I thought about writing this little note when i have seen Sanctum being almost a ghost town this week end ( Nice FPS though;-))
I have a confession to make to you my dear Rift. I went on to see how Guild Wars 2 looks and feels like. I was very lucky not to suffer from many problems whilst there. Guild Wars 2 looks very very good and feels different than my beloved RIft.
Why so much love for Rift? After a couple of years spent wandering around WoW territories, I moved on to new horizons at the begining of 2011. I was getting really bothered having to change my details/passwords every other week to counter security issues in WoW and the atmosphere was getting....what should i say? not to my liking. Anyhow, I have to say thanks to WoW forums for having given me the hint of Rift coming at the beginning of last year. It was my opportunity to be part of something from (almost) scratch.
I got Rift only a few days before the headstart and was keen to get on with my new life. Not really looking forward to another set of grinding to gain levels and pieces of gear, but the character customization and Rift graphics swept me off my feet. Of course, Rift is like WoW; exact same thing, but peaceful and secure. I really felt like the guys at Trion did a good job. I had a new life, in a new world and left most of the MMOs downsides with WoW.
I started my Rift career on the old continent and found many like-minded friends. Rift was a "mature" game and still is....my kind of thing. It was great running around discovering Telara with good people. The dynamics of the game still fill me with joy whenever i log on. Unfortunately, due to working hours change; i had to leave my Old continent family to travel to the new world. Again, RIft wasn't going to disappoint me. I have been warmly welcomed into the Gaiscoch family. Most definitely the best social experience I had whilst playing MMOs.
All this to say: "I love you Rift!"
Now, Guild Wars 2. I only played a few hours on it, trying to work out the game. It most definitely looks the part. The world appears to be endless with tons of things to do. I know it is sacrilegious to have negative opinions towards GW2 but i will express myself. So, as a very personal opinion, I think GW2 is only a different way to do the very same things. Although, i like(d) the fact that i did not have to run back 28 miles to hand in a quest and so on. I would place the characters graphics between WoW and Rift (Rift being my champion) but i definitely like some of the human attributes bouncing around when running ( i guess you know what I mean. apologies to the ladies around); i thought that the devs at Arenanet must have had fun when working on the game! One thing I was told before and surely experienced during my play is that if you like being static whilst in fights ( like i do) you are going to get hammered pretty quickly...I need to work on that.
The thing that bothers me the most is the way Arenanet will generate income from this game. While playing around, i got a couple of lion's chests that can be opened only if you have a special key bought with gems. And the gems need to be bought through the game with hard earned cash. What Rift does with monthly or yearly subscription fit my buying experience. I pay once a year and forget about it. I am concerned that GW2 might attract the rampant trolls from WoW by offering this model (I am not very tender with WoW, am I?).
To conclude, GW2 is a great looking game that surely will please thousands but it is a bit like learning a new language when going to live in a new country (you need the language to be able to do whatever same things you were doing back home)and ultimately, GW2 hasn't taken me by storm as Rift did when it started. You wil see me around in GW2 but I am avidly waiting for Storm Legion to come out!
Have fun playing the games and thank you for reading!
