Guild Wars - Re-review @ Eurogamer

Positive re-review from Eurogamer.

Guild Wars' extremely low level cap (20) has proven to be a stroke of design genius. Because it doesn't take very long to build up a top-level character, a lack of new players is barely even a problem for the community - the game is balanced towards characters with customised equipment and skills, rather than a buffed-up level. As it always has, Guild Wars rewards you for experimenting actively with your character rather than simply pouring endless hours into the number next to its name; for switching around stats and skills intelligently rather than slaughtering rats for hours on end. It's a welcoming system for new players, and it also means that you can come back to the game after years and still have a top-tier character, rather than finding yourself left way behind the curve.

This is the perfect way for a non-subscription MMO to work. Subscribers would be irked to see new players build up top-level characters so quickly, but in Guild Wars players come and go all the time. You can pour in as many hours as you like for that GBP 20 price tag, over as great a timespan as you please. Consequently there's little elitism in the community - long-term players don't have that slightly bitter sense of entitlement that develops when you've been shelling out USD 15 a month for years on end.