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Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars Eye of the North's soundtrack
The final Guild Wars soundtrack not only took the first game out in style but instantly became one of the best of the series to date. I'm not willing to put it above Prophecies, but it's not too far behind, either. As a whole, it's a wonderful symphonic journey through new lands and new themes, and just about every track is quite listenable. You can't deny that this is Guild Wars to its very core, as composer Jeremy Soule only adds on to the franchise's legacy rather than supplants it with a different direction. Even so, it represents a mastery that wasn't quite there in past albums. If I listened to this soundtrack without knowing its source, I would have pegged it as a major motion picture release rather than a video game with angry bears. It was definitely a difficult score to pick a mere six examples from; I'd recommend that soundtrack enthusiasts listen through its entirety. For a Guild Wars 2 player, it's really interesting to go back and hear the early versions of tracks that Soule would later reprise for the sequel.
The Game Archaeologist looks at Guild Wars Utopia
Aztecs. Chronomancers. Mounts. Halberds. Golems. Dual wielding. These are all but a hint of what a fourth Guild Wars campaign could have been, a campaign that was under development in the mid-2000s but was scrapped by 2007. Replacing it was the expansion Guild Wars Eye of the North and the workings of a super-secret sequel to the game (which you've probably never heard of). It was the forgotten campaign, swept under a rug while it was still under the rug. But what if, in some alternative timeline, ArenaNet had gone ahead with this campaign? What if it became an established part of the Guild Wars legacy, as familiar to us today as Nightfall and Factions? What if Guild Wars Utopia had lived?
The Perfect Ten: MMO mascots
Everyone knows that a good mascot can make a difference between a video game's death and rabid popularity. Mario, Master Chief, Duke Nuke 'Em, Pac-Man, Samus Aran, Pyramid Head -- each one of these mascots isn't merely an aspect of the game, they are the virtual spokesperson (or spokesthing) which represents the game itself. Yet when you think about it, MMOs have had a tougher time producing mascots than other video game genres, partially because unlike other games, you don't play as the mascots, and partially because when you have a cast of thousands of NPCs, picking out one to elevate above the rest is a difficult job. Difficult, that is, but not impossible. Today we're going to look at ten MMO mascots (MMOscots?) that studios have tried to promote as the face of these games, to varying degrees of success.
Get Guild Wars: Eye of the North for $5.99
Guild Wars players both new and old are all about building their Hall of Monuments score these days, thanks to ArenaNet's recent announcement about the Hall of Monuments calculator. If you're anxious to get your connection to Guild Wars 2 underway but haven't purchased Eye of the North yet, it's your lucky day! Newegg has the expansion for $5.99 with free shipping. It's a box copy, so the instant gratification of digital download isn't an option, but that price combined with free shipping might just make it worth it to you. If you want to learn more about the expansion before you pick it up, check out the entry on the official Guild Wars wiki, then head to Newegg and get your copy!
Guild Wars: Eye of the North gets Steamy
If you've been holding back from purchasing Guild Wars' first (and probably only) expansion pack, then you might want to reconsider. Guild Wars: Eye of the North not only is available on Steam for the first time, but is being offered for 33% off one week only, bringing the price down to $13.39 until October 15th. This is a better deal than the discount that NCsoft is offering on its own store, where GW:EotN is on sale for $19.99. While not a full-fledged campaign, Eye of the North does offer a huge assortment of goodies, including new regions, tons of dungeons, dozens of new skills, additional heroes, and rare armor sets. For players eagerly awaiting Guild Wars 2, it's definitely worth a trip back through the lands of Tyria, especially now that we're learning more about how the Hall of Monuments from Eye of the North will "pay forward" rewards and titles into Guild Wars 2.
Massively's interview with Guild Wars CM Regina Buenaobra part 2
You have a much more segregated view of PvE and PVP content, do you think this makes the game more enjoyable for players? Will it influence gameplay in future titles, such as Guild Wars 2?We have different forms of PvP for different player types. We have more easily accessible formats like Alliance Battles as well as more competitive formats like GvG. The various different PvP formats give players multiple options to play and enjoy the challenge of PvP. This will have an influence in Guild Wars 2 in the sense that we want there to be a similar kind of accessible PvP format, like World PvP, that players can get into easily, as well as more competitive forms of PvP. We want to be able to give players different options, because we know that players will want to play and enjoy different forms of PvP. What do you think you have learned from Guild Wars? With the Guild Wars experience under our belts, we've learned that it's worth taking some risks to provide an innovative new gaming experience. We think we've succeeded in delivering a unique online RPG to players. We've learned that players enjoy deep PvE gameplay experiences, and this is shown in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, where we emphasized that deeper style of play rather than a more broad design emphasis where content is spread more thinly. Of course, forging a new path and doing something different from everyone else wasn't totally smooth, and we've had learning experiences that are relevant for development on Guild Wars 2. One of the things we would have reconsidered in hindsight is the fact that adding a large number of skills to the game increases the complexity of the system, and increases the amount of information that a player feels she has to absorb. This is potentially overwhelming, especially for new players. One of the strongest design decisions the team made was the use of instancing, which gives players a personal experience and the feeling that they have an impact and a stake in the destiny of the world. In games where there's more persistence, players don't feel that same kind of power. Having said that, persistent worlds give players a stronger sense of a world that's alive with the excitement and activity of other players. Guild Wars is unique from other games in a similar genre, both in the design sense and in terms of its business model, and we continue to be successful, so the lesson there is that it was worth taking those risks. Is there anything in particular you are looking to improve upon in terms of gameplay or storyline in future? Our Guild Wars Live Team is continuing to work on improving the game through smaller monthly tweaks as well as more substantial content updates. We don't have specific details on what's in store for the immediate future. In terms of Guild Wars 2, we've got a lot of great ideas, but you'll just have to wait and see when we're ready to start talking about them in more detail. Guild Wars 2 is on the horizon, are you preparing players for the transition or do you hope both games will be played side-by-side? We're really excited about Guild Wars 2, and we hope that our longstanding players will check out Guild Wars 2 when it comes out. In Guild Wars, we have the Hall of Monuments, which records and displays players' achievements. This will help transition players over to Guild Wars 2 by giving existing characters some unique rewards in Guild Wars 2. We'll continue to support Guild Wars for as long as players are playing it. Over the last four years, has your method of delivering new content changed? Do you think players prefer mini updates or the WoW-style of three or four huge patches per year/expansion? Yes. We went from releasing large content updates in the form of brand new games, such as Factions and Nightfall, and our expansion Eye of the North, to shifting our focus on Guild Wars 2 while continuing to support Guild Wars with smaller updates. We currently release both mini updates as well as larger patches. These come in the form of our monthly maintenance updates where we do skill balances and monthly tournament updates, and also our less frequent content updates, such as the Fourth Anniversary update, which are larger in scope. Less frequent, larger updates give the Live Team more time for planning and development for larger projects. Do you think the player community has been an important part of the Guild Wars experience? Absolutely. Our players have a strong voice at ArenaNet through our community managers, me and Martin Kerstein, as well as other members of the studio who take an interest in community matters. Some of the features being released in the Fourth Anniversary Update are very popular requests in the community-in particular, the expanded options for item storage and the Zaishen Menagerie. We have a few surprises up our collective sleeves, and the community has definitely asked for them. Guild Wars wouldn't be what it is today without our player community. Our community is passionate and they continue to show their enthusiasm and excitement, whether it's through holding in-game community events, helping new players in and out of the game, showing up to support us at gaming conventions, or contributing articles on our Wiki. Anything you can tell us about Guild Wars 2? How is development progressing? Guild Wars 2 is going to be a much bigger game than the original Guild Wars. Our development team is twice as large as the dev team for Guild Wars, so we're putting a lot of development resources into it. We have regular company-wide play sessions in Guild Wars 2, and it's a blast to play with everyone. The development team also does regular playtesting every day. I can say that it's an absolutely gorgeous game and I'm always astounded at how great our artists are at bringing a world to life. We're not ready to share more just now, but stay tuned for more information later this year. Keep in mind that unlike most development teams, we've been very open about our decision to start development on Guild Wars 2 right from the very beginning. We've also been building almost everything in Guild Wars 2 from the ground up. A lot of games start development in total secrecy before fans even hear a whisper about it. Our fans have been clamouring for news and updates, and we know it feels like a long time for them. When Guild Wars 2 is released, they'll see that it was worth the wait. Do you think players will find it easy to move so far in to the game's future?While we are going to have a fresh start with Guild Wars 2, we're also going to ensure that players still feel a close connection with the lore and mythology of the world. For existing player characters, they'll feel connected to the past of Tyria through the Hall of Monuments, which is where their current Guild Wars characters record their achievements.Anything else you'd like to add? Be sure to check out all the details of the Guild Wars Fourth Anniversary celebrations on our official website! << Regina Buenaobra interview part one
Massively's interview with Guild Wars CM Regina Buenaobra
ArenaNet and NCSoft are celebrating the fourth anniversary of free-to-play MMO Guild Wars this month so we decided to sit down an chat with Community Manager Regina Buenaobra about the games success and it's beginnings.How did Guild Wars come about?When the ArenaNet founders (Jeff Strain, Mike O'Brien, and Pat Wyatt) were still working at Blizzard, they had a lot of discussions about the design underpinnings of World of Warcraft, which Jeff Strain was working on, and Warcraft III, which Mike O'Brien was working on. They thought that it might be cool to mix the two genres, since there was already a lot of overlap between them. Strategy games are more fun when you've got an emotional connection to not just your character but also the game world, and when roleplaying games are infused with a bit of a competitive dimension, that's exciting for players. What were you looking to achieve when you first launched the game?Even before Guild Wars was launched, the team aimed to do something different from what other online roleplaying games were doing. This uniqueness is at the very core of many of the design decisions-for example, the focus on player skill rather than time spent playing. The team wanted Guild Wars to deliver something different from what was already out there on the market, and have it be a success. At the time, it was a risk to diverge from the route that other online games were taking, both in terms of game design and business model. And of course, the goal was to give players a really fun and enjoyable game.Why do you think gamers have been so attracted to the game?I think there are a lot of reasons for the enduring draw of Guild Wars. Guild Wars provides a skill-based gameplay experience that includes a brilliant solo campaign. Here, a player feels immersed in a game world through fantastic storytelling and questing. The player feels powerful, in control of their destiny and their ability to influence events. Guild Wars also includes a deep profession and skill system which is really compelling from a strategic sense. The business model-buy the box and play online without subscription fees-presents great value for the money, especially in the current economic climate. These are all reasons for why Guild Wars is still really popular.
Back to the Future: A guide to GW's Hall of Monuments
Who doesn't love to brag about their accomplishments and show off their stuff? Luckily for Guild Wars players, the addition of the Hall of Monuments with last year's Eye of the North expansion allows a new way to show off what you've achieved in game and the very best high-end items you've obtained. However, the Hall of Monuments is so much more. It's also a way to transfer these items into the future for all of your descendants in Guild Wars 2 to enjoy.It really is a fascinating idea, when you think about it. Accomplishments are meant to be displayed; that's the easy part. Creating the HoM as a portal from the GW1 storyline into the GW2 storyline is where it gets good. Also, with the HoM, ArenaNet has solved that problem where the original GW1 characters won't be transferable between games (because of the complete revamp of the game engine), but their historical items will. Kind of like inheriting granny's favorite doily collection, except with swords and axes.
Guild Wars: A guide to Heroes
Guild Wars has been an innovator in so many different aspects of the MMO genre, but none more than the introduction of ally NPCs to fill out a party and make soloing easier.This was nothing new to online gaming though. Diablo did it way before Guild Wars, but GW refined the process with Henchmen. They made it simple to hire a few NPCs standing around near the city gate and get them to join your party for their share of the loot. It started out simple enough, but it eventually evolved into something much more advanced (and exciting) with Heroes.%Gallery-22452%
It's never too late to start playing Guild Wars
Haven't had a chance to play Guild Wars yet? You're thinking maybe three years after launch is a bit late? Nah, you're just in time! Guild Wars has so many enticements for people who are just getting into this new-fangled MMO scene, but also for people looking for a change from their regular game. We're here now to explain a bit about ArenaNet's masterpiece, targeted at someone who has only heard of Guild Wars, but never actually played it.Guild Wars is different from many of the larger, more popular MMOs we have to choose from today. The main reasons include the fact that it has no monthly fee, it centers around instanced worlds and it is one of the few games that successfully combines PvE with PvP.So let's start from the beginning and explain a bit about the history of the game and why it came into existence. No, this will not be on the test later, but it is an important piece of back story when considering why it is the game that it is.
One Shots: A sense of impending doom
Our own Jonathan Northwood took this shot taken in the catacombs outside Ashford Abbey in Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Jon tells us that this shot was taken right before the party was slaughtered by a band of Golems. "In essence, they were the Jets to our Sharks." Can't we all just get along?We're considering renaming One Shots to Guild Shots to celebrate its recent Guild Wars exclusivity. In fact, our mailbox has so many Guild Wars screenshots in it we're seriously starting to wonder if you play any other MMOs. We only post what you send us, so if you want to see other games, send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. You may see it posted here tomorrow! %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: An impressive view of....?
For today's , we're playing another guessing game. We've borrowed the fascinating image above from Michael Zenke's incredible MMO screenshot collection and we want you to tell us which game it comes from. So speak up! A view this impressive couldn't come from just anywhere.Update: Jeff, who does seem to know way too much about Guild Wars (specifically, Guild Wars: Eye of the North), chimes in with a comprehensive answer for us: It's Rata Sum, the main city of the Asuran regions of Tarnished Coast, previously untouched by humans. They made there surface home there have being pushed out by the Great Destroyer's minions. It's originally a lost civilization's city, and the whole area is bursting full of magic energy, so the Asurans thought it was a natural fit for them, being a hyper intelligent magic race.Do you have a screenshot that you think expresses a memorable moment or an amazing view in your favorite MMO? Send them to us with a description (including game name and location) and you may see it posted here for tomorrow's One Shots. %Gallery-9798%
