The first big Guild Wars 2 beta preview weekend has come and gone. We, however, have been thinking about it almost non-stop. We've got some thoughts to share about what we experienced. Keep reading!

Like you, I have been listening to what ArenaNet has been saying about the way MMOs are made and played for the last couple of years. It was like they were taking everything we wanted to change, but thought no one would ever listen and then acting upon it. We heard the developers and designers speak of an MMO that sounded like a dream come true. We listened and hoped that their promises were really going to come to fruition. So did they keep to their high goals? Have we been hoping for something that just can’t be done? Friends, I am happy to say that from my weekend experience I can see that promises are being kept, and that a new unique MMO is truly going to hit the market later this year.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: Beta Reflections.

Hail to you, ArenaNet! From what I’ve seen Guild Wars 2 will be a masterpiece.

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

The more good Western MMOs we have the better. Wating for good player reviews though and maybe even open beta. GW2 may well be my 2nd MMO beside TSW.

Star Wars?

Sometimes first impressions are really important.

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

Well it is his opinion.. but i would love to try and see it for myself. I remember similar hype for SWTOR but atleast it wasn't called masterpeice after one beta play through.

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

 

You know, when you play MMOs for a living (or are an MMO junkie), you know immediately when you hit something golden. Just as you know immediately when your hand meets some soft, brown substance.

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

 

Yeah, what's your opinion after your gameplay session? Oh wait...

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

Is it safe to say that a masterpiece can be something that effects you on a level so profound that you can't convey your feelings with mere words? Even an idiot can appreciate something that is good even if they don't quite understand why.

I don't think he was calling it a masterpiece in every way. That would requie it to be flawless, and I don't think any game can or will be considered flawless. (Especially when people have differing opinions on what constitutes a flaw.)

I would say it's rather that he's saying his experiences within the game have already provided evidence that ArenaNet are delivering (or doing their best to deliver) on the promises they made in their manifesto. Certain aspect of the game are far too early to call, and no one is denying that, but the grouping mentality is something that should be obvious early on, especially since most of the press in the beta have come straight from games which make group play a disadvantage outside of instances. If you're pre-conditioned to play the open world part of a game solo, and within a day you are grouping with other players and it feels natural, I'd say that's a very good sign indeed.

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

 

It just means in those 2 days he played something that's simply amazing. Every jounrnalist has said that unless the rest of the game (remember, all the main mechanics were in the beta) is a pile of crap for no reason, this is THE MMO to look out for.

Originally posted by Superduper69

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

Well it is his opinion.. but i would love to try and see it for myself. I remember similar hype for SWTOR but atleast it wasn't called masterpeice after one beta play through.

 

... that was just an early signal  you shuold have read in between the lines :)

But yeah overall we have two 'faults' in GW2 across every single beta article (and there's been dozens by cynics and fans alike). The cutscenes with two characters and the paintings behind them can be somewhat unimmersive for some people and the crafting system is 'only' slightly better than games like Skyrim.

A voice of reason from a fanboi... (devil's advocate mode ON)

Yes, it seems that GW2 crew managed to deliver all they've been promising... but so have the SW:TOR's devs.

Who knows what unforeseen problems might arise later on in the game? Many of the new concepts GW2 introduces have never been prorperly tested out in the field. Who knows what might happen down the road after a few months or years and with millions of players mucking around with it? Maybe some mechnanic we're all so hyped about has some surprising unpleasant side effects further down the road?

Anyways, it's cool to be hyped but let's get a bit realistic here... From all the info coming from all over the place GW2 will provide a great experience right from the outset. So that's box money well spent. Whether it will stand the test of time, who knows? I have a hunch it will but I'm not a prophet and neither is anyone. At the moment I'm pretty confident I'll get my money's worth for the box price and beyond that.. it would all be a bonus, really.

Originally posted by Pilnkplonk

Anyways, it's cool to be hyped but let's get a bit realistic here... From all the info coming from all over the place GW2 will provide a great experience right from the outset. So that's box money well spent. Whether it will stand the test of time, who knows? I have a hunch it will but I'm not a prophet and neither is anyone. At the moment I'm pretty confident I'll get my money's worth for the box price and beyond that.. it would all be a bonus, really.

Considering ANet will not get any sub money by making time sinks, I'd say they will have to work hard to bring out free content patches and paid expansions after the launch.

I'm also skeptical if GW will hold me for years (even WoW hasn't done that, only UO has), but I'm pretty sure it will be a bucketload of fun for just the box price.

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

 when one plays many mmos for many years you can tell a good mmorpg in minutes. so, i take the review well.

If you cant tell a good mmorpg within the first hour- you might as well go play some board games.

also keep in mind the review were about 'masterpiece' game play while in combat.

<.<

Originally posted by pstaton

Originally posted by Xarko

So you played an mmo for 2 days and you are calling it a masterpiece .. riiiight.. /salt

Yeah, what's your opinion after your gameplay session? Oh wait...

Ummm...if you are asking the opinions of people on this forum who have played it, the answers that we will give you is that is IS a masterpiece.  It was a masterpiece 1.5 years ago at the first convention it went to, and it is even better now (based on newer information about the game).

Originally posted by tom_gore

Originally posted by Pilnkplonk

Anyways, it's cool to be hyped but let's get a bit realistic here... From all the info coming from all over the place GW2 will provide a great experience right from the outset. So that's box money well spent. Whether it will stand the test of time, who knows? I have a hunch it will but I'm not a prophet and neither is anyone. At the moment I'm pretty confident I'll get my money's worth for the box price and beyond that.. it would all be a bonus, really.

Considering ANet will not get any sub money by making time sinks, I'd say they will have to work hard to bring out free content patches and paid expansions after the launch.

I'm also skeptical if GW will hold me for years (even WoW hasn't done that, only UO has), but I'm pretty sure it will be a bucketload of fun for just the box price.

 

hehe wow- had me for abt 2 expansions- and from ur avatar you should know iam now very happy to be back in warhammer online!- no regrets!!!!-luv waaargh

GW2 & warhammer will have my respect till- Dark millinium!

This game is certainly a little different from the current themeparks.

But having played it, it's not actually that different once you get into it. The trinity is broken up, and there are mechanical/execution differences but the core gameplay experience remains very similar regardless. They've changed how some things are conveyed, like quests, but the end result remains largely the same.

Guild Wars 2 is a step in the right direction but it's still in the vicinity of the themepark. There's still that distinct waft of funnel cake and cotton candy in the air.

The bulk of the innovation is in the PvP. Not that 'bulk' means there's a lot, but there's some!