At Gamestop at Midnight? You might be a Lich King

November 12, 2008 5:02 PM

Gee, boss, I'm feeling a cold coming on. I definitely won't be in to work tomorrow. What's that? You saw me at Gamestop and/or Best Buy at midnight? I, er, well, I was dealing with a nasty bug. No, not that one, the other one (no worries, I'll be compensated!). I'm quite talented, you see. If I was in Europe, they'd already be showing me the way to Northrend. Alas, I'm not, and I have to wait until 9pm PST. In the meantime, there are those who've been where I'm going, and have nicely posted a review already.
posted by thanotopsis (68 comments total)

As hard a time as they've had keeping the servers up over the last couple of days, I'm not entirely convinced that there'll be any uptime tonight.

Fortunately, I'll be on a much less populated server than I was for the last expansion.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2008

Hey, one of the Wrath of the Whatever lineups is like 10 minutes from where I live. I need to borrow my brother's paintball gun.
posted by DecemberBoy at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Boss, what were you doing at Gamestop and/or Best Buy at midnight?
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2008 [3 favorites]

This is great! I didn't think Animal Crossing: City Folk was out until the 16th!

What?
posted by you just lost the game at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2008 [5 favorites]

Does Arthas have any comments on my preparation status? It isn't the same without that.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2008

Does Arthas have any comments on my preparation status? It isn't the same without that.

Yeah, this expansion is kind of lacking in melodramatic catchphrases.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:15 PM on November 12, 2008

I'm bummed I missed out on all the invasion events yesterday =(

Then I think back to the nightmare of world-server-crashes that was the AQ opening, and I suspect I wasn't missing much.

It's been oddly familiar to get stuck in queues again though. Just like the old days of yore.
posted by nomisxid at 5:18 PM on November 12, 2008

I played the beta up to level 80, realized I'd uploaded more screenshots of it to Flickr than the sum total of photographs I've ever taken in my life, deleted my characters and then cancelled my account.

That said, Wrath of the Lich King is awesome.

And I'm sure I'll reinstall everything in six months time. Sigh.
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:25 PM on November 12, 2008

I'll freely admit, I have CE Envy.
posted by thanotopsis at 5:27 PM on November 12, 2008

In three and a half hours stores open their doors to unleash this waste of time upon the world and people have been lining up for a couple hours already. My plan, like the Harry Potter release, is to waltz by a quarter after, pick it up, and be out in under thirty minutes.
posted by munchingzombie at 5:30 PM on November 12, 2008

Heh. The games store is about 1 1/2 mile away but it's cold out and I'm tired ever so slightly won out over the urge to go do some IRL trolling.

But if there's anything that needs trolled, this is it, so anyone with more energy than me feel free to take up the cause.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:38 PM on November 12, 2008

Is this something I have to have a level 70 toon to care about?
posted by eyeballkid at 5:42 PM on November 12, 2008

Is this something I have to have a level 70 toon to care about?

Depends, are you a death knight?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2008

WoW? Lich King? Line? HUMAN CONTACT???? IF THERE'S GIRLS THERE, I WANNA DO TH...oh, not until I finish Fallout 3? *sigh*
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:51 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Depends, are you a death knight?

Not yet, but I'm guessing I'll be part of 2008's Giant Swarm of the Death Night at some point this week.
posted by eyeballkid at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2008

Is it wrong that I briefly entertained the idea of driving to NYC from Boston to wait in line?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2008

I played for awhile as a relaxing pastime, but legions of epic 13 year olds kept telling me I was n00b, L2P, my gear sux. Over and over and over. It's like the ability to bully and jock around is robbed from them in the real world, so the boldly take up the dipshit mantle once in Azeroth.
posted by plexi at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2008

WoW is fun, but I had to quit. Some people can do coke for the first time and never have a problem with it, while others do it for the first time and get fiendishly addicted almost immediately...when it comes to that game, I'm the latter. If I start playing again, no matter how casual I think I can keep it, I'll wind up purpled out and main tanking/raid leading. It's happened twice now, but never again. Given this propensity on my part, when I decided to go back to school I determined that I had to stop playing WoW or it would suck me in again.
posted by baphomet at 6:11 PM on November 12, 2008 [2 favorites]

I'm bummed I missed out on all the invasion events yesterday =(

If you're Alliance, you missed nothing. The Horde event- where Garrosh Hellscream duels Thrall- is badass.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:22 PM on November 12, 2008

Aurthur here... Uther server. Nice ta meet ya!
Uncool here... Proudmoore server. Sweet ta see ya!
posted by matty at 6:27 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh, and I'm on Sisters of Elune, so if you see Gorodetsky, Chareth, or Koeschei running around, say hi.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:30 PM on November 12, 2008

Damn kids these days, when I was a kid, we skipped classes for weeks on ends to play MUDs over straight telnet. We had vivid text descriptions of the terrain and we loved it. Nothing like the purity of "kill monster" and spending two years of your life for the text next to your name to say "level 45", my what achievement.
posted by amuseDetachment at 6:40 PM on November 12, 2008

I ran a guild up until we got through Kara. I could see what the game was going to be like from there on out and I quit, and handed the guild over to another guy. He's since led them into BT, and is already planning for the new lvl 80 25 man stuff. I honestly feel guilty about putting him in that position and about all the people who play that game because of me.
posted by Stylus Happenstance at 6:40 PM on November 12, 2008

we skipped classes for weeks on ends to play MUDs over straight telnet

I think the best part was hanging out as a ghost on Genocide and taunting the living.
posted by thanotopsis at 6:44 PM on November 12, 2008

My Gamestop is doing something interesting. Rather than lining us up outside in the cold and rain (which the one in my old town did for Burning Crusade), they're having us all come inside and chill out before midnight while we get rung up. Then at 12 you hand over your receipt and get a copy on your way out the door. I'm taking a book in case I hate everyone there, which is a distinct possibility.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:10 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

I heard that level requirements for mounts are going to be dropped to lv10, and there's going to be nicer looking ones every 20 levels (so 10,30,50...) in WotLK. gonna be great.
posted by boo_radley at 7:35 PM on November 12, 2008

What? Pope Guilty hating everyone there? Never!

I'm waiting. I've been slacking on my WoW-ness. Pretty casual, personally -- our whole guild is a casual guild, which is nice.

symbioid (amongst many others) on gorgonnash.

I'm dreading the lag and queues to log, I hope they fixed that this time.
posted by symbioid at 7:36 PM on November 12, 2008

we skipped classes for weeks on ends

Learn2Comment, nub.
posted by adamdschneider at 7:44 PM on November 12, 2008

nerds.
posted by Stynxno at 7:44 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

speaking of mounts at 10... i really would love mini-mounts -- like those tiny little ATV's they used to make. or my friend on his goblin shrink rayed kodo, so cute!
posted by symbioid at 7:52 PM on November 12, 2008

I miss WoW. I really wish I could still play, but I have neither the time nor a sufficient Internet connection.

I want to know how you could possibly write a cogent review of that much new material, though.
posted by Caduceus at 8:21 PM on November 12, 2008

nerds.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

The mister and I are still debating on whether or not we'll go to EBGames at midnight and pick up our copies. We have 3.5 hours to decide. Decisions... decisions...
posted by deborah at 8:32 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm glad I'm already married and have no time for this kind of video game. Because I can hear it's siren call...
posted by ColdChef at 8:38 PM on November 12, 2008

I couldn't check any of the links.

Reason: The Websense category "Fail" is filtered.

Naw just kidding you guys, enjoy power-leveling your way to Awesome!
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:47 PM on November 12, 2008 [4 favorites]

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDS!

(goes back to playing Civ 4 for the 8 billionth time.)
posted by The Whelk at 9:12 PM on November 12, 2008

What? Pope Guilty hating everyone there? Never!

WoW nerds, man. Some are really fun to talk to, others... *shudder*

Reason: The Websense category "Fail" is filtered.

I laughed. Out loud, even.
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:28 PM on November 12, 2008

I can wait a day or two. I am pretty casual. If I could see myself doing the 8-10 hour a day thing, if I could get away with it. I have a business, wife and kids. Bad enough for me doing 2 hours a day. Raids are out of the question.

I finally soloed Baron Rivendare, too. Today. Woot.

When Burning Crusade came out, it was very nice to have Winterspring to myself, to finish up the mount rep grind. I am kinda wondering how to repeat the experience with WotLK, but I am pretty burned out on grinding in general, and I am not motivated for anything as bad as I wanted the cat.

Sigh. I guess I'll just clear out my quest log and hit the leveling quests.
posted by Xoebe at 9:32 PM on November 12, 2008

There was a time when I was really excited about the prospect of Wrath. Then I realized that I wasn't looking forward to it for its own sake, but because I was hoping it could make WoW fun again. Upon reflection, it became clear that I hadn't actually been having any fun playing the game for the past few months at least. So in August I closed the account and, to my surprise, never looked back.

(Fallout 3 helped with the never looking back, I'll admit.)
posted by voltairemodern at 9:51 PM on November 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

My favorite part of the review (as read by that guy who does all the voiceovers for movie previews):

There's no doubt that WoW is the most important MMO of this generation - perhaps in the history of online gaming.

Man, now that is important.
posted by moonbiter at 10:55 PM on November 12, 2008

I was in and out in under 10 minutes. But one install and two patches later...I'm in limbo waiting to play!
posted by Hands of Manos at 10:59 PM on November 12, 2008

I'm the most antisocial WOW player ever, I swear. I just don't have time or know-how to group or instance, so I end up playing by myself (sixty five levels solo and grind baby, wheeeeee), but keep it to about an 1-2 hours which is nice and manageable. So my gear sucks and I am usually the last person on my server to know about ANYTHING. I was so frustrated all day yesterday because I just wanted to check my auctions and I couldn't log in and didn't know why. Today I finally got in and decided to take the zep from UC over to Org. I got all confused, like, "wait a minute, I never noticed that other staircase there!" So I climbed it and waited for the zeppelin to this new place they call "Northrend". After about 10 minutes I gave up. Good thing too, because I'd probably be still waiting until next week.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:30 PM on November 12, 2008

DID SOMEONE SAY ANIMAL CROSSING?!?!?!?!
posted by unknowncommand at 12:13 AM on November 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm waiting to get it for Christmas, which has the dual advantages of a.) getting someone else to buy it for me, and b.) getting all the bugs and last-minute rebalancing out of the way before I start playing it. I'll be jonesing for the death knight action until then, though...
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 12:16 AM on November 13, 2008

There's no doubt that WoW is the most important MMO of this generation - perhaps in the history of online gaming.

Yeah, that seems kind of silly. The most important? For MMOs I would have said Everquest was the most important EVAR, since it really made the crack cocaine widely known.
posted by rodgerd at 1:10 AM on November 13, 2008

Yeah, this expansion is kind of lacking in melodramatic catchphrases.

They were not prepared.

(Got my CE at midnight, no preorder. Installing now.)
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 1:46 AM on November 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm the most antisocial WOW player ever, I swear.

I'm in competition with you for that. I very rarely have time to put in more than an hour or so. I don't really like talking to people in game because they're generally boring. But luckily my husband is a fiend (plays from 9 on after I go to bed) and he keeps me updated on all the Lich King goings-on. It does sound awfully cool. I got to watch a bit of one of the horde things with wyrms (I think that was what they were called) and it was quite exciting.
posted by miss tea at 4:02 AM on November 13, 2008

I preordered Animal Crossing: City Folk.
posted by Stylus Happenstance at 4:34 AM on November 13, 2008

This is one reason Steam is great. You don't get any packaging, but you can get the game the moment it's available without getting that nerd funk all over you.
posted by autodidact at 4:47 AM on November 13, 2008

Just thinking of you,
and figured you
might need some
Oshu'gun Crystal Powder
during your travels.

Love, Mom.
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:50 AM on November 13, 2008 [10 favorites]

For a casual, mostly solo grinder and quester who started only 6 months ago it was a nice treat to start PUGing some of the more basic 5-mans in Outland. So much of a treat that I paid for a server transfer off the wasteland that Hakkar became to the more robust Kel'Thuzad. As midnight last night approached, I realized how excited I was. Like most people I'll just swing by a pickup a regular copy today. Though the 4-day LAN party some friends are holding keeps sounding more attractive.

Then I remember I'm a responsible adult with a job and obligations, and it's only a game and most of them are only one step removed from parent's basements. Cold comfort.

Since it's 11/13 now, I'm gonna assume that anyone that even cares is nowhere around here. Have fun anyway.
posted by now i'm piste at 6:47 AM on November 13, 2008

"The Horde event- where Garrosh Hellscream duels Thrall- is badass."

Fuck. I was fine over here, with my nice shiny WAR account until you said this. Now I am :(

Not that I can play anyway, because Blizzard knock back any request to transfer characters between EU and US realms, and I'll be fucked if I'm ever levelling through the Barrens again. Ever. I respect my sanity these days. Warhammer Online is 10x less maddening, and I'm thankful it exists.
posted by saturnine at 7:12 AM on November 13, 2008

The midnight release made GameStop's credit cart system melt down.

I wish they'd have told people before making us wait half an hour then saying 'no credit cards'.
posted by mephron at 8:23 AM on November 13, 2008

Well, I play on one of the most overpopulated and unstable realms (Mal'ganis) and uptime has been flawless so far. Colour me surprised. (And I also am ashamed to admit I played on Hakkar once...)
posted by mek at 8:24 AM on November 13, 2008

Oh, man. If this had come out a year ago, I'd have been all over it like a Forsaken on roadkill (and the Cookie Monster cannibalism mod, by the way, is the best thing ever to happen to the game.)

However, in twelve months' time, my scrappy Serious Fun casual Karazahn raiding group was splintered by drama, and then that splinter group splintered, and by the time all the pieces were swept up I found myself in a raiding guild which had progressed farther than I had the equipment for. I'd tired of playing an enhancement shaman (lovely glass cannon and, with the Grace of Air totem, a hunter's best friend, but...) and brought a hunter and rogue up to Outland for fun times.

But with nobody wanting to look back and bring the new 70s up to speed ("Could you at least please just help me the Ogri'la pre-req so I can grind dailies?!") I just quietly bowed out. I miss a lot of my old raiding pals, but I just don't have the same amount of free time anymore to devote to progression raiding.

I mean, there's Fallout 3... and Rock Band 2...
posted by Spatch at 8:27 AM on November 13, 2008

I'll be like the guy dressed as Spock at the Star Wars opening, I'll just be dressed up in a WAR Online outfit.

nah, just kidding. I have a girlfriend, so I don't have time for MMOs anymore.
posted by shmegegge at 8:27 AM on November 13, 2008

Whatever, you fantasy nerds make me laugh. I mean, who cares about wizards and dragons and shit? None of it is real!

Not like Fallout 3.

*goes back to beating supermutants and radroaches to death with a sledgehammer*
posted by quin at 8:29 AM on November 13, 2008

The phased zone idea sounds interesting. I haven't played WoW in ages now, but I wouldn't mind playing again to try this all out. The problem I have with the game is that the storyline usually sucks, and I hate playing with other people. Hell is other people ... playing MMORPGS.
posted by chunking express at 8:32 AM on November 13, 2008

installing it on my laptop now :D, 3 toons to level to 80, and another alt or 2 I'm sure.. but I have my priorities straight. I have a hockey game to go to tonight, and another tomorrow so no real time until the weekend sometime.

I've found that overall WoW is cheaper than my old console video game addiction- 15 bucks a month opposed to 60+ for at least 1 new game a month becomes a no brainer. It helps that my friends play, as well as falling into a good group of people with no drama in game as well. (horde side Trollbane btw)
posted by tj at 8:51 AM on November 13, 2008

Fweeeoooo. Still have an account, even though I have less time as the weeks go by to play it. In TBC I managed to get one char to 70 after something like 10-11 months after the expansion came out. I've lucked out though and found guilds of similar "adult" casual types where we're thrilled when we can get a trade skill leveled and congratulate on that, rather then say raiding SWP for 4 hours.

Anyhoo. I was a bit hesitant about Wrath but got excited when I started seeing more of the screenshots (thanks WolfDaddy!). Would I wait outside at midnight for it? No... but on my way to Best Buy this AM I tried the local Target "just in case.". Gosh bless the (in)efficient stocking staff at Target. CE price label was there, but shelf was bare. I flagged down a red shirt and said.. hey.. scan this.. (point).. got any in the back? *bleep bloop bleep* "Uh yeah ! We have 10!" "Gimme one.."

Not gonna get to PLAY it for two days, but heck yeah, that CE is sitting there waiting for me..

I skipped buying a CE for TBC (wasn't actively playing at the time), if I was able to find a "mint in box" CE I'd probably pay a modest sum for it... but that doesn't seem to be the case on EBay/Amazon.

See y'all on Northrend. Dalaran US Horde.

ps: Garrosh almost beat Thrall :(. Thrall has some bad ass new lightning spell animations, but they scripted it so that Garrosh would contest him decently, so he had some kind of melee cleave called "Raging Bull" that annihlated for 500k HP a pop (Thrall at 5 million hp ftw).

I thought it was cute in the game installation module that they (uh, spoiler?) essentially step you through the WC3 storyline to make you understand who the Lich King is and why this matters at all.
posted by cavalier at 11:31 AM on November 13, 2008

Oh, and the gossip factory has suggested with the wording of Wrath and the age of WoW in general that this will be the last hurrah for WoW and we'll be looking at their "top secret MMO" next. Fun!
posted by cavalier at 11:45 AM on November 13, 2008

The Death Knight starting area is absolutely incredible and anybody who enjoys World of Warcraft will love it.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:45 AM on November 13, 2008

P.P.S. If I read the last PR from Activision right, Blizzard has pretty much dominated the entire MMO concept to the tune of about 56% profit margin or nearly 500 million dollars last year alone. Bought 'em a whole new campus you can see here.

Not to say that WoW is their only pony, and they were certainly a dramatically successful game shop prior to it, but holy geez, you know?
posted by cavalier at 11:46 AM on November 13, 2008

I thought it was cute in the game installation module that they (uh, spoiler?) essentially step you through the WC3 storyline to make you understand who the Lich King is and why this matters at all.

That was a real issue for Burning Crusade, so I'm unsurprised that they wanted to bring people up to speed for Wrath.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:47 AM on November 13, 2008

If you see Dizrolax or Glowchop on Kel'Thuzad hordeside, please do say hello.
posted by thedaniel at 4:19 PM on November 13, 2008

Oh, and the gossip factory has suggested with the wording of Wrath and the age of WoW in general that this will be the last hurrah for WoW and we'll be looking at their "top secret MMO" next. Fun!

Nope. At least, not if you can believe my guildmate who has a friend on Blizzard's lore-writing team. He says they haven't decided exactly what the next expansion is yet*, but there's definitely going to be at least one more.

*He told me what the two probable contenders are, but unfortunately I'm not up enough on the lore to remember what he said, except that one of them was a combined package of Emerald Dream and something else.
posted by rifflesby at 7:04 PM on November 13, 2008

>>a combined package of Emerald Dream and something else.
The Maelstrom?
posted by now i'm piste at 7:29 AM on November 14, 2008

WoW Guild beats Lich King in 4 days.

I imagine that those of you who care, know, but just in case.
posted by paisley henosis at 10:11 PM on November 19, 2008

Bear in mind that every one of those players was in the beta and had done each of those fights over and over already.

The only remarkable thing is that this time it mattered.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:18 PM on November 19, 2008