Guild Wars 2

So I’ve been playing Neverwinter Online along side this for a few months now and the other day I was comparing the two in my head, the way ya do, and realized that as much as I like some of the stuff it does and GW2 doesn’t – the way they gather resources, secret doors in dungeons, thieves can find traps – the game didn’t have any good memories for me.

In GW2 I vividly remember the first time we fought a Champion in the Swamp at Queensdale. I remember storming the new island to fight the Karka and the massive battles we went through – that was also the first time I played my Thief as a res spec. I remember our first Hold the Line mission and none of us having a clue what to do until we all started working together (and how that was one of the best times I’ve ever had in an MMO). And I also remember exploring Divinity’s Reach and how vast and beautiful the city was; finally finishing a jumping puzzle I’d been tangling with for weeks and getting the most amazing view; the first steps into Orr where you see the battlefronts, the war machines, the flying ships and it all takes your breath away.

I remember stumbling on Ebonhawke completely by accident, and climbing the fallen walls in Ascalon. Visiting places I knew from the first game and seeing how they’ve changed.

In Neverwinter Online I remember … doing a five man dungeon by myself. And … that’s it. It’s not particularly beautiful, getting from point A to B isn’t interesting and almost never makes you want to stop and just look around. I’m a compulsive explorer, but in NW I know there’s almost never a reason to go digging in the dark corners of the map – usually it’s just alot of wasted effort and fights which start getting pretty old.

Some of the quests are fun, but most of the time the same ole formula and even the same maps just recolored. The Player Made Adventures are a real selling point, I’ll give ‘em that, but when the marketing strategy of your game is, “the players will make it better” there’s something wrong.

And it’s not just Neverwinter, but alot of MMOs where there was so little that jumped out and grabbed me and lodged itself in my mind.

The Guild Wars brand has always had Heart, like it wants you there and was made with you in mind. There aren’t many games what do that, especially in the last five years or so.

So, yeah, the game has some problems and some things I wish would change and some things it could do better. But I won’t trade it for anything else on the market, and the memories will keep pulling me back.

This is sort how I feel. After trying WoW, Rift, Lotro, Aion, AoC and a bunch of others, this is the one MMO I feel I can stomach. Not high praise I know, but most MMOs make it very hard for me to get into my character.

I mean I liked the first 20 levels of AoC, but felt that the game changed when I got past that point. I liked Rift until I hit level cap and realized the entire game funneled you into dungeons and raiding. I liked Lotro, except for the cash shop and grind (people think this game has grind…they have no idea lol).

At the end of the day, Guild Wars 2 is far from perfect, but for my play style, other games are further from perfect….a lot further.

That’s called nostalgia.

It happens a lot with MMO’s, you’ll get over it.

It could also just be gas.

Knote.2904:

That’s called nostalgia.

It happens a lot with MMO’s, you’ll get over it.

It could also just be gas.

Nah, I watch my diet. And the only other MMO I’ve ever felt this nostalgia for is Star Wars Galaxies. (yeah, the game sucked by today’s standards, but pre-combat updates it had a lot going for it … all they needed to add was some actual story. Ironically when they finally got around to story, they’d ruined the gameplay.)

I completely agree that Guild Wars 2 is a game that leaves (and is still leaving) good memories.

The Secret World is another such game, albeit in more subtle, spookier ways.

I think the main reason why this game builds memories so well is that so much is focused on the play instead of preparing to play.

My memory is so bad I can’t even remember what is going on in my personal story. I hate the personal story and it seems like just some task I’m suppose to do running about and stuff. I have not done more than maybe a 6-7 parts of the personal story on any of my characters just because I can’t remember why I am doing what.

It definitely does build memories but I’ve never played any other MMO so I can’t compare. I’m pretty kitten against Sub fees, which is a reason I played GW1 in the first place, and no other F2P MMO has caught my attention.

Still, I remember the LA statue slowly falling apart and then exploding to reveal the man we loved to hate in GW1. I remember the Karka attacking LA (but I also remember how laggy it was), the Molten Facility and the cutscene with the Dredge and Charr bursting from the walls. The first time I played SAB – something I didn’t expect to see ever.

ANet are pretty kitten good at creating memorable events (both good and bad) and I hope it continues!

First time I beat Zhaitan and returned to town for victory celebration, with confetti falling all around, everyone dancing and that awesome “fear not this night” song in the background. THAT was truly amazing, I even got shivers going through my body.

Just remembered where the most memorable event was for me. Cleansing orr personal storyline. This was right before a took a extended break from Guild Wars 2.

I’m sure I may look back at it fondly some day. Time gives the rose colored glass look back at things. I look back at EQ with this feeling. That was a game you became so invested in it’s hard for it not to be a part of you if you were a part of it.

Even WoW, as much as people want to be down on it, I think they forget the initial game and it’s impact and focus on the bad it has done. WoW to me in 2004 was an MMO with seamless transitions between zones where you didn’t need to wait 2-5 minutes just to zone into another area. a Mail system, holy crap! Yeah that was new back then. It was a vibrant world at the time with so many people, I have a lot of good memories of it as well.

All MMO’s I have played have given that to me, and I have played a lot. GW2, sure I have had a lot of things I enjoyed, but I am still here. I don’t have the fond memories because I haven’t moved on, it’s current not past.

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

But that does make it memorable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking back at a game and being like “Omg yeah I remember that! Horrible lmao!” with someone else is always fun.

I hope one day I’ll be looking back and saying “Omg remember how champ zerg farming was the only efficient way to make money? And dungeons were pretty meh, and there wasn’t much build variety/skills, and condition caps made condition builds useless? Yeah good times”.

Because it would be a thing of the past. =D

Knote.2904:

That’s called nostalgia.

It happens a lot with MMO’s, you’ll get over it.

It could also just be gas.

lol

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

But that does make it memorable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking back at a game and being like “Omg yeah I remember that! Horrible lmao!” with someone else is always fun.

I hope one day I’ll be looking back and saying “Omg remember how champ zerg farming was the only efficient way to make money? And dungeons were pretty meh, and there wasn’t much build variety/skills, and condition caps made condition builds useless? Yeah good times”.

Because it would be a thing of the past. =D

Do… Do you enjoy ruining threads like this? What’s the point? Because you can’t enjoy a game like others do?

Don’t bother to respond, because I won’t.

Back on topic. GW2 definitely sticks out in my memories. It was the first mmo I actually RP’d in and it was a blast. So many fun times in my guild. I got kicked out in the end due to complicated chains of events, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

C, if you’re reading this, thanks for being my worst enemy and then my best friend.

You have a point OP. GW1 and GW2 are the games that stand out in my memory. Admittedly, I’ve not played tons of games, but I’ve played a few. Most of memories from WoW revolve around ‘well maybe I’ll get that piece this run’ and nothing is coming to mind for Tera or SWtoR. I thought Perfect World was pretty, but it just didn’t click for me, I don’t even remember why now.

Still….

I remember my very first log in during the beta weekends, and my jaw just dropped at the picturesque world around me…

The first time I saw Shadow Behemoth for myself… definitely an ‘oh kitten’ moment

The first time I stood a top the ruined remains of where The Great North Wall took place, my eyes got all teary…

Finding the Underworld entrance in Lornar’s Pass, still tucked away in it’s corner….

lots of memories, lots of good times

Azunai.5974:

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

But that does make it memorable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking back at a game and being like “Omg yeah I remember that! Horrible lmao!” with someone else is always fun.

I hope one day I’ll be looking back and saying “Omg remember how champ zerg farming was the only efficient way to make money? And dungeons were pretty meh, and there wasn’t much build variety/skills, and condition caps made condition builds useless? Yeah good times”.

Because it would be a thing of the past. =D

Do… Do you enjoy ruining threads like this? What’s the point? Because you can’t enjoy a game like others do?

Don’t bother to respond, because I won’t.

Back on topic. GW2 definitely sticks out in my memories. It was the first mmo I actually RP’d in and it was a blast. So many fun times in my guild. I got kicked out in the end due to complicated chains of events, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

C, if you’re reading this, thanks for being my worst enemy and then my best friend.

Did you even bother to read my post before responding?

I said bad things like that can be a positive memorable experience.

You never looked back at the painful or bad things in an MMO and laugh?

Azunai.5974:

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

But that does make it memorable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking back at a game and being like “Omg yeah I remember that! Horrible lmao!” with someone else is always fun.

I hope one day I’ll be looking back and saying “Omg remember how champ zerg farming was the only efficient way to make money? And dungeons were pretty meh, and there wasn’t much build variety/skills, and condition caps made condition builds useless? Yeah good times”.

Because it would be a thing of the past. =D

Do… Do you enjoy ruining threads like this? What’s the point? Because you can’t enjoy a game like others do?

Don’t bother to respond, because I won’t.

Back on topic. GW2 definitely sticks out in my memories. It was the first mmo I actually RP’d in and it was a blast. So many fun times in my guild. I got kicked out in the end due to complicated chains of events, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

C, if you’re reading this, thanks for being my worst enemy and then my best friend.

The thing about thoughts and opinions, as long as they are in your mind they are yours to keep and remain unsullied and unchallenged. The moment you speak them or write them to the masses you best be prepared to have good and bad responses and perhaps respect those whose don’t necessarily share your opinions for sharing theirs.

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

Gods, tell me about it! Anet learned alot from that one, I think, and I haven’t seen any of them get so bad since. I think the Karka lag is what wakes me up at night shaking and scared to look under my bed.

But now that we look back on it we can laugh and say, it was miserable, but it is our miserable and I love it for that. Remember trying the Halloween Jump puzzle and how it was just awesome until a Norn or a Charr got in front of ya? Aaarrrgh!

And you’re still here, so it’s doing something right.

And that’s my point, people are still here, they still keep coming back, and for me at least GW2 has had the most memorable moments – good and bad, sure – of any MMO in a long, long time.

Jack of Tears.9458:

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

Gods, tell me about it! Anet learned alot from that one, I think, and I haven’t seen any of them get so bad since. I think the Karka lag is what wakes me up at night shaking and scared to look under my bed.

But now that we look back on it we can laugh and say, it was miserable, but it is our miserable and I love it for that. Remember trying the Halloween Jump puzzle and how it was just awesome until a Norn or a Charr got in front of ya? Aaarrrgh!

And you’re still here, so it’s doing something right.

And that’s my point, people are still here, they still keep coming back, and for me at least GW2 has had the most memorable moments – good and bad, sure – of any MMO in a long, long time.

Yeah, I loved clocktower despite the endless rage I had at the start of it.

Poledo.3256:

Azunai.5974:

Knote.2904:

I definately remember the karka event, it was absolutely terrible, like, a massive joke, and a huge clusterbleep.

But that does make it memorable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking back at a game and being like “Omg yeah I remember that! Horrible lmao!” with someone else is always fun.

I hope one day I’ll be looking back and saying “Omg remember how champ zerg farming was the only efficient way to make money? And dungeons were pretty meh, and there wasn’t much build variety/skills, and condition caps made condition builds useless? Yeah good times”.

Because it would be a thing of the past. =D

Do… Do you enjoy ruining threads like this? What’s the point? Because you can’t enjoy a game like others do?

Don’t bother to respond, because I won’t.

Back on topic. GW2 definitely sticks out in my memories. It was the first mmo I actually RP’d in and it was a blast. So many fun times in my guild. I got kicked out in the end due to complicated chains of events, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

C, if you’re reading this, thanks for being my worst enemy and then my best friend.

The thing about thoughts and opinions, as long as they are in your mind they are yours to keep and remain unsullied and unchallenged. The moment you speak them or write them to the masses you best be prepared to have good and bad responses and perhaps respect those whose don’t necessarily share your opinions for sharing theirs.

I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit offended by your implication that I don’t understand that people have different opinions.

But yeah, honestly, I skimmed his post, saw some key words like “horrible” and “terrible” and thought I had the basic gist of his post before posting mine. Sorry, Knote! I’m just in a bad mood today and not quite myself now. I guess the negativity in GW2’s forums is starting to affect me.

I fully agree with this thread. GW2 has been extremely good to me, and somehow unlike in most other games, finally “getting” the game did nothing to diminish my sense of wonder about it. In every other game I played, all of my memories come from when I was still a noob and everything was exciting. Here, it still feels fresh.