Title : Why choose Wow?

The big question on everyone's mind is why choose World of Warcraft over the many MMORPG titles that are still to hit the market? First we need to take a brief look at some of the more eagerly anticipated MMORPG titles to put things in perspective.

StarWars Galaxies ¨C

SWG is being touted as the next big thing and the obvious pull is the game universe itself. It's been every gamer's dream to play their favourite characters/race from the StarWars universe and the game world itself is rich and vibrant with a long history which dates back through the movies and many books that have been written since. This has to be the top contender for the most popular competitive up and coming MMORPG with 8 playable races at your disposal and a large variety of character skills.

Everquest 2 ¨C

This is definitely up there with SWG due the shear amount of gamers that have glued themselves into Everquest, or EverCrack if you prefer, over the past four years.

With EQ2 now on the horizon the inquisitive nature of EQ players will surely pull them back into the world they have left to move onto something else. The game is once again set in a future Norath so many locations will be familiar to players of the first games.

At the recent EQ Fan Faire event we talked to a few players who were not sure if they would play EQ2 because it would mean having to start new characters again, a common problem for sequels.

After taking a look at the game at a recent press event I'll admit I was a little disappointed in the game's visuals. The gameplay demo was pretty jerky and I certainly would not have shown this to the press.

Asheron's call 2 ¨C

Yet another sequel but perhaps without the same pulling power of EQ2. Again this is a game that players of the original Asheron's Call will be checking out and it does look visually very stunning, expanding on an already popular game concept and world which was first unveiled back in 1999. The game is set 500 years after the original title and features three playable races skilled in either melee, magic or ranged combat.

Earth & Beyond ¨C

This game has already been released but with a storyline that's set to run for 5 years, it will overlap with the release of WoW. Earth & Beyond is the first persistent world space MMORPG so it has an edge over the other titles if space exploration and trading is your cup of tea. The game is also very well put together and ideal for newcomers to the MMORPG genre. Perhaps this is something players new to the genre should try before WoW to give them a taste of an MMORPG.

Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles ¨C

You can't deny the popularity of DAoC, it has a massive user base and with this new expansion, Shrouded Isles, it will have players of the original coming back in their droves, but how long the expansion can keep people hooked remains to be seen.

The game expands on the original with new character classes, new races, and three new continents to explore. As well as new quests, weapons armour etc the game also features a new graphic engine that will help entice old and new players.

And so to WoW...

So where does that leave Blizzard and World of Warcraft and what edge will WoW have over the other titles? The main factor with World of Warcraft is the game's story, history and background. With the Warcraft universe having evolved over the past eight years, the game's history is deep. This is a sound foundation for any MMORPG and will mean a great deal of players will be starting in an already familiar environment.

While this is Blizzard's first foray into the MMORPG market they do have a long history in online gaming. Battle.net has proved to be a puller with Blizzard fans and a definite selling point for all their titles and it's one reason why we always see the Battle.Net logo on the game boxes we buy. That's not to say everything has been rosy, gamers may be concerned that Blizzard will be an easy target for hackers and exploiters, as we have seen with Diablo II and more recently Warcraft III. Having said that, Blizzard have learnt so much over the years that by the time the game is released we are confident that measures to prevent similar events happening in WoW will be in place. Of course Blizzard will have a dedicated support team that will be on hand to make sure everything is running smoothly (as all the above MMORPGs do and will), that's where your monthly subscription goes, on keeping the nasty people out and providing you with new game content.

The development team on WoW are keen to stress that the game will be easily accessible to all with a simple polished interface and combat that will be highly intuitive.

Blizzard have also learnt from Diablo II that gamers appreciate fast and uncomplicated gameplay. The development team on WoW are keen to stress that the game will be easily accessible to all with a simple polished interface and combat that will be highly intuitive. From what we¡®ve seen of the game at past trade shows they are definitely on track to achieving this goal. There is nothing worse than playing a game that just bogs you down and overcomplicates the gameplay. They are endeavouring to market the game to experienced gamers as well as those who have never played an MMO or indeed perhaps any game.

As far as price is concerned WoW is unlikely to have an edge, most MMORPG titles come in about the same per month, an average of around $10. Does that really matter at the end of the day? You are after all buying into the game concept, and with prices all about the same, monthly fees will probably not feature much in deciding which MMORPG gamers will buy.

Blizzard do have an edge here with so many top MMORPG titles already going into sequels/add-ons. WoW is fresh and new (or will be when it's released), which is something that's bound to be on the mind of gamers looking for an MMORPG to sink their teeth into.

¡®Content is King' is a phrase you always hear. We all know Blizzard can churn out interesting storylines and this is another factor that should be considered. An MMORPG has to make you feel like you are living the game and have a purpose in the world. With Blizzard's storytelling skills I think we all know that quests and world events are more than likely to have us all hankering for more. Besides, they have to be, there is no real end to the game so keeping the WoW universe exciting and fresh is going to be of the utmost importance to the content team at Blizzard, if they are to keep the monthly subscriptions rolling in.

Never underestimate the Blizzard Factor. This magic ingrediant is what pulls Blizzard fans back to their games time and time again.

Finally there's the ¡®Blizzard Factor'TM. Never underestimate the Blizzard Factor. This magic ingrediant is what pulls Blizzard fans back to their games time and time again. Blizzard are after all perfectionists. You may remember Warcraft Adventures, the now canned adventure title. We actually saw this in action and were really very impressed with the game concept and visuals. Alas the game was not to be, the plug was pulled and the game shelved simply because they felt it would not realise their high standards. To go so far with development of a game and then decide to halt development shows they are willing to take drastic action if need be. It's on this premise that fans following WoW feel confident that Blizzard will deliver a top-notch MMORPG.

Right now we're all playing the waiting game. Blizzard are keeping cool and staying tight lipped about the game's development, and quite rightly so. With so many MMORPG titles about to be released, or currently in the works, things need to be kept under wraps, after all, don't we all want WoW to have the edge and be more exciting than other MMORPGs? The waiting game has begun so let's revel in the information have recently started to allow to trickle through to their eager fanbase.