Guild Wars: Factions

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Fun, fee-free role-playing game for teens and up.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a role-playing game featuring constant (but bloodless) battles with enemy creatures and other players using swords, axes, hammers, etc. Characters can be scantily clad. The game does encourage teamwork and strategy. Parents should also be aware that it is played exclusively online; Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for anyone under 12.

  • Promotes teamwork and strategy. Some quests involve helping others.
  • Intense but bloodless battles with swords, axes, hammers, and other weapons against computer-controlled creatures as well as other human players.
  • Female and male characters can be scantily clad -- easily found hacks reduce them to underwear.
  • Filters block some cursing while chatting. Of couse, players can get around this with a little creativity.
  • Not applicable.
  • Players can purchase hunter's ale or win it through quests. Consuming enough blurs the screen, imitating being drunk.

What's it about?

As in the original, GUILD WARS: FACTIONS offers a huge online world to explore, filled with mythical beasts, massive mountains, and cities teeming with other players. In this fictitious world, players constantly battle enemy creatures and other online players. In this installment, play takes place in a new land and there are two additional classes. The main difference here is that guilds can form alliances, taking sides in a war that's splitting the continent.

In role-playing mode, players develop a character through quests and battles. Player vs. player mode starts players off at the highest level with decent weapons and skills. Players battle it out in games such as capture the flag. To defeat a rival guild or an opposing team, players must use strategy and teamwork rather than depending on superior weapons and armor.


Is it any good?

 

This game is more family friendly than other massively multiplayer online role-playing games. For one thing, there's no monthly fee, and you don't need to buy the original game to play this installment. The game also alerts players when they've been playing for an hour, two hours, and so on.

The downside? When navigating to a city, players often lose the other folks they were playing with, and it can be difficult to get back in the same group. Also, some places in the game force players to play with random teams, instead of with known friends. In the end, though, Guild Wars: Factions is a fun, cheap alternative to other games in this genre.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the future of online-only games. Do you feel that online games are going to become the main way games are played? If so, how do you feel about it? What advantages and disadvantages are there to online-only games? Are there any dangers?


This review was written by Jeremy Gieske
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
The game is great, the players are questionable.
Guild Wars is a fun series. The graphics are great, the quests enjoyable, and the gameplay is easy. There is one thing parents need to be wary of, however: Other players. There is ALOT of lewd and profane talk by other players. Some armor and character dances leave little to the imagination, and when left to the imaginations of the other players, it's not uncommon to find huge groups of players in simulated "orgies" which is rather distasteful. There is currently no way to flag a moderator in game, so these people get away with their behavior.

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
good game
The game is not that bad there are some excuses parents may attempt to use to say no like someone may trick you into saying your phone number or address or something but you know if you do your an idiot. Now to answers ski's question yes you may interact with other players but you don't have to in any of the Guild Wars games. You may hire what are called henchmen who will help you in your quests. The henchmen are simply NPCs or AI or simply put computers made to help you out in quests and missions as said before the game is sometime challenging.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
awesome game!
this game is great for RPG fans, the sexual content...i mean...yeah the outfits dont actually reveal parts of their bodies....worst i saw were legs or stomachs exposed....THERE ARE NO HACKS FOR THIS GAME...nor is there gore, the violence is really tame...no blood, this game encourages working with other players to complete the mission. Some parts may get frustrating at times because teams wont take you...you can drink hunters ale or spiked eggnog....excessive drinking will make your character "drunk"...which is actually really funny they start saying stuff like "im king of the world" and they sit and kneel....nothing bad there, disregard the other reviewer who said there were hacks for nudity and gore....there are none, this game cannot be hacked, commonsense should really remove the above review as it does not give an accurate review of this game...this game ROCKS!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Very fun RPG
This game is very fun. Great for fans of fantasy or RPGs. Sure to keep you entertained if you are by yourself or with friends. It is very fun playing with friends in the game. You can help eachother in quests and fight other humans across the world.

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April 9, 2008
 
Hey I haven't played this
Um i haven't played this, and I don't own it. I was just wonderin if the next reviewer could tell me if u have 2 play online w/ other ppl online, cuz my dad will prob say no if u have to play w/ other people, and also if u can like talk 2 the other ppl (if htere r) kk, Thanx

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
I don't care if you think WoW is better, this is THE MMORPG to have
Plus, not to mention, everything is free except the disc, and the original if you feel like buying it, but is not neccessary to play FActions (though I think the orignal might be a bit better.) With the introduction of two new classes, Ritualist and Assassin, Factions makes sure you want to keep coming back for more. The only complaint I have is that getting to level 20 is easier than it sounds (max level). But even when you reach it, there is still tons of stuff to do. Plus (inevitable comparisons so WoW), the graphics are better, it's free, and for all those critics: when do you ever chat to anyone outside of in towns anyways? (You can't talk to others when on missions, but I usually don't anyways.) I wish CSm had gotten this review up when the game came out, that way more people would finally figure out that GW is better, but that doesn't matter whatsoever.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
kick butt
this is the greatest game, easily a good game for every kid

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
I say I say I say
This game sucks! it shouldn't be for anyone in their right state of mind! this game sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People can strip down fully naked with a hack i saw in use! in use! male and female! and with another hack i saw in use! there where limbs everywhere!

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
FUN!
One of the best computer games EVER!

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Awesome MMO
To all parents out there, this game is not violent at all. The only violent part is the slightly spooky monsters, especially towards the higher levels. The only reason why this game is rated T, is because, let's face it, there are nutjobs out there. This game should be rated E 10+. Anyway, this game is great. Awesome even. Even with the low level limit (only level 20) this game has enough extra material to make you continue playing it for a while. It also has no monthly subscription, AND it also has great PvP, which the game essentially revolves around. This game is all about strategy. Which stats and skills you use will come down to the situation you will eb in during combat. You have to know your opponent very well. As an added bonus, on PvP characters, you can actually change secondary jobs, adding even MORE strategic value. Basically, if you don't like to use your brain, Guild Wars is not for you.

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This review was written by Jeremy Gieske
Platforms:Windows
Available online?Available online
Genre:Role Playing
Developer:Arenanet
Release date:June 23, 2006
Price:$49.99
ESRB rating:T for Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Violence

This review was written by Jeremy Gieske

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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