On one hand I want to bait you, but for your insolence, I'll go a little slower.
WARHAMMER AS A TABLETOP GAME IS COOL, WARHAMMER AS AN MMO IT IS GOING TO SUCK
1. How is it an odd statement when the game has been announced at least five years ago, and now when it is supposedly nearing BETA, we get to hear more delays? The damn games almost ready to come out, what did you expect?
2. How is it odd when I HAVE seen the game, watched it played, and didn't get a rise out of it? Get a sword, start hacking!!!
3. How is it odd when I have the experience with these games and a number of different connections to discuss MMO's? I play these sorts of games all of the time, I get the test versions, go beta them, and tell people what I think about them.
4. The graphics are too dark and gave me a headache. THEY SUCK. You want to compair them to graphics that are worth watching? There are a number of games whose graphics easily kill this game in theme and look. Guild Wars, City of Heros, Hellgate: London all are examples that come to mind without thinking hard.
WOW is a craze. The appeal is that it is a expanded world with a hell of alot of people in it. It's easy, and you can easily do alot of things that you can't in other games. The biggest hook is the already established world. with three Strategy games behind it, it didn't take much. how many million did it boast again? BUT it just as easily doesn't take much to run people off if something better comes along. Hence, I say WOW craze. Already, the rats are leaving the sinking ship. O course new ones are taking thier place, so it doesn't really matter now. does it? People come, even if its just for a day or two they still have to pay to get in, so Blizzard makes money if people stay or not, and if you are not in with what everyone else is doing, you arn't with the cool kidz, now are you?
On the flip side, though, it doesn't take much to shift the masses to the next best thing. There is an established community of MMO players, they go where the action is. If a game sucks, it dies a quick death. There are alot of players, even though my playing isn't as hard core as some. MMO's follow the same formula. The piggly wigglys in the crowd tell by word of mouth if its worth staying or rolling.
I've played over 20 of them, they arn't very different aside from controls, the thing to kill, and the reward. CLINK, GP's, CREDITS, INFAMY, INFLUENCE, $$$. GOLD, GP's, SILVER, bobby pins, whatever. You go kill something, get something, see your guy or girl get better, so you can kill other things bigger or more dangerous. After a few hundered thousand kills, I think I'm pretty good at it, and I feel that it gives me a good leg to stand on as far as saying if a game is going to suck or not. I play FPS's, Strategy, MMO's, old school, etc. I play my share, and as of now, it has to be pretty impressive to knock my socks off.
Oh, wait did i mention you get to MAKE stuff? WOOHOO!! Crafting, or what I like to call it, Scrapping, is supposed to be the mini game within the game sort of thing. another faulty throwback that outlives the fireworks.
As for ahead of the curb? no, its not. Its a fantasy MMO thats going to have more PVP influenced play then other games, wow, ok. PVP in most games piddles away, and usually goes to the one who wants to spend the most time PWNING n00bs. Skill has little to do with MMORPG PVP and more to do with wasted time on the computer and statistical analysis.
Had Warhammer Online came out earlier, it would now have a large enough fan base that wouldn't have to compete with all the other up and comers.
As a matter of fact here is some of the competition that WAR has to go up against-
Lord of the Rings Online
Tabula Rasa
City of Heros/ Villians
Exsteel
S.W.G
Stargate
Star Trek
Hellgate: London
Halo3
Quake
Pirates of the burning sea
Plantside
Guildwars
Fallout
as well as any number of henz 57 five and dime companies that come out with MMO's each and every month. Then of course i haven't even started in on the other computer games.
As for kill WOW, no. its just another fantasy game. There are already enough fantasy games out there that WAR is just going to be another of a long line of kill the evil goblin horde, get a million gold crap thats out there, and pay to say you are a flagellent. Unless Im going to be able to craft me a boltgun, or bash my own head in with a chain I don't see anything thats going to make me change my opinion.
MMO's are not that special when you test them almost as much as a second job.
Oh, and for everyone else...
Go ahead and judge for yourself. Three different games, same theme. Kill stuff for gold Woohoo!!!
http://www.warhammeronline.com/
http://www.ageofconan.com/
http://www.guildwars.com/