Electronic Arts' Warhammer Online is, superficially, similar to Conan
DateTime:7/8/2009 5:21:12 PM

Both games promise a focus on player-versus-player combat not seen in WoW. Both are based on long-running, deeply nuanced works of fiction. And both games feature a darker, more "realistic" world for gamers sick of Blizzard's colorful, cartoonish interpretation of high fantasy.

The difference is that Warhammer actually works.Fans of the tabletop miniatures role-playing game Warhammer will agree that the Warcraft universe is a not-so-subtle facsimile of the former. Though Blizzard's world is lighter and more humorous, the two are at times nearly indistinguishable.

As a result, it's almost fitting how blatantly the videogame version of Warhammer lifts gameplay ideas from Warcraft. Both games rely on the WASD keys for movement, both ask you to right-click characters with floating icons above their heads to pick up new quests, and both games have simple, unobtrusive interface designs.

Far from being a negative, this reliance on Blizzard's gameplay design choices reflects very nicely on Warhammer developer Mythic Entertainment. Observing what has worked in the past, Mythic has incorporated and built upon these clever ideas instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. This gives the millions of Warcraft players an instant familiarity with the mechanics of Warhammer -- a definite positive in a genre as complex as MMOs.