Not sure if it will kill all other themeparks but for me its doen something interesting.  As a sandbox MMO lover, I personally hate themepark games and I have only tried a few and ended up leaving in 3 weeks.  GW2 is the first of its type that has really won me over. 

Some key reasons:

- combat is actually meaningful and you can really influence based on your strategy. 

- Open world and doesn't feel linear. e.g. yesteray even at level 40 I went back to the starting zone and played out some events I really liked.  I get side tracked constantly because of things to do.

- Removed a lot of 'fun' barriers. e.g. being able to send craft items and sell anywhere in the world. Not having to wait for a healer. Once activated you can travel anywhere.  etc etc. 

I am really shocked at how much I like this game and a good sign is that I haven't touched my alts yet. 

Kinda funny, this topic of fanboyism was going on earlier until threads got locked. I find it amusing that the fanboys are attacking not one other MMO in its praising of GW2 but ALL of them.

Btw last I heard Blizzard is still selling MoP boxes.

Originally posted by Kopogero

Majority of players want open world, massive sandbox worlds

Uhhh.. no, not really.  Where did you get that from?

Originally posted by chryses

Not sure if it will kill all other themeparks but for me its doen something interesting.  As a sandbox MMO lover, I personally hate themepark games and I have only tried a few and ended up leaving in 3 weeks.  GW2 is the first of its type that has really won me over. 

Some key reasons:

- combat is actually meaningful and you can really influence based on your strategy. 

- Open world and doesn't feel linear. e.g. yesteray even at level 40 I went back to the starting zone and played out some events I really liked.  I get side tracked constantly because of things to do.

- Removed a lot of 'fun' barriers. e.g. being able to send craft items and sell anywhere in the world. Not having to wait for a healer. Once activated you can travel anywhere.  etc etc. 

I am really shocked at how much I like this game and a good sign is that I haven't touched my alts yet. 

^ same here. There's been a single other modern (post 2001) themepark that i was able to enjoy for more than a month, Rift. But GW2 slaughters that for me, I'm only 80 hours in but I am more hyped about it now than I was at launch, and I have so much left to see and do that it's even a bit overwhelming to think about it all.

I'm an explorer first and foremost, and until now the only mmorpgs I truly loved to explore were EQ1, AC1, VG, games like that... but GW2 is up there now amongst the best for me.

Originally posted by Eir_S

Originally posted by Kopogero

Majority of players want open world, massive sandbox worlds

Uhhh.. no, not really.  Where did you get that from?

Ya.. ask 2 sandbox players what they want and I bet you'll get 2 completely different answers. So I doubt that statement would honestly be the majority for even sandbox players in general...

Well, no.

GW2 has a really bland (not to mention very spare) story experience. The PVE systems are varied and somewhat fresh, and that's good, but this game is either about: a) combat, or; b) exploring the map.

I almost have no feeling that there's actually this character I'm playing in GW2, no feeling of personality, history, story.

The game frankly feels like a well-oiled combat carousel.

Contrast this with The Secret World or SWTOR, the first of which provides solid atmosphere and story, and the second of which adds a lot of extensively written characters on top of the (again, extensively written) story.

You just can't find anything close to that in GW2 if you're a story-focused player.

Guildwars 2 is not king of the themeparks, yet.

LOTRO has far more socializing possibilities than GW2. Guildhalls, playerhouses, musical instruments, player hubs, taverns, cooking, fishing, smoking, etc.

Lore is pretty decent in LOTRO aswell. A lot of players know the books by heart and the game is pretty accurate. A lot of scenic "deja vu".

When GW2 gets some socializing and creates a decent community, with a lot of player hosted events, then  we will see if it can be the new King.

Has no one except me noticed that he posted a completely different topic that says the exact opposite of what he is saying here? I'll post a link.

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/365124/page/1

No yeah new trend will take place here because of GW2.  They are going to remove the rides from themeparks from now on and instead of innovating things like what to do with the healer class, which the answer was brilliantly "remove it"

Its really a themepark with no rides.  Just a game for people who like repetition without goals or rewards.

Originally posted by redman875

No yeah new trend will take place here because of GW2.  They are going to remove the rides from themeparks from now on and instead of innovating things like what to do with the healer class, which the answer was brilliantly "remove it"

Its really a themepark with no rides.  Just a game for people who like repetition without goals or rewards.

The way you describe makes it sound more like a sandbox, where you basically have to create your own goals to get anything out of it.

Granted before someone jumps down my throat, saying "SANDBOX MEANS PLAYER CREATED CONTENT, SO STFU NEWB", a sandbox for me is basically a game where they don't give any specific goals in mind and you are expected to create your own goals based on the freedoms and limitations presented to you via the game design.

I respectfully disagree with the OP's opinion.

Originally posted by Foomerang

I respectfully disagree with the OP's opinion.

REPORTED¡¡¡¡

(I am obviously joking, just in case)

Originally posted by TheScavenger

Not including sandbox MMOs (completely different)

 

But GW2 kills all other MMOs that are themepark. It has story (so don't need SWTOR), it doesn't have boring fall asleep on the keyboard autoattack (so don't need WoW), it has unique races...no quest hubs...no double tracking to return a quest that is a continent away. No grinding military style raids that have leaders that scream at you (WoW)...and the most amazing cities in any MMO (RIFT cities are like camps, they are freakin tiny)

 

What is the point in playing any other themepark MMO? GW2 does all of it, and does it way better. The only reason one wouldn't like GW2, is because they are sandbox fans and are jaded they aren't getting any quality sandbox MMOs.

 

GW2 is a HUGE leap forward in themepark MMOs. Anyone still playing the old are like those who used bows and arrows, because they didn't want to advance to the gun age. They are trying to old back advancements to the technology, trying to ruin future MMOs that are themeparks.

 

Only MMO that can be better, is a very high quality sandbox MMO. And its only "better" if that style of MMO is your thing and not themeparks. Right now though, all sandbox MMOs (except EVE and even that sucks, but its best one out) are too low quality.

 

Future of MMOs goes to GW2 and a high quality sandbox MMO.

The story isn't as good as SWTOR's (not that THAT was all that great) but I agree. Hearts aren't quest hubs UNTIL you realize they turn into karma vendors after you complete them and are the primary way of getting good gear while levelling. So they are, in fact, de facto quest hubs. I agree, you can't just auto-attack except for all those times when you can. Examples include any DE where there are more than 2 people present.

I love the game, but the reasons it rocks other themeparks aren't quite the ones you've listed.

Actually, I am playing right now.  Kinda just going through the motions atm.

But I was thinking about how this game compares to other themeparks.   I do think it is good.  But in all honesty, I think as far as PVE themeparks go, LOTRO is still a better game.   Even though there are no DEs in it, it handles the social aspect much much better IMO. 

I dont wanna complain but if i didnt get that wrong, Dragon Nest would be the best MMO ever created for you...

Its a pretty free combat system and arrows dont follow you all day.

I thought it would be the funniest mmo out there for quite some time but even that gets boring (though i still like the PVP)

Also it has no european servers, which makes it hard to really pvp in combats like this.

Originally posted by TheScavenger

Originally posted by Psychow
All my characters have auto-attack.

you have to dodge...arrows and missiles don't somehow travel to the moon to reach you and then into deep space. That is just stupid game design.

 

If you just stand still, you are dead. In other themepark MMOs, you stand there like a piniata

 

Combat in GW2 is WAY better. Granted, TERA has better combat...but so grindy, but the combat is great.

When I circle strafe, enemy projectiles follow me.  I can watch them arch towards me.  There are certain attacks that don't do this, but there are many that do.  They will arch towards you when you dodge/roll, but instead of taking damage it says "evade" even though you can see it hit you.  Melee seems to be much more impacted in the combat than ranged as many of their attacks if they are slower attacks don't follow you like an arrow.