Guild Wars Eye of the North (PC) Review
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 10.02.2007
Get your level-20 warrior and jump into the latest Guild Wars offering.
Title: Guild Wars Eye of the North
Publisher: NCSoft
Type: MMORPG
Players: 1
Fans of the Guild Wars series will feel right at home with Eye of the North however new players will have to start somewhere else. EotN isn’t a full fledged expansion pack as you’ll need to have your character up to level-20 before getting into the action. That being said, players will get a host of new skills (150 in all), 18 new dungeons, 10 new heroes and 4 new regions to explore. The major focus of the game is for the PvE side of things which means the PvP part of the game will be roughly about the same.
As for the main campaign, players will take charge of the Norn and Asuran races along with the Dwarves and Ebon Vanguard forces to vanquish the Destroyers whom underground creatures are causing hell.
Gameplay
The main campaign extends the original game’s story though it seems a little too straight forward and a tad clichéd. Though it’s entertaining enough to keep you playing, it seems to end before you know it. Luckily there are some interesting side quests such as Oola’s Lab and the stronghold raid in the Charr homelands that’ll keep you busy a while. You’ll also find some mini-games in different regions which is a nice distraction from the usual stuff.
Players will also find a Hall of Monuments where you’ll be able to save your achievements, trophies and titles which will allow you to bring your character over to the upcoming Guild Wars 2. The question is, is EotN a way to extend the experience of the current Guild Wars, or an all out commercial for Guild Wars 2? Perhaps it’s a little bit of both though this game seems to try and hook you into looking forward to the sequel.
Graphics
Working off an upgraded engine a few years old, the artists managed to beautify an already good looking game. The animations are smooth and fluid while the armor and creature designs are quite impressive. While there isn’t a significant upgrade in design from the previous installments, the artistic style is appealing enough that it won’t really matter. This may be a case where more of the same is actually a good thing.
Sound
As with the original guild Wars and the ensuing expansion packs, you’ll be getting an identical audio experience. Using dedicated gamer headphones or a surround system will allow you to truly enjoy the journey.
Fun Factor
If you’re looking for a little bit more from Eye of the North, the minigames will provide some giggles that are sure to keep you entertained. One of the mini-games is Dwarven boxing in which you’ll don an pair of brass knuckles to test your fighting skills while Polymock pits you in a Pokémon style game. In Polymock you’ll put creatures in head to head battles in which each combatant has predetermined skills sets.
Lasting Appeal
Eye of the North really doesn’t intend to keep you in its grasp for too long. NCSoft appears to want to simply hold you over until Guild of Wars 2 finally releases. That being said, the fun mini-games and side quests will keep you busy once you’ve gotten through the relatively short main quest. The slew of collectibles such as armor and abilities will keep some gamers playing until they’ve collected everything they want. Again, what is collected will be transferable to Guild Wars 2 so there’s a bit of an incentive here.
The 411
Gamers who own one of the other Guild Wars titles will be the only ones to benefit from Eye of the North. As mentioned before, you can only play this title by owning a previous installment and having your character up to level 20. New gamers will clearly need to stay away as they have no starting point and will need to begin their quest elsewhere.
Graphics
8.5
Still looks good withough any major enhancements
Gameplay
8.0
More of the same but a simple interface
Sound
7.5
Get some gamer headphones to enjoy the experience
Lasting Appeal
6.0
A short main quest will only hold you off a few months
Fun Factor
7.5
The most fun you'll have is playing the mini-games and collecting new items.
