Zero Punctuation: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

[angelblack]

Was honestly surprised at the fact that he reviewed it. Not surprised that he liked it.

No game reviewer can argue that it is a BAD game, only an evil game like any other MMO. The game didn't reach 12m subscribers by being littered with bad design choices. Nobody saying it isn't evil; some people play it, some people don't, that's all.

 

[Yopaz]

Wow. Didn't expect that.

Hilarious review Yahtzee - and I played World of Warcraft for 3 months and got to level 40. I then got called a 'loser' by one of my friends with 5 level 80s. Go figure...

Now that is hilarious! Shows a lot of a insight... oh, wait, that was sarcasm. Thank you, you made my day with that.

I think, dare I say it... he liked it quite a bit. The "anti-WoW" jokes(i.e no life etc.) seemed to be tacked on to keep this episode in line with the cynicism of ZP. Not surprised he likes WoW though, he did work for PC Gamer after all.

I got the same impression. It wasn't that hidden, he's slaughtered games he likes more than he did this game. Basically what he said is that it's evil and will destroy your life so I guess that's bad.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

"Because spending time with nine friends on Ventrilo without doing anything would get pretty boring." As an answer to the "So why do you raid?" question.

It is a bit of a shame you didn't do anything of the nearer-to-end-game content. I.e. not raids, but the 80 to 85 zones. The old world quests may have been revamped, but they're still in the old world. Zones like Vashj'ir provide a pretty damn pretty background for the exp-grind.

Still, most of what you mentioned is true. WoW's a timesink. Most games are, though considering the amount of hours spent in-game, usually other games bring more variety to the table. Though WoW is infinitely better in a social context. Something a self-proclaimed misanthrope like YahTZee is bound to miss out on.

The video was pretty fun though, even if it is just for the Alliance bashing.

 

[Atmos Duality]

"Nobody ever ruined their lives to get 100% items in Super Metroid"

Oh, totally. But that's because WoW lacks closure. There is absolutely no end goal in sight, because if there was the game would be massively less profitable.

And that's the sort of evil that sets Diablo apart from WoW. The item grind for PvP was always strictly optional because the basic game itself (barring people who rush, hack and cheat) was challenging and random enough.

Great retrospective; for once, I could at least agree with Yahtzee in practical terms without having to strip the layer of weapons-grade cynicism away.

 

[KazOondo]

I swear, if there's one thing that actually might get me to stop playing WoW it's all the hate I get for preferring the Alliance. Someone want to tell me what the fugg is wrong with the Alliance? You don't ever see us going around rubbing our balls in the faces of people who prefer the Horde, so you can't say it's because we're immature when that's what every Hordie and his mum seems to do.

 

[0986875533423]

And what about paying for a service like cable TV or internet? You're paying to access the WOW servers and interface with Blizzard 's scripts and triggers. There's a reason private servers suck; they don't have any of the npc abilities.

Internet is an extension of functionality. Your computer is not useless without it, and there is really quite a lot you can do.

Cable TV is wrong in the same way, however. That's why Freeview was invented.

 

[Sticky Slick]

You can describe WoW: Cataclysm with a single line: "Bit more of the same".

 

[Distorted Stu]

So... was your character called Jim?

 

[Wolfenbarg]

Holy cow, he actually made a video on it. I am quite baffled. I would like to know how he joined a guild though. I bet he told everyone that he really was the Zero Punctuation guy and they herded around him like innocent lambs and tried to give him things. Well that's what I want to think at least.

 

[Tetranitrophenol]

Ive been feeling a bit gloomy because of my final exams but this video made my week!
Freaking AWESOME! lol F**k! the Alliance!!! xD

 

[Supp]

Maybe next he'll actually at least try playing SC2...

...

...

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I played WoW for the very first time this Holiday...it went down like this:

started a Deathknight class to skip 55 levels (a blood elf because screw the alliance). I was killed in a tutorial fight. I figured out fighting is a one-click set-and-forget kinda thing unless you like buffing which I thought would be better off in a turn-based format. I did a couple of other tutorial quests, not reading the quest info, and quit once I realized the tears were from boredom and not awe. My last message was to the other people I assumed were around me, begging forgiveness for trespassing in their golden halls of PC gaming so that I could return to my console bound existence and some Saint's Row 2.

...

Though I'm told it's not as horrible if I start out at level one.

 

[Corven]

He is right though, congratulating people in that game is a conditioned response, I got the same amount of praise for getting a haircut in that game as I did for hitting level 80....

You all know there are add-ons that literally automatically congratulate someone for you for getting an achievement right?

http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/gungrats.aspx

Yes I know my former guild master had one that congratulated people on leveling, earning achievements, and logging into the game.

Congratulating someone in the game had already lost any sense of genuine praise, and an add-on that does it for you just makes the person using it look like a jerk who doesn't want to spare a few moments for a half-hearted response.

 

[Jaebird]

Yeah; the game has always devolved into a numbers race in the end. And I think the playerbase has gotten worse in terms of socializing, because I've been seeing more and more jerks in PUGs. But then, I wouldn't expect anything less from Internet Land. Ironically, the opposite faction is more polite for not killing me on sight.

Edit: I've since stopped saying "grats" to anyone in a group when they level, because it happens up to seven times in one instance.

 

[BigHairyMarty]

Hah hah, I knew from the moment I read the title, that he'd take the opportunity to plug Mogworld, and I was right. Stumbling across that book during a shopping trip was one of the most pleasant surprises in recent memory.

That brief mention of Magicland Dizzy was nice. He's now put me in the mood to go and play it.

 

[tautologico]

But yeah... fun... but ultimately pointless. It's nice to quite and actually get shit done in life (or at least, more shit)

"Fun but ultimately pointless"... isn't this a description for all games? Or, actually, anything you do just for fun, like watching movies? Why do you play, then?

 

[buhee]

Meh, I play WoW. On Alliance. And I enjoy it. My boyfriend also plays, as do several of my real life friends. We have horde alts too, just our mains are alliance.
It is essentially numbers, and grinding and more numbers and more grinding for more numbers, but its also fun. Laughing at people who buy mysterious fortune cards for 20-50g only to receive 10 silver, doing heroics where people know tacts and you actually get the job done, levelling your profession numbers up to help your friends and guild mates with their gear numbers or just to up your gold numbers, its all good. But then, I don't let it consume me, I still have a life outside the game.

 

[angel85]

sometimes I wonder if it would be possible to make an MMO sandbox game, with an actual combat system and stuff instead of numbers and clicking things, a game I can play with a controller instead of mouse and keyboard.

 

[The Human Torch]

I did NOT see this review coming. I am still recovering from the shock here.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I wasn't expecting this review,but was very welcomed!

Great review and For the Horde!