WoW: Mists of Pandaria - Tarou's Thoughts, Opinions, & Outlook!

What's up guy and girl players of WoW? So at Blizzcon 2011 World of Warcraft's newest expansion, Mists of Pandaria was announced. At the convention there was a lot of support but ingame and online there were a lot of mixed reactions and the side not wanting the expansion was pretty heavy when compared to past expansion announcements. As time went on, players began to change their minds and are now getting more excited for it.

WoW: Mists of Pandaria - Tarou's Thoughts, Opinions, & Outlook!

• For me, when it comes to any new game announcement I am slow to respond just because I haven't usually given the game enough of a chance for any sort of review or opinion. With Mists of Pandaria, I did get a chance to play it at Blizzcon and I have to say, the monk and Pandaren are awesome. They also fit well into the World of Warcraft lore more than most may believe.
• Mists of Pandaria itself looks and plays pretty awesome in my opinion but what about the other additions like a new talent system, wow's pokemon, & the fact that their isn't a main villian. Also, the monk has no auto-attack. Wait, what the hell? No auto-attack?
• Yeah, you heard me. No auto-attack for the monk and to be honest, it felt pretty smooth and better without it. Almost like having it would be weird instead of vice versa. Come to think of it, most games don't have an auto-attack to begin which is why it shouldn't be foreign to anyone unless you've only ever played WoW. Even then though having a character who does martial arts with an auto-attack wouldn't make sense anyway. It's not 100% for sure yet but I hope they leave it without auto-attack.
• Well, the new talent system was sort of expected after the debacle with Cataclysm's. They went in the right direction but didn't follow through all the way so we ended up pretty much right back where we were. I'm not saying the system is a complete failure but am glad to see a new one coming. The only problem I see with it is if it feels too much like Glyphs then what is the point of it being a whole seperate system at all. At that point it just seems like Glyphs that are given to you at certain points. Either way it has to be one of the most difficult things to design in the game. How do you provide players with unique customization and avoid cookie cutter specs while still providing the most effective spec for whatever a player is interested in. Players will always follow others since they know math wizards with tons of experience are the ones sharing their optimal specs. I don't remember being stuck to any certain talent point layout on my Arcane Mage in classic WoW and typically did some unorthodox stuff while still rocking on DPS beating out better geared Frost Mages which therotically shouldn't have happened. Anyways, the new system is simplified to cater to Wow's future of new players while providing more sensible options to veteran players alike.
• Which is why wow's pokemon or pokepet as I'll be calling it, will be so successful. At first you may be like, why the hell are they adding something so lame. First off, you have to give everything a chance before you knock it. You may be saying it's stupid or whatever now and when it releases you may be hooked on it more than any other aspect of the game. It's also just another option of something to do. I hear a lot of people saying things are boring and this could be something to fill up your free time when you're bored. If that's not the case, then don't play it at all. Noone is forcing you. The rewards won't make you a better player in raiding or PvP so, who cares. If you think it wastes resources you have to think of the bigger picture. Adding content like this appeals to a different crowd of young players which in my opinion will keep Wow going along with Blizzard for years to come. With more players and more money, Blizzard can afford to add even more for players of all types and playstyles. So, adding pokepet will actually create more resources for game development, not less. Another reason I like the idea is anyone who played classic is starting to get to the age where their kids can play. While raiding and PvP can be too complex for my 6 year old, he levels fine and would probably really enjoy playing Wow Pokepet since he likes Pokemon and does just fine on his 3D DS with it.
• So, what about the last big announcement for Mists of Pandaria. No main villian? What!? I guess that can be kinda shocking but honestly we didn't really have one in classic either. Some could say Rag or Nefarian but defeating those bosses never felt like you beat the game. When players took out the Lich King, a mass majority quit because it felt like that was it. Deathwing will probably feel the same way. The thing is though Wow is an ongoing story and really should never feel like it has ended. So, when designers and writers build up the story to its climax of this main boss and then it's defeated, players feel like there is nothing else to do, quickly get bored, and quit in droves. That's why I think classic was so engaging and successful when compared to Wrath or Cata.
• Another downfall is players feel really behind if they even miss a month of gameplay. It's easy to catch up these days but mentally you're thinking you'll never catch up and might as well quit for good or until the next epac is released. When you're relied on by other players and your guild, this can cause a chain reaction with mass players quitting. I think that's why player retention is in the gutter when compared to classic WoW and a very good reason Blizzard is looking to lure in younger players to stabalize the future of Blizzard Entertainment and its games. Atleast they make it an option so veteran players won't be forced into content or gameplay they've grown out of or just aren't interested in.
• Wow, I didn't plan to blabber on for that long but I hope I could give my opinion of Mists of Pandaria and show everyone that I think Blizzard is making the right moves most of the time and that they have an insanely hard job to do. How do you get new players, retain old, and appeal to different demographics, backgrounds, genders, and lifestyles while still making an insanely fun game for each player on every level of play. Buffing Rogues makes then happy but pisses Mages off. Giving Priests a special heal makes Druids jealous and complain. It's a never ending battle just like the World of Warcraft.
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• "Now go leave a comment telling me your thoughts on Mists of Pandaria!"