Guild Wars 2 @ PAX East: Videos and Commentary

At PAX East 2011, I got the first look at Guild Wars 2, complete wtih live gameplay.  Check out some of the videos here.

My  PAX East trip started out with a trip to the Alienware Arena on the show floor to talk with some of the Alienware folks.  What caught my attention though, was that participants were playing Guild Wars 2.  My first impression: That doesn't look anything like Guild Wars, but better.  I was shocked.  Realizing I only had my phone with me to capture video, I figured some folks wouldn't mind at least a bit of video of what I was seeing.  Here's the first video I captured:

Later that night, I attended the NCSoft Meet and Greet Party, where ArenaNet had a series of computers setup to play Guild Wars 2 as well as a big screen to watch a person playing from the side.  I captured two videos.  The first video is the intro of a new character.  The second video is of getting a quest and a little fighting. See below:

Finally, I got to sit down and play some Guild Wars 2.  It's been years since I played Guild Wars and it took me a little while to get accustomed to playing but once I figured it out, I found the game play to be really smooth.  Even though the game is still in alpha, the game runs smoothly.  I didn't get to do any group play (because I didn't run into anyone in the region I was playing).  The graphics are amazing and the special effects when fighting look really cool (and do plenty of damage too).  

At the event, I overheard one of the developers saying they intend to have a closed beta by the end of 2011.  Another developer said the game wouldn't be released till “it's ready to be released”.  Then went on to explain they want to release a finished product with as few bugs as possible in the initial release.  As a gamer who's played a number of bug ridden games (Ultima Online anyone?), hearing a developer talk about not wanting to release a game with bugs in it is amazing

Check out the interview with Guild Wars Community Manager Martin Kerstein found here.