GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx 4 Elements
xx 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven
xx Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile
xx Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Make the Grade
80 Bejeweled Twist
86 Bionic Commando Rearmed
71 Birth of America II: Wars in America 1750-1815
xx Bolt
xx Brain Training for Dummies
81 Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
xx Building & Co: You Are The Architect!
70 Bully: Scholarship Edition
86 Call of Duty: World at War
xx CellZenith
xx Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual
81 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
xx Commander: Napoleon at War
84 Crysis Warhead
xx CSI: NY - The Game
56 Dark Horizon
85 Dead Space
xx Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
xx Deer Hunter Tournament
xx Disciples III: Renaissance
xx Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets
65 Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon
xx Duke Nukem Forever
xx Dynasty Warriors 6
59 Euro Truck Simulator
xx Europa Universalis: Rome - Vae Victis
62 Everlight: Magic & Power
xx EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey
xx Exodus from the Earth
xx FaitH
92 Fallout 3
86 Far Cry 2
77 FIFA Manager 09
77 FIFA Soccer 09
74 Football Manager 2009
xx futureU: The Prep Game for SAT
82 Galactic Civilizations II: Endless Universe
93 Grand Theft Auto IV
xx Gravitron 2
82 GTR Evolution
50 Guild 2: Venice, The
xx Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
66 Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft, The
xx Hell's Kitchen
xx High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance!
66 Hinterland
xx History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions
xx Igor The Game
xx Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion
82 King's Bounty: The Legend
xx Kudos 2
88 Left 4 Dead
42 Legendary
80 LEGO Batman
72 Line Rider 2: Unbound
xx Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, The
58 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
70 Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
xx MindHabits
xx Mirror's Edge
64 Moto GP 08
73 Mount & Blade
76 Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest
61 Murder in the Abbey
70 MySims
85 Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
xx NBA 2K9
65 Need for Speed Undercover
78 Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
73 NHL 09
71 Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
67 Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy
xx Operation Mania
59 Outcry
81 Peggle Nights
80 Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2
67 Penumbra: Requiem
xx Perimeter 2: New Earth
xx Pet Pals: New Leash on Life
xx Pipe Mania
xx Price is Right, The
85 Prince of Persia
xx Prison Tycoon 4: SuperMax
xx Project Aftermath
81 Pure
70 Quantum of Solace
70 Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
xx Rise of the Argonauts
75 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
75 Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
82 Saints Row 2
xx SAS: Secure Tomorrow
xx SCORE International Baja 1000
41 Shattered Suns
xx Shaun White Snowboarding
xx Shrek's Carnival Craze
83 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
xx Silent Hill: Homecoming
xx Silverfall: Earth Awakening
75 Sims 2 Apartment Life, The
68 Sinking Island
60 Space Siege
xx Space Trader: Merchant Marine
56 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
84 Spore
xx StarCraft II
xx Still Life 2
73 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner
81 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free
80 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands
80 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective
71 Summer Athletics
xx Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows
79 Tomb Raider Underworld
76 Vampyre Story, A
86 Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
65 Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March
xx Wartime Command: Battle for Europe 1939-1945
86 Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The
90 World of Goo
91 World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
71 WorldShift
74 X3: Terran Conflict

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King pc Game Reviews
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Critic Score
Metascore: 91 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.9 out of 10
based on 22 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 137 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Players last visited Northrend in "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne," when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds and fields of jagged ice. Wrath of the Lich King adds a rich variety of content to an already massive game. New features in the game’s second expansion include: Death Knight Hero Class: Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game’s first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met. Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way. Northrend: Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items -- and do battle with the undead armies of the Lich King. "Inscription" Profession: Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game. Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings: Take the battle to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on. New Character Customization: Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations. [Blizzard Entertainment]

PUBLISHER: Blizzard Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Blizzard Entertainment
GENRE(S): Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: Thousands
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
EuroGamer
Wrath of the Lich King takes the best-of-breed MMO and improves everything about it. It's a work of supreme confidence and quality that is twice as fun and ten times as beautiful as classic WOW, not to mention anything else in the genre. But above all else - in the breathtaking sweep of Northrend, in the assured, epic storytelling, in the constellation of brilliant quests - it is a grand adventure. Perhaps the grandest adventure in all gaming.
Read Full Review
100
Giant Bomb
This package makes for an epic and excellent expansion to World of Warcraft, one that will certainly keep longtime players coming back. And the increased accessibility and streamlined nature of World of Warcraft 2008 compared to World of Warcraft 2004 mean that even players who gave up a long time ago will also find plenty of reasons to return to Azeroth.
Read Full Review
96
YouGamers
World of Warcraft reigns supreme, and Lich King only serves to cement the lead Blizzard has in MMOs. Does almost everything right while actually breaking some new ground, even if the content is getting a bit too easy in the name of accessibility. A must buy for all existing World of Warcraft players and yet another reason for the rest to get back or join in. Resistance is Futile.
Read Full Review
95
Gameplayer
It’s brilliant, inspired and will easily secure their supremacy as the leader in the MMOPRG market.
Read Full Review
95
Gameplanet
With well over ten million people playing the game, any expansion is a must-have for any fan of the game. More so this release, it has more content and depth than the first expansion and brings back a lot of the feel and flavour of the original game release.
Read Full Review
95
GameZone
While the majority of the content is geared towards higher-level players, there is still a lot of fantastic content for any WoW gamer. If you’re a fan, then there’s no reason that you should not have this expansion.
Read Full Review
93
3DJuegos
This package makes for an epic and excellent expansion to World of Warcraft. It's brilliant, inspired, and a grand adventure.
Read Full Review
93
AtomicGamer
Put simply, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is MMORPG gaming at its finest we've seen yet.
Read Full Review
92
Ferrago
World of Warcraft may never look realistic but it will always have a very unique charm, and Lich King has certainly improved upon this.
Read Full Review
91
ActionTrip
Bottom line, with the introduction of the Death Knight, Blizzard has done a great job of adding another element of fun in the game.
Read Full Review
90
Gamer.nl
With Wrath of the Lich King Blizzard shows the world how a MMORPG should look like. The add-on offers enough for both the casual and the hardcore gamer and is a must for every World of Warcraft player. We predict that it's gonna be a long and cold winter.
Read Full Review
90
Variety
Wrath of the Lich King offers the game’s 11 million-plus players more of what they love, with new areas, quests and character types focused on frigid northern climes, all highly polished and designed to compel. But Lich King particularly stands out for the ways it welcomes less experienced players into the fold by making the best experiences easier for them to access immediately.
Read Full Review
90
VideoGamer
With its spectacular design, dazzling polish and ever-compulsive gameplay, World of Warcraft seems destined to remain the everyman's pick of PvE-focussed MMO for the foreseeable future, and with the implementation of new PvP mechanics, Blizzard is no doubt looking to tempt back players who jumped ship to Warhammer Online and Age of Conan as well.
Read Full Review
90
Yahoo! Games
Seeing the innumerable changes and tune-ups to the game engine and the rules, you get the sense that World of Warcraft is a finely-tuned machine that its makers just can't stop tinkering with in an obsessive effort to keep it fresh, relevant, and above all, fun. For now, mission accomplished.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
It's telling of how ravenously the most devoted WoW players inhale content that level 80 Death Knights fishing for instance runs are commonplace at this point, less than two weeks after Wrath's launch.
Read Full Review
90
IGN
With Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft's play style has been tweaked to be more accessible, addictive, and deeper. Any longtime player is sure to be pleased with what Blizzard's done here since it gives the higher level population a wealth of new content for play as well as improves the overall look of the world.
Read Full Review
90
Wired
Simply the most reliable gaming purchase you can make this holiday season. No other title will offer more content for the price.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpot
The second World of Warcraft expansion doesn't do anything for new players, but there's plenty of great content for anyone who's reached at least level 55.
Read Full Review
90
PALGN
Wrath of the Lich King is an epic gaming experience that will suck you in and never let go. A must for WoW veterans.
Read Full Review
86
PC Zone UK
But by any standard, this far into the development of an MMO, and with two years since your last expansion, the envelope should be pushed a little. Blizzard could've shaken up the genre here. Wrath of the Lich King has had two years to innovate, build and refresh WOW, but all it seems to have done is prolong the same experience that people have been waiting to continue for years. Whether or not that's a bad thing is up to you.
Read Full Review
85
Meristation
The second expansion to the most played MMORPG ever is here. New weapons, new armors, new abilities and a new class. But is it enough? Wrath of the Lich King is a great game, a great expansion, but do not expect to like it if you didn't enjoyed the old World of Warcraft games.
Read Full Review
83
Game Revolution
It just feels great to finally unleash all that power you built up through level 70 endgame in a whole new romping ground once again.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 137 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Seth D gave it a10:
I can't help but laugh at some of the negative user reviews that have shown up on here. A lot of the facts are down right incorrect. For example, you can use your flying mount in Northrend, however you must first reach level 77 and spend 1000 gold for the Cold Weather Flying training in Dalaran, but I digress. This is a fantastic addition to the WoW universe. Wrath of the Lich King brings a ton of new features, zones, abilities, monsters, instances, raids, and factions to the table. There is more then enough content to keep even the most die hard player busy for months, especially if they're the OCD type that feels every faction must be Exalted. The quests are a lot of fun and there have been several new and unique quest types that are actually a lot of fun. The instances and raids are beautiful and a lot of fun to do. Boss mechanics focus on fun and interesting strategies rather than the popular gear check tank and spank that plagued past content. Of course we can't forget the new Death Knight class, and while there is a huge influx of players rolling this class at the moment this will eventually die down. Their group mechanics are off the wall and fill many different rolls. Blizzard went above and beyond to deliver such an amazing expansion and it'll only get better with future content patches.

James H. gave it a9:
Queues? What queues? I'm on a fairly low population server, and haven't been queued once. You do know that Blizzard offers free character transfers for people on high pop servers, yes? Bottom line, Lich King is more WoW. The graphics have been improved a bit and the new quests are more fun and inventive than anything that's come before, but it's still the same game. If you like WoW, you'll love this expansion. If you're a WoW hater, there's nothing here to change your opinion.

Mozg gave it a3:
Lets face it - WoW is an old and outdated boring MMORPG, all about grinding mobs and gearing up. There are so many new games that it really bewilds me as to who can play this game today? Even on the day of its release it was worse then EQ2. Even more so now, when there are EQ2, Vanguard:SOH, AOC, WAoR, LOTR. The "King" may be an excellent addition to WoW in its own right, but by the MMORPG standards of today the game itself waggles behind other titles in all aspects, most importantly it lacks non-grinding and non-repetitive gameplay. And I don't even mention the outdated graphics, which would shock anyone more or less acquainted with modern MMORPGs or off-line PC titles. It is only the never ending media hype that keeps this title running. So only a 3 from me. Please forgive me diehard WoW fans, but this game is really past its time.

Mike A gave it a9:
If you don't like WoW, don't buy this game. If you already enjoy WoW, there is a lot that's good about this expansion. New vehicle based missions can be really fun. New Wintergrasp battleground is a lot of fun. Characters keep getting stronger, which is always fun I think lol. The game really does look a lot better than it used to if you turn your graphics to highest. They did a good job on the shadows and the zones have great architecture. You don't replace your epics as fast as some people would have you believe. I'm nearing level 75 and haven't replaced nearly half of my gear. There's a lot of content that's going to be released in the upcoming patches to meet the needs of die hard gamers. Oh yeah, read the quests!

Patrick C. gave it a6:
Same graphics, not much improvement even though the box says it is. The only fun I had in beta was the Death Knight, PVE is just more of the same excpet for the arial battles, which are innovative to a point. They bring back Ungoro crater and mix it with Nessaringway (cant he just die?) the whole land is out of sinc, frozen areas are right next to warm area with trees flowers etc just 40 feet down, no real transition area. lts like blizzard doesnt think at times.

Jon B. gave it a9:
Dear John D, It may be interesting for you to hear that over 50% of players that left WoW to play WAR have returned for WotLK. It should also be mentioned that the retail game is a very different experience from the beta, because the retail game is a finished product, whereas the beta is meant for testing, balancing and bug removal. Also, gear replacing is not as rampant in the early levels in WotLK compared to TBC. In closing, perhaps playing the finished product, in conjunction with keeping an open mind and not being a fanboy of a WoW competitor will help you craft a more sensible, reasonable and overall credible review.

Leon leon gave it a9:
Great expansion to a great game. Still improving gameplay mechanics and story. Music keeps up with previous good work, making you dive in Northrend like a real epic story. Didn't vote 10 cause there's no perfect game. It can still be improved.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use