Guild Wars Nightfall

"An Average Expansion"

Background

First of all, so that everyone can get a fair idea of where I stand with things, I'll give a brief history of my experience with Guild Wars. I bought the original in August of 2005, and have been playing since. I pre-ordered both Factions and Nightfall, and played both on release. Lately I've been trying some (unsuccessful, but still fun) teams in Guild Battles and Heroes Ascent. I loved the original Guild Wars, and though Factions really was not all that great, it was still playable and fun (for a couple weeks).

Storyline - 4/10

Easily the weakest point of the game. When you finish Nightfall, you just want something interesting to happen. A plot twist, a betrayal, something. But no, everything works out exactly like you can tell it is going to just from reading the back of the case. "Hungry for power, a corrupt ruler will stop at nothing to release her exiled god from the hellish realm in which he is imprisoned. As death and destruction spread across the land, the people of Elona have only their valiant champions to hold back the night." Taken from the back of the case, that pretty much sums up the ENTIRE STORY OF THE GAME. Please, A-Net, hire someone to make a good story for the next game, it desperately needs it!

Sound - 9/10

Most of this games music and sound effects pretty well done. Rarely did I find myself thinking "wow, that music/SE is really out of place" or find it annoying. It DID happen however, so I can't give it a 10. The sound track to this game does fit very well for the theme, is overall is very good in general. Aside from that, not much else to say.

Control - 8/10

Most of my gripes about control come from controlling your heroes. Although the new controlling system IS very nice and handy, it still needs work. Henchman AI in particular leaves something to be desired. However, there is a LOT of improvement here also. The hero minion master I set up is much better than most random pick up group minion masters I have come across. In general, you won't have any problems controlling your character or your heroes, but once in a while, they will do something that will just make you wonder what the heck they are thinking.

Gameplay - 7.5/10

Gameplay is mainly split into two different sections, PvE and PvP.

PvE - 6/10

Most of the negatives I have with Nightfall and PvE stem from the lack of an interesting story. Sure, the game has a story, but it really is dull. I found myself wanting to skip cinematics my first time through the game! Aside from that, the gameplay is above average. The choice of a total of 10 professions now (if you have Factions) gives you a lot of room to make new builds and play however you want. Also, Anet did make a couple good steps toward changing things up once in a while. There is a mission about halfway through the game your character must solo, and close to the end of the game you wind up riding and fighting from inside of a wurm. However, there does come a point where it all becomes the same. There is no motivation for going through the game more than once really, except just to gain all the new skills that Nightfall included, and possibly to pick up an endgame green or armor.

PvP - 9/10

Where Guild Wars has always shined, in my opinion. PvP has always been balanced, and about skill, not grind time. The new Hero battles seem so-so, but really the introduction of two new professions to the established PvP areas is a huge plus. It is exciting to see the meta changing already, and it will be interesting to see new counters and builds become dominate.

Graphics - 9/10

For the system requirements, this game looks awesome. There are a few spots where textures stretch are look a little off, but overall this game is very well made, from a graphical stand point.

Overall - 7/10

No, I didn't take an average of all the different areas. I simply cannot justify giving it more than a seven. I need more than just missions in the role-playing part of the game! There is no storyline, no way to role-play a character. Really, the single saving grace of this game is the PvP aspect. Without it, Guild Wars would likely be pretty dead, I know I would have moved on a long time ago.

Spin - 9/10

For me personally, I give this game a 9. With my gaming background, and with the experience I have with Guild Wars already, it does well to add to what I already have. Those who buy this game as an expansion pack only likely will not be disappointed. Those who buy this as a standalone game likely will. Also, another big factor really is making friends in game. Find a guild with people who talk to each other, work together, and that you get along with, and the life of Guild Wars expands indefinitely.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/02/06