Random feedback from my first experience with WoW so far:
Still not a fan of the art direction, but the cartooney look allows them to focus their efforts on what is probably the most creative, diverse, expansive, and continually fascinating world I've seen in an MMO. The entire thing is designed so that every nook and cranny contains another little hamlet, cave, waterfall, tower, campsite... you name it. It's extremely dense in character and creativity, with a huge diversity of surprisingly engaging themes.
It's clear a ridiculous amount of love went into this place, and it leaves worlds like Eorzea looking embarrassingly empty and shallow by comparison.
And I have to say, for all the ***I used to give it, "kill ten rats and then move on" turns out to be a lot more fun than "sit in a handful of hotly contested exp camps and pull thousands of the same mob for days."
The complete re-do of level 1-60 content with Cataclysm -- something players of other MMOs have always asked for but will never get -- is pretty amazing. And whoever designed the newbie worgen experience deserves a ***' medal, as I've never seen an intro MMO sequence more engaging. It almost seems to revel in showcasing all the things WoW can do that other MMOs can't.
I still haven't made my peace with the art direction, or the other aspects that kept me from playing all these years, but so far I'm having fun. Too bad it feels a bit like being six years late to the world's biggest party.
- Jaerik the bebe 47 worgen warrior, Cenarion Circle