World of Warcraft: Classic — and vanilla WoW in general — is a divisive product. Some veterans will feel like they spent enough time in that nightmarish, original version of Azeroth back in the day, while others long to go back. Some new players may approach it and wonder how it was ever popular; others will latch on right away. It won’t be a product for everyone. No matter who you are, it’s hard to sit down and load up the Classic demo without feeling some grand sense of scale wash over you. World of Warcraft: Classic takes the famous MMO back to its roots, before any expansions were released. It’s the version of the game from 2004, and it’s still absolutely massive — even by today’s standards. As you wander the plains of the Barrens or the grassy hills of Westfall, it’s hard not to see the appeal of hunting down one more stupid NPC for a quest. But it’s often not the quests that are tantalizing; it’s the journey in between them. Without any kind of direction, you’re forced to read and wander your way to your objectives and back. Even if you know where you’re going, the scope of the world around you feels vast and beautiful, despite the painfully low resolution. That scope and the restricted style of play creates a grander journey. In the years since World of Warcraft first launched, getting around its massive world has gotten easier. But in exchange for convenience, we… [Read full story]
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