Blizzard shoots for its first MMORPG, and scores

INTRO
You all know Blizzard, the company that has released awesome games such as Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. However, in 2001, Blizzard let out its attempts to make an MMORPG based in the Warcraft world. Well folks, it has been 3 long years, but finally the wait is over, and let me be one of the first to say, it has been WELL worth the wait!

GRAPHICS 10/10
Wow, this seems to be the best part of any Blizzard game. The gameplay of World of Warcraft is amazing! The interface is perfectly designed, there are your spells/backpack/menus on the bottom, map in the top-right, and your portrait in the top-left. It's really amazing how well it all flows together and how easy it is to maneuver. The graphics of the game itself are just as good. The snow in Ironforge, the never-ending deserts of the Barrens, the huge towering castles of Stormwind, it is all truly amazing. You will never find yourself turning away your head from something that is so bright it nearly blinds you, never squinting your eyes to find that item, everything you need stands out. Whenever a creature dies, he glows so you can loot him. Plus, the game can run well on a GeForce 2 video card! Blizzard really did well in taking time to offer this game to a wide variety of systems, and I really think it paid off.

GAMEPLAY 10/10
Ahh, the heart and soul of any MMORPG, the gameplay. Well, you all know Blizzard, and they scored perfect in this category. In World of Warcraft, 75% of the time you will be doing quests. Quests are a small task that you complete for a certain person or persons for a reward. But, in World of Warcraft, the purpose of quests is also to show you the world itself. The quests are really well designed, I might add. They may seem repetitive, but they really aren't. All of the quests serve a purpose, as well as add reputation to the race you are doing them for. The combat of World of Warcraft is very nice and simple, yet challenging as well (?). PvE (players vs. creatures) is one kind of gameplay. In this, you fight computer controlled monsters. They are pretty smart and will ambush you and chase you if you get close to them. The wide variety of models for all the creeps is amazing, you will never see the same one twice! The other kind of gameplay, PvP (player vs. player) is probably the most popular kind of gameplay. It offers the biggest challenge, meaning also the biggest rewards. In PvP servers, the two factions (Alliance and Horde) are at war and will automatically engage in combat if you get near someone of the opposing faction. This adds another level of skill to the game, if you are low level Human in the Orc city of Ogrimmar, you better hide or hope you have some strong allies to protect you! All in all, the gameplay of World of Warcraft is simply amazing, and you will just have to play it to truly see how good it is!

STORY 10/10
The Warcraft storyline is very very deep. It goes back many years ago to when the Night Elves defeated the Burning Legion, up to now when the Alliance and Horde are battling for control of Azeroth. For a real detailed look at the story, check out the World of Warcraft website. But, anyone who had played the Warcraft series knows how well the story is, and that is the best one around.

SOUND/MUSIC 10/10
*slash, bam, hack, blast, burn, ice* Man, the sounds of this game are awesome! Every spell, every move, every click, there is a sound. If you hack a Kobold with your sword, slice. If you pound a yeti into mush with your hammer, slam! If you snipe a troll with your bow, the string pulls back, the arrow flies. There are so many sounds to this game, you will always be entertained. As for the music, well you can't say anything bad about it! The graphics and the music fit together perfect. In the dark Undercity, you get the deep sounds, in bright Stormwind, you get the fast-paced war songs. There is a wide variety of music for every region of the game, resulting in never having to turn off your speakers.

OVERALL 10/10
World of Warcraft has been in development for 3 years. It has been in beta testing for 8 months. Finally, the game is ready for the world to see. The whole game of World of Warcraft is perfectly designed. From the lush graphics, the catchy music, to the deep storyline, to the simple and fun gameplay, this game will be a game that will be around for a long long time.