An honest review from someone who has played it for almost 16 years and still does casually:
After 15 years, this game has improved in almost every aspect. The people who tell you otherwise are either angry, lying, not paying attention, or incapable of learning.
There is nostalgia attached to this game, like many, and there always will be for people who played it. Although when it comes to this game, I think that most of the people who yearned for "the good old days" were just in love with the thought of it. The old game was really good for it's time, but compared to the game it is now-- OH SO BAD!
There were SO MANY BAD THINGS about classic World of Warcraft that people had forgotten about. By the time they got what they asked for, (WoW Classic) they were already asking for Blizzard to change their diaper. Let me remind you:
In Vanilla, Druids only had battle resurrection. That bad boy had a 30 minute cooldown. Imagine wiping Molten Core, having to trek back and getting lost. Did you forget that you used to have to literally walk back to the instance when you died? Of course you did, you weeb! You're playing Final Fantasy XIV because WoW's graphics aren't Japanese enough for you. (This is a joke. I write comedy.)
In all seriousness, WoW was rough! It was like pulling teeth trying to get a raid group going on a server with a low population. (Even worse for Resto Druids) The game was so fun to play, but if certain classes wanted end game content, they had to transfer to a high population server, (which costs $50) and spam lfg in trade all day. If not that, you had to be in the best guild on your server and be available certain days of the week between certain times like you were on call at your job. THAT was annoying. It wasn't until after two entire expansions of complaining-- Blizzard gave Druids a Revive ability. (Patch 3.0.2)
Since then, the graphics have been updated not once, but TWICE. Between new character models, abilities, races, classes, and more character and gear customization than ever before-- I can't imagine why anyone would complain about this game not getting updated. The updates are there and the content is there. It's repetitive, but I assure you it's there.
If I never played this game before now, I'm not sure that I would pick it up. The story isn't the best, but it's not convoluted. I grew up playing this game with friends and family, and that's the purpose it serves for me today.
I don't play it every day, I don't sub every month, and I don't expect it to be the next new innovative MMO game. It's World of freakin' Warcraft. What more do you want? We don't need another BR game in this over saturated market. (Yeah, Blizzard, seriously what the hell is Seething Shore? What were you thinking?)
TLDR: Like all games, there are pros and cons. The game is accessible with impressive graphics and music. This game isn't for everyone, but can be played in large groups. There are a plethora of quests, in game pets, mounts, and gear appearances that can all be completed and collected account-wide. PVP can be toggled on or off, so you don't have to smash your face against the keyboard. The report system works. Addons are supported. $15/month, price has never increased. This game is a MEME. I am not responsible for any lost memes during this presentation
GLHF