We thought we quit playing World of Warcraft and could continue enjoying sleep and occasionally coming into contact with the sun’s rays. But we were wrong. It’s only been a few weeks since we got WoW’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade, and once again we find ourselves immersed in Blizzard’s online crack machine - hopelessly addicted to repeatable quests and grinding for experience points. In case you haven’t read our review, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade kicks ass, and will begin invading your brain with the continuous urge to play the moment it's installed.
Sure, the expansion is great and we love it. But after renewing our subscription to the game that was almost too addicting to enjoy, we still have some beefs with the king of MMOs. Let’s take a look at the top seven things you’ll love and hate about The Burning Crusade.
1. Outland
You’ll Love
The attention to detail and vibrant landscapes in the new zones will impress you from the moment you pass through the Dark Portal and set foot on the new floating continent, Outland. Right from the start, you’ll notice how great the sky looks with Outland’s moons framed by blazing beams of ethereal light and rolling clouds. Huge monsters lumber across the landscape and well-placed strategic points pepper the map, ensuring constant PvP opportunities for those who don’t like waiting in line for Battlegrounds.
You’ll Hate
However, once the novelty of Outland’s new content wears off, you’ll realize that the zones aren’t as expansive as they first seemed, and that you’re once again caught up in the relentless grind for experience, PvP rewards, and rare drops. Don’t be surprised when your hobby turns into a new part-time night job, once you and your guild get settled into a regular routine for running Outland’s new 25 man raids.
Also, despite the excellent work that went into designing Outland’s great look, The Burning Crusade can’t hide WoW’s signs of aging. Characters with low polygon counts, fuzzy textures, and short draw distances makes WoW look like an outdated GTA clone when compared to some of the glitzier DirectX 10 capable games in development. WoW certainly won’t be joining the likes of Ultima Online in the MMO retirement community any time soon, but its days are numbered
