World Of Warcraft

**andz** · 05-30-2005, 08:58 PM

World of Warcraft ( Release Date: November 23, 2004 )
www.worldofwarcraft.com

#1 MMORPG in the world.

Four years have passed since the aftermath of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and a great tension now smolders throughout the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the battle-worn races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, new threats, both ancient and ominous, arise to plague the world once again. World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of Warcraft heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," World of Warcraft allows thousands of players to interact within the same world. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. A dedicated live team will create a constant stream of new adventures to undertake, lands to explore, and monsters to vanquish. This content ensures that the game will never be the same from month to month, and will continue to offer new challenges and adventures for years to come. [Blizzard Entertainment]

Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are.

100 - Highest Score
1 - Lowest Score

93/100 based on 57 Full Reviews! (Average Score on all 57 Reviews)
Metacritic Critic Reviews Full(Including 57 Reviews from different gaming companies such as gamespot,ign,etc.): World of Warcraft (pc: 2004): Reviews

Though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed.

World of Warcraft Burning Crusade ( Released date: January 16, 2007 )

Several years have passed since the Burning Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal and the races of Azeroth have continued to rebuild their once shattered lives. With renewed strength, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance have begun to explore new lands and broken through the Dark Portal to investigate the realms beyond the known world. Will these heroes find friends or foes? What dangers and rewards lie in wait beyond the Dark Portal? And what will they do when they discover that the demons they thought vanquished have returned to renew their terrible Burning Crusade? New Player Races: New allies will join the game, expanding the story line and allowing players to develop powerful new characters within the world. Higher Level Limit: The game's level cap is being raised to 70, and with these new levels will come meaningful spell, ability, and talent upgrades for each character class. New Lands and Battlegrounds: Explore the magical realms of the Blood Elves and Draenei, journey through the Dark Portal into untamed Outland, and visit dungeons and battlefields previously inaccessible to players. Flying Mounts: In Outland, players will gain access to unique airborne mounts that will allow for smoother travel over some of that region's more hazardous terrain.

The Burning Crusade is a superb example of exactly what an expansion pack for any game should be.

100 - Highest Score
1 - Lowest Score

91/100 based on 46 Full Reviews! (Average Score on all 46 Reviews)
Metacritic Critic Reviews Full(Including 45 Reviews from different gaming companies such as gamespot,ign,etc.): World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (pc: 2007): Reviews

When it was released in November 2004, World of Warcraft raised the bar for the massively multiplayer genre, and more than two years later, none of its would-be competitors have even come close to matching it. Even at launch there was very little to find fault with in Blizzard's first MMOG offering, and thanks to regular free updates and no shortage of feedback from a community that now numbers more than 8 million players, it has continued to grow and evolve into an even bigger and better game. With the recent release of The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft has never been better, and while you don't need the expansion pack to continue playing, it's hard not to feel like you're missing out in Azeroth without it.

World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King ( Released date: November 13, 2008 )

Players last visited Northrend in "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne," when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds and fields of jagged ice. Wrath of the Lich King adds a rich variety of content to an already massive game. New features in the game’s second expansion include: Death Knight Hero Class: Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game’s first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met. Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way. Northrend: Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items -- and do battle with the undead armies of the Lich King. "Inscription" Profession: Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game. Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings: Take the battle to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on. New Character Customization: Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations.

Put simply, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is MMORPG gaming at its finest we've seen yet.

100 - Highest Score
1 - Lowest Score

91/100 based on 44 Full Reviews! (Average Score on all 44 Reviews)
Metacritic Critic Reviews Full(Including 45 Reviews from different gaming companies such as gamespot,ign,etc.): World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (pc: 200

: Reviews

World of Warcraft reigns supreme, and Lich King only serves to cement the lead Blizzard has in MMOs. Does almost everything right while actually breaking some new ground, even if the content is getting a bit too easy in the name of accessibility. A must buy for all existing World of Warcraft players and yet another reason for the rest to get back or join in. Resistance is Futile.

It’s brilliant, inspired and will easily secure their supremacy as the leader in the MMOPRG market.

"Like it or not, it is the best mmorpg out there in the world"
"Don't deny warcraft, don't deny the inevitable"

World of Warcraft Cataclysm ( Released date: December 7, 2010 )

In Cataclysm, players witness the face of Azeroth being altered forever, as the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing awakens from his subterranean slumber and erupts onto the surface, leaving ruin and destruction in his wake. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation. New features in the game's third expansion include: Two New Playable Races: Adventure as the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde. Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 85 and earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to customize characters. Classic Zones Remade: Quest to level 60 as you never have before. Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been reforged by the cataclysm and updated with new quests and content. Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms from a whole new perspective. Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements. New High-Level Content: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great sunken city of Vashj'ir beneath the sea, and enjoy even more high-level raid content than in previous expansions. New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds. Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards. New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.

Blizzard tears WoW to the ground and builds it up more skillfully than ever before. The new content is creative, has a tangible sense of story and progression that you wouldn't expect from an MMO, and is implemented so skillfully and smoothly that the bumps in the road are actually a bit jarring.

100 - Highest Score
1 - Lowest Score

91/100 based on 25 Full Reviews! (Average Score on all 25 Reviews)
Metacritic Critic Reviews Full(Including 25 Reviews from different gaming companies such as gamespot,ign,etc.): World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (pc: 2010): Reviews

Cataclysm polishes the game experience, but keeps all the basics that made it so successful. For those who have never played World Of Warcraft before, or are taking a break, there's never been a better time to get into the game.

Cataclysm is a love letter to fans of World of Warcraft, as it celebrates everything that made the original game so successful while carefully updating the old game to the new standard of play that Blizzard has set.

It’s brilliant, inspired and will easily secure their supremacy as the leader in the MMOPRG market.

"Like it or not, it is the best mmorpg out there in the world"
"Don't deny warcraft, don't deny the inevitable"

World of Warcraft Thread, post your IGN, Server,etc.
See you in Azeroth, Outland, Northrend!

**andz** · 05-30-2005, 08:58 PM

World of Warcraft Awards and Honors:

Holds the Record of Most sold pc game in 24 hours after release, 2.4 million - Blizzard Entertainment - Press Release
Holds the Record of Most subscribers in an MMORPG, 8 million - http://www.blizzard.com/press/070111.shtml
July 24, 2007 - WOW Break its own Record, now has over 9 million Subscribers the most in any MMORPG - http://www.blizzard.com/press/070724.shtml
January 22, 2008 - WOW Break its own Record yet again, now has over 10 million payed Subscribers the most in any Pay to Play MMORPG - Blizzard Entertainment - Press Release
November 20th, 2008 - World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King™ Shatters Day-1 Sales Record With more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours, Blizzard Entertainment®'s second World of Warcraft expansion is now the fastest-selling PC game ever - Blizzard Entertainment - Media Alert
November 20th, 2008 - WORLD OF WARCRAFT® SUBSCRIBER BASE REACHES 11.5 MILLION WORLDWIDE Wrath of the Lich King™ expansion fuels growth with record first-month sales of more than 4 million - http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/081121.html
WORLD OF WARCRAFT® SUBSCRIBER BASE REACHES 12 MILLION WORLDWIDE - http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company...es.html?101007
WORLD OF WARCRAFT®: CATACLYSM™ SHATTERS PC-GAME SALES RECORD - http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company...es.html?101007
Latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing game reaches a record 3.3 million copies sold through as of its first 24 hours of release*

Spike TV Video Game Awards 2005 - Spike TV
Best PC Game
Best RPG
Best Multiplayer Game

Best Mac OS X Entertainment Product - Apple
"World of Warcraft is a best-selling Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) set in Blizzard's Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of heroes as they adventure, explore, and quest together across a vast world. World of Warcraft ships simultaneously for Mac and Windows on hybrid CD."

Best Game of the Year Award - GameSpot
"The thing about World of Warcraft is it offers so much of what we fundamentally love about games, all in a single experience. Just exploring the world of Azeroth can be fun and exciting. The game is conducive to cooperative gameplay, competitive player vs. player action, or solo play. It lets you have a great time regardless of whether you play for one hour or 10 hours at once..."

Best PC Game of the Year - GameSpot
"World of Warcraft brings together virtually all our favorite aspects of PC gaming: For those of us who love the spirit of competition, there's the player vs. player combat to look forward to. For those of us who enjoy strategy, there are complex group dynamics, deep character-advancement systems, and fast-paced combat. For those of us yearning for another great computer role-playing game, there are tons and tons of quests, and plenty of interesting backstory. It's not often that a game comes around that deserves an unqualified recommendation, but we feel this is one of them..."

Best Massively Multiplayer Online Game - GameSpot
"From the moment you first set foot in the diverse lands of Azeroth, World of Warcraft captivates with its vast, seamless, and visually cohesive world. Players are placed in charge of their own destinies virtually immediately--there's no tutorial introduction to the game, whose elegantly desed interface is easy to decipher and simple to use. And, while other games in the genre punish players for testing their limits and running risks, World of Warcraft encourages this kind of activity by not forcing players to lose experience when they fail. That sort of can-do des ethic pervades all aspects of the game, allowing characters to make sificant progress by playing solo or in groups, giving characters an experience bonus for time they haven't spent online with the game, and so on. It's that welcoming approach that makes this game truly special."

Editor's Choice Award - GameSpot
"Though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed."

PC Game of the Year - (Second Place) - GameSpy
"...it usually takes MMOs years to be as well-balanced and as fun as World of Warcraft was on day one. World of Warcraft is the MMO done right, and with this game, the genre finally has its first true breakout hit -- the MMO for the rest of us."

Best Role-Playing (RPG or MMORPG) - GameSpy
"In that Blizzard-esque fashion, World of Warcraft takes everything we love about these sorts of role-playing games, distills it down to the elements that makes them fun, and removes anything that gets in the way. What emerges is a fast, fun, and streamlined massively multiplayer online RPG that actually feels like a game. The worlds are beautiful and resplendent (while not being overly taxing of your hardware), and the whole deal is rendered with a level of character very rare in these sorts of games..."

Top 10 Games of the Year - (Fifth Place) - GameSpy
"What makes World of Warcraft so special is the insane level of polish every feature of the game has. Everything that's fun about an MMO -- questing, grouping, killing monsters, crafting, exploring, searching for new equipment -- has all been streamlined to the point where there's always something fun to do with very little downtime. In other words, there's virtually no "grinding." The game doesn't punish you for having a real life. I can log in for a half-hour and actually get something accomplished."

PC RPG / MMORPG Gamers' Choice Awards - GameSpy
"World of Warcraft. Flat out. It brings a fun, action-driven MMO onto the scene. Gorgeous lands and characters are perfect. Quest system is superb, and the balance between classes is great. My pick for this year."

Special Achievement in Art Direction - GameSpy
"World of Warcraft's brilliance is in eschewing realism and building a whole world in a storybook/cartoonish style, so playing World of Warcraft is like strolling through a fairy-tale picture book with eye candy around every corner. The animations are smooth and weighty. Subtle lighting effects set the tone and mood for each area. And the little details -- like seeing your breath in the snow-covered peaks -- make this unreal place feel real."

Editor's Choice Award - GameSpy
"If you're a fan of MMOs, you'll want to play this game. If you're not a fan of MMOs, but are a fan of great games, you will want to play this game. Hell, if you're a gamer who's ever wanted to pull another person into the hobby, you'll want to play this game and share it with a non-gamer friend. Blizzard has once again lived up to and surpassed its reputation as one of the finest game developers on the planet. World of Warcraft is a stunning achievement destined to be become a classic. "

Best Persistent World Game -
"Blizzard is one of those developers whose talent and success snowballed to the point where they could test and re-test a game to blinding polish, and WoW took this course for over a year before it [hit] retail shelves. The effort shows in every aspect of the game, and their fun-oriented MMO debut puts to shame many other experienced desers in the genre..."

Editor's Choice Award -
"If you're new to massively multiplayer online games, or PC gaming, and want to see what the fuss is about, WoW is an excellent place to start. If you're a hardcore grognard who takes masochistic pleasure in grinding away on the same monsters in the same camp for hours at a time, you'll be better served elsewhere. If you're in between, I think World of Warcraft is the MMO we've all been waiting for..."

Game of the Year -
"As part of the price for its previous successes, when Blizzard announced World of Warcraft in September of 2001, both the game and the company immediately faced exceptionally elevated expectations. In November, the studio delivered a title that lives up to and further enhances its record of excellence. Among many notable elements, some that stand out in particular are the quest-driven gameplay, low down time, high accessibility, gentle learning curve, outstanding art direction and fairly modest hardware requirements. Despite some launch and server uptime issues, World of Warcraft's overall worthiness to join the previous winners of our supreme accolade is unquestionable. "

Online World of the Year -
"In light of its selection as our Game of the Year, the choice for this category is clear."

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction -
"Proving once again that crafting a unique look and feel depends on much more than polygon counts and technology.... The overall visual experience is exceptionally cohesive, while the game also remains true to its heritage by being instantly recognizable as a Warcraft title."

Best PC RPG - FileFront
"Warcraft fans got a treat when picking up this game. Taking a well loved series in an entirely new direction can be risky, but Blizzard definitely pulled it off with this one..."

Best Massively Multiplayer Game - Voodoo Extreme
"World of WarCraft merges its rich real-time-strategy tradition with the demands of a massively-multiplayer world perfectly. Addictive gameplay, lovely bump mapped graphics, wonderful sound and music, plus fast paced, no downtime oriented gameplay made World of WarCraft our champion."

Best Audio - Voodoo Extreme
"Score another for Blizzard, as World of WarCraft takes home the best audio award as well as massively multiplayer game. All the sound you loved in the WarCraft games are back, plus the soundtracks and ambient background tunes are music to my ears. Zug Zug!"

Overall Top 5 PC Games of the Year - (Second Place) - Voodoo Extreme
"Considering we're a mostly action oriented site, World of WarCraft at number 2 is a shocker. It just goes to show how good the game is by drawing in our usually crusty FPS biased audience. Blizzard titles do have a unique universal appeal to our readers, so we shouldn't really be too surprised; should we?"

Game of the Year - ActionTrip
"World of Warcraft wins the game of the year award on ActionTrip because Blizzard has succeeded in creating the most seamless and immersive fantasy world that we've visited this year..."

MMORPG of the Year - ActionTrip
"Just a question: is it normal to spend upwards of five freaking days at a time in a videogame? I mean, that's not abnormal, is it?"

Editor's Choice Award - ActionTrip
"...there are a choice few studios who set the standard by consistently producing not just good games, but great games. Blizzard Studios is one such developer."

Best Role Playing Game - Punch Jump Games
"Blizzard's World of Warcraft is addictive as crack and has players clamoring to adventure into unknown lands and gain experience 'till the cows come home. At 14 bucks a month, it should deliver, and does."

Best Time Sucker Game - Punch Jump Games
"Countless hours on 80 servers can't be wrong for a band of brothers who love to adventure in a virtual land on their PC. World of Warcraft is Blizzard's stunning achievement..."

Best MMO, 2004 - 1up.com
"Some have called World of Warcraft the greatest massively multiplayer RPG ever made. Even gamers who don't care for MMOs have been eager to hop aboard and give it a play. Such is Blizzard's reputation and following -- you've told us that you know the name Blizzard means quality. WOW builds on the company's excellence, making its victory no real surprise. "

GR's Best of 2004 Awards - Overall - Game Revolution
"It was a close call, but we simply couldn't resist the tremendous accomplishments of Blizzard's first massively-multiplayer outing. By fixing classic flaws that have plagued the MMORPG genre and delivering a rock solid world from day one, World of Warcraft is a study in smart, efficient, and caring game des. More importantly, it's just about the most addictive, exciting and rewarding game we played all year. In a landscape filled with tweaked sequels and redundant play experiences, World of Warcraft serves as reminder that nothing beats fresh material, particularly when it comes with orcs and zombies. We tip our caps to the folks at Blizzard for wowing us once again and proudly present them with our Best Overall Game of 2004 Award."

And many more awards @ WoW -> Awards

**andz** · 05-30-2005, 08:58 PM

World of Warcraft Awards and Honors:

Holds the Record of Most sold pc game in 24 hours after release, 2.4 million - Blizzard Entertainment - Press Release
Holds the Record of Most subscribers in an MMORPG, 8 million - http://www.blizzard.com/press/070111.shtml
July 24, 2007 - WOW Break its own Record, now has over 9 million Subscribers the most in any MMORPG - http://www.blizzard.com/press/070724.shtml
January 22, 2008 - WOW Break its own Record yet again, now has over 10 million payed Subscribers the most in any Pay to Play MMORPG - Blizzard Entertainment - Press Release
November 20th, 2008 - World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King™ Shatters Day-1 Sales Record With more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours, Blizzard Entertainment®'s second World of Warcraft expansion is now the fastest-selling PC game ever - Blizzard Entertainment - Media Alert
November 20th, 2008 - WORLD OF WARCRAFT® SUBSCRIBER BASE REACHES 11.5 MILLION WORLDWIDE Wrath of the Lich King™ expansion fuels growth with record first-month sales of more than 4 million - http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/081121.html