World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
Format: PC.
The relationship killer revitalised.
Occasionally courting controversy with tales of Oprah baiting, catheter filling addiction, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is certainly a force to be reckoned. With over 8 million worldwide players it’s the biggest online game and has dragged MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) out of a geekish niche and into the mainstream.
Taking the traditional Lord of the Rings style fantasy scenario of orcs and elves it blends it into a massive online world full of cartoonish beauty, humour and corpse camping. Not without its flaws, WoW still manages to crush any competition in the online arena and The Burning Crusade expansion pack has begun to revitalise its creature filled instances.
Adding two new races (the Draenai and Blood Elves) to the already varied roster, The Burning Crusade also introduces the Jewel Crafting profession, a raised level cap to 70 and flying mounts and a new alien world called Outland for those who can reach for that cap.
As Polar opposites to each other, the spiritual Draenai use crystalised magic to power technology while the Blood Elves use it to feed an almost narcotic hunger for power. Having literally fallen from the stars in a great crystal powered spaceship, the Draenai introduce a sci-fi edge to the traditionally fantasy orientated world and the Blood Elves’ tainted vision introduces a darker edge to the world lore.
Regular players of WoW will get a lot out of the raised level cap and be able to visit the inhospitable world of Outland. For new players, Outland is a long, long way off and they may not find justification in investing in the expansion (the full game is also required to play). Thankfully the new races and profession help offset the financial pain with the hook of being part of the first wave of players to level up an exotic new character and become a master jeweller.
By introducing new races, The Burning Crusade creates a new level of balance in the world of Azeroth - the Alliance get an ugly race and the Horde get a handsome one. Beyond simple and shallow aesthetics the Draenai also bring Shamans to the Alliance and the Blood Elves introduce Paladins to the Horde. Now both sides can stop complaining about unfair class advantages and get on with player vs player fighting.
Despite these additions WoW remains a strange creature at heart - made of a world so huge and colourful and full of character that it immerses by default yet at the same time, its clinical re-spawning of quests and creatures and the lack of individuality among the cloned legions of players creates an immersion sapping contradiction.
At the end of the day though it’s all about socialising - against popular belief, the game isn’t the addiction, it’s the ever growing network of friends you meet and adventure with between rests at the local inn over jugs of dwarven ale. That and the intoxicating draw to gain just a bit more experience and level up to claim that new spell and shiny new armour.
8/10