<font color=skyblue>But let me get this straight...there is no way I can enjoy this game unless I pay a monthly fee to connect online? I am from the NWN mindset of playing online, and I don't have the ability to pay even if I desired to.

So...should I give the game back?</font>

There is always the possibility of hacked private servers.

Correct, you must pay to play. $15 a month and I think it is worth it personally...the new content, policing and monitoring of servers.

My advice, try the trial (if it's a new copy your first month is free) and then decide?

Well normally I like to have everyone steer clear of this game. I don't think I will ever be able to express my sheer hatred for this game and that company Blizzard Entertainment.

However, if it is your first time try it out for a bit. I remember for those few months that I did play, it was a fun experience. A lot of people seem to love the game and will religiously defend it on and on and on (although I don't see why). You might like it, or you might just want to smash it to tiny bits.

Yeah. Try it for a month and see. That $15 has saved me money, actually. I used to spend $50 or more a month on games, xbox and computer. I would have bought a new system too.

But in the last year I've bought one game. And probably doubled or tripled my gaming time.

Ahem, if you have a credit card. Then you'll have the free one month. If you don't have a credit card. You'll have to purchase a game card (2 month play time)to get that free one month. So unless you have a credit card or plan to play for 3 months (game card time + free one month). Give it back.

I'd say skip it. Yes you have to pay, and every single thing Blizzard add to WoW is based on how long it will keep people playing longer. The beginning of the game is nice, as back then they actually cared about gameplay for gameplay's sake, but once you get farther it become tedious, nothing worthwile take less than 100 hours (that's a big minimum) to accomplish. I've had real life jobs that were actually less work that this "game". You have to repeat the same content over and over, kill the same ennemies for thousands of times, etc.

Bah, Luvian you lived and breathed WoW for months there...shame on ya *Applies 'mark of shame'*.

In truth, you don't have to take part in the endgame if you don't want to. You can simply re-roll. Many people do this as soon as they hit 60. Would you deny Larry that? He did get the game free I mean...how much will it hurt to take a look?

Yeah, there's nothing wrong in taking some crack, I'm your friend, I wouldn't give you drugs if it was a good idea, try it it's fun!

Seriously, I'm actually ashamed I was so blinded I didn't realise how wow really was. Sure, it look nice, and they're good at getting you in, but once you're there it's just a big grind, it's the most mmorpg ever. Sure, every games has some grinding and time sink, but wow is just one big time sink, everything they do is about grinding.

You want to craft? You have to grind for material. You want a mount? You have to grind. You want to pvp? More grinding. You want decent items? Grinding.

I spent hundred of hours to get my blue set, I ran stratholme, scholomance etc every day for months to finally complete my set. What did I do when I got it? I started all over again for my purple set. I had 9-10 or so epic items if I remember right, I spent on average 30 or so hours raiding for each. What did we do after hundred hours when we mastered Molten Core and Onyxia? Moved on the the newest instance. Now I'm sure my old guild is drooling at the thought of spending more hundread of hours doing the newest raid over and over again until they finally are ready to move on to the next after that.

Did I have fun doing that? I guess at first, the first 2-3 times, until I knew the tricks of every bosses. When he spam x message stand there, if he spam this one do that. It's always the same thing, there's nothing new. You go in the new dungeon, stand around for 5-6 hours every night, and learn what reaction you must do when the monster say or do something, it's so basic you could train a monkey to do it, except he wouldn't stand around for 5-6 hours every day.

And now, what do I have to show for the thousands of hours I spent playing warcraft? What did I get working on getting characters to 60, killing the same monsters over and over again for reputation, the hours I spent looking for components and raising my crafting skills, farming cash for mounts and elite items? Nothing. I didn't play a game, there was no real gameplay, I simply worked a repetitive job so that I could raise numbers in a program, I simply worked for blizard, but instead of them paying me, I paid them to work for them.

[ 09-09-2006, 12:11 PM: Message edited by: Luvian ]

But like you said, that is all MMO's today. I look it at this way, at least WoW has an endgame to keep people who have reached max level busy. Is farming and running raids at 60 for everyone? Of course not. But it's there if you want it and most games don't even entertain a person once they max their character levels out *shrug*