Background:
I played Everquest for 3 1/2 years. I was level 66 and in a PoP raiding guild when I quit due to boredom. Quitting had nothing to do with WoW - I actually tended to get bored every few months, stop playing for a month or two, and then go back and have fun again. However, it's due to WoW I cancelled my account. I signed up for the final stress test and played in open beta. I got to level 21 with my "main."
I also played in the LineageII open beta. I haven't played any MMORPGs outside of that.
Graphics: 8
Personally, I love the graphics and have been surprised when I encountered people who think they look years old. But then, I've always valued style far above polygon count. Still, they lose out when compared to a game such as Lineage II, which has both style and... well, polygon count. But I also like the fact that WoW uses fewer system resources and loads quickly.
Gameplay: 10
What can I say? I can't wait until Tuesday. I like the soloability of it. It may seem ironic, but I cannot play an MMORPG very long if I can't solo. I enjoy grouping as well, but I love exploring the world and just doing stuff on my own, too. Groups, at least at low levels, are generally driven by quests - especially since if you all need the drop off of a boss mob, and your group kills him, you all get the drop - so it pays off for everyone. Groups are also necessary for instances, which also have quests and drop nice loot.
The speed at which you can progress felt about right for me - at least up until level 21, which is the level I was when open beta ended. There were always a lot of quests to keep me entertained, so it wasn't the "camp in one spot and grind" sort of deal. The quests are well-written and often funny. Also, you get new skills/spells every 2 levels, and a new talent every level. I liked this. However, if you're the type of person who prefers the grind because it makes it mean more when you finaly get to high level, WoW may not be for you.
Some people are concerned that everyone will hit 60 pretty fast, and won't have anything left to do. I'm not too concerned, because Blizzard is putting in PvE raid content, and I have a feeling they'll do a good job with it. I loved raiding in EQ, so I look forward to seeing how WoW turns out. There's also the option of PvP raids, and of course levelling alts. I'm the type of person who likes to try out different classes, so I know WoW will keep me, personally, entertained for months to come. No doubt that in the long term they will need expansions, however - just like every other MMORPG.
I did not participate in PvP, so I can't comment on that. But I like the fact that it's there, and I will be able to participate if I want, and (since I wasn't on a PvP server) not when I don't want.
Sound: 9
I like the music, although naturally it gets tiring after awhile. I haven't paid any particular attention to sound effects - which is maybe a good thing, because that means they blend in nicely with the world. There's also a lot of voice stuff - both voice emotes and voice feedback (like if you try to cast a spell that you don't have enough mana for, you'll hear your character say, "I don't have enough mana!" in conjuction with the text onscreen). I like it.
Interface and control: 8
I found the WoW interface to be relatively user friendly and natural-feeling, right from the start. It also can be modded in many ways, but I didn't make or install any mods. Still, it has its shortcomings. I think that the way the chat window is set up, at least without making changes to it, makes it hard to read text during battle. For one, I'm used to a bigger window. You can make new windows, but - at least by default - they go on different tabs. These tabs don't even show up unless you hover over the chat window a minute, so I never found it useful to split up, say, group and General into different tabs. I think you can make the windows moveable, but they aren't by default, so I never did.
It also took my longer than it should've to figure out how to target myself (and therefore buff myself). You target other people by clicking on them. You can buff yourself by clicking the buff and then clicking on yourself (or friends/group memeber - this method doesn't change your target, which will probably prove to be very useful), but it seems you can't target yourself by clicking.
Overall, however, I liked the WoW interface. I quickly learned how to make hotkeys, make a friends list, bring up the map, invite people to group, etc. Another nice thing is that when you first get a whisper from someone, the game makes a sound to indicate it. This is extremely helpful, especially given the problems I have with the chat window. The sound is not made when you're going back and forth in conversation, but if some time passes, and they send you a whisper, it'll make the sound again.
Fun Factor: 9
I had a lot of fun in WoW. I mean, how could anyone not have fun in a game where you can make mechanical squirrels?!? (I love the little bits of humor). There's one reason I didn't give it a 10, though, and that's because there's an excessive amount of running around which feels slow. I love the flights from place to place - in fact, it's the shorter distances that bother me more than the long ones. Granted, it's better than, say, running from Freeport to Highhold Keep - there's no zoning, nothing attacks you if you stick to the roads, and you can see at night no matter what race you are. On the other hand, WoW requires a lot of running around due to quests. The 20th time running from The Crossroads to Ratchet? WTB SOW PLZ!
Final comments:
I like it (duh). It's not the be-all end-all or anything. I mean, you look at the class boards and see the same thing as every other MMORPG... "Class X doesn't have anything to offer groups over Class Y!" "Nobody has any reason to play Class Z anymore!" This doesn't mean that the classes are perfect - some could use some tweaking. But overall, I think that Blizzard did a good job with the game, and I'll be playing retail.