Nothing will ever compare to Everquest for me in the world of MMO's,

I was going to return to the game when there was the poll for a new prog. server, but since that did not win I did not return as intended.  I REALLY hope they release a sequel that FEELS like EQ, and I dont mean EQ2.  Everuqtes had the tightest communities / rivalries of any MMO I have played to date.  Remember the concept of blacklisting someone for ninjaing? 

That is now a daily, common occurence in many MMO's (the ninjaing and the anonimty of so many characters and name changes makes it impossible to really form any sort of community and have any semblance of  accountability for a players actions).  EQ was about networking, close social ties, and really great lore and gameplay.

WIth the addition of better combat / graphics / PvP / AI systems there are many many things that need to be improved in EQ to make it a viable game again, and I would prefer a fresh start (although with familiar NPC's, regions, lore, and the risk vs reward that the game maintained for so long)   It truly was the most "hardcore" PvE MMO, and not in the sense of mindless repetitive grinding like the numerous cartoony Korean  MMO's on the market.

I still remember the names of the guilds I was in from 1999 to 2005, and many of my friends / enemies char. names and guild association.  That feeling is just not present in games like WoW and all the solo-catering easy MMO's.

I would pay triple the subscription fee that EQ currently has if they were to make a new EQ that invokes the genuine feeling the original did.  Until then, none of the MMOs on the market are satisfying to me and I will continue to wait. Sometimes I will resub just to wander through all the empty zones and I still feel the nostalgia of 10 years ago.  The world of EQ is so large, detailed, and beautifully designed, I don't think any MMO to date has created such a large world.

R.I.P. Everquest, and all who worked on it from Release through PoP who did an excellent job.

Everquest 2 is FAR from a remake of Everquest.

I have played MMO's since 1998 and more than anything, I wish there would be a new Everquest based upon the first title (style, dungeon crawling, non instancing, etc.)  With a few upgrades of course, like a more interesting combat system for non casters, and a robust PvP system, not just a PvP server option that is worldwide.

EQ was hands down the best MMO in my book and there are many former (and current) players like myself that have been hoping for 5+ years that a new Everquest based on the original game and mechanis would be developed.  EQ2 lacks the community that Everquest had, and it truly was a game that revolutionized the MMO market more than anything released in the past 4 years. 

<3 EQ