Convince Me Back to Azeroth: 2013 Edition

It’s about that time again when my loins literally ache to play World of Warcraft. It happened when Wrath of the Lich King came out. It happened when Cataclysm came out. It happened when Mists of Pandaria came out. And now, on the heels of Blizzcon 2013, it’s happening again.

I don’t know what it is about Blizzard but they sure know how to get a busy boy excited. With the recent announcement of Warlords of Draenor, I find myself once again visiting WoW Websites like it’s my job. Maybe it feels that way because many of these visits have happened at my job... (*disclaimer* if my boss is reading this, know I added that last part just for laughs). I’ve also been acting rather strange lately; Listening to The Instance: World of Warcraft Podcast, asking my WoW friends what they’re currently doing in-game, and obsessively searching for the best deal on my third Battle Chest. I just can’t stress enough the fact that something really does stir in me once a year to come back to Azeroth.

What’s weird is that this feeling is all too familiar. And I know how it ends; with me playing the game all winter break only to reach level 41 before deciding I don’t have enough time to be the very best there ever was and leaving it all behind. I know this. But no matter how hard I try to pretend like I’m not curious about how it’d feel to burst down the door on a new expansion, I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing out. I want to feel that. I want to be part of the hoopla that happens every year that gets the kids talking like they’re fantasy lore mathematicians.

So this post isn’t about how this year is going to be different. In fact, this post is going to be the opposite. This post is going to be me justifying why I and all of you should indeed take a walk down memory lane… for a wise man once said that if you’re going to fall down a deep dark hole that involves cheeto addictions and 5am raids, then it’s best to bring others with you. Join my ranks.

Here’s 5 reasons why we should party together in Azeroth.

1.

#SYNERGY

The first and foremost reason you can catch me in Azeroth these days is because of Battle.net, and more specifically Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. I’m a complete sucker for card games and Hearthstone is the godsend I’ve been waiting for since The Pokémon Trading Card Game was released for Game Boy Color back in ‘98. I’ve been a competitive TCG player since the Pokémon TCG was originally released and it’s not a coincidence that I also love everything else Pokémon. Now that WoW has a free to play TCG, I’m sure I’m fulfilling Blizzards fortuitous prophecy by wanting to check out WoW. Hearthstone is the perfect gateway drug for me. If you haven’t played it for yourself, you’ll get your chance when it hits open beta in December or January. If TCG’s are not your spiked cup o’punch, then just you wait! Blizzard will be releasing it’s second gateway drug, Heroes of the Storm, a Blizzard All-Stars DoTA 2 of sorts, when it’s done. My knees buckle at the thought that maybe one day I could get a special card/skin in Hearthstone/Heroes of the Storm by downing a boss in WoW.

2. Community

This may be the biggest reason I keep returning to WoW. After watching and reading about Blizzcon 2013, it’s clear that Blizzard has one of the best gaming communities out there. Their fans are so passionate that they buy virtual tickets to the show... after the show is already over. And let’s not forget that WoW still has 7.5 million people who vouch for it every month with a $15 charge to their credit cards.

I also have two best friends that have played WoW since launch. Obviously it’d be great to spend more time with them playing games especially since we no longer live in the same city. The thing that I’ve always loved doing is hearing them talk about their adventures in Azeroth. I see the twinkle in their eyes as they brag about a loot drop they received or an epic quest they completed. I’d like to experience that with them.

3. Warlords of Draenor

Seriously?! Bad-Ass Rock 'n' Roll Orc Gods from Hell? Please count me in!

Besides the simple fact that the announcement of a new expansion is exciting by itself, I’m really stoked to see what Garrisons look like in WoW. I’ve never played an MMO that had housing and Garrisons look to be quite the introduction.

No two Garrisons will look the same. Yup, someone built that!

I’m also excited that if I am level 90 by the time the new expansion comes out, it’ll be almost like a reset button in progress as all players will be pushing to the new level cap, 100. Sometimes when you miss the hype train and come in all thrifty a year later, you feel left out because everyone has already read Harry Potter and there’s no one to talk to. But seriously, to hit the ground running right alongside my friends and not have to play catch up is very enticing! Not to mention that if this whole “Convince Me Back to Azeroth” -thing doesn’t work, Blizzard will be giving me a free level 90 boost (DING!) for simply purchasing the expansion. That sounds like a win-win for me.

4.

The art. Need I say more? The correct answer to that question is no.

5. Player Versus Player

PVP is extremely important to me in an MMO. I love SWTOR but epic PVP just isn’t possible in that game due to the limits of the Hero Engine. And although WoW is running on a much older engine, it has always been able to support open-world PVP. In Warlords of Draenor they’re adding a new open-world PVP zone with no player cap. I can’t wait to see what Blizzard has in store for us.

Well I’m off to play my level 9 Pandaren Monk named Velshir. If you think of any other reasons I should commit my existence to the Horde, please drop me a comment below or hit me up @mutrap. Otherwise I’ll be back with some Pro-Tips in a couple days that’ll help you jump back in. Until then...

/cheers

Derrick Bettis

@derrick_be

Guardians of Middle Earth PS3 Demo Review 9/10

Guardians of Middle Earth is the new MOBA (that is Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game just released for PS3 and Xbox 360. For those of us who are unfamiliar with this genre of game, it works basically like this: you control one character, in this case referred to as a Guardian, and you run down a lane from your base towards your enemy’s base whilst destroying defense towers that will hinder your ultimate goal of blowing up your enemy’s base. You are followed by a bunch of AI soldiers who will help you fight off opposing Guardians and, for the most part, simply be cannon fodder for the towers while you pick away at the tower’s health bar. Other players online then control different Guardians so the whole thing is a team effort. I had played a little League of Legends (a popular MOBA game) before and never really got into it, but if you throw a little Lord of the Rings into the mix I gladly give the genre another go.

This game starts off with a cinematic featuring Gandalf and his heroes of good against the Witch-King of Angmar and his dastardly group of evildoers. Plus Gollum who promptly tries to eat Gandalf’s face. An action-packed brawl commences with weapons and spells flying, and at one point I had to wonder how this scene made it past the copyright department at Marvel. Then just as the Heroes seem to have won the day Sauron himself steps into the fray. This has got to be good, right?

Middle Earth's Mightiest Heroes

This demo came in the form of a 60 minute trial so as a demo it's really just the full game with a timer. In this trial you are given various famous characters such as Gandalf, Eowyn, Gollum, and Legolas to use as your player characters. However there were some pretty cool side stage names a fan would recognise from the books like Beregond of Gondor, and Thrain the Dwarf that are also playable characters. There are some named orcs from the books for the evil side of the battle as well.

As the trial begins you are prompted to undertake the tutorial before jumping into the action, which I begrudgingly did even though tutorials usually are pretty tedious and unnecessary if you have half a brain to learn the mechanics. Seeing as how I’m pretty much a complete novice to this type of game I figured I could use all the help I could get. However I discovered that this tutorial was pretty straightforward and was over in no time at all.

After the tutorial finished and I exited back to the main menu, the game (like all trials) asked me if I wanted to unlock the full game. It did this also every time I finished a match. All in all, one of the least annoying trials I’ve played as far as nagging you to buy the game. 

Then it was time for the real action. At first the game only allows you to play an offline AI match, with no human teammates or opponents. Maybe if I were a MOBA veteran this would have annoyed me, but for the sake of a demo review, I preferred to rule out the possibility of some internet jackass ruining my experience so I only played offline. They give you the option of a single-lane match, with one road from yours to your enemy’s stronghold, and a three-lane match. First I played the three-lane choice and chose my Guardians and started play. The game starts and you are off towards your foe with your allied Guardians in step barrelling down the road. Soon your little minion soldiers spawn and bring up the rear and the action commences immediately with the quick death of one side’s Guardian. In this first instance it was, of course, me. But that didn’t hinder me and I had soon bagged my own kills and leveled up multiple times. The game has a simple level up system where you choose which special ability to improve then back to killing. Later you can choose to upgrade your troops and defense towers, which are just as easy to execute. After a long and drawn out battle, the forces of Mordor overcame the Free Peoples and I was sent back to the main menu in shame. However, I had increased my rank and could now unlock a few more features of the game. Of course I would have to buy the game to explore these features as my time was running short.

What I, sadly, could not do...

So I quickly launched a single-lane matchup, which promised quick brutality and set off again. The promise was promptly fulfilled and I was brutally defeated again. Perhaps I should have enlisted the aid of some more experienced allies online...

All in all this was a pretty great trial that I’d rank a 9/10. Not intrusive at all in its attempts to take your money and the time limit is long enough that you can get a good feel for the title. After playing this trial I would think about buying the game at some point, but it doesn’t immediately grab a spot on my priorities list. At $15 it seems like a pretty good deal, but you do have to pay another $15 for the season pass to access all of the playable characters. But if you’re into MOBA games and the Lord of the Rings, give this game a try. It may just be pitched battles between high-ranking names from the LOTR canon, but it’s very well made and pretty fun. Even if I was sorely defeated.

-Skye, Resident Lord of the Rings Expert