12-02-2004, 01:59 AM
Bolty,Dec 1 2004, 06:09 PM Wrote:You have to evaluate a game based on what it has, not what it could have some point in the future. And it's clear that the reviewer did not play far on a PvP server, because they refer to contested zones as "higher level fringe zones," when in fact the vast majority of zones are contested or hostile.
I think you misread the article. The "higher level fringe zones" line happens before the mention of PvP servers, as you can see:
Quote:But there's also some full-on gang-style warfare to partake in if you so choose. There are certain higher-level fringe territories in Azeroth that are considered neutral or contested, and it's here where the alliance and the horde may attack each other. In PvP realms, these attacks may happen indiscriminately, much to your chagrin if you're just minding your own business and questing alone.
My take was that he was referring to the arena areas that are considered neutral or contested even on PvE servers, and "high level fringe zones" seemed like an appropriate description for them.
As far as whether it was appropriate for him to mention the yet-to-be-implemented aspects of PvP, I think it's clear from his comments where he's coming from:
Quote:It's apparent that World of Warcraft is a player-versus-environment game first and foremost, but the building blocks are there to make it a very interesting competitive game as well.
That is, he's reviewing the game as a PvE game *as is*, but for completeness sake, in one paragraph on page 4, he'll discuss some aspects of PvP that are in the works and yet clearly state that these are not included in the game at the present time. You might disagree and say that PvP, or the lack of a good PvP system, should have played a bigger role in the review. But in that case, you're saying that a review should be based not on what a game is, but what it is not. That is, it'd be like downgrading a sim game, because it doesn't have enough fast-paced action. The reviewer is reviewing what the game is *now*, i.e. a primarily PvE game, and in a paragraph on page 4, he also mentions that a more advanced PvP system may be added in the future and that the "building blocks" for it are already there (and they are). You might disagree with the conclusions of the review, but it seems to me that he's doing his job.