broken-elements

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  • Where Guild Wars 2 goes wrong

    by 
    Eliot Lefebvre
    Eliot Lefebvre
    12.19.2012

    I'm not going to lie to you, people: Guild Wars 2 is a darn good game. Hard-hitting truths, I know. The game won our 2012 Game of the Year award for good reason. There's a lot to praise within that package, from the art direction to the game mechanics to the flexibility. Many parts of it push the design paradigm in interesting ways and could lead to a much better understanding of what can be done with online games. And then there are places where the paradigm pushes back. I come here not to praise Guild Wars 2 but to look at the game after the honeymoon has ended and we've all had a chance to settle down. It deserves its status as the best game released this year, but man there are some places where the game is an irritating piece of work. And there are lessons to be found here both for future development on the game and for anyone thinking that it's a gold standard.