GamerNode: Reviews - Guild Wars: Eye of the North

Guild Wars: Eye of the North

• Guild Wars: Eye of the North
• PC
• ArenaNet
• NCsoft
• August 28th, 2007

Odds are that you know whether or not you want Guild Wars: Eye of the North already. Unlike Factions and Nightfall, the second and third installments (campaigns) in the Guild Wars series, GWEN requires you to own at least one of the three Guild Wars campaigns. It's clearly geared towards higher-end players and doesn't really add new content in the way you might think an expansion would. Instead, GWEN just gives you more of the same, which may or may not be a good thing.
 

This is the same underlying game you've been playing for years now -- the engine and gameplay are still the same as when Prophecies first released. That means a heavy emphasis on teamwork and complimenting others in your party with a wide range of skills that cover all the bases. This taps into something that a lot of MMORPGs lack, which is what has kept Guild Wars so playable and so much fun after all this time. But, that also means you have to deal without other things that serve to make your overall experience much better. There's still no auction house, no jump key, and no open environments (you're still stuck on linear paths). But any Guild Wars fan will tell you that none of that matters in the long run, as the game offers a level of depth that can be achieved without devoting your entire life to the game. But, there's also a lot to be found for those who decide to go that route, as well.
 

Enough about what you already know. As I said, GWEN adds more of the same -- unlike Factions and Nightfall, which introduced new gameplay mechanics like the NPC heroes, the only new mechanic is the Hall of Monuments. And that doesn't even impact gameplay in any way.
 

You'll explore the Northern Shiverpeaks, the area north of where the Prophecies campaign took place. Once again we've got a clichéd story about an immensely powerful enemy that threatens to destroy everyone. Does that sound run-of-the-mill enough for ya? Guild Wars has never been one for intricate storylines, and GWEN is no exception; it's there if you want to care about it and learn more about the lore, but skipping it won't hurt your experience one bit.
 

There are no new professions to be found in GWEN, and only 10 new skills per profession. These are easily attainable at a skill merchant, and are perhaps the only item that players only interested in PvP will care about.
 

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