Guild Wars

Guild Wars Game of the Year
$19.99
This review is partly about my addiction to this game and may also serve as a warning to the unsuspecting.

First to begin with, I'm against all addictions. Addictions can inhibit you in fulfilling other worthwhile goals in your life.

I've played this game way, way too much. To the point where it's kind of messing with my life right now. Causing me to miss appointments and being late for work more than a few times.

I find myself contriving ways to stay away from my computer just because the game is on it.

Sometimes I approach my computer station with trepidation knowing that the game is there waiting, lurking---as it were---beckoning to me, to plunge into its world.

When I give in and enter its magical universe, I like to play as a healer, and I'm a pretty good one.

I use protection spells and divine favor enchantments to heal and keep my team alive during adventures and battles.

Though I've been playing the game for more years than I care to remember,
I've just gotten around to reviewing it because I was just too busy playing.

Guild Wars (Game of the Year Edition) (PC Games)
$29.99
This game is so wonderful that I still play it even after an entire year and a half and continue to. The graphics are just amazing and the story line isn't bad at all. I love the different ways I can customize my characters and their skills. The only thing I don't like about it is that the female characters' clothes can be a little revealing; but all video games are like that. (Blast those stereotypes!)

You can make PvE (player vs. environment) characters or PvP (player vs. player) characters. The PvE characters start off at level 1 and you have to work your way up to level 20, the highest. If you want you can also do PvP battles with your PvE character if you want to. The PvP characters start off at level 20 and maximum armor with most of the skills unlocked but you can't play PvE with them.

There are:
Warriors: Pretty much humans who fight with swords, axes, hammers.
Rangers: Humans who work with bows and can tame pets to fight along in battle.
Elementalists: People who can fight with fire, earth, air, and water elements.
Necromancers: "Emo" and dark people who can raise minions from corpses, steal health with Death Magic, and put curses on enemies.
Mesmers: People who can steal lots of energy (used for skills) from foes.
Monks: Obviously the characters who heal.

Hopefully I didn't miss any out.

You can also get henchmen ("henchies" or computer controlled players) who fight with you. Or you can always go on the search list and get live players to join your pary. You can also trade items with other players or sell stuff to them for gold.

Gold is used for buying materials for armor, weapons, and other stuff for your characters.

There's also chat so you can talk with real players as you play and make online friends with them. If you want you can form a guild (hence the name Guild Wars) with a bunch of players, buy a guild hall to hang out in, and fight other guilds. You can make alliances with other guilds too then have alliance battles.

Guild Wars Nightfall
$39.99
I am almost 60 years old and am not a gamer. My 23 year old is the gamer of the family.
A friend of his came over one day and asked if he would like to try this game out. He said sure. I watched, played for a bit and I was hooked. I may never play another game, but I am going to try to get the other games in this series.

Guild Wars: Eye Of The North Expansion Pack
$29.99
This game expansion is a perfect addition to the main game. In total you can probably rush through it in less then 10 hours...but the side quests and the faction points can take a few extra hours.

I really recommend this to the casual gamer who has other popup responsibilities that occur during the game session, read as "kids". You can easily find a safe spot to wait out the conflict and then come back and finish the quests. Also, most quests are around 30 minutes at the long end.

Works great on my 5 year old Dell XPS Generation 1 Laptop.

Highly recommended game!