Cataclysm: Worgen

Worgen are the new Alliance race in Cataclysm. Their starting area, Gilneas is exceptionally well-crafted. Blizzard took what it learned from the success of the Death Knight starting area, and put it into practice here. You aren't just running around learning the game, which is the feeling of the older starting zones. You're progressing through a story.

You still get quests telling you to go kill X amount of Y mob, but unlike other areas, there's a definite reason. In other areas, like Elwynn Forest, you aren't killing random mobs that serve no purpose but to be killed by lowbies. You're trying to make a difference in your area. You're thinning out the invading Forsaken. You're killing commanders. You're gathering resources to help your people. Not all of the quests are terribly interesting, but most are, and serve to forward the story.

The story gets especially interesting when your human form finally falls to the curse of the Worgen that bite you early in the zone. The cinematic that it cuts to to describe your fall from grace is absolutely chilling.

As your character levels, you are pushed back by the invading Forsaken throughout Gilneas. You're never questing far from the current base of operations, giving you a more enclosed progression. This is actually very nice, as you don't have to crisscross the whole zone as you do for many other starting areas.

There is also a thematic break from your standard human zones. Rather than having their area drawn from Stormwind and other human zones, they are given a Victorian theme that really sets them apart from the other races of Azeroth. Walking through the city of Gilneas, you really get the feeling of 19th century London. Even the NPCs speak with a cockney accent. This is such a break from the rest of the feel of World of Warcraft, yet doesn't feel out of place. Instead, it gives a uniqueness to the zone that is entertaining, and doesn't give off the feel of "Same Shit, Different Zone".

The story is incredibly rich. Invading Forsaken, betrayal of the king, loss of friends and family, and a look at the lives of the common people. It's one of the few starting zones where I've actually read the quests and got involved with the story. The story has consequences far reaching into Azeroth, as you learn more about the perfidy of Sylvanas, and the path she and her Forsaken are taking against Azeroth.

I have not yet played Goblins, but this is by far the best starting zone Blizzard has conceived. Visually beautiful, brilliant story, and few disappointments (namely that Worgens don't have a racial mount and instead get the ability to run faster, much like Tauren's Plainswalking in Vanilla).