Guild Wars 2 is finally here. And it's awesome. Read some of the reviews if you don't believe me. Is it the fabled "WOW Killer" the world has been anticipating? Let's put that notion to rest once and for all. There is no "WOW Killer". There never will be. WOW is a classic and classics are immortal. World of Warcraft was, and continues to be, an online gaming phenomenon. A pioneer of the genre, WOW set the standards by which all other MMOs are judged. It could be argued that without WOW, Guild Wars 2 would probably not exist, at least not in its present form. Although the numbers have dropped, with 8 0r 9 million worldwide subscribers, WOW is still far and away the most popular game in the MMORPG marketplace. Future MMOs may surpass it in numbers. Others may tweak the formula to different extents. But nothing short of Blizzard pulling the plug will ever kill WOW, and with the new expansion 'Mists of Pandaria' around the corner, that isn't likely to happen any time soon. So, having established my respect and reverence for Blizzard's Magnum Opus, without further ado, here is my list of The Top 10 Reasons Why Guild Wars 2 is Better Than WOW:
1. Graphics
WOW was first released in November, 2004. Guild Wars 2 was released in August, 2012. While WOW's graphics are semi-updated every time an expansion is released, it's still uses virtually the same engine it did upon release. While Azeroth and its inhabitants are cartoon-y and child-like, the world of Guild Wars 2 is much more detailed and realistic. It's a completely different art style, which makes it very much like comparing apples and oranges. But with almost 8 years separating the launch of these two games, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Guild Wars 2 has substantially better graphics.
2. No Monthly Subscription Fees
Depending on the length of the subscription you purchase, WOW can cost a player the price of the base game and up to $14.95 a month, which translates roughly to $150 a year. Guild Wars has no monthly subscription fee at all and aside from the purchase price of the base game, it's virtually free-to-play.