Amazon.com: Guild Wars Nightfall: PC: Video Games

64 Reviews

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

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4.4 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)

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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily the BEST Chapter in the series!, November 2, 2006

By	Zen Gamer (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

You've probably already read the gaming reviews on this, so you know the stats: new Hero system, new items, new classes, no monthly fee, etc.

One of the most important new additions to the game series is the Hero system, where you can customize and have much greater control over your Heroes (upgraded henchmen). I tend to solo a lot, since I rarely have blocks of time or have the patience to deal with other players, so this lets me get an often more competent (you customize their skills) team together. The beauty of this latest Chapter is that it enhances all previous Chapters (Prophecies and Factions): you can use your Heroes in the prior Chapters. This backwards compatibility was quite the bonus to my prior investment, and rewarding loyal players is EXACTLY the right thing to do.

Every Chapter, ArenaNet has upgraded the graphics engine, and Nightfall continues that trend. I know, I know, gameplay > graphics, but this scores on both counts. Graphically, it has spoiled me for many other games, and the art direction and creativity is nothing short of astounding.

As for cons, it isn't quite as casual gamer-friendly as some of the other titles out there, such as City of Heroes. You do need to learn about how skills work, and sometimes you get item drops (there is loot!) that you don't know what to do with. However, if you know how to read, you can just look it up on the 'net.

I've found this latest release to actually be their best one yet, and I'm still debating whether to recommend new players pick up Chapter One (Prophecies) for the storyline or this one for sheer features and streamlined gameply and story. They've truly learned from the previous two Chapters and incorporated the lessons into Nightfall.

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61 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Addition to the Guild Wars Universe, November 1, 2006

By	Tom (Berryville, VA) - See all my reviews

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars

This game, like its predecessors Guild Wars: Prophecies and Guild Wars: Factions, is designed for players who--

(1) Enjoy a great story and playing a part in that story
(2) Appreciate fine graphics, stunning landscapes, and strikingly rendered monsters and battle effects
(3) Enjoy small group/solo adventuring
(4) Enjoy strategizing, exploring, and questing
(5) Can sometimes play for long stretches at a time ... but can often only play in smaller blocks of 30-60 minutes and still want to have fun and get stuff done
(6) Might have to pause mid-quest to do something else (wash dishes, go for a walk, take out the garbage, answer the phone...) and come back later (Guild Wars, I find, is much more "forgiving" for players who have lives, where World of Warcraft is not, since Guild Wars more or less "holds your place" if you are called away temporarily to do other things)

Nightfall adds new story content, new professions (the paragon [kind of a spear-wielding paladin] and the dervish [a whirling, spinning slice and dicer]), a bucketload of nifty innovations, and ABOVE ALL, HEROES. The heroes are customizable, controllable henchmen that add a whole new dimension to the game--not only to Nightfall but to the two previous editions of Guild Wars as well.

I have to say I am pleased and greatly impressed with Nightfall. I took a character or two over from the previous campaigns and nabbed a few heroes and now those characters are back playing through the Prophecies and Factions missions and quests with their Heroes. I love this!

NCSoft has, in effect, upped the ante and enriched and deepened the playability of ALL of their games at once, although I hasten to add that you must purchase Nightfall to access the new regions (i.e., the beautiful, African-themed Elona), the new missions, and--best of all--the new Heroes.

I have nearly completed the Nightfall campaign (with a dervish and a monk), and all I can say is that it's been great fun. The Guild Wars series just continues to get better, richer, deeper, and more fun to play. Best of all, unlike that other online game behemoth (World of Warcraft), Guild Wars is very casual/solo player friendly, both time-wise and group-wise. You can complete virtually any quest or mission in this campaign ALONE (with henchmen), if that is your playing style. It is difficult to do (I *like* difficult, heh), but it can be done. I know this because that is how I have played all three Guild Wars campaigns.

People familiar with the first two campaigns and looking for something "totally new" will not find it here but that, in my opinion, is a good thing. Nightfall builds upon and enhances the successful gameplay formula established by Prophecies and Factions, retaining all of the aspects of previous campaigns that players appreciated and yet incorporating new bells and whistles that make the basic story-centered structure better and even more enjoyable.

Whether performing a wide variety of quests and killing countless hosts of monsters and enemies is "grinding" and "boring" or "great fun" really depends on your perspective, I suppose. I think it's great fun. I just completed a quest in this campaign yesterday wherein you must help a herdsman get his cows to safe pasture past mobs of brigands. I found the assignment difficult, creative, and funny all at the same time, with the herd mooing and stampeding every which way and the brigands attacking in waves and cows dying all along the way. Now, that's entertainment! And that was but one quest among ... zillions.

In short, Nightfall is a solid and enjoyable addition to the fine Guild Wars series. I highly recommend it.

____________

[edit (11/14/07): The excellent Guild Wars series ends with its Eye of the North Expansion Pack. Guild Wars 2, a sort of "reinvention" of the game, is due out in 2009 [hopefully!].)

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Casual Gaming Girl Prefers Guild Wars to World of Warcraft, January 6, 2007

By	Monuia (SC) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

I abandoned WOW for Guild Wars.

When diving into the Guild Wars sage, I began with Nightfall. I recommend Nightfall to new Guild Wars players. Heros taught me about other classes and were always available when I needed help.

Although my Radeon 9200 video card was sufficient in WOW, it lags a little in GW. I like GW so much, I plan to upgrade when I can.

I was a casual WOW player in WOW for 6 months, only leveling to 48. After playing Guild Wars a few weeks, I gave up my WOW subscription. I have continued playing Guild Wars when I can and love it. Here's why:

1) The missions (main quests) in Guild Wars taken while I level my characters impact the environment as a whole. I feel like what I'm doing is meaningful. And they begin as soon as a new character is made. The "Collect 10 bear pelts" type quests in WOW felt silly. Nothing in the WOW environment ever changes for more than a moment or two.

2) When I quest in GWs, I am not interupted by other players. Only my party members can chat with me, and they are involved on the same quests I am. In WOW, I was constantly interupted. Players begged, nagged, and sometimes made unneccessary negative comments. The chat was constant. I played on a PVP server so getting "ganked" or killed by powerful other players was a constant possibility and seemed to happen right when I was about to complete tasks. That was a drag.

3) I dreaded end game material in WOW and am excited about end gaming in Guild Wars. My husband did WOW end game instances for the minimum 15-20 hours a week necessary for his guild, and he was considered to be "casual." Hello, I have a life. That's too much for me. Plus it got really boring, he said. Instances in WOW are difficult, but they never change. Players must memorize what needs to be done and do exactly that. There's little room for innovation or reason for it. Players do the same 4 - 12 hour instances over and over again for loot. It reminds me of hacking at a penata for candy. Once you get started, little thought is involved. In Guild Wars, end game is all about PVP. An innovative mind is an asset. There are lots of PVP games to choose from and groups are rated for how well they play together. I wouldn't have to mindlessly click for hours for a possible good drop. I get to show how well I play and how well I adapt to changes. I can customize my character to do what's best for my playing style and the situations I will be in. I feel motivated to study and practice so that I will play well. Guild Wars end game is a sport. WOW end game is an addiction.

4) The environment in Guild Wars is more realistic and beautiful.

5) Guild Wars has no monthly payments.

Guild Wars isn't perfect. Waiting for loads when entering/leaving cities, having no auction house, and only having perfect Barbie and Ken - like characters to choose from are just some things I wish were different. But it's my favorite and I love playing it.