Guild Wars Nightfall [PC]

The original Guild Wars broke a lot of rules. It was a fast-paced, stripped-down, competitive MMOG, with no monthly fee to play. Guild Wars: Factions broke the rules again: not an expansion pack, but a whole new game which could be played without buying the original. Guild Wars: Nightfall doesn't break any more rules. But it does deliver new game play, a new continent, new professions, and a great story. And it all adds up to the best installment in the Guild Wars saga yet.

Nightfall, like Factions, is a standalone game. You don't need to own the other two to play it. There's still no monthly fee. And like the other Guild Wars games, fans of both PvP (player vs. player) and PvE (player vs. environment) action will find something to love.

Like fast-paced PvP combat? You can be pwning teh n00bs five minutes after you install. Nightfall lets you create a maxed-out PvP character without having to level him up. Then it's off to the Battle Isles for combat in a series of progressively more competitive arenas, then Guild vs. Guild combat, and on to international competition. You fight other Nightfall players, but also owners of the original Guild Wars and Factions. The PvP experience hasn't changed much with Nightfall, but it's still well-balanced and furiously fast.

But if an immersive story is your thing, you're in luck: that's where Nightfall really shines. A series of quests leads you from one chapter to the next, and from one end of the continent of Elona to the other. >From repelling a pirate invasion to defeating the avatars of a dark god, it's up to you to save the whole world from a terrible enemy. No pressure.

You'll find some typical MMOG quests: delivering a package, or killing 10 giant whatevers. Some quests are funny (save a village from an evil mime!). But you'll also find quests as intense and challenging as a console action/adventure game (like leading the assault on a heavily defended city).

The three provinces of Elona, inspired by the terrain and cultures of North Africa, feature the lush graphics and stirring score which have become signatures of Guild Wars. The graphics may not be cutting-edge technology, but they provide jaw-dropping vistas and cool-as-hell avatars, even on underpowered systems.

As you move through the quests, you'll meet other heroes of the story. But they aren't other players. Heroes are computer-controlled party members you outfit, manage and direct in battle. You pick their equipment, skills and attributes. In battle, you use a simple set of commands: go there, be aggressive or defend, focus on that target. Then the AI takes over to carry out your orders.

At first, Heroes look a lot like the henchmen who have been part of Guild Wars since the beginning. But they change how the game is played. You lead your Heroes like troops in a squad-based shooter. You can tune your Heroes to fight well as a unit by choosing the right skills and attributes for each. And you can form a full, reliable group of eight with just two players and three Heroes each.