Anroth

If people want games that do not take time and are quite entertaining here's a few suggestions:

Minesweeper
Solitaire
Spider Solitaire
Mahjong.

HolyHamSandwich, what are you talking about? :)

"The problem is that people, such as yourself, seem to take WoW entirely too seriously. A video game is a video game, regardless of any social aspects. When you die, no one will write "Downed Illidan" or "Wore full Tier 6" on your tombstone, and if they do, those that know what that means will chuckle at the ridiculousness of it, while the rest of the 6 billion inhabitants of this planet will ponder just what in the blazes that means. So many people act like this game is their bread and butter, their sustenance, and forgot that it has zero bearing on reality at all. It's nothing to get your knickers in a twist over."

This argument is so misdirected, filled of presumptuousness that hurts. So according to you, anyone who doesn't want his chosen hobby trivialized must be one who devotes his life to it and only validates himself by playing a game.

You got it completely. Such cleverness is awe inspiring.
And you're so articulate as well. :)
Anyway, I wrote the post one month ago. Now i lead a meaningless life for I canceled my sub 2 weeks ago.

You have fun now, the WoW is yours. :D

Could you please say which titles you play that are a rip off of WoW?
Just curious, for i find no game whatsoever that could be labeled as such.
Perhaps what you probably meant was "played less polished than wow rip offs of everquest". :)
Nevertheless, which games you feel nowadays are rip offs of WoW?

PeeWee,

I am out you.
I just like to see fanbois like you squeal.

" Someone who played only shortly after release would hardly recognize the game now."

In what way? The game is still the same as it was. Painfully the same.

If in a BG, you are entitled not to spend the reagents on a table.
If in a party or raid, there shouldn't be the need to ask.
Either you contribute at your full potential to that party/raid or you go solo.
Simple as that.

@18

So you call elitism not wanting to chain wipe just because someone is undergeared and doesn't even realizes he/she is not ready for an heroic... mmmmmkay.

Just another thought: of course every company will implement features seen in another games if they are cool. It's normal and healthy specially when they are open about it.
The criticism to Blizzard is that they are truly a copycat company. They can't even create original lore for their games. Perfect, polish yes, they are the very best. But as far as pushing the genre forward, come on... If Blizzard set the pace for gaming breakthrough, we would still be playing isometric rts and mmo's.

There is no anger, mate. Just a matter-of-fact tone.
Blizzard does not innovate. Period.
And since they now have the pressure on their side, they will resort even to blatant copy in order to retain the subscriptions and the cash flow.
People always think in terms of "the game which will conquer WoW". I don't think it will ever happen. No game would manage to be the cause of a max exodus from WoW as WoW was to Everquest and the other games of the time, but you have to understand that if Blizzard stops making 1 Billion a year and starts to make 25%-30% less, heads will roll at Blizzard's and Vivendi's.
Yes, they made it big all right. And the near times will tell if they made it too big. For now, WotLK seems to me the same old crap with a few gimmicks. Oh yes, and they killed rading. :D

While the concept of elves and dwarves have been around forever (orcs i think are a creation of Tolkien), the way such concepts are portrayed differ so much. In the case of Warcraft they didn't came up with their own interpretation. They just took Games Workshop's.

As for the RTS, you just proved my point and even further it: Blizzard ripped-off Games Workshop and Westwood in one go!

Good job!

Seriously, take the upcoming releases of Starcraft 2 and Dawn of War 2.The latter already announces innovations to the RTS genre, what does Blizzard announces: new units, new cut-scenes. I rest my case.

And please, Blizzard is not above critic.