For me playable races make or break the mmo. This was my ONLY real problem with Rift, I loved almost everything about the game at the start, and wanted it to "really be the one", but I just got bored... In the beginning, I had trouble picking a race because I hated them all (everyone basically looked exactly the same, save for them in endgame armor, for each side: elf variants, and human/human variants), which was the start of the downfall for me, and basically the only reason I quit.
From what I've seen in GW2 we are basically getting 4 races (since norn are a human varient). Honestly, none of them are the race I want to play. Charr are the only semi interesting looking race. But if one were to compile the most interesting and epic races from every mmo ever made, I'm pretty sure horned cat people would probably be last on the list (probably not on the list at all). Sure, this is a subjective opinion and example, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. And that's were I stand.
I am really impressed with everything else I'm seeing about this game, but I know if I am not interested with my character, I won't keep playing. Why don't the new mmo devs get this? A wide selection of epic and unique looking races is probably the most crucial aspect of the game. More so than anything else because people don't want to grow a toon that they can't really connect with, or don't feel it truly represents them in one way or another. I don't want to play a game that where there is nothing to choose from to create but elf variants, 3 different human variants, and/or a gnome thing, either. Maybe it's because I played horde on wow for so long that I like uglier characters, I dunno. Inb4- don't like elves and gnomes? fantasy mmo's aren't for u.