Zero Punctuation: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

infohippie

New member
Oct 1, 2009
2,369
0
0
Ha, good as always.
Just one thing though, Alliance still have the best looking female designs - they have the Draenei.
 

Sansha

There's a principle in business
Nov 16, 2008
1,726
0
0
Yes. Absolutely yes. This is the single best summary of World of Warcraft I've ever seen. What said about the 'grats' spam from achievements, and why people raid, is exactly my perspective on WoW.

I play. But I don't do anything besides dicking around, doing whatever takes my fancy. I don't have a guild, or raid, or battlegrounds... and for some reason people have a problem with this.
 

esliang

New member
Nov 18, 2009
74
0
0
You know, given that Yahtzee really makes a point of hating on MMORPG's in past reviews I think he did a really balanced job here. He was certainly fair, and that ending rant was both genius and insightful. As someone who once played MMORPG's (though not WoW) I can say that everything he said about the addictive nature of the game is true. And yes, at the end of the day, does it really have any truly important purpose? Great points, Yahtzee.
 

MaxwellEdison

New member
Sep 30, 2010
732
0
0
o_O
God damn it, Yahtzee describes WoW more forgivingly than I do.
That makes me think it's worth it.
That makes me want to go back.
THIS IS A PLOT, ISN'T IT? NO, BLIZZARD, YOU MAY NOT HAVE MY MONEY!
 

Frankydee

New member
Mar 25, 2009
1,137
0
0
After watching I just had to say to myself "hnnnnnn.....yea pretty much."

Also yes, FUCK the Alliance.
 

AuroraDreamchild

New member
Jan 12, 2011
1
0
0
I would like to thank you, Yahtzee, for the insightful review. It was quite enjoyable. ^_^

I am a fervent WoW player. I actually went through a cycle:

1. First, I started playing b/c my husband plays. I slowly leveled a character with his help, enjoying reading the quests and the lore Blizzard has worked so hard on.

2. When I hit level 80 (this was pre-Cata), I began what's called "running heroics" (playing through heroic dungeons that drop superior gear to up the amount of damage/healing/etc. a character can do).

3. After I had enough superior gear on my character (I was a tauren [cow race] druid, with a restoration [healer] spec in my talent tree [enhances abilities you use often in your role]), I moved on to raiding. {And, to a degree, Yahtzee is right: you raid for better gear, which you use for raiding again. The point there is to be able to maximize your ability within that raid, and then you farm it for badges to buy tier gear (the best gear you can get) to prepare for the next raid that will be patched in (this is where end-game content is: not the first raid, but more like the 3rd / 4th raid to be patched into the game). After that, players tend to farm raids for badges to get other useful things that can be bought with them, like mounts (flying or ground), and they far to make money to buy things they want to buy, and they do it to pass the time.} But anyways, I healed through the first Wrath of the Lich King raid (Naxxramas [which was actually a revamped version of the original Naxx that came out before the first two expansions]).

4. I didn't raid for very long: it is very stressful when there are a lot of elitist pigs that play World of Warcraft. When everything gets critiqued, and it becomes an unenjoyable job, it turns you off to playing at all. So I did something new: I switched to a Roleplayer server, created a new character (Night Elf druid) and decided to basically start over to remind myself why I -do- enjoy the game. I leveled her quite quickly, mostly because I wanted her to be an RP character. The reason I ever leveled her was because there was something I found that I liked and wanted her to use or wear for her RP. I downloaded a Storyline addon (MyRolePlay) and filled in her information when I started her.

5. As I continued to level her and get new "RP gear", and occasionally work on achievements that added to the SL (storyline) of my druid, I came across an abandoned tailoring shop in the Park in Stormwind. It was being used by two other players as an "RP base of operations" of sorts: they ran an RP clinic, openly taking in "injured" players and helping to care for them by bandaging wounds, offering water to drink, and even offering to "house" a player overnight in the "upstairs rooms". I found the environment welcoming and relaxing and friendly, and offered my services as a healing druid.

6. As I played, spending a "shift" in the clinic with another healer, it was interesting. We got different people every evening, and the RP was varied from person to person. It was quite fun. But it got a little monotonous. So I decided to finish leveling her to level 80, and ran heroics a bit, and occasionally got into one of the one-boss raids with other players. I also tried to remember to do daily quests each day to make money, as I was attempting to work on different achievements that require a fair bit of gold-spending.

As I did each new thing in this cycle of changing my activities, I updated and deepened my character's SL. It went from a two-dimensional character to a living, breathing, feeling being that I found I deeply enjoyed role-playing as. Then, when Cata hit, and everything changed, and the new things opened up, I worked fervently to quest in each new zone, reading every single quest to absorb the new / updated lore, until I hit 85. And as I did this, I took in how the world had changed, and I reminisced leveling my druid when I first started her... it was very personal for her SL info, and I updated it a few weeks ago, smiling as I filled in everything that had happened in her "life" within Azeroth.

All in all, WoW is a great game (even though it is indeed insanely evil XD), as long as it's done lightly, and with moderation. As long as you can remember to do ti because you enjoy it, instead of playing it like it's a job, then everything is fine.

Anyways, thank you again, Yahtzee! I love your videos, and while this one was completely unexpected, I'll always be grateful that you were honest about every aspect of World of Warcraft. ~bow~ Elune protect thee. ~.^
 

seditary

New member
Aug 17, 2008
625
0
0
Mackheath said:
How the hell did you end up in a guild? You're a gloomy misanthropic bugger, the exact opposite the Lords of Blizzard want to see running around incase it upsets the automated responses of the gamers.
Have you played WoW? A large amount of the population is like that.
 

Dragonpit

New member
Nov 10, 2010
637
0
0
I find it funny that the first five posts on this forum after Yahtzee put it up were put on probation. :D They're about as offensive as a bunny rabbit squeaky toy.

I can understand why it's an achievement to be killed by Deathwing. I've been around Azeroth and haven't seen him once! Bad timing on my part, I suppose.

No offense, Yahtzee, but if that reason why you stopped is the only one, then you may have other problems. Good attempt at self-esteem, though.

Still, funny stuff. An interesting critique.
 

Riddle78

New member
Jan 19, 2010
1,104
0
0
Speaking as someone who got bored of WoW before leaving Bloodmyst Isle...

The man speaks truth.
 

Tetranitrophenol

New member
Apr 4, 2010
233
0
0
AuroraDreamchild said:
I would like to thank you, Yahtzee, for the insightful review. It was quite enjoyable. ^_^

I am a fervent WoW player. I actually went through a cycle:

1. First, I started playing b/c my husband plays. I slowly leveled a character with his help, enjoying reading the quests and the lore Blizzard has worked so hard on.

2. When I hit level 80 (this was pre-Cata), I began what's called "running heroics" (playing through heroic dungeons that drop superior gear to up the amount of damage/healing/etc. a character can do).

3. After I had enough superior gear on my character (I was a tauren [cow race] druid, with a restoration [healer] spec in my talent tree [enhances abilities you use often in your role]), I moved on to raiding. {And, to a degree, Yahtzee is right: you raid for better gear, which you use for raiding again. The point there is to be able to maximize your ability within that raid, and then you farm it for badges to buy tier gear (the best gear you can get) to prepare for the next raid that will be patched in (this is where end-game content is: not the first raid, but more like the 3rd / 4th raid to be patched into the game). After that, players tend to farm raids for badges to get other useful things that can be bought with them, like mounts (flying or ground), and they far to make money to buy things they want to buy, and they do it to pass the time.} But anyways, I healed through the first Wrath of the Lich King raid (Naxxramas [which was actually a revamped version of the original Naxx that came out before the first two expansions]).

4. I didn't raid for very long: it is very stressful when there are a lot of elitist pigs that play World of Warcraft. When everything gets critiqued, and it becomes an unenjoyable job, it turns you off to playing at all. So I did something new: I switched to a Roleplayer server, created a new character (Night Elf druid) and decided to basically start over to remind myself why I -do- enjoy the game. I leveled her quite quickly, mostly because I wanted her to be an RP character. The reason I ever leveled her was because there was something I found that I liked and wanted her to use or wear for her RP. I downloaded a Storyline addon (MyRolePlay) and filled in her information when I started her.

5. As I continued to level her and get new "RP gear", and occasionally work on achievements that added to the SL (storyline) of my druid, I came across an abandoned tailoring shop in the Park in Stormwind. It was being used by two other players as an "RP base of operations" of sorts: they ran an RP clinic, openly taking in "injured" players and helping to care for them by bandaging wounds, offering water to drink, and even offering to "house" a player overnight in the "upstairs rooms". I found the environment welcoming and relaxing and friendly, and offered my services as a healing druid.

6. As I played, spending a "shift" in the clinic with another healer, it was interesting. We got different people every evening, and the RP was varied from person to person. It was quite fun. But it got a little monotonous. So I decided to finish leveling her to level 80, and ran heroics a bit, and occasionally got into one of the one-boss raids with other players. I also tried to remember to do daily quests each day to make money, as I was attempting to work on different achievements that require a fair bit of gold-spending.

As I did each new thing in this cycle of changing my activities, I updated and deepened my character's SL. It went from a two-dimensional character to a living, breathing, feeling being that I found I deeply enjoyed role-playing as. Then, when Cata hit, and everything changed, and the new things opened up, I worked fervently to quest in each new zone, reading every single quest to absorb the new / updated lore, until I hit 85. And as I did this, I took in how the world had changed, and I reminisced leveling my druid when I first started her... it was very personal for her SL info, and I updated it a few weeks ago, smiling as I filled in everything that had happened in her "life" within Azeroth.

All in all, WoW is a great game (even though it is indeed insanely evil XD), as long as it's done lightly, and with moderation. As long as you can remember to do ti because you enjoy it, instead of playing it like it's a job, then everything is fine.

Anyways, thank you again, Yahtzee! I love your videos, and while this one was completely unexpected, I'll always be grateful that you were honest about every aspect of World of Warcraft. ~bow~ Elune protect thee. ~.^
Since I leveled up (long ago) in a merciless PvP server I feel obliged to do this;
*as I wipe the blood off my Shivs in order to apply a fresh dose of poisons, I momentarily stop to catch a glimpse at your actions. Then, as I go back to my business, I say to myself ; "Ugh (/facepalm)... roleplayers..."
 

Cerebral_Assassin

New member
May 5, 2010
35
0
0
First I never would've expected to see a WoW review on this site.
Second it was no where near as bad as I thought it was gonna be, he actually did say good things, but of course with good comes bad and that is why I watch Yahtzee.
 

teknoarcanist

New member
Jun 9, 2008
916
0
0
Having played WoW, City of Heroes, Final Fantasy XI, some Everquest, a little Guildwars, etc...I've since given up on this particular model of online play. They're always fun to start. They always do just one thing new or different enough to make me think that, somehow, this time, I've found something different, and worthy of my continued attention and emotional dedication.

But after tearing myself free from these games, they always, 100% of the time, leave me with the nagging feeling that they have served me no other purpose than a monumental time-suck. I feel no fulfillment. I have not made friends. I have not learned anything and nothing has been expressed. I've let another accursed little goblin worm its way into my head and take tiny little bites out of my soul--for no reason.

There is a concept, as a student of game design, of how to make a game more addictive. Lengthen objectives with mini-objectives. Have the rewards lead to new tasks. Have the Big Reward always just over the horizon. Figure out your risk/reward cycle and exploit the hell out of it.

MMO's run headlong at all of these design philosophies and milk them to death until they become cardinal sins. They do this because more time spent playing the game equates to more money given via subscription--or pay-to-play items, or advertising, or what have you. They are money-making machines. Nothing more. Nothing less. There is no art in them but what is derived by accidental consequences of the sheer amount of time and human energy involved in their continued existence.

The thing they forget to tell you when they're arguing about how games have the capacity to tell stories in new, unique ways is that games also have an inherent stranglehold on select human behavioral tendencies, in a way that other mediums of art absolutely cannot imitate. Game designers sit down and ask, "How do I tweak the player's brain to make them think this, and do that?" MMO designers sit down and ask: How do I keep them playing? It's psychological exploitation, plain and simple--and the responsibility cuts both ways, as players who dedicate forty hours of their week to what is at best masturbation and at worst sado-masochistic extortion continually fail to ask, "Why the fuck am I doing this?"

Eventually you just have to take a step back, unplug from the mechanisms they've behaviorally designed to snare you, and ask . . . why the hell am I still playing this game? And when you do, there's this kind of base-level Lovecraftian horror when you realize the weeks and months you've hurled into the void, that you can never have back--that, someday, you will be lying on your deathbed, desperately trying to account for the cumulative 48-hour-period you wasted, vainly hoping to obtain a fucking digital hat. Or growing a digital plant. Or whacking digital monsters with a digital stick, to obtain digital money, to continue buying more of the shiny arbitrary digital macguffins they've laid on your increasingly-endless breadcrumb trail into the abyss . . . and all of it is so hopelessly, ridiculously inconsequential to any kind of objective reality.

It's just a waste of time. Nothing more. Nothing less.

So yeah. I would have to agree. They're evil. WoW is only (inevitably) the oldest, largest, and guiltiest of this breed--and if it wasn't WoW, it would be some other game, occupying the exact same place and doing the exact same thing.
 

Grand_Marquis

New member
Feb 9, 2009
137
0
0
I'm surprised. Yahtzee actually had a higher opinion of it than I did. That never happens! He always hates things more! Then again, I seem to have some kind of mental WoW armor, because I've tried playing it a couple times and it always utterly fails to suck me in.

It also doesn't help that I consider the game to be irreparably flawed at a fundamental level.

Dragonpit said:
I find it funny that the first five posts on this forum after Yahtzee put it up were put on probation. :D They're about as offensive as a bunny rabbit squeaky toy.
Head's up: people who respond to any new video uploads on Escapist before it's physically possible to watch the video all the way through get probated. So if you ever find yourself with an uncontrollable desire to make a witty reply 2 minutes after a 6 minute video is uploaded to the site...try to hold yourself back ;P
 

FallenMessiah88

So fucking thrilled to be here!
Jan 8, 2010
470
0
0
I must say, a MUMMORPUGHER of all things? Im shocked. But honestly i just dont get games like WOW. Just dont get them, and I probably never will.
 

NaramSuen

New member
Jun 8, 2010
261
0
0
I guess hell has frozen over.

The only reason I have never played WOW is that I am afraid I would like it too much and my life would become a bad country song.