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How Metascores Are Calculated
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4 Elements
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
 GAMES: 
Four years have passed since the aftermath of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and a great tension now smolders throughout the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the battle-worn races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, new threats, both ancient and ominous, arise to plague the world once again. World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of Warcraft heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," World of Warcraft allows thousands of players to interact within the same world. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. A dedicated live team will create a constant stream of new adventures to undertake, lands to explore, and monsters to vanquish. This content ensures that the game will never be the same from month to month, and will continue to offer new challenges and adventures for years to come. [Blizzard Entertainment]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 100
Detroit Free Press
Addictive from the moment you begin...It's incredibly friendly to the solo gamer, allowing players not only to gain Levels 1 to 60 without ever grouping with someone else if they prefer, but also to earn the same or more experience playing that way. That means the solo gamer can level nearly as quickly as a group of power gamers playing together.
 100
GameSpy
It takes the essence of the MMO experience, breaks it down into its component parts, and plays up all the fun elements while actively minimizing the boring or tedious aspects. World of Warcraft is the MMO that nearly everybody can enjoy, and is a shining example of the game developer's art.
100
G4 TV
This is the best example of what a massively multiplayer online game can offer, and is highly recommended to anyone who simply enjoys playing games.
100
Boomtown
There’s always a hesitation in giving something 10 since you are essentially saying that it’s perfect but as things stand now that’s exactly what World of Warcraft deserves.
100
GameShark
A tremendous product. Wonderfully fun and thrilling, inspiring and energiz[ing], just a great amount of fun.
100
Just Adventure
Incredibly addicting... They’ve just cleaned up your standard Dungeons and Dragons style online RPG and made it super fun, extremely refined, and exceedingly accessible to gamers of all levels.
100
VideoGamesLife
The best MMORPG on the market, of that there is no argument. By taking the choicest cuts from previous titles in this genre, Blizzard has constructed a fairly unoriginal but nevertheless brilliantly assembled game world.
100
Quandary
In fact, apart from the world itself, the great attraction of World of Warcraft for me is the community. Making friends and helping each other out is especially enjoyable.
100
Gaming Age
A fantastically beautiful and exceedingly friendly MMORPG. It's also nice to finally have a good-looking 3d RPG that doesn't suffer from terrible lag and massive server load-times.
98
Xequted
As solid an experience as can be found online. This game will absorb your life once you start playing, and crusty pizza boxes will become an all too common appearance around the house.
97
VGPub
It’s the total package for any game of the genre to follow: user-friendly, deep character customization and plenty of replay value. World of Warcraft is a game you need to play.
96
Game Chronicles
One of the most well crafted, and thoroughly developed game worlds made by Blizzard to date. It dazzles, it awes, and it entertains.
96
Worth Playing
Unlike its competitors, World of Warcraft boasts a magnificently done quest system. Each quest you take a detailed explanation written into your Quest Journal that gives you enough information ingame to solve it. The sense of immersion is greatly heightened through this as well.
96
Warcry
Another thing that adds to the entertainment is the fact that dying, although something you want to avoid, does not end up being the experience-loss tragedy or the time-consuming corpse retrieval it is in some other games.
95
Next Level Gaming
Blizzard’s first foray into the world of MMO gaming is Superb. They’ve managed to blend New and innovative ideas along with tried and true features in a smooth running game worthy of the Warcraft name.
95
GameSpot
Part of what makes this game so remarkable is it doesn't assume that all you have to do in your busy life is play this one game, and so it delivers a high-quality experience regardless of how much or how little time you're able to invest...A stunning achievement that will make you feel privileged to be a game player.
95
Game Informer
Though WoW doesn't radically differ from the tried-and-true MMORPG formula, the subtle tweaks, additions, and special layer of Blizzard polish make it an amazing and fresh experience. [Feb 2005, p.122]
95
Pelit (Finland)
Three months of my life already wasted and many more probably going down the drain. Thanks a lot, Blizzard.
[Feb. 05]
95
RPG Fan
With fantastic art direction, technical stability, a compelling storytelling, addictive and enjoyable gameplay – we have the recipe for success.
95
GameBiz
One of the best games ever made, and the experiences continue to amaze players throughout the whole game.
95
Computer and Video Games
Blizzard has done what every MMORPG should be trying to do - it's ticked all the right boxes and really tried to forge the link between the heart and the head in a hugely immersive virtual space. This is what creates the stories in your imagination. These aren't just battles, they're adventures. Now that's what role-playing should be all about. [PC Zone]
94
Jolt Online Gaming UK
Nevertheless, put the hype to one side, as WoW is still an exceptionally good game, and nothing less than a highly accomplished jewel in the crown of MMORPGs.
94
IC-Games
I can't stress how great this game is. This is truly Blizzard's achievement. They have made a game that is fun for everyone and can not only appeal to the hardcore massively multiplayer online crowd, but to the casual gamer as well.
94
Gaming Nexus
And best of all, in this time of graphical resource-hogging, you don’t need a machine built by God to enjoy it.
93
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
There's an unbelievable amount of variety to be discovered, from dusty deserts to lush grassland and spooky forests. The cartoon-like presentation ties everything together nicely - you'll never look at something and think it looks stupid. [GamesMaster]
92
FiringSquad
What's different about it is that Blizzard has made the game very accessible and really put together an amazing system of quests that aren't just part of the depth, but actually a tutorial. All this is done in a world rich in landmarks, characters, races and enemies.
92
PC Format
Broadly speaking, in MMOs you hit things, then fashion things to make your hitting more effective. World of Warcraft does that better than anything else on the market at the moment. [Jan 2005, p.96]
92
eToychest
If you're already accustomed to suffering under "Everquest" or "Dark Age of Camelot," WoW will be your familiar stomping ground minus a heaping helping of the stupid stuff you've already grown accustomed to putting up with. If you've never played an MMO before, WoW is the least of many evils you could start with.
92
Gamers' Temple
They don’t come any better than this.
92
AtomicGamer
World of Warcraft may not be the great savior of MMORPGs, but it's certainly the most solid one to come out in a long time.
91
Loaded Inc
This game has kept me glued to the screen longer than any other MMORPG and that's down to the fun-factor.
91
Game Revolution
With its army of minor improvements and thoughtful touches, Blizzard has blessed all MMORPGers with the genre’s finest, most polished title to date. Whether you enjoy hardcore role-playing, shameless griefing or something in the middle, you will find what you’re looking for in this brave, new world.
91
IGN
The MMO we've all been waiting for. It does not blow away the genre, but it does hone it to near-perfection. I think the biggest problem you'll have is managing to play it in moderation.
91
GameZone
Accessible is one word that truly fits this game. Players can move into the world without a lot of trouble and the learning curve is small.
91
PC Gamer
By merging some of the genre's best ideas with the appealing Warcraft mythos, the game could well become the first "mainstream" MMO. [Feb 2005, p.44]
91
ActionTrip
The game's hardware requirements are high. Really. Take the Recommended settings, add 256MB of RAM and 500Mhz of CPU, and that's what I'd say is the Minimum hardware requirement for this game...Will a few technical issues keep you away from what is the best MMO on the market this holiday season?
91
PC Gameworld
Despite a rough start and ongoing issues, Blizzard's epic MMORPG is a very fun experience.
90
Total Video Games
Arguably it’s a game that could last a life-time. From the start there’s plenty to get stuck into, and we suspect Blizzard will be keen to carry on the momentum and evolve the experience.
90
Computer Gaming World
It's designed to let players make significant progress without requiring a decisive committment to sitting motionless in front of the computer for days at a time. Unfortunately, the game's so addictive that you may end up with a case of bedsores anyway. [Feb 2005, p.73]
90
GamerFeed
Combines not only technical prowess and fine-tuned gameplay, but pleasure as well, making this the new standard for the competition. Word to the other companies: this is the reason your registered users are dwindling.
90
GamePro
The game isn't flawless, nor is it technically finished - a good many quests fall into a "kill 20 of enemy X and collect 9 of item Y" pattern, a lot of promised end-game content still isn't in, and there are still bugs being squashed - but it's easily the closest MMORPGs have yet come to perfection. If this one doesn't hook you, nothing will.
90
Yahoo! Games
Although it's not as technologically proficient as "EverQuest II," World of Warcraft has a more pronounced sense of style...If you're looking for a new MMORPG, then the World of Warcraft is the very first place you should visit.
90
2404.org
Delivers great atmosphere through simplistic stylized environments, suited music, relevant quests, massive PvP raids, and party adventuring. With their customizable user interface, chat channels, and guild system, it is easy to build strong communities for rich gaming relationships.
90
Sydney Morning Herald
Considering the complexities of building this type of game, it's nothing short of a miracle that World of Warcraft and its land of orcs and goblins has been launched so successfully.
90
Inside Gamer Online
On our 5.1 system, the sound was as overwhelming and exciting as the best battles, although there were times when the environmental sound made it difficult to hear an NPC's spoken dialogue.
90
1UP
Like "Warcraft III" before it, World of Warcraft is less about cataclysmic evolution and more about refinement.
90
My Gamer
If you want a highly polished and lavishly designed MMORPG set across a sprawling fantasy world made popular by millions of devoted fans, then I strongly advise that you familiarize yourself with World of Warcraft immediately.
90
Armchair Empire
With the dust settling now on World of Warcraft, it is becoming more and more obvious that this is by far the best MMORPG currently on the market.
90
Gamers Europe
For each part of the game there is trade off: the concept works well but to MMORPG outsiders some of the things seem, well, epically pedantic.
90
games(TM)
If this is only the beginning of what this newly imagined Azeroth has to offer, we can see ourselves living there for a very long time. [Apr 2005, p.98]
90
AceGamez
WoW has the depth and detail of massively multiplayer online game, with the ease of a single player RPG, whose only downside is there not being enough hours in a day to get the most out of it.
90
Edge Magazine
It’s a game designed to exhaust the world’s supply of adjectives. It’s a world littered with riches - tiny details sewn into a vast, varied and utterly spectacular canvas. [Sept 2005, p.90]
88
Play Magazine
One of the most endearing and involving online worlds the genre as ever known. [Jan 2005, p.72]
86
netjak
The vastness of the story, the volume of things to do in combat, the art direction, and the realm combat all rolls up into a wonderful package.
82
3DAvenue
Its ease of play will allow anyone to pick it up and get stuck in. That ease of play however will turn off people looking for a more challenging in-depth game.
80
EuroGamer
This is the greatest fantasy MMO in existence, the absolute state of the art in orc-bashing. But the nagging feeling I can't shake is that, for me, that's not quite enough anymore.
60
AltGaming
Fix your game, Blizzard. Listen to your players, actually cater to the high end, fix bugs that need fixing, and don’t leave your playerbase hanging for months on end. Then I will give your game a higher mark.
Dom P. gave it a5: Ricardo R. gave it a10: G W gave it a0: Matthew B. gave it a10: Aaron P. gave it a2: CM gave it a0: Jordan I. gave it a9: |
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