I’ve always had a slightly odd relationship with Guild Wars 2. On the one hand it’s a beautiful game, its combat is fun if a little constrained, and most importantly it is extremely easy to play with a busy schedule. But, the thing I like most about it which is its easy to pick up and play design, is also the thing which fails to hold me very long.
I played the game at launch, and levelled up to around the early 70s before getting into Eve around that time. Since I stopped playing Eve for a while about 6 months ago, I have played Guild Wars 2 in bits and pieces, again levelling up to 70 something. But, I always seem to get so bored of levelling in that game. I find the heart/event/story path a bit tedious after a while, and really its just questing by another name.
It’s worth noting here that I’ve never got to 80, so I have no first hand experience of the end game, but I’ve found that the games ability to be very easy to play and understand has always left me crying out for a bit more depth and complexity. The best way I’ve heard Guild Wars 2 described is that it’s a snack and not a meal.
It’s interesting though that I felt drawn to the game after I stopped playing Eve, as it can almost be said to be the anti-Eve really. It represents the complete other end of the spectrum in terms of time invested to fun had. I think this is the key to why the game bookended my time in New Eden, particularly after I left when it served as a great pallet cleanser. The thing I like most about the game; it’s extremely casual and low commitment approach to MMOs, is also the thing I like the least about it; a fairly shallow experience that doesn’t draw me in for the long haul.
Ultimately, I think Guild Wars 2 totally succeeds at being the sort of MMO it was always designed to be. Something which largely eschews gear grind and raiding type end games, in favour of a more casual and player tailored experience. I will continue to dip in and out of it every week or two, but I suspect I’ll never play it full time. There’s just not enough to grab me and keep me there.
Gaming Conjecture 