My recent post on choosing the 'best' race for the Hunter class caused me to reflect on my decisions. For min/max'ing there's little doubt that the 1% increased chance to critically hit makes the Worgen the number one choice for Alliance Hunters. For non-min/max'ers there are other factors to consider though, and for me the big one is aesthetics.

Whether or not you think something looks good is obviously a matter of personal preference. But one things for sure, when you create a character you need to remember that it's look, style and movements are things you will no doubt be looking at for quite some time. For me there are certain races that I would rule out instantly based on their appearance alone. For example, I've never levelled a human character past 10 because I can't stand the way that they run. It's like they have a pole stuck up their... well I'm sure you know where that's headed. Gnomes are another race I struggle with based largely on their running animation. To me it looks as though they are taking two metre steps on their 30cm legs.

Other races have cosmetic issues that, while I don't like, I can deal with. For example, when Draenei wear cloaks they seem to float well above their tails. But to me, the male models look like the perfect 'tank', so I can hide the cloak and I'm happy.

When I race changed my Night Elf Hunter to Worgen, I did so based on not only the 1% increased chance to critically hit, but also the fact that I thought a werewolf firing a bow and arrow would look freakin' cool. Unfortunately, it hasn't quite lived up to the image I had in my mind.

In my opinion, it seems as though Blizzard have only half finished with the Worgen model. The female model looks terrible, more like something you'd keep as a house pet as opposed to the savage beasts that you'd expect. I'll put it another way, when Thrall's done with his current business don't be surprised to find him back in Orgrimmar with a couple of female Worgen chained to his throne Jabba the Hutt/Princess Leia style!

The male model at least looks the part, when stationary and viewed from the front. Start moving around and it's a completely different story.

Lets start with the running animation. It's fine, if your idea of an agile beast-man is more akin to a 97 year old arthritic lawn bowler. The slow, loping - almost uncoordinated - running animation looks nothing like the athletic and agile animation I'd have expected. The running animation alone, I can deal with, it's the other obvious 'bugs' that bug me the most. By bugs, I mean the little things that should have been picked up by quality control.

My big beef? When a male Worgen has a weapon sheathed on his back it disappears through the characters cloak. It's ugly and makes the model look unfinished.

My second issue also relates to the cloaks. Worgen cloaks share the same gravity defying properties as their Draenei counterparts, although to a greater extreme. It's like the Worgen and constantly breaking wind. Sure I can hide the cloak, but I'm still not sure why it looks so wrong?

The ranged attack animations also look a little daft, as if a Worgen Hunter is a descendant of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. As a Hunter, the ranged animation is something you need to be able to get used to, it's something that you'll see over and over again.

Where does this leave me? The min/max'er in me says, 'stay Worgen'. The guy who likes playing computer games and stares at the back of his character for hours on end say, 'that thing's ugly.' For my Rogue, Worgen was a good choice, for my Hunter... not so much.

For me, there comes a point where aesthetics win out over numbers. I think it's time to go Dwarf.