We suspect that the single word "finally" in conjunction with "Guild Wars 2" is pretty self-explanatory. But just in case it isn't, this week's Guild Wars 2 column ought to set you straight. Keep reading!

I’ve waited a long time for some games in the past, following every bit of detail of their development stages till release. I’m sure that if you’re a gamer you’ve probably have done it a couple of times. Guild Wars 2 is one of the really special games for me. Not only did the previous game entertain me, it taught me how to be better at my job. The stuff I’ve heard during the past couple of years, and actually witnessing for myself in small chunks, made me eager to experience it and learn even more. I know earlier this year they said it would be happening soon, but now that there is an actually number that replaces the word soon, it’s like all this waiting and believing is going to pay off.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: FINALLY!

This may, or may not, but an accurate representation of how I celebrated the Guild Wars 2 release date. I call this handmade costume, The Year of the Dragon.

Meh, I'm still thinking about whether or not it's worth preordering.   

Maybe soon.

Glad the long wait is over for the fans though, their patience will soon be rewarded.

I'm happy you're excited for the gane David and i like your article, but i'm going to disagree with only 1 point:

"Hit all of the milestones you want to hit, because when this game comes out there’s a good chance you won’t give any attention to other titles for a good long while."

I do have an interest in GW2 for sure, but, 3 months is all i expect rom the game, so i'll have tons of time for other games once i run out of stuff to do.

Also, y u no use Shatterer costume to celebrate release?

David, keep in in your pants, buddy.  Goodness gracious.  Anyway, I'm still debating whether to pre-purchase it.  Not sure the game excites me enough to warrent pre-purchasing.  I may wait until release and then check it out.  None of my friends are interested in it, so I don't have access to anyone's account to try out the beta.   

i remember that tweet last June28
F5ing GW2 twitter page
then...
it just said "Get ready and tell you friends"
made me watch a minute of Youtube video then BOOM! 8-28-12
it took several seconds for it to register, did i just see the release date?
i was literally shaking when i retweeted it and logged into Facebook to tell my alliance
in the next few minutes guildies were commenting, some more excited than i was
went to this forum to make sure that they also heard
it took abt 3 hours for my excitement to dissipate so that i can get on with my day
im happy that very soon i will be back in Tyria

well someone's excited.... o_O

First game worth playing in a long time. Can't wait.

Can't wait, been waiting on GW2 and Planetside 2 for while now. I'm more excited about Planetside 2 though. I'm not really a fan of the first GW, but after trying the beta of GW2 I really enjoyed it. It made me want to buy all of GW1 and get the Hall of Monuments items to 30/50. I'm no fanboi of any company, these 2 titles I'm looking forward to, hope they keep us happy for a good many years. I'll be playing both GW2 and Planetside 2 since they both have no sub fees. I suspect Planetside 2 will have most of my time though once it's released. I loved the original Planetside.

Cute dragon suit pic. I'd like to see an acutal photo though :D

I've asked this question alot after playing the GW2 beta's and i'll ask one more time...

is it weird that when i play GW2 i get an erection ?

I'm excited for GW2 but for the love of god don't force that awful GW1 on me.

Originally posted by Suzie_Ford

We suspect that the single word "finally" in conjunction with "Guild Wars 2" is pretty self-explanatory. But just in case it isn't, this week's Guild Wars 2 column ought to set you straight. Keep reading!

What about those of you who have no interest in the first game at all?  My only advice for you right now is to finish up whatever game you are playing now.  Hit all of the milestones you want to hit, because when this game comes out there’s a good chance you won’t give any attention to other titles for a good long while.  The stress tests last Wednesday was even extended for an extra hour, and it still felt like I had only played for 45 minutes.  This game will just suck you in.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: FINALLY!

This may, or may not, but an accurate representation of how I celebrated the Guild Wars 2 release date. I call this handmade costume, The Year of the Dragon.

Well, I think 45 min plus 1 hour equals 1 hrs and 45 min David. 

Bear this in mind, though, before you quit all your current games (unles Facebook ones)...ArenaNet have gone on the record stating that GW2 does not have an endgame. They didn't want the raid model in GW2, so if you like end-game raiding then WoW, RIFT, or SWTOR may be better bets as a game.

Also, ArenaNet are very keen on the casual PvP set. Now that means you won't have stuff like arenas or ranked warzones either in GW2. 

So, while the game will be fun I think, I would play it as a secondary mmo and enjoy the game for a few months while you get through what it has to offer.

lol someone is really hyped up for this title. GW2 offers few really fun features, but I doubt it's the second coming of Jesus. Even so I'm going to play it and that's more then I can say about most MMOs.

The amount of hype for this game is going to leave a lot of people disappointed.

It's shiny now because you have so little access to it.  I'm honestly surprised that nobody even cares about how they got their "crumbs" that have been thrown to them once a month.

Everyone who pre-purchased when it was announced has literally funded the finishing of the game.  It'll be about 5 months after you purchased (and payed for) the game.  In return we got a few days to test it every month.

I see repeated posts about the evils of Funcom and Sony but none about ArenaNet and how this pre-purchase worked. 

The shine of this game is going to wear off quickly especially with all of the over-hype.  I already groan whenever I see yet another article on the game while there are literally hundreds of other MMOs on the market or in development.

I guess I'm just sad to read hype opinion threads over and over again.  I'm afraid the backlash of GW2 is going to be huge when it's not the holy grail so many think it's going to be.

Dakrin, for me GW2 squeezes out the most from what theme park tab-targetting MMORPGs can offer and serves in the best possible way. The combat is fun ( for once ) , the quest/grouping/chain events systems are fun as well. Top it with the nice level downgrading feature and rewarding exploration and I am happy.

Originally posted by Blindchance

Dakrin, for me GW2 squeezes out the most from what theme park tab-targetting MMORPGs can offer and serves in the best possible way. The combat is fun ( for once ) , the quest/grouping/chain events systems are fun as well. Top it with the nice level downgrading feature and rewarding exploration and I am happy.

 

I totally agree.  When I played the betas, one of the things that totally hooked me was the fact you end up in groups without having to be invited.  I am mainly a solo player, and found myself "grouping" more than in any other game I have played previously.  I am certain that I will be playing this game for a long time to come.

Good. Hopefully a free trial will follow soon.

Originally posted by nuttob

Originally posted by Blindchance

Dakrin, for me GW2 squeezes out the most from what theme park tab-targetting MMORPGs can offer and serves in the best possible way. The combat is fun ( for once ) , the quest/grouping/chain events systems are fun as well. Top it with the nice level downgrading feature and rewarding exploration and I am happy.

 

I totally agree.  When I played the betas, one of the things that totally hooked me was the fact you end up in groups without having to be invited.  I am mainly a solo player, and found myself "grouping" more than in any other game I have played previously.  I am certain that I will be playing this game for a long time to come.

 First of all I am happy you like the game but you didn't join a group,you ran around solo doing what everyone else was doing in a zerg with little or no communication as in chat .For me its chaotic and the reason there is no point in grouping is no trinity no point to group.Everyone is dps dodge class.

I have been following GW2 since I played the GW trial, I liked GW but was not in a position to buy it at the time. I pre-purchased and played in the beta events and never made it to level 10. I leveled slowly on purpose. One I did not want to ruin the game for myself, and second I was having so much fun doing all the little things like collecting morters and saving puppys that I did not want to rush away from those things. Reguardless of if it the second coming or not I WANT TO HAVE FUN! I know that fun is not what people look for in games anymore but I like to be in the old school crowd of wanting to have fun and it not being a second job.

This is great article, and I am perfectly okay and happy that I was "duped" by Anet to buy the game. I love that people actually say it is a bad thing to offer pre-purchase just so they can finish a game many have been waiting for. The the author...hope to see you in game...to the haters...Hope to see you in game too, you never know, you might actually have fun.