Warcraft IV is a high fantasy real-time strategy video game developed by Gammasoft. It is the next direct game in the Warcraft franchise. The game was released in turn 48 for PC/Mac digitally, as well as an exclusive physical release for PC. In turn 53 it was released for Xbox 360. It was one of the most anticipated releases of all time.
Gameplay[]
Single-Player Warcraft IV's controls will be similar to Warcraft III controls, with the scrollwheel controlling zooming in and out and moving the mouse to the edge of the screen or the WASD/Arrow keys moving the camera around the map. Players will select their army by left clicking and dragging the box over them, unlike Warcraft III where you could only select 16, this time you will be able to select up to 32, allowing massive epic battles on the battlefield. In singleplayer, it varies from already having a base (based on towns in WoW) to having to build your own. In singleplayer along the way there will be random world enemies such as murlocs, ogres and imps who attack you. In single player there will be an XP system where players will gain XP over the course of the game, getting more powerful because of it. (Giving buffs such as faster building, faster running speed, better vision at night)
Multiplayer[]
The multiplayer is a DOTA-style MOBA. The playable races are:
- Human
- Dwarf
- Gnome
- Night Elf
- Draenei
- Worgen
- Pandarian
- Orc
- Troll
- Tauren
- Undead
- Blood Elfs
- Goblins
The player will start most matches in Multiplayer with just a town hall and a few peons where they will have to build buildings (Each race will have their own model of buildings) and build up their army and defenses.
Story[]
Warcraft 4 takes place ten years after the events of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.
The game features three campaigns, campaigns 1 goes for 7-8, campaign 2 goes for 8-9 hours and campaign 3 goes for 5-6 hours. (depending on your speed, skill levels etc)
Campaign 1[]
Campaign 1 is the campaign of the Horde, a massively weakened army from the event of Garrosh Hellscream, still weak after ten years but okay due to peace between the races. The start of the campaign details the betrayal of the Undead and the Blood Elves to the Horde, who the Undead have become neutral and the Blood Elves have joined the Alliance.
After this, the game cuts to Vol’jin, the Warchief of the Horde and the leader of the Trolls. Who meets with Thrall, Baine Bloodhoof, Jastor Gallywix and Ji Firepaw in Orgrimmar, this meeting is interrupted by an attack on the city by the Night Elves and is where the games combat actually starts, The Night Elf leader, Tyrande Whisperwind, shoots Thrall with her arrows during this battle, killing him and massively weakening the Shaman’s of the Horde and destroying most of the city. The night elves retreat after a massive charge by the Taurens of The Barrens. Despite the extra forces arriving, the Horde suffers massive losses as Vol’jin swears that he will avenge the death of Thrall and destroy the Night elves.
The game then cuts to The Crossroads, The Barrens the next day, the forces assembling for an invasion of Ashenvale, You lead this force of thousands through the barrens, killing night elves seen along the way to Ashenvale, you then build a base, Vol’jin naming it “Thrall’s Lair” in dedication to his fallen comrade.
In Ashenvale, the Horde pushes the Night Elves back, killing Night Elf heroes like Shandris Feathermoon, the general of the Night Elf Sentinels (Their main army force) and Jarod Shadowsong (Past commander of the Kaldorei Resistance who has now risen to the call again to defend his lands) and clearing the night elf armies in Ashenvale, burning their forests, towns, polluting their lakes as the Horde war machine rages on. The final fight of Ashenvale taking place at The Zoram Strand, a past Horde base which was taken by the Alliance after the events of Mists of Pandaria.
The game then goes to the invasion in Moonglade and Winterspring, the armies of the Goblins leading the invasion there, The goblin leader Jastor Gallywix building the base in Winterspring and invading Moonglade using their traditional warfare tactics of bombing and aerial warfare, the bombing aids the tauren druids who are attacking their Night Elf counterparts and kills a number of major druids like Cenarius
The game then goes back to just after the main Ashenvale invasion and the next stage, Darkshore. The Darkshore invasion is led by Vol’jin himself, the player fighting his way through to Lor’Danel, the major Night Elf port which connects it to Darnassus, the capital. Here the Horde and Vol’jin fights against a massive night elf resistance, putting their base just outside of the city, allowing a new influx of men to go in and fight.
Vol’jin makes his way to the end of the docks in Lor’Danel, Malfurion Stormrage, The first Druid and husband of Tyrande Whisperwind, stands facing them all and tries to kill Vol’jin, failing and being killed himself, druids starting to lose their power against the Horde.
The game then turns to a cinematic of the Horde getting on ships, traveling towards Darnassus. While this is happening the game fades to cutscene of a Horde outpost in the Eastern Kingdoms being invaded by the Alliance as revenge for Ashenvale. This then fades back to the main Horde forces as Vol’jin and the Horde arrives at Darnassus, setting up their base at the docks and receiving constant new troops.
The Horde fights its way through waves of Night elves, pillaging their houses and shops and burning down segments of the cities once they are done with them. The horde makes its way to the Temple of the Moon (Where the leader of the Night Elves presides) and fights Tyrande Whisperwind, the final boss of the Horde Campaign, killing her as Vol’jin steps out of the temple with her head, proclaiming this as the greatest day for the New Horde (Cinematic). The game’s credits then plays with a cinematic behind it showing the horde’s fighting against the night elves during the campaign of the game.
Campaign 2[]
Campaign 2 is the Alliance campaign, they are mainly focusing on resisting a native troll invasion in the south-west and a small horde invasion in the south-east of the Eastern Kingdoms. It takes place near the end of the Horde campaign (Before Darnassus falls)
(Cutscene) The campaign starts off with Anduin Wrynn, son of Varian Wrynn and the new King of Stormwind and thus the Alliance being crowned, the many leaders of the Alliance are present, Gelbin Mekkatorque, Prophet Velen, Genn Greymane, Aysa Cloudsinger, Jaina Proudmoore, Lor’Themar Theron and the Council of Three Hammers. The leaders all gather later, discussing whether to help out the Night Elves, but all leaders faced with their problems at home, such as the gnomes efforts to get their home city back in working order, Velen’s efforts to rebuild the Exodar, Greymane’s worgens still fighting to get Gilneas back from the now neutral undead, Aysa Cloudsinger’s maintaining order and an Alliance presence in Pandaria even so many years after the event has taken place, Lor’themar and the newly joined Blood Elves mission to defeat the trolls present in their own lands and finally the Council of Three Hammers of Ironforge, who cannot even agree between each other and still face problems in Ironforge.
The only leader who is able to help out is Jania Proudmoore, who now hovers her city of Dalaran off the coast of Stormwind, still ready to move as required.
Anduin stops their bickering and accepts Jania’s help and the game starts with a force of Dalaran mages and Stormwind Footmen lead by Vereesa Windrunner who has arrived in Stranglethorn Vale, fighting the trolls of the Revantusk Tribe, the biggest in the Eastern Kingdoms, who have recently reclaimed Zul’Gurub, a former Troll capital which had been pillaged by the combined forces of the Alliance and Horde 20-30 years ago. During this takeback of Zul’Gurub the Alliance forces discover horde weaponry and massive horde forces coming to the area, Dalaran is called in and starts to slowly move towards Stranglethorn Vale. During this time Veressa sets up base at Fort Livingston and uses the little force’s she has to defend Northern Stranglethorn from the Horde until Dalaran arrives.
The player fights Troll, Orc and Goblin races throughout the Cape of Stranglethorn and arrive outside Booty Bay, which the Horde has created into a major military fort, Dalaran arrives nearby and the player uses the base present to create new units, attacking Booty Bay with the likes of Jaina Proudmoore, Audrin Wrynn and Vereesa Windrunner. They succeed the battle, destroying the Horde presence in Southern Eastern Kingdoms.
It then fades to a cutscene with Jaina Proudmoore returning to Stormwind victorious from battle, Anduin Wrynn, who has always been a peacekeeper, disagrees with the actions which Jania took, creating an argument between them with Jania storming out.
The game then goes to Jania moving Dalaran out to sea, towards Kalimdor. Once in Kalimdor, Jania positions her city of Dalaran above Thunder Buff, sending her mages down and killing the local population without any resistance due to Thunder Buffs forces celebrating their victory in Darnassus. The city of Thunder Buff is pillaged and burnt down, Jania laughs as she kills the civilian population, seeing this as revenge for what happened in Theramore. Finally she kills Baine Bloodhoof, leader of the taurens and Thunder Buff.
In a cutscene she returns to Stormwind again, presenting the head of Baine Bloodhoof to Anduin, who was once close friends to the tauren leader. Anduin decides she has gone too far, imprisoning Jania in Stormwind Tower and leaving Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver in charge of Dalaran and showing that Vereesa Windrunner has decided that Jaina has gone too far, resulting in her marching North to find new employment away from Dalaran.
The player now controls Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver, who decides that it is in the best interests of Dalaran to free their Queen, they gather a large army of the best mages that Dalaran has, invading Stormwind.
Within Stormwind, the mages fire icebolts and firebolts, causing buildings and people to catch fire and defeating most of Stormwind’s army. Runeweaver and his forces march into Stormwind Tower, freeing their Queen and pledging their loyalty to her, not the Alliance.
The player goes back to playing as Jaina Proudmoore, As she and a few of Dalarans top mages fight towards Stormwind Keep. A cutscene plays of Jania walking through the keep, freezing the guards and walking right up to Anduin Wrynn, who is begging Jania to rethink her choices and not to betray the Alliance.
Jania laughs, setting Anduin Wrynn on fire, laughing (but not finding as much pleasure as she thought she would from the act) while Anduin Wrynn burns silently, keeping his sounds in as to not give Jania any pleasure.
Anduin burns to death, Jania goes to Dalaran and travels away from Stormwind into the horizon. A voiceover of Genn Greymane plays over the top, addressed to the remaining leader of the Alliance,
“The Alliance is in distress, broken, betrayed by one of our best and closest friend. I, King Genn Greymane of Gilneas, King of the Alliance Forces, do swear that Jaina Proudmoore will be brought to justice if justice means the destruction of the Alliance itself.”
Campaign 3[]
Campaign 3 features the now neutral undead, who are building a dark portal of their own, trying to bring a burning legion invasion to Azeroth. Campaign 3 takes place months after both the first and second campaign.
The campaign starts with Sylvanas Windrunner, The Banshee Queen and supreme ruler of the Forsaken as she fights off Worgen forces in Gilneas, which they have destroyed for the building of the new dark portal.
Sylvanas completes the building of the portal but first travels to Windrunner Spire to meet her Alliance sided sister, Vereesa Windrunner. Hearing the news that she had left the Dalaran forces.
Her sister declines this ask of Sylvanas, which only angers her. Sylvanas travels back to the portal, getting the undead summoners to conjure it up and bring forth the invasion of Azeroth.
Sylvanas and a small army of undead forces travel to the Burning Legion main planet of Argus, she is greeted not as a devotee of the Burning Legion but as an enemy, fighting off demons.
She forms a base on the planet and brings more undead through the portal, fighting off demons with her unlimited amount of undead bodies and fights her way to Sargeras, who is impressed by her effort and devotion to the cause, creating Sylvanas into a Dark Titan, an evil god of the universe and sends her to restart the Sunwell, bringing the next Burning Legion to Azeroth.
With immense power now at her disposal she travels back to Azeroth, being able to destroy Silvermoon City with very little resistance as she marches towards the Sunwell.
Once she reaches the sunwell she follows Sargeras and restarts the sunwell, bringing Kil’jaeden back into this realm along with it hundreds of thousands of Burning Legion forces, some as big as the tallest mountains.
A voiceover of Vereesa Windrunner is heard over the clips of the demons coming out of the sunwell,
“And like that, My sister brought the Burning Legion back to our world, Putting out world in certain doom.”
The credits roll.
Pre-Release[]
When Warcraft IV was announced by Gammasoft, an incredible amount of hype began following the game. Some Warcraft fans displayed hesitance at allowing an 'average' developer such as Gammasoft take on the series, but most were excited. The game was even expected to end the gaming drought that had befallen gamers.
Xbox 360 Controversy[]
In turn 53 the game was released for Xbox 360, much to the chargin of Playstation and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo fans. They felt left out, and took to the internet to voice their opinions. There was such a large amount of angry fans, that the #BoycottWarcraftIV movement was launched in a backlash against Gammasoft.
Release[]
The game sold over half a million units on PC in its release turn, topping the charts as #1 with 554,327 sales.
Post-Release[]
Following the huge success of their smash-hit RTS, Gammasoft have set their sights on improving Warcraft IV evermore with swift development of expansion packs and enrolling patches with them.
Warcraft IV - Destruction of Azeroth[]
Their first expansion pack for Warcraft IV is Destruction of Azeroth (formerly Warcraft IV - Destruction of Azeroth). The expansion brings in 2 original singleplayer campaigns, Campaign of The Burning Legion and the Campaign of The Righteous, respectably. Along with the good structure of the overarching stories themselves, the game has seen even more popularity thanks to the overwhelmingly positive reception of the new content.
Warcraft IV - Destruction of Azeroth opened the to the all-round video game charts at 6th place with 201,482 copies sold on PC, along with a boost of Warcraft IV's sales with an increase of 34,000 copies sold from last turn.
Reviews[]
IGN
"In the first major expansion released for Warcraft IV, Gammasoft keeps the momentum train strong by delivering two good, if not great, campaigns to keep users playing. Inside, you'll find the duo of the Campaign Of The Burning Legion paired with the Campaign Of The Righteous. They're two campaigns that play off each other well, especially with the overarching stories. Campaign Of The Legion is superior on both the story and action front due to a better narrative and more interesting settings. Everything else is on que, from the amazing music, down to the detail of each setting. Seriously, playing this thing maxed out just shows how much effort went into the art style. You're getting almost 14 hours worth of content with this expansion, and it's worth every penny. 9/10"
Reception[]
Warcraft IV was met with critical acclaim upon release. Critics all unanimously agree that the story shines the brightest, but that the multiplayer works good as well. Much praise was pinned at the art style, the way the story weaves into its three campaigns, and the accessibility to new players. Some criticism was drawn at the poor optimization regarding lower end PC's.
IGN
"Warcraft IV refines its genre well and has a great story. The art style is perfect for this game and the rough spots it has can be avoided by changing your computer settings or will be patched later. World of Warcraft fans will love this one and those who are not fans will still get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
+5.0 Amazing Story
+4.0 Great Gameplay
+1.0 Traditional World of Warcraft Multiplayer
-2.0 Slow Controls
IGN gives the game a 8/10"
Read IGN's full, in-depth review here.
Gamespot
"Warcraft IV is sure to turn some heads. We've got the sequel to the acclaimed Warcraft franchise, and the first Warcraft game since the immensely successful World Of Warcraft. Can Warcraft IV live up to the hype? Well, for the most part, yes. Sporting three separate campaigns (Horde, Alliance, & Undead) and a robust multiplayer, Warcraft IV is more or less everything you could want in a new Warcraft. The story is incredible, and will hook new and old fans alike. The music is dynamic, and the gameplay is as smooth as ever, with modern updates to make it more fun. Surprisingly, it was the multiplayer I found myself losing interest in first. As satisfying as playing with other people is, I found myself infinitely more drawn in by the story. The art style is gorgeously accompanied by stellar voice acting and graphics. Some bugs and glitches are present, but rarely hampered my experience. Warcraft IV makes up for the merely "good" multiplayer with a standout story and a great three part campaign to tell it. Welcome to the league of the big boys, Gammasoft. You're now among the best developers." Final Score: 9/10
Gametrailers
"With as much hype as Warcraft IV got pre-release, I had to mentally force myself to reduce my expectations. But even with my initial hype, Warcraft IV was everything I could have hoped for and more. Packing 3 solid campaigns (Horde being the best, Undead being the worst, and 'worst' is still amazing), addicting yet simple multiplayer, and a robust story that you'll want to experience again and again, Warcraft IV will be a hit for turns to come. A few glitches are present, but they're far from gamebreaking. I'll echo what others have said in that the multiplayer is fun, but you also find yourself feeling more drawn to the single player. The music sets the scene amazingly, and I love how each level is drawn. PC edges out Mac in performance, but that's no surprise there. Grab yourself a PC copy, worth the $59.99 and then some." Final Score: 9/10