World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
If you are willing to give up your real life for a virtual one, then the long-awaited expansion pack for Blizzard\'s best-selling World Of Warcraft online game is a must-have. The expansion, called the Burning Crusade (BC), furthers the bcakstory behind the Warcraft universe, raises the maximum level for characters to 70 (from 60), and introduces new races, items and skills. Compared to the original World Of Warcraft, zones in the expansion are up to one-and-a-half times larger, and offer everything from casual-friendly single-player content to hardcore raid-only areas. Each zone, while genrally reflecting the theme of a blasted, ruined world, is also jam-packed with quests, monsters and \"phat 13wt\" (slang for fat loot or treasure much sought after by gamers). For casual players who complained that the original catered too much to the hardcore raider, they will be happy to know that Blizzard has heard their pleas.
The entire expansion seems geared to help keep those who can play only a few hours each day well occupied. Quests, seens as something trivial in the past, now take on greater importance with the introduction of more factions for players to gain the trust of, and from whom to gain rich rewards. Blizzard has also toned down the number of people needed to fight the epic, end-game bosses. Previously, 40-man raids were required for any final showdowns, but this number has been scaled down to 25. What will also please some and annoy others is the introduction of more PvP or Player vs Player outdoor objectives.
Many complained that they did not feel as connected to the world and its events as they could have been. Now there are several neutral towns and areas for both Horde and Alliance characters to fight over, with rare items from merchants up for grabs to the victor. While the expansion pack is a must-have for WoW fans, new players who pick it up will be frustrated to find that little, if any, of the content is geared towards them. For instance, the new Outland zones are strictly for those level 60 and higher, leaving characters below that cap with little to do. And, choosing to create a new character with the two new races available will see players do the exact same things they did with their old characters, in the exact same order in the same zones. Secondly, BC is a separate purchase from the original game.
Nearly every other massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) on the market has always bundled at least its base set when selling their expansions, helping to increase their player base by introducing an affordable all-in-one package for new players. Not so here, forcing all players to pay more than $100 if they want the original and the expansion. For the millions of players who have played the game since it was launched over two years ago and have reached the highest levels and crave more to do, the Outland beckons.
