Of course, in that time, they have released the Factions stand-alone expansion, which I had eagerly awaited, but surprisingly, still haven’t invested enough time in to complete – my interest in games in general has fallen off this summer, but I still do like the time I spend playing them.
They’ve also added a bit of new, free content and remain committed to updating the game mechanics and releasing a new expansion every year.

Based on skill, not time spent?

The makers of Guild Wars claim this as one of the main selling points, besides the free monthly play, of course. Having played for over a year, I can say this isn’t really true – while it takes relatively little time to reach the level cap of 20 (which might turn off hardcore RPG players), you still need to invest a significant amount of time unlocking the “elite” skills, and of course, extra time spent playing always equals more skill, so the two aren’t really separate. However, I did find that Guild Wars does require less invested time before you get the full effect of the game. It therefore has a less steep learning curve, and won’t require you to turn into an addict to enjoy the game.

A good experience

The best part of Guild Wars, in my opinion, would be the community. After having jumped around from guilds for a while, I’m now settled in to the GWOnline community guild, which fits my needs perfectly: I’m not a hardcore player, and I don’t play every day, but any time I do log on there’s plenty of mates available to do cooperative missions with, which makes it all the more fun. There’s also a nice GW Wiki out there, which pretty much beats anything a strategy guide could offer, so there’s never a time I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that’s in the game.

I also like how Guild Wars rewards the amount of time you play in the game. When I first started playing last year, I’ll admit I had nothing to do, and as a result, for the last three months of summer I was averaging between 2-3 hours per day. I didn’t really play much during the school year, and this summer, my play time is down to less than 30 mins a day on average. (Most of the play time is on the weekend.) However, I don’t feel that I’m missing out or not getting the full effect by not playing >10 hours a week. I still enjoy it.

New unique, content

Part of this is due to the “special occassion” events that Guild Wars has. For example, last week, they had a summer celebration called the “Dragon Festival” that featured new in-game items and also some unique modes of play, such as a dodgeball-style game in the arena, pitting two teams against one another using only certain skills. (A style of game popularized by some online guilds as just for fun)

Competitive PVP

The PVP system is very organized, with each guild being ranked and having a rating. Ranked competition will boost your rating, and they even hold global tournaments for PVP. Guilds compete in 8 vs. 8 teams, and the competition is very stiff, requiring not only good team work but also good strategy and preparation before hand. I don’t PVP much, but when I do, it’s always an intense and rewarding experience. PVP is really where all the hardcore players are – as far as PVE is concerned, if you’re a hardcore player, it won’t last long.

So, hopefully Guild Wars will be able to hold my interest for another year or so. I don’t mind spending $60 once a year for a new expansion; it sure as heck beats spending $15/month on a game, which would then make me feel as if I had to play it.