt just a featureless mire of grey poo color.
Difficulty: I would have to say GW2 in PVE is a little more difficult than other MMOS for some this a good thing. You have to pay attention or you will end up on the floor.
Misc: There is allot of polish on this game, also there are allot of little features that just make life easier for you.
The bad: There wasn't a whole lot of bad things but to be honest no one has gotten very far so only time will tell. Two things I can say though.
Seemingly random death. Sometimes its hard to tell whats going on and before you know you got knocked out and you can't tell what monster did it. This may just be me but sometimes you will be at full health and then you are on the ground saying "what happened?" Fortunately its easy to recover and other players can revive you by giving first aid which is encouraged because they get experience and achievements. But it happens a little to often for my taste. Solution: turn on your combat log I guess and practice a bit.
Overflow servers: Probably the most annoying thing for me and its not even that bad. The game will move you into an Overflow when the area gets too crowded, after a while it gets annoying and there are multiple overflows but you cant tell which one you are in! because its not numbered. A better idea would be to have different channels people can move around on and see which ones are full and number the channels for goodness sake! You know what game had this? dare I say it? Maple Story. Bottom line after a while it gets annoying seeing a message "hey you are in an overflow, I'll move you into the main channel now" and then being moved back into overflow. This will die down after a week or two though.
Conclusion: I recommend this game to any MMO player, its a solid game and no subscription fee makes it worth giving it a try(9/10 if you must have a number rating).
I'll start with the good:
NO SUBSCRIPTION! one of the best parts of this game. No 15 per month fee adds massive value to this game. But don't let it fool you, this is a quality MMO.
Graphics as far as any MMO I've played (allot) GW2 has the best graphics in the genre. I'm not really into graphics but its worth mentioning.
Sound: Also great, some of the best sounds I've heard in the gaming biz; (key example the ranger's rain of arrows) the sounds in this game make you feel powerful, from the swing of the warriors sword to the quick moves of the thief.
Combat: Bottom line its more complicated than it seems. Very soon you will have to read your enemies movements to predict what ability to use next. There are many different play styles to choose from based on your weapons, although sometimes you will have to pick the right tool for the job. There was one quest at level ten as a thief where I got stomped I thought I was going to have to use a friend to help me but I tweaked my strategy a little and I won with ease. Again don't be fooled be how easy it looks, you probably aren't doing any were near optimal damage.
Story: A good measure above other MMOS. Instanced story parts make it so you aren't doing the same "personnel story" the guy standing right next to you is. Voice acting and cut scenes help bring it to life. I was intrigued by my own story and the game has enough lore to keep you interested. However GW2 does not have as much story choice as SWTOR does. ( it needs to be said though, GW2 does allot of things better than SWOTR)
Crafting: If you are into crafting there is allot for you do do in this game. Its complex but not annoying. You don't have to compete with other players for nodes, you can deposit most crafting mats into your bank from anywhere on the map! Discovery in crafting works kinda like Minecraft crafting you put some stuff together and see what it makes (discovery I hear is far more beneficent than other ways). Also and maybe the best part is if you know a little bit about crafting you can actually use the stuff you make and not suffer from using under level gear; I've played so many MMOS where you make something and its useless because its not better than what you can find on the ground. But it does take a little know how.
PvP: To be honest I didn't do much pvp but many of my other friends that did love it. From what I saw is there are options for different kinds of pvp: 1Server vs Server, 2sPVP (arena type pvp)3 and I believe there is a third type (not entirely sure) with smaller objective based maps somewhat like arathi basin in WOW. The World vs World map is huge and includes supply lines (very important) siege weapons, multiple keeps, and more.
PvE: I think PvE is good, the monsters look great and there is many different types of mobs. Dynamic events break out in the area and offer you the chance to get a boatload of experience and karma points (to buy karma items) and some coin. There are tons of ways to get experience check out the achievements section in game. The environments are gorgeous, not everything is a just a different colored hill and under water isnt just a featureless mire of grey poo color.
Difficulty: I would have to say GW2 in PVE is a little more difficult than other MMOS for some this a good thing. You have to pay attention or you will end up on the floor.
Misc: There is allot of polish on this game, also there are allot of little features that just make life easier for you.
The bad: There wasn't a whole lot of bad things but to be honest no one has gotten very far so only time will tell. Two things I can say though.
Seemingly random death. Sometimes its hard to tell whats going on and before you know you got knocked out and you can't tell what monster did it. This may just be me but sometimes you will be at full health and then you are on the ground saying "what happened?" Fortunately its easy to recover and other players can revive you by giving first aid which is encouraged because they get experience and achievements. But it happens a little to often for my taste. Solution: turn on your combat log I guess and practice a bit.
Overflow servers: Probably the most annoying thing for me and its not even that bad. The game will move you into an Overflow when the area gets too crowded, after a while it gets annoying and there are multiple overflows but you cant tell which one you are in! because its not numbered. A better idea would be to have different channels people can move around on and see which ones are full and number the channels for goodness sake! You know what game had this? dare I say it? Maple Story. Bottom line after a while it gets annoying seeing a message "hey you are in an overflow, I'll move you into the main channel now" and then being moved back into overflow. This will die down after a week or two though.
Conclusion: I recommend this game to any MMO player, its a solid game and no subscription fee makes it worth giving it a try(9/10 if you must have a number rating).