This game is going to massive- absolutely epic. 4-year development cycle, large fanbase, I wouldnt be surprised if they are building this game to be a WoW-killer.
Let's just hope it stays free- hopefully their monetization methods are a bit more creative than a monthly gouging. #guildwars2
I'm excited about this game. It's the only MMORPG that ever kept me wanting to play, even as a shitload of incomplete quests sat in my log. #guildwars2
@ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.: Yeah, I really don't get it. It wasn't the most tactful comment ever but I've seen Witz get disemvoweled for saying something overly inflammatory and he still kept his star. It's really silly. I'm giving it a week; if a peaceful resolution isn't reached, I'm done posting here. Simple as that. #guildwars2
@Archaotic: Can't have people insulting the Rupert Murdoch of the games industry now can we.
Personally, it seems like Kotaku is really pandering of late. Nothing gets objectively shredded anymore, and the article about "What to play while boycotting MW2" was just downright condescending and borderline insulting. They can review MW2 on day one, and we still haven't seen a Demon's Souls review? There's a million other things I could nitpick, but to be blunt, Kotaku feels like it's sold out. #guildwars2
@Jarerex: Demon's Souls review? Hah! They haven't even covered the game at all aside from Leigh's "hard games" editorial a while back.
I think the problem is that Kotaku has started focusing almost solely on the big-hype, hit-driving games (like, sadly, MW2), and ignoring the little guys for the most part. I hate to KEEP bringing Torchlight up, but it's a perfect example. That game is one of the best Diablo-type RPGs ever created, and yet it hasn't garnered even a single mention on this site that I know of aside from me bringing it up in the comments!
It's a shame. I originally started coming to Kotaku because I was looking for an unique take on the industry, unclouded by corporate politics and hype machines, where I could learn more about smaller, less-known games. Somewhere over the course of my three years here, that seems to have changed. Somewhere along the line, probably as Gawker's control grew, the site has become just another part of the gaming industry hype machine.
As it stands, it's up to us, the community, to do what the editors can't. To say what their contracts don't allow them to say. To focus on what their schedules force them to overlook. We are just as much Kotaku as they are at this point. If that's taken away from us, Kotaku is just another IGN or 1UP, simply with more relatable editors.
@Archaotic: Exactly what I meant, in a much more eloquent fashion. Kotaku has been pandering hardcore recently, and it's really quite sad to see. I'm almost ready to move on somewhere else myself, the tone in the MW2 article really was quite insulting. If they feel the need to mock their readers in that fashion, I'll read elsewhere. #guildwars2
@Jarerex: I really hope they realize that their tone has actually been hurting them more than helping them. The degree of self-awareness they had to their deluge of MW2 coverage last night was...unsettling. It's like they knew it was pissing us off and kept doing it just to do it. What kind of site does shit like that?
That's Jim Sterling-level shit right there. #guildwars2
@Jarerex: Aye, there's been quite a change in the waters since comment 2.0 came around.
For now the majority of commenters are great, and Owen's had his week off so I still keep coming.
But I agree with Archaotic, the site started out great. It covered some good issues, great games, lesser known stuff. Totillo joined us and it got even better, we got TAY which was nice.
Then Comment 2.0 rolled around and..its workable but it just doesn't feel as good as it used to.
And the past 3 days of almost solid fever pitch MW2 coverage got silly enough you had to question how much money crossed under the table. #guildwars2
@Jarerex: I don't generally like commenting about the writing and attitude around places, but since that's the topic.
I've read the site for quite a bit longer than I've commented--only reason I started commenting was because of a few discussions I found interesting...and usually because of Archaotic's comments.
But on a decent amount of the articles I saw the tone at times was pretty condescending and unnecessary. The reason I kept coming back was aside from the insulting and overly opinionated bits, they had decent information regarding games, and it seemed they had it up faster than other places I went to.
@Archaotic: My thought on them hitting the more popular or big-hype games more often has to do with increased popularity with the site. That, and possibly being owned by Gawker. But I am somewhat unfamiliar with how things were, so I can't really say.
As for the article at hand. I'm looking forward to GW2. I've played the original a decent amount, and I hope the sequel improves upon what they created. A beta would be great too. I don't get into enough interesting looking betas. #guildwars2
@Phantom6612: The problem comes is the increased popularity of the site is mainly from the fact that unlike other game sites Kotaku tended to cover some of the more niche topics. At least that's what brought me hear. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.
However the many folks that have been here for a long time, that also helped make the site popular ( as many also come for the commenter's) are starting to feel a bit wary of the change to covering mainstream press so much,. We can go to a multitude of other sites for that stuff if we want, but for most of the time Kotaku has pretty much remained one of the few sites to cover the niche stuff. #guildwars2
@deanbmmv: Yes, I'm sure it was the coverage of the niche stuff which brought people here. That's the kind of thing I like to see as well, since, as you mentioned, I could go elsewhere for the more popular games--also the comments made me stay and sign up.
I obviously can't say what caused any change. But it seems when with increased popularity, publications such as this suddenly have greater reach than just the niche stuff and, possibly without meaning to, start to post more on the mainstream games. #guildwars2
@Phantom6612: Well a fair chunk of folks generally pinpoint Comment's 2.0 as the change over.
There was an interview on some journalism site that was done before the Comment 2.0 that was passed about which pretty much detailed the changes his was trying to force on the sites. pretty much because Gawker Network has become more popular, from it came the whole Star's with power, the hidden comments n all that. it's kinda shit changes, but it made sense to him. #guildwars2
£20 isn't that bad a price for an Art Book... though people got it for free at PAX are you saying?
How big is this art book? Is it more like those "Art books" you get in special editions, that are more like "samples" of the full art book, or are they the full proper art books?
@Cptn.PaxtonAstypalaea(Corsair): No this is seriously a real proper Artbook. It's hardbound, big wide and beautiful printing.
Of course the real downer isn't that people at PAX got one free, they got one free and got several chances to get it signed by the artists at the show. Some even doodled in mine.
The trailer was nice, though it didn't show a lot. I'm still interested in this game.
I'm just uncertain about getting it because I never finished Guild Wars, and I don't know if I could bring myself to finish it now. I was thinking about going back to it yesterday, but just lacked the drive to do so.
It's going to be a completely different animal if you read the interviews and such. It's going to be more like a traditional mmo but they want to keep the things that made the first one unique in there. No aggravating boring grind to max level, no real emphasis on gear and especially not when pvp rolls around. It's all about skill, strategy, TEAMWORK, etc. Can't freaking wait.
All three campaign collector's editions came with art books, and I was always impressed by them. I imagine that this is at least as good, and can see why they'd want to feature it if it is.
"The whole value of a video game art book, for me at least, is that the images are enhanced by my memories of playing the game"
well, that's the difference between the concept art from guild wars and that of most other titles. the guild wars art is good enough to stand on its own merits.
11/11/09
Let's just hope it stays free- hopefully their monetization methods are a bit more creative than a monthly gouging. #guildwars2
11/11/09
It's getting hard to tell where one game ends and the other begins. #guildwars2
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
11/11/09
Oh well, at least you went down fighting the good fight and not screaming FIRST!?!?!?!??!!!! !111!!1!! #guildwars2
11/11/09
11/11/09
Personally, it seems like Kotaku is really pandering of late. Nothing gets objectively shredded anymore, and the article about "What to play while boycotting MW2" was just downright condescending and borderline insulting. They can review MW2 on day one, and we still haven't seen a Demon's Souls review? There's a million other things I could nitpick, but to be blunt, Kotaku feels like it's sold out. #guildwars2
11/11/09
I think the problem is that Kotaku has started focusing almost solely on the big-hype, hit-driving games (like, sadly, MW2), and ignoring the little guys for the most part. I hate to KEEP bringing Torchlight up, but it's a perfect example. That game is one of the best Diablo-type RPGs ever created, and yet it hasn't garnered even a single mention on this site that I know of aside from me bringing it up in the comments!
It's a shame. I originally started coming to Kotaku because I was looking for an unique take on the industry, unclouded by corporate politics and hype machines, where I could learn more about smaller, less-known games. Somewhere over the course of my three years here, that seems to have changed. Somewhere along the line, probably as Gawker's control grew, the site has become just another part of the gaming industry hype machine.
As it stands, it's up to us, the community, to do what the editors can't. To say what their contracts don't allow them to say. To focus on what their schedules force them to overlook. We are just as much Kotaku as they are at this point. If that's taken away from us, Kotaku is just another IGN or 1UP, simply with more relatable editors.
11/11/09
11/11/09
That's Jim Sterling-level shit right there. #guildwars2
11/11/09
For now the majority of commenters are great, and Owen's had his week off so I still keep coming.
But I agree with Archaotic, the site started out great. It covered some good issues, great games, lesser known stuff. Totillo joined us and it got even better, we got TAY which was nice.
Then Comment 2.0 rolled around and..its workable but it just doesn't feel as good as it used to.
And the past 3 days of almost solid fever pitch MW2 coverage got silly enough you had to question how much money crossed under the table. #guildwars2
11/11/09
I've read the site for quite a bit longer than I've commented--only reason I started commenting was because of a few discussions I found interesting...and usually because of Archaotic's comments.
But on a decent amount of the articles I saw the tone at times was pretty condescending and unnecessary. The reason I kept coming back was aside from the insulting and overly opinionated bits, they had decent information regarding games, and it seemed they had it up faster than other places I went to.
@Archaotic: My thought on them hitting the more popular or big-hype games more often has to do with increased popularity with the site. That, and possibly being owned by Gawker. But I am somewhat unfamiliar with how things were, so I can't really say.
As for the article at hand. I'm looking forward to GW2. I've played the original a decent amount, and I hope the sequel improves upon what they created. A beta would be great too. I don't get into enough interesting looking betas. #guildwars2
11/11/09
However the many folks that have been here for a long time, that also helped make the site popular ( as many also come for the commenter's) are starting to feel a bit wary of the change to covering mainstream press so much,. We can go to a multitude of other sites for that stuff if we want, but for most of the time Kotaku has pretty much remained one of the few sites to cover the niche stuff. #guildwars2
11/11/09
I obviously can't say what caused any change. But it seems when with increased popularity, publications such as this suddenly have greater reach than just the niche stuff and, possibly without meaning to, start to post more on the mainstream games. #guildwars2
11/11/09
There was an interview on some journalism site that was done before the Comment 2.0 that was passed about which pretty much detailed the changes his was trying to force on the sites. pretty much because Gawker Network has become more popular, from it came the whole Star's with power, the hidden comments n all that. it's kinda shit changes, but it made sense to him. #guildwars2
11/11/09
09/24/09
How big is this art book? Is it more like those "Art books" you get in special editions, that are more like "samples" of the full art book, or are they the full proper art books?
09/24/09
Of course the real downer isn't that people at PAX got one free, they got one free and got several chances to get it signed by the artists at the show. Some even doodled in mine.
09/04/09
I'm just uncertain about getting it because I never finished Guild Wars, and I don't know if I could bring myself to finish it now. I was thinking about going back to it yesterday, but just lacked the drive to do so.
09/04/09
It's going to be a completely different animal if you read the interviews and such. It's going to be more like a traditional mmo but they want to keep the things that made the first one unique in there. No aggravating boring grind to max level, no real emphasis on gear and especially not when pvp rolls around. It's all about skill, strategy, TEAMWORK, etc. Can't freaking wait.
09/05/09
09/04/09
[bldgblog.blogspot.com]
Two other prolific contributors to ArenaNet's artistic success:
[www.kekaiart.com]
[www.tyler-west.com]
09/04/09
08/28/09
well, that's the difference between the concept art from guild wars and that of most other titles. the guild wars art is good enough to stand on its own merits.
08/28/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09