More on Guild Wars 2

One month later, 646.7 hours in, and having spent more than I will admit on microtransactions, I now have more to say about Guild Wars 2.

SPOILER ALERT!!

It's good and bad.

There are things I like and there are things I don't like. I think this game is not for everyone. I don't follow nor feel a part of mainstream society, so this review is simply my opinion. I didn't care for the movie Inside Out 2, and I felt like Living World Season 2, Episode 7: Seeds of Truth was written by the same people. Being forced to play the role of a female, having a female partner, chasing another female, who's hiding out with a female, (all while taking a break from a prominent, ongoing lesbian love story) goes beyond the equality mindset of feminism, and into the superiority complex of female chauvinism.

The enemy AI is completely unfair and the game requires its glitches and brokenness in order for you to progress. One minute you're doing well, then an enemy suddenly becomes relentless and guarantees your death no matter what you do. There are also some horrible boss fights, like where you work so hard to get the best possible weapon and it's suddenly taken away from you for the boss fight. Then you have to wear down the boss's health one percent at a time. There are also some broken stealth sections which really don't work and I just ended up having to kill everyone. 

You have to have everything leveled up to the max (armor, weapons, trinkets) in order to have some descent gameplay. Some places have enemies everywhere that respawn faster than you can eliminate them, and I understand that these areas may be better suited for multiplayer. The multiplayer is what makes the game more fun, but sometimes you're just playing follow-the-leader and running through areas so fast that there's no enjoyment.

Microtransactions can get very expensive. I've found them necessary for survival, thus enjoyment in the game, as well as for esthetics. Which brings me to why I keep playing Guild Wars 2... It reminds me of the artwork in the animated Spider-Man movies with the protagonist Miles Morales. The game has beautiful artwork in a vast variety of immersive environments. That and having a powerful enough character to explore those environments, make it worthwhile. I guess players will tend to be more friendly with each other after having been treated so brutally by the enemy NPCs... and the Black Lion Trading Company.