World of Warcraft

<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/10/world-of-warcraft-review">World of Warcraft Review</a><br><br> By Tom McNamara, Posted December 10, 2004<br><br> <strong>Verdict:</strong> World of Warcraft, like any MMO, is a tough game to score. Your play experience will have no concrete resolution, and content and character class balancing will make for a slightly different experience from one month to the next. And WoW III had some debilitating issues at launch trying to handle the record-breaking number of people filing in for subscriptions. After having written about the extremely long queues, they have dwindled to almost nothing, even at peak playing times, and the game has become much more stable. I still get the occasional crash, but <i>WoW</i> still has a polish that puts most other MMO launches to shame. Almost a victim of its own popularity, <i>World of Warcraft</i> quickly found its feet, serving up no fewer than eighty-eight servers across the country, with more likely on the way.

<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/30/world-of-warcraft-the-burning-crusade-review">World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Review</a><br><br> By Steve Butts, Posted January 30, 2007<br><br> <strong>Verdict: </strong>Few World of Warcraft players would consider their experience complete without the additions that The Burning Crusade brings. The ridiculous first-day sales numbers support this. If you didn't care for the gameplay of the original game, there's nothing here that's going to change your mind. Still, players who are new to MMOs won't find a better introduction than the two new races found here.<br><br> For players who already love the game and have been anxious to break through the level cap, The Burning Crusade is a done deal. They bought it on day one and are now happily butting up against the new level cap.<br><br> Still, the forty-dollar price tag is a bit steep, particularly for players who aren't inclined to try the new races or aren't powerful enough yet to venture into Outland. Considering the quality of the content in the original game, there's certainly no big rush for mid-level types to jump right into The Burning Crusade.

<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/26/world-of-warcraft-wrath-of-the-lich-king-review">World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Review</a><br><br> By Charles Onyett, Posted November 26, 2008<br><br> <strong>Verdict: </strong>With Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft's play style has been tweaked to be more accessible, addictive, and deeper. Any longtime player is sure to be pleased with what Blizzard's done here since it gives the higher level population a wealth of new content for play as well as improves the overall look of the world. And let's be honest, if you're going to spend hundreds of hours in a virtual space, it helps if it's pretty. It's an MMO system that works, as the game's success underlines, but you've got to ask yourself after four years how long this kind of momentum can last. Perhaps within the next two years, or by the time the next World of Warcraft expansion is released, there'll be a clearer answer.<br><br> As for now, Blizzard is more than content to build on World of Warcraft's formula, improving and refining nearly every aspect of the game, delivering new quest systems, a better and more focused narrative, loads of new goals to chase by yourself or with friends, and made acclimating to its world's complexities a process generally free of the headaches of something like CCP's EVE Online. Those who've yet to jump in should absolutely do so; it's hard to imagine anyone being disappointed with such a well-run, polished product that offers so many reward strata and diverse styles of gameplay.

<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/23/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-review">World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Review</a><br><br> By Nick Kolan, Posted December 22, 2010<br><br> <strong>Verdict: </strong>If you include the vast changes to the core game, Cataclysm is far and away the most impressive expansion to an MMO ever made, but if you just isolate what Cataclysm itself gets you, it's ultimately less content than Wrath of the Lich King. It's also better content than Wrath, with engaging storylines, inventive quests, and some very striking visuals. Even without the core Azeroth changes, Cataclysm is an excellent expansion in its own right, and worthy of your attention whether you're a veteran of Northrend or a grunt just getting your toes wet for the first time.

<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/04/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria-review">World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia Review</a><br><br> By Charles Onyett, Posted October 4, 2012<br><br> <strong>Verdict: </strong>Mists of Pandaria is an expansion built for the high level player that shows off Blizzard’s skill with dungeon design and offers plenty of rewards for long-term play. It’s also the best questing in World of Warcraft, with strong emphasis on storytelling, resulting in an entertaining run from 85 to 90 that seldom tumbles into tedium. While not all the new systems dazzle, more than anything, Mists proves that Blizzard’s venerable MMO is still one of the best around, a mix of breezy questing, top tier class design, and multiple systems to encourage the cutthroat competition that props up the end game. World of Warcraft is still devilishly effective at teasing god-like power, where you start with nothing and climb step by step up a colossal mountain of progression until you can, someday, spike a flag into its peak, look out across the vastness of your experience and revel in a sublime sense of dominance.