The revolution is here and its name is Guild Wars. This revolution is not necessarily in gameplay but rather in approach; the fact that there is no monthly fee combined with the fact that the game is currently the #1 selling PC game according to NPD sales data means that this approach, for the time being, is working maybe even better than NCSoft and ArenaNet had hoped.

The game is unique even if you ignore the fact that you don't need a credit card to play. There's a level 20 "cap" in place which at first seems rather odd; other games have caps that are much, much higher but as ArenaNet is quick to point out: the game really starts at level 20. That's when it gets particularly good. This is not a game about grinding for four hours to reach the next level. It's about telling a story in true RPG fashion combined with a fantastic PvP (player vs. player) model that demands teamwork, skill, and smarts.

What makes the gameplay special is that you are unlikely to run into two players using the same class set that are identical in power and style. For example, the game has six classes from Warrior to Necromancer (you can only play a human, however) and as you go through the tutorial missions you choose a secondary class to compliment your original choice. So you might be a Warrior/Monk or a Necromancer/Mesmer or a Ranger/Elementalist or any combination you wish. On top of that, there are literally dozens of skills for each profession such as Heal, Firestorm, Banish, and Frenzy and when you go out on a mission or enter the PvP arena you only get to take eight with you. These skills are literally the heart and soul of the game. So while you may be a level 20 Warrior/Monk the Warrior/Monk on the team you are about to battle in the arena will most likely have a few different skills which will make him/her a very different character despite the identical professions and level. This adds freshness to the game that few MMOs can duplicate.

The marketing for Guild Wars emphasized that it was more about skill rather than time played and this is part of what NCSoft was talking about. Guild Wars, especially after you reach the level 20 cap and start doing battle against other top class guilds, is more about team tactics and skill choice rather than about how many hours you have spent in front of your PC. It's a wonderful way in which to design an MMO.

While it is unquestionably about fighting other guilds after you reach the cap, there is also a very solid PvE (player vs. environment) game as well. Perhaps the best part of the PvE game is that when you leave a city to do a mission, it turns it into an "Instance Dungeon" so you'll never see another player outside designated meeting points unless he's part of your group. This is done so that when you head out to complete a task there is no chance of another player or another group completing the task before you manage to get there. You'll never "wait for a reset" in Guild Wars and there's never a chance of another player wandering into where you are and stealing a kill, or worse, PK'ing you while you battle a level 10 Charr Grunt.

There are other niceties such as henchmen that are always available for hire in cities in case you can't find a group, a fast travel feature that lets you zip from city without the boredom of walking for 10 minutes and a "server" switching functionality that is sheer brilliance. Finding a friend who is playing in a different region is as easy to clicking a button and transferring to that region. You'll never get stuck playing on a different server than a buddy and thus never seeing them.

The game's technology is fantastic. It runs pretty much lag free (on a cable modem) with inspiring visuals that look like no other MMO on the planet. Other games may have more animations in their models and maybe even better art but Guild Wars is like playing inside a living, breathing oil painting. Its look is very unique, almost dreamy.

There are a few downsides such as a movement system that isn't as freeform as other games. In World of Warcraft, for example, if you want to jump off the top of the Ogrimmar Sky Tower, you can. In Guild Wars you have to follow a path, you can't run over hills or jump over fences (there is no jump button, in fact). You have to more or less stick to the designed walk areas and this can be pretty frustrating until you get used to it. In fact the game's controls are probably its biggest stumbling block. It's definitely something that takes getting used to and you should spend the tutorial making yourself familiar with the control scheme.

Regardless, Guild Wars is a unique, entertaining, challenging, and price-friendly MMO that deserves all of the praise it has thus far received. Publishers are keeping an eye on how the game does in the long term. NCSoft is planning many free updates but it plans on selling new "Chapters" over the next few years that will not be required to keep playing but will offer new storylines and content and you'll have to pay to play them just like you would a sequel to a regular game. The industry is watching this experiment, and its one that so far gamers have had a blast in being the guinea pigs.