http://kotaku.com/5946563/guild-wars-2-the-kotaku-review

Other games have taught me to view other players as competition, or as danger. If another player and I arrived on a dock in EverQuest II at the same time, we'd make a point of steering in opposite directions from each other as we ran into the zone, to avoid getting in each other's way with harvests or kills. A recent foray into World of Warcraft has left me feeling that other players are something I have to wade through to get where I'm going. In these, and in nearly other multiplayer game I've ever tried, the existence of other players only helps me when I am intentionally in a group with them.

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

Or someone with an otherwise very busy schedule/life unable to play much more than that.

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

Originally posted by TangentPoint

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

Or someone with an otherwise very busy schedule/life unable to play much more than that.

 

I'm not entirely sure why someone who has only managed to get a level 30 toon and clearly not played all that much, should be writing a review in the first place.

"Weapon skills, though, are based entirely on the weapons a player has chosen to equip. If I fight with a dagger in each hand, I will learn a certain five skills. If I swap the main hand dagger for a gun, I'll learn three new skills for slots 1-3 in lieu of the dagger skills I had there. If I swap the off-hand dagger for a gun, slots 4 and 5 change. It's a modular system that sounds complex but that becomes intuitive and fluid almost instantly on playing."

Biggest issue right here.  The author said it very nicely ;) I have call it simple and thin. Now matter how you want to color it, you don't have much choice. Poster Lampos on the GW2 forums summed it up the best....

"Can any one explain to me why it’s a good idea that the game limits me on my skill build. I need to use 5 weapon skills, 1 healing skill and there is 1 slot only for elite skills. That leaves me only 3 slots to chooce my onw skills. Are we like little childeren, not smart enough ot make up our onw mind."

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Originally posted by Sukiyaki

Originally posted by krakra70

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Sure. If anyone the WoW fanbois who never played GW2 certainly must now what a casual GW2 player should have done by now in GW2 or not.

Quite ironical you are judging his review based on you judgment of his "lack of expereince and progress in GW2" considering its pretty obvious you never experienced GW, leave alone have any progress made so far at all and just look for excuses and nonexistant straws to bash the game for the competition it represents to your obviously favorite game WoW.

You sound desperate. I actually have an 80 thief,  all the other classes at around lvl10 and played in all betas after BWE1. I got bored around level 60 but forced myself to get to max level in the off chance the endgame is actually good (not even close) .

Ori[mod edit]

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

I have been playing since release and got to lvl 47 so far. I have like 90 hours logged in. It's easy to get lost in the game and stop caring about reaching max lvl.

I'm not entirely sure why someone who has only managed to get a level 30 toon and clearly not played all that much, should be writing a review in the first place.

This sums up pretty much every so called "respected" reviewer out there.  It's no wonder game companies put in an incredible about of effort and polish into the early part of the game and very little into what comes after.

Originally posted by krakra70

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

I like and play GW2 and I dont have a level 80 yet, then again I have shit to do and a life and dont approach video games like some sort of military campaign... maybe they do too.

Originally posted by bunnyhopper

Originally posted by TangentPoint

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

Or someone with an otherwise very busy schedule/life unable to play much more than that.

I'm not entirely sure why someone who has only managed to get a level 30 toon and clearly not played all that much, should be writing a review in the first place.

What would the alternative be? Paying someone to play 200 hours? Get someone who already played that much do the review?

One is rather expensive and the other more or less guarantees that a fan of the game make the veview. 200 hours is 5 weeks full time job which is rather expensive for a net site, particularly since they would have to do it for every MMO they review.

Someone like PC gamer might afford that of course but only the real large professional papers can afford a fair MMO review.

Frankly to write a fair MMO review a month and 200 hours is not even enough. The best we can hope for about professional reviews is that they at least left "Tortage" if people remember the old AoC reviews from people who never left the start area most players spent 5-10 hours in.

So, no, I have very little faith in any MMO review. And I do like GW2 but this have nothing to do about my personal feelings for a specific review. MMOs often are a way of life, not a short game you can complete and review in 2 days.

Originally posted by krakra70

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Thanks 

I *thought* I was casual but Im only level 23 :-)  Then again I cannot commit consistent play time per day... especially with the other MMOs I am playing.

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by bunnyhopper

Originally posted by TangentPoint

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

Or someone with an otherwise very busy schedule/life unable to play much more than that.

I'm not entirely sure why someone who has only managed to get a level 30 toon and clearly not played all that much, should be writing a review in the first place.

What would the alternative be? Paying someone to play 200 hours? Get someone who already played that much do the review?

One is rather expensive and the other more or less guarantees that a fan of the game make the veview. 200 hours is 5 weeks full time job which is rather expensive for a net site, particularly since they would have to do it for every MMO they review.

Someone like PC gamer might afford that of course but only the real large professional papers can afford a fair MMO review.

Frankly to write a fair MMO review a month and 200 hours is not even enough. The best we can hope for about professional reviews is that they at least left "Tortage" if people remember the old AoC reviews from people who never left the start area most players spent 5-10 hours in.

So, no, I have very little faith in any MMO review. And I do like GW2 but this have nothing to do about my personal feelings for a specific review. MMOs often are a way of life, not a short game you can complete and review in 2 days.

Makes perfect sense.  Guess it negates the whole idea of fanboy and hater since each has a different way of 'living' in an MMO ;-)

Love games. Play nice.

Originally posted by krakra70

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Well, when I hit 80 with my first character, I was closing in on 200 hours. So, just no. You can spend a lot of time doing things like exploration and it might really take a long time to hit cap in this game.

I disagree with the "nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char" as well. I started complaining at something like level 3! :) The hearts, the DEs and the PVP was instantly boring to me.

Let me disagree with you a third and final time in that reviewers have to test endgame before they write a review. As long as they make it clear they haven't sampled the endgame and aren't commenting on that, it's OK. Some of us don't even care about the endgame, so those people are in no way affected. Plus, I thought in GW2 "endgame started at level 1"? :)

Originally posted by krakra70

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Reviews are subjective and a moot point.  What I find hillarious is that I am only level 25 because of having a busy real life and only getting time on Sundays to play.  But apparently I don't enjoy the game?  Or I think I enjoy it but deep down my subconcious is telling me that I actually loath it.  Sorry but thats just too funny.  You're a funny guy!

The only thing that is invalid is the point you yourself are trying to make, because I do enjoy GW2, have played it since launch, and am only level 25.

Originally posted by krakra70

Originally posted by darkhalf357x

Originally posted by krakra70

"What I played: A month on a main that reached the high 30s, plus some time on a few alts. Played as a member of a guild, with solo, group, dungeon, and PvP play, plus crafting."

 

35-40 levels in a month. This isn't even casual, it's someone forcing himself to play a game, quitting after 30 mins each day.

What would be casual?  Hitting 35-40 earlier or later than a month?

Just curious.

A casual who actually likes GW2 should be 80 by now.

Besides, nobody complains about the content below level 40 on your first char. The problems start appearing when you get close to max level. Reviews that don't test the endgame (the most important part of MMOs) are invalid.

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by bunnyhopper

Originally posted by TangentPoint

Originally posted by krakra70
 

 

 

What would the alternative be? Paying someone to play 200 hours? Get someone who already played that much do the review?

One is rather expensive and the other more or less guarantees that a fan of the game make the veview. 200 hours is 5 weeks full time job which is rather expensive for a net site, particularly since they would have to do it for every MMO they review.

Someone like PC gamer might afford that of course but only the real large professional papers can afford a fair MMO review.

Frankly to write a fair MMO review a month and 200 hours is not even enough. The best we can hope for about professional reviews is that they at least left "Tortage" if people remember the old AoC reviews from people who never left the start area most players spent 5-10 hours in.

So, no, I have very little faith in any MMO review. And I do like GW2 but this have nothing to do about my personal feelings for a specific review. MMOs often are a way of life, not a short game you can complete and review in 2 days.

The alternative would simply be not to write a review on a game in general unless you have experienced "end game" or spent a significant amount of time in it.

If a company cannot afford to pay for a staff member to write a review after spending enough time in a game to make the view at least slightly more "valid", then they shouldn't be churning our reviews in the first place. That or they should maybe look to freelance the more eloquent bloggers et al out there who have actually spent a certain amount of time in a game.

I have little to no faith in any review, I have zero faith and see zero point in a review from someone who has clearly spent far too little time in a game to get any kind of handle on it. Hence it seems a total waste of time, even worse you see reviews like this getting cited in other place (like here for instance) and sadly, some do actually give credence to them.