Unboxing: Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is the sequel to the highly successful MMORPG Guild Wars.  I've spent many hours wandering around the world of Guild Wars, slaying many different beasts, collecting much loot, and generally enjoying the whole experience.  The expansion packs added new features to the game, such as new areas and new classes, but they didn't really change the game all that much.  Guild Wars 2 being a whole new game promises to be the next big game.  Unfortunately a review will have to wait until next week as my computer died and I'm waiting for the new bits to arrive.  I doubt the old one could have coped with it so it's not such a bad thing.

It's a big brown box!

It's a slightly smaller box, and what a box it is!

The game was delivered in a large brown box and I was half expecting it to contain packing materials.  Turns out the outer box was just big enough to hold the Guild Wars two box with no packing materials at all!  Despite the tight fit, the box came out easily and the whole thing is impressive.  I was expecting that the statue would need some assembly so I wasn't surprised to see the sword was separate, given the size of it.  I'll go into the statue in more detail as the rest is amazing too.

It's the end of the world as we know it . . and by 'end' I mean 'map' . .

Under the statue is this lovely tin which features a map of the world and the Guild Wars 2 logo, all embossed and showing the relative heights of the mountain ranges.  It's not the kind of map that would be useful for getting around with but it adds a certain something and brings it more to life, actually seeing the mountains as 3D objects rather than just flat pictures.  I might be talking rubbish, probably am, but I like it.

It's a white box

Lots of lovely prints

As soon as you open the tin you see a large white folio box with a string tie.  Inside this is a set of four prints, each carefully separated by a thin sheet of paper to prevent them sticking to each other.  I had half expected to be able to easily decide which one I'd put in the frame, but the truth is I like them all.  I think the easiest thing would be to sort out some sort of rotation order because I really like them all.

I've been framed!

Talking of the frame, here it is!  It might be simple but that's often the way I like things.  It's just a nice looking frame that won't detract from any of the prints put in it.  It's also wrapped in cellophane to protect it (hence the big white blob of camera flash reflection) and it has various fixtures and such on the back for your display preferences.  The question is, where to put it?

The game itself

Under the frame is the art book, the game case, and the 'best of' soundtrack.  I've only just noticed how the art flows from the book to the game case, but I like it.  The game case doesn't hold much so I didn't take any pictures, but it contains an installation guide, a quick reference guide, the serial key, and a code for $5 off the complete soundtrack.

Architecture and technology, don't you just love it?

A more complete map of Tyria, with key locations.

The art book is rather large and contains full colour images on high quality glossy paper.  I haven't looked at it in detail yet but I always find it fascinating to see how games evolved from ideas through to concepts and then to the final game.  Not only that but the art is superb.

And now the statue!

Free at last!

The statue was tied very securely to a plastic form to protect it in transit (or something), and it was very very securely tied!  I had a bit of problems get it out but I managed it in the end.  I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of details but I do like that the sword hilt is part of the sword and not the hand that holds it, especially as it's not really visible unless you display it separately.  It just slides into the hand, if a little stiffly, but that just makes it secure.

The full statue.

With sword in hand, the statue is truly a sight to behold.  My camera really can't do any justice as to how big and details it really is.  I tried to take some close up shots but again my camera is limited.  Here's what I got though.

A nice shot of the head and chest

A clear shot of the armour

The hilt of the sword with the fire breathing dragon head

The details on the base

And a shot of his bum, because even that is detailed

Adding perspective

The last picture shows just how impressively large the statue is.  In the background is my laptop which has a 13.3" screen.  Behind that is a 21" widescreen monitor and a 17" fullscreen monitor.  Next to my laptop is an XBox 360 controller, and that cup of tea is the same size as the largest mug that Starbucks do.  Not having any kind of frame of reference when I ordered it, I wasn't sure as to how it would measure up, so I added this to give some sense of scale to it.  Trust me when I say that it's very not small!

Overall verdict?  You certainly get a lot for your money, there's no denying that.  The statue is fantastic, the book is lovely, and the prints will look great on any wall.  In terms of whether it's worth it or not, for me I'm saying definitely.  I was a big fan of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 looks to be even better.  The statue now sits on a speaker on my desk and glowers threateningly at me, which is kind of disconcerting but also kind of awesome.  I can pretend he's yelling "write, damn you, write!" at me when I'm not working on my novels.  Not only is it worth it in terms of what is actually in it, it's also worth it because the game has no subscription fees.  I dread to think how much it would have cost me to play Guild Wars for as long as I have, and I was involved in the beta weekends.  Guild Wars 2 will no doubt involve many years of happy gaming and I'd rather spend the money up front and get something as epic as this than spend money every month.  If you're not convinced or you're not interested in physical gubbins, then the regular edition is still worth checking out.

And finally, because it was only released yesterday, it's still on sale!

GAME (UK): http://www.game.co.uk/en/guild-wars-2-collectors-edition-171751

It's not an affiliate link, but it is the cheapest I've found.  I only really buy from GAME, Amazon, and play.com though, so check with your retailer of choice.

And finally!  I hope to have a review up next week!  So here's hoping my shiny new computer gets here in time for me to actually play it and get some great screenshots for the review.  If there's anything you want me to focus on then just leave a comment and I'll do my best.