Everyone is talking about Wizard101! Both experienced and casual gamers have a lot to say about the free to play family-friendly MMO. Browse the game press excerpts below or click to read the full article - either way we hope they give you an idea about the family friendly entertainment that is Wizard101!
"KingsIsle's Wizard101 is an elaborate 3D virtual world in which magic and sorcery come to life as players embark on a quest that involves a massive cast of good, evil and frequently silly characters. Designed to fill the void between online play sites for the very young and Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games with mature adult interaction, Wizard101 (www.wizard101.com) puts players in the fantasy role of a Wizard apprentice at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts."
Read Entire Worth Playing Article »
"A tiered chat system and pre-defined character name generator create a safe community for younger players while an Arena provides a spot for more traditional gamers to show off their player versus player spell-casting skills. As they adventure, players can upgrade their costume and magical accessories, adopt bizarre pets, solve puzzles and play mini-games. At launch, Wizard101 will be free to play, with advanced play content available by subscription."
Read Entire IGN Article »
"The game’s target audience being the 9-14 age range, I went in fully expecting to spend a couple of hours max, examining the graphics, questing system, combat – the kind of things one is expected to write about. I never expected to fall in love with it."
Read Entire Vault Network Article »
"This summer, you'll be able to play a new MMO called Wizard 101. Set inside the fictional Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, the game will feature traditional MMO gameplay, an in-world collectible-card game, and a host of mini-games that will remind you of arcade classics - but happen to be more fun."
Read Entire Tenton Hammer Article »
"KingsIsle Entertainment was founded way back in 2005 -- and since their inception, they seem to have stayed quietly sequestered in their offices, hard at work on unknown projects. With a team consisting of industry veterans from Wolfpack (creators of Shadowbane) and Ion Storm, it was hard not to be curious about their work. If you're one of the many who have been wondering what the team has been working on, you're in luck, because they've just announced their first project: Wizard101. "
Read Entire Massively.com Article »
"Designed for the younger set in mind, the colorful game plays on such things as Harry Potter and CCGs by casting players in the role of a youngster at a wizarding school where spells and combat play out in turn-based fashion using collectible online cards. "
Read Entire JoyStiq Article »
"Interestingly, the core of KingsIsle staff has roots not in traditional children's entertainment, but in the much darker 2003 Ubisoft MMO Shadowbane, something which development head Todd Coleman told Gamasutra could be explained by the team's more family-oriented mindset, so many years from their first post-college roles. "
Read Entire Gamasutra Article »
"It was a door with some thorns and a skeleton on it, so it was probably a dungeon of some sort, don’t know…point is she discovered it and it was a place I didn’t find while I was in. Awesome."
Read Entire The Common Sense Gamer Article »
"Unlike Harry Potter, which depicts the magical world as a hidden facet of our own, Wizard 101 takes place in an alternate dimension, one that the headmaster summons you to because of your affinity for magic. It turns out that the professor of Death magic (other magic schools include Fire, Myth, Ice, Storm, and Life) has gone rogue, and your help is needed to chase him through the world's many other themed dimensions (i.e., Egyptian, Chinese, and so on)."
Read Entire 1up.com Article »
"I will begin by saying that Wizard101 isn't for everyone. If you're utterly out of touch with your inner child or if you don't have a kid around the house to force you to be in touch with it, then W101 won't have much appeal for you. Similarly, W101 isn't dark or moody or filled with blood and guts. If that's your bailiwick, again Wizard101 isn't for you."
Read Entire War Cry Network Article »
"Parents need to know that this is an engaging massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) for kids set in a fantasy world involving wizards. Kids will duel using magic spells that have some crude humor including the release of farts. Wizard 101 is COPA compliant and there are several ways to pay for this game. "
Read Entire Common Sense Media Article »
"Wizard101 is a massively multiplayer game that really deserves the moniker of being "fun for the whole family." The gist of the game is that you are a young wizard in training who is sent off into the many worlds of the Spiral to stop an evil wizard’s plans to destroy..well, everything. "
Read Entire Wired Geek Dad Article »
"Tapping into the hugely popular online gaming industry, Wizard101 (www.wizard101.com) lures both children and parents into a world of wizards, dragons and interesting plot lines where they can play, compete and ultimately bond."
Read Entire Dads Divorce Article »
"Wizard101 is an online game for kids that has many of the trappings of an adult MMORPG built around an unusual card-based combat system, and it has been capturing the imagination of people of all ages."
Read Entire About.com Article »
