Let’s clear up a few things first. I am a member of Runescape, WoW, and Judi Poker Online. I am not that 10-year-old nerdy little fanboy with huge glasses in the basement. I played Runescape first because back in college I didn’t have enough money for WoW and Runescape was free. I spend equal time on both of them, and I’ve spent more than a few days scoffing at the flamers that waste their lives arguing about each game’s potential, stupidity, and other things that don’t really matter.
Let’s start with Runescape. Runescape requires no download, is played in your browser, requires you to create an account, is updated very, very frequently, and has a five-dollar membership program that expands the world more than three times and adds tons of new options including skills and equipment. First question: Is Runescape worth the subscription and is it fun to play if you don’t have one? These are very opinionated questions, but disregarding that, the bottom line runs as a yes for each. For the free play, you really don’t lose anything like a free player. There are still tons of skills and places to be discovered, and the gameplay mechanic doesn’t change. Runescape, however, is worth the subscription. The member world is huge, and not only do you gain more skills, but the free skills are also further expanded on. There are weapons and items beyond count added into the game. The additions will keep you addicted for hundreds of hours, and in the end, that is what matters, whether the game is fun to play.
Second question: what is the status of the player base and the developers? First off, Jagex is good at what they do, and there is no denying it. Runescape was the original idea from two brothers. You can’t deny that Jagex made something worth your while when you play Runescape. As for the player base, it leaves a bit to be desired. While most people on the forums and in the free worlds are nice and helpful, the members, specifically when they visit the free worlds, are a bit obnoxious, and tend to brag and beat down the newbs. High leveled players tend to be jerks and will respond to questions with answers best described as hateful.
Final Question: how well does Runescape fit the niche it was made for? Very well, I think the resonating answer is. Runescape is one of those games that are fun, addicting, keep you involved, and have a good quest and story system without you needing to know any backstory at all. You can get on Runescape for five minutes and accomplish lots. The final verdict? Runescape doesn’t deserve half the hate it receives, despite some kinks and glitches that need to be worked out. Runescape is a great game and we can only hope that Jagex will continue the good work.
Now for World of Warcraft. The first question is the same as with Runescape: is WoW worth the hefty fifteen dollar fee to play, especially since there is no option for free play? This question is probably the most blurry in terms of a straight answer. All in all, most people would say yes, and so would I. If you have never played World of Warcraft, you wouldn’t know how absolutely humongous the game world is. It takes literal hours to travel across, not including the expansion packs. As an added bonus, monsters drop trash loots. This may not matter to some, but it adds realism. It’s nice to kill a wolf and have the option of it dropping either a fang, a claw, a pelt, ahead, meat, tail, or an ear. It’s things like that that make the world seem like a continually moving dimension. There are so many items in-game that counting them without a computer would be suicide. The amount of gameplay content, and the total addictiveness of the game, make the answer yes.
Second question, like above, involving the player base and developers. First off, Blizzard is probably the most talented game studio ever created, arguably, along with Bungie. (or whoever else you favor) Blizzard has made so many quality games in their day that they practically define the perfect game for quite a few genres. Did you know Blizzard has three employees dedicated to keeping the world lore straight for each of its game universes? Talk about dedication! As for the player base, no complaints here. Although you may come across the occasional snob, most players are very helpful and friendly, and the ticket system works and ensures a swift response from Blizzard. (Maybe not so swift, but more so than other games) The guild system works well and allows you to get to know a select few people. It’s like a family almost.
Final question: the niche. WoW fits a lot of niches of the RPG genre. Like Runescape, you can accomplish things with just five minutes, albeit not as much. World of Warcraft, really, however, is meant to be a commitment. You hear about people losing their lives to this game. That is entirely correct. Losing friends to WoW may make you hate the game, but you can’t deny that that is just a product of its quality. Leveling up in WoW and doing high-end dungeons and raids is when WoW really gets fun. Repetitive it may be, there is no denying the epicness of crashing through Naxxramas and owning the bosses. The same applies to quests, specifically the Wrathgate in WotLK. Without spoiling it, there is an amazing cutscene made from in-game graphics. The final verdict for WoW is simple. Despite your opinions, there is absolutely no denying that WoW is a genre-definer, the role model for MMORPGs. The massive world and beauty will stun you the whole way.
These are the true measures of a game, the real way it should be defined. Graphics may make a game nicer, but in the end, they don’t matter. It’s the quality of the gameplay and whether it is actually fun to play. At the end, which of these you like better is definitely about opinion, but save your breath and stop flaming them, because both have immense potential to become so much better than they are, and we can all agree that then we would truly have some great games on our hands.
