"A Worthy Expansion, But a Lack-Luster Stand Alone Title"

Exactly one year after its predecessor was released, Guild Wars: Factions stormed the store shelves, ready to be scooped up by hungry fans everywhere. Guild Wars: Factions opened up the land of Cantha, which featured a distinctively "Asian" theme in the architecture and local population. GW:F also included the usual things you'd expect in an expansion pack, new weapons, new armor, new faces/hairstyles to choose from, and a vast new land to explore and enjoy. But was this a worthy addition to the Guild Wars Campaign, or is it a flat out failure? Read on and find out more!

General Gameplay 9/10
As with the first game, the gameplay is superb. Anet really got it right this release and curbed the grind, a surprisingly horrific problem when the first game released in 2005. Unlocking skills is made very easy, and getting the skill points with which to unlock them is also very easy. For the hardcore Role-players, you might be a little turned off by the fact that you can reach the max level cap (20) within hours of playing the game. There are a plethora of quests to be accomplished, which often offer gold and loads of experience points for their completion. There is enough variety in the quests that it doesn't feel like every single quest is another "Fedex" quest, and it is pretty fun to quest around in Cantha. There is also the inclusion of "Titles" that players can earn through accomplishing certain parameters, such as the Drunkard title for spending 1,000 minutes drunk, and Skill Hunter for unlocking a certain number of elite skills.

PvP (Player vs. Player) 10/10
Guild Wars PvP still remains unmatched by any game on the market currently, and with the addition of several new Guild-Halls and a new type of PvP, there is so much to be done its amazing. Alliance Battles are great fun as well, pitting the Luxon and Kurzick faction against each other in mortal combat. Alliance Battles are in, essence, giant 12v12 King of the Hill matches. The first team to reach the 500 point score is declared the winner and gains faction from their respective side. But these Alliance Battles also have an impact on PvE as well.

PvE & Story (Player vs. Environment) 6/10
In PvE, you will eventually need to choose a faction to help. At one point in the game, you are tasked with joining either the Kurzick or Luxon faction. While there isn't any advantage over joining one or the other, you are able to access that sides armor and weapon crafters and make armor from that side. As I mentioned in PvP, Alliance Battles have an impact on PvE. After either side wins/losses a certain number of battles, the faction line is moved. For example, the Harvest Temple could be under Kurzick control, despite the fact that it is traditionally a Luxon outpost. There is also town control, the alliance that has the most faction (Kurzick OR Luxon) is able to take control of towns scattered across the map. But sadly, this is absolutely pointless and exactly why I rate the PvE so low. In order to get town control, you must grind million's of faction points, which is dare I say, DIFFICULT to do. And when you are able to take control of a town, this is what you get. A Merchant that sells you what is available at the regular merchant for a reduced price, and you can set off fireworks in your town. That's it. And if you own either of the main towns, you can play in the elite mission. But the thing about that, is that most alliances who take control of the main Kurzick and Luxon Towns (House zu Heltzer & Cavalon) offer to take players into the mission for free. What's that you say? That sounds pointless and not fun? You are right, and it's why I'm glad I stick to the PvP aspect of the game. And after all that, there is the story, which I'm sad to say, is stupid. It makes almost no sense, and plot holes are in an abundance in the game. Why, my old socks have less holes than the story in Guild Wars: Factions.

Graphics 10/10
Lush character models and armor, gorgeous weaponry, and monsters who can kill with just their looks are only part of the wonderful graphics that make up Guild Wars. There are so many environments, from the Shing Jea Monastery to the Echovald Forests, the game is absolutely amazing looking and pulls through 100% on the graphics department.

Sound 8/10
While it's nothing magnificent, the sound is a bit improved over the original release. The music isn't so generic sounding as the first, and most of it has a distinct "Asian" sound to it and is generally very nice to hear and you will most likely keep it on for a while during your playtime.

Overall 8/10
Overall, GW:F is a very good follow-up to the original Guild Wars. But as a stand-alone game, it is absolutely horrible. If you want to play GW:F, do yourself a favor and buy the original Guild Wars first and play through it, and then play through GW:F. It's not that GW:F is a bad game, it just would not be a lot of fun to play through without the original game's content and won't last you nearly as long. Because of the bad PvE, and generally mediocre sound design, I'll have to give Guild Wars: Factions, an 8 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/06