Gameplay:Cataclysm brings two brand new races to the game. The two new races are the Worgen and the Goblins. Worgens are alliance and the Goblins are for the horde. As a Worgen you will start defending the city of Gilneas from the Forsaken led by Sylvanas. When you reach level 6 and do a certain quest you will be able to turn into a worgen, when the area is complete you can switch between worgen and human whenever you want but as soon as you enter combat you automatically turn into a worgen. Goblins also have a new starting area as well. You start off on some islands and is a great addition to the lore. A new secondary profession has been added as well known as Archaeology. You go around azeroth surveying certain areas to find hidden artifacts. The higher it is the more rewarding the artifacts become. The new instances are very well done, they provide a nice challenge unlike the previous expansion. You will be able to use new currency to buy your level 85 gear. This currency is called Justice points from heroics and Valor points from the raids. The quests are very fun with a lot of cut scenes. Some of the cut scenes are a little to much. For example in Uldum a level 83 zone after every couple of quests there is a new cut scene, can be annoying but most of them are full of cool information. New skills have been added obviously for every class, and the talent trees also got a new make over as well. The raiding experience is great again like back in Burning Crusade. The boss fights are unique and provide a nice challenge for the core players. The raids are Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight, Throne of Four Winds, and Baradin Hold. There are many new additions to the game where you can now fly in azeroth, all of azeroth has been revamped, and the quests have all been revamped as well with new ones added to each area. Each dungeon has quests at every entrance with some nice XP, money and usually loot. Cataclysm is a fantastic addition to the World of Warcraft series and looks very promising in the future patches. A recommended purchase for any MMO and WoW fan.
Overall: 9.5/10
Graphics:
The updated visuals came out as soon as the pre patch came out. This all started with the water effects and then the sunlight effects as well as the shadow effects. The water got the biggest update in Cataclysm. The water now looks very realistic and interacts with your character. What I mean by that is when you walk in the water the ripples move to your character. The sun shines on the water and you are able to see your reflection in the water as well. They updated the shadow effects to not be a little dot underneath your character but an actual shadow of your body. When you enter the Cataclysm areas you can instantly tell the visuals have been update for those areas.
Overall: 9.5/10
Audio:
As soon as the pre patch to Cataclysm came out all of azeroth changed as well as the in game music. Each zone got a revamp on the environment and the music. The most noticeable changes are in areas like Stranglethorn Vale. Personally I find the music to be much better, and each area sounds unique. Most places still have the classic music in it but with new music and sounds added to it. Overall it provides a new and exciting experience.
Overall: 10/10
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
