No more Mr Nice Gaius
The original Guild Wars campaign is known as Prophecies. Starting this campaign takes your newly created character to Ascalon City, the largest city in the Kingdom of Ascalon:
Continue reading ‘Exploring Guild Wars: Prophecies - Part One’
As my obsession with Guild Wars grows I have built up a large number of screenshots from the many locations in the games. I am going to put up a few of the better shots up here to show off the world of Guild Wars, known as Tyria, as I explore through it.
It’s official, I have just passed the 400 hour mark in Guild Wars. A quick straw poll however shows that this is mere child’s play compared to some. The highest figure mentioned by a member of my guild was over three thousand hours.
Apparently the next issues of PC Zone, PC Gamer and PC Format will each have a free trial for Guild Wars. PC Gamer gets Prophecies, PC Format gets Factions and PC Zone gets the newest campaign, Nightfall:
This post started off as a reply to NokkonWud, but as I went into so much detail I thought it might as well come in handy to others considering getting the game.
Guild Wars is broken down into three core games:
Each campaign can be bought individually but if you have more than one your characters can move between them. The key difference between Guild Wars and traditional MMOs are that the level cap is a low 20, which can be reached very quickly, making it a game more about skill than grind. It also means that some people can get bored of it as there is no urge to level up as you can’t, most people migrate to the PvP side of things, which can be as frantic as an online FPS. Also outside of towns the game is instanced, both a good thing so you don’t have to queue for bosses to spawn, and a bad thing as you won’t wander into anyone else apart from you party. It is definitely entertaining, which I can prove based on that fact I am approaching 400 hours of game time, though I’d say it’s an MMO you’ll either love or hate.
There are two reasons I’d say to give it a go. Firstly there are no monthly fees which means you can pick it up and put it down at your leisure (I stopped playing in 2005, my characters still exist since I started playing again). Secondly the newest campaign, Nightfall can be picked up - in collector’s edition form no less - for a bargain £18.96 on Amazon.co.uk which is cheaper than most places do the standard editions.
So I’ve been slow to update again, resulting in the state of limbo so often seen on abandoned websites across the Internet.
In short, I have completed Jade Empire, of which the final battles were the first genuine challenge of the whole game.
I have now started playing the free-to-play MMO Guild Wars. I clocked up over 300 hours on this back in 2005 in the long holiday between finishing university and starting work and have taken it up again to stop myself spending too much money on new games.
Problem is it’s so addictive I’ve just ordered the two expansion packs…
It’s been a while since I last updated here, mainly because their hasn’t been much to say and because I’ve been enjoying the sunshine or being too tired in the evenings to do anything. A quick what I’ve been up to:
I stopped playing shortly after getting Jade Empire. I was getting to the point where I didn’t have the motivation to continue. I was thinking of creating a more evil character and looting houses, joining the Dark Brotherhood etc. but then I thought what’s the point? I could amass a fortune in ‘lewt’ but then two problems arise. As I mentioned previously, this isn’t an MMO so it’s not like I can show it off or use it competitively, and it isn’t Baldur’s Gate and there are not a million different swords or spells to buy. So back on the shelf it goes!
I was really enjoying this game, but I got a point where I realised I was steaming through it and was nearing the last couple of chapters, so I decided to slow down. I did that so much I stopped playing! I’ll get back into it soon, but with a restart no doubt.
I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m not quite ‘getting’ the game. Completed the GDI campaign which ended a bit to quickly. I’m half way through the Nod campaign but don’t have the need to complete it. I’m sure I will eventually…
I had an urge to play this as I’ve never quite completed it. I thought I’d run through the ambulance missions to boost my health. Got to level ten and hit the mission key by accident, ending the mission. Extremely annoying, so I remapped the key to the other end of the keyboard. Tried it again, got to level 12, bounced off a lorry and handbrake-turned over the final patient. If the keyboard wasn’t wired it would have gone out the window :D. Back in the box it goes!
There is a concept I’d like to coin as a ‘Wikipedia wander’. You go on Wikipedia for one article and end up clicking on one of the related links. This repeats itself for a few hours until you are reading up on a completely unrelated topic. I think I started on the history of Aesops Fables, and ended up on technical articles on the workings of atomic weapons! A bit sadistically, this lead me on to play Defcon for an afternoon. The game is very simple to play, but is horrible in its plain depiction of the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. Its only a tenner and worth a play.
I’m about a third of the way through the first series, it really takes me back to when I was younger and watching through the first time on Sky. It has its quirks, lame acting and action here and there, annoying streek speak, but on the whole its an entertaining piece of TV. Amusingly it would seem that half the cast of Battlestar Galactica starred in it at some point. So far I’ve only seen Gaeta as ‘random Latino-looking Jam Pony messenger’ but looking at episode guides online I think I also spot Dee (as Joshua’s blind girlfriend), Crashdown (as a cultist) and Boomer/Athena (as an x? Manticore subject).
So as you can see much of my free time has been half heartedly playing computer games and watching TV. I have actually been outside however! I’ve been to see a few mates for birthdays and meets etc. and have really been enjoying the beautifully sunny weather. Maybe this global warming malarkey isn’t so bad 
The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer was just released, which caused the instantaneous implosion of Rockstar’s website and any game site foolish enough to mirror it.
Its back in Liberty City and from the few seconds of footage it looks schweet. Jury’s still out on revisiting old ground again though.
I don’t know how they do it but the brilliant cast and crew of Battlestar Galactica have managed to surpass themselves again. The series three finale is simply stunning. I’m so glad it was renewed for a fourth season as it ended on one mother of a cliff hanger.
I’ll have more thoughts once the UK has caught up.
Some screenshots of my travels so far. Yes I know its one in the morning, the game is strangely addictive.
