There always seem to be questions about WBC2, which I haven't played (just lots of WBC3). So my question is the subject: with WBC3 presumably upgraded (mechanics? UI? graphics?), why do people continue to choose to play WBC2?

I guess the corollary is: should I?

Thanks! I"m still curious why people DO play WBC2 though, since many clearly do.

In my opinion the campaign is way better in WBII.

WBC3 doesn't feel to me like a sequel but a mod. Voice acting quality is way worse than in its predecessors, a good chunk of new units look goofy, and the music is a tremendous downgrade (I know this one is subjective and not that important but it does take away from the experience). WBC2 also felt way more cohesive, every race is limited to a handful of classes, which may feel restrictive, but to me it gives them more identity. A demon pyromancer/summoner/death knight makes much more sense than seeing something like a high elf defiler or a fey necromancer.

tl;dr WBC3 has more content but at the same time there's a dip in quality, cohesion and class/race identity.

This is exactly what I was looking for ... thank you Bartek13g (and Valorfist too). I think I will give it a try then. I've played a lot of WBC3 though, so hopefully I won't miss any particular changes too much.

WBCII jives better with me. I was a fan of it when it first came out, and when the WBCIII demo was first released I tried it, and completely bounced off. Didn't like any of the aesthetic or mechanical changes to the game at any level at all; seemed like they changed stuff that didn't need changing, while keeping all the clunk and jank. Some of the ideas for new factions are cool(always a fan of bug, dino, and catpeople factions XD) but I just didn't feel like the execution was there, and I've really never felt any desire to try WBCIII since.

So I'd say the reasons for playing WBCII over WBCIII are mostly subjective. If you dig WBCIII already, there really isn't any need. If you're curious, though, or would like a more open-ended campaign experience, give it a try ^v^