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EverQuest Review: EverQuest Review - Edit
8.0
Great
| Graphics | 8 | |
| Role-Playing | 9 | |
| Fun | 9 | |
| Performance | 8 | |
| Sound | 6 | |
| Value | 10 | |
| Community | 8 | |
| Service | 6 |
EverQuest Review
Carolyn Koh takes an in-depth look at one of the genre's hallamrk games as she gives us her impressions of EverQuest as it stands for players today.
How does one go about reviewing a game such as EverQuest besides playing it a lot? I told my editor two months. I should have said three. Maybe four months... a year! At launch, this game had 12 races and 14 classes to choose from, and over 65 zones to play in with a level cap of 50. March just saw the 8th anniversary of this groundbreaking game in the Massively Multiplayer Online genre and at this time - April 2007, with 13 expansions released since day one, EverQuest boasts a total of 16 races, 16 classes, over 425 zones to play in, and a level cap of 75
Getting Started
The good thing about EverQuest is the massive amount of content available to the player for a relatively low price. In the past four years, expansions have been released twice a year, with a new retail "collection" box released each year. The expansions alternate between one that is only geared toward the high level population, and one that is tailored for the vast middle-aged population.
That's the good. The bad is, and always has been, video driver compatibility. Using the video driver recommended by SoE for EverQuest is always a good thing. It took me a week of searching for information and whining at friends before I learned that my video glitches were due to compatibility issues with my AMD dual-core CPU. Ahh... that made sense. EverQuest historically had issues with AMD CPUs, all the way back in 1999 when Bronze armor rendered blue on AMD PCs. A quick visit to the EverQuest Knowledge base and I soon had the fixes installed and I was back in the review business.
;)
The ugly? Well... some of the older zones still have the original graphics. Low polygon blocky snakes and square headed guards - pretty outdated at this time but they brought a nostalgic tear to my eye.
What's it about?
EverQuest is about adventuring. It's about making friends online and playing in groups of up to six or raids with as many as 72, depending on the raid scenario. It's about level and loot - reaching that spell level, gaining that advancement skill and brandishing an epic weapon that scatters pixels around you as run through town. It's about questing and adventuring - admiring the sunset over the Oasis and gaining access to a new zone.
in the world of Norrath, you will find your standard fantasy races here. Dwarves and Gnomes, the various Elven races of High-Elf, Wood-Elf, Half-Elf and Dark-Elf, a few human variations - Human, Erudite & Barbarian and some exotic creatures such as the lizardmen (known as Iksar) of your father's Tarzan adventure comics, Trolls, Ogres of high fantasy, Cat people (Vah'Shir), Froglocks (guess...) and the latest race, the Drakkin - another human variation, but this time with dragon blood.
EverQuest was hardcore in its day. There were "Hell" levels - levels which took twice as long to complete than others. Melee classes had to find a friendly player to bind them in cities. Trading was conducted by gathering in a more or less neutral area and shouting your wares. The death penalty was severe. When your character died, you left a corpse - with everything on it... and had to run naked back to it. You lost about 10% of your experience and you could lose a level, maybe meaning that you could not memorize a new spell only just learned. If you did not get to your corpse in time, it could - horror of horrors - decay. Even so, players of DikuMUD upon which EverQuest drew much of its inspiration, regarded the penalty light. In that game, if your character died, you lost a level.
;)
EverQuest is still considered pretty hardcore although many features have made it more friendly to the casual player. As the world expanded, transportation devices in the Plane of Knowledge were implemented with the Planes of Power expansion (2002) to allow players to travel quickly, NPCs were created to bind players, a bazaar system which allowed players to set prices and function as a vendor was set up. Shadow Rest - a player graveyard implemented in 2004 - allows a player to reclaim a decayed corpse, and Corpse Summoning Altars in Guild Halls were implemented in 2005.
However, apart from some classes, EverQuest remains the "grouping" game it was advertised as in 1999. Players of most classes will find soloing after level 15 difficult, if not impossible. Casual play is possible but "No pain, no gain" still applies in the ability to gain the top ranked armor and weapons. As designed, you gain more with cooperative play - faster xp gain, better gear. Leadership advancement which gives special abilities to your entire group is also a feature of group play.
EverQuest also takes more "work" to play. NPCs who are also quest givers do not have helpful glowing symbols above their heads, nor are the trigger words always marked. You've got to find the right NPC, and the correct trigger words. If you don't have the right faction, not only will you not be able to receive a quest, NPC guards may attack you. Selecting the wrong deity at creation may make you KOS (kill on sight) in certain places. But that was the original fun. Finding a secret tunnel in your home town and deciding whether you were going to explore. Wait... are you a paladin? What are you doing in these tunnels? The Necromancer guild master is just around the corner.
"EverQuest has always been known as a more hard-core RPG." Said Clint Worley, Producer of EverQuest. "This has always been intentional and it has created a real sense of adventure and risk involved that anyone who has played can explain. New adventurers try to go a little further away from the safety of town each day and more experienced players work to organize raid parties with dozens of other players just to defeat a single NPC."
;)
He continues to say, "The learning curve for EQ is known for being rather steep, so new players often find themselves feeling a bit behind when getting started. We have a tutorial that helps new players through the basics and gets them up and running. More experienced players look forward to the expansions that roll out each year to explore new areas, fight new NPCs, and collect new weapons and gear."
Graphics, Sound and Music
Graphics updates and upgrades are an ongoing affair for EverQuest. The most recent work being rolled out is upgrades of older zones and character models. Many model upgrades are often seen on NPCs and tested on the players for their responses before they are rolled out on player characters. The stilted, low polygon count models of the early years are mostly gone, but the transition between a new zone and an old can be quite shocking.
Environmental graphics in new expansions and upgrades of zones rival any current day MMOGs and is quite impressive for an MMOG that's getting on in years. The Drakkin city of Crescent Reach and the drowned city of Katta Castrum are excellent examples of the beauty of current graphics, and players need only stroll into areas like the Oasis and Nektulous Forest to appreciate revamped zone and mob graphics. The Drakkin player model also shows impressive grace in the character animation. Great textures, lighting and graphics depth can cause some video lag and performance issues, but EverQuest has never made any apologies about computing requirements needed to run the game.
Sound in EverQuest has also been upgraded along the years with better ambient sound effects, redone zone music and each expansion seems to bring better tracks of sound and musical effects. One of the most recognizable and beloved sounds ever in this game is the loud chime that sounds when you gain a level. With your sound cranked up, it can knock you out of your chair as it has done to me once upon a time, much too late at night. The perky, bouncy music of Rivervale is probably burned into the minds of old EQ players, but fortunately, EverQuest comes with its own mp3 player and players can run through Norrath to the music of their choice.
Game World
The World of Norrath was released with three main continents, each with their unique flavor of zones, flora and fauna, factions and quests. Expansions added more continents, some with new races - both playable and non-playable, new items and more nasty critters thirsty for your blood.
;)
Environments range from airless alien spaces on the moon to underwater caverns with everything else imaginable in between - that could be integrated into the storyline and the fantasy world that is Norrath. Zones are usually separated by geographical features such as mountain ranges and seas, with access through tunnels, mountain passes and boats. The variety is broad and players will find lots of dungeons and dragons... er... well, camps and critters. Tunnels and caverns populated by hosts of differing critters for characters to crush, stomp, blast and die from. There are often also several levels of mobs in each zone, creating opportunities for diverse groups of players to play in the same zone, and creating re-playability in the same zone.
From the Ice Clad gnomes to the Vah Shir of Luclin, from the Wayfarer Brotherhood to the Taleosian, stories and storylines abound, and as does factions. The factions of Norrath may have started with good and evil cities and some with both sides in separate zones, but as the world expanded, some expansion cities were neutral - or in Norrathian speak: They like no one and faction has to be built by running quests.
The world of Norrath is not static, it changes and morphs like a good MMOG should. Through the years, since March 16, 1999, zones have been diseased, corrupted, redeemed by player actions, taken over by other NPCs and beefed up. Returning players are warned. Do not simply waltz into a zone thinking it was as you left the game. Firiona Vie has been taken over by the Dark Elves. The golems guarding the bridges there may be light blue to a level 70, but remember... mobs above level 50 may summon. Although the guards at the toll gate in the Common Lands are still in the pocket of Kizdean Gix, the zone line is no more. The light races cannot escape that stinker as easily as before.
The Internet is your friend. There are fansites which track the change of the world, documenting the stories, the GM events that have taken place, various quest walk-throughs, tips and hints. Much of the storyline can also be accessed in game.
EQ which is years old and looks like crap graphics gets a 8 but World of Warcraft which looks 100 times better visually and artistically gets a 5 :S mmorpg.com reviews make no sense tbh.
Said it before and i'll say it again mmorpg.com staff are biased towards their own feelings on games and seem to be all like "oh im such a hardcore mmorpg player, so i like buggy horrible games" rofl...
Actually, since you bring it up. Reviews are the author's opinion of a game. That's what a review is. The writer of the review is tasked with playing the game, giving their impressions of it, and relaying that to our readers.
I can assure you that there is no "bias" at work here, as the authors are all individuals with their own opinions.
As to WoW... The author of the review for the expansion, Burning Crusade gave the graphics a 5. This choice was made to reflect the fact that he felt that, with an expansion that took as long as did BC to come out, there should have been a graphics upgrade. A 5 was awarded because he felt that very little work was done in that respect on the EXPANSION.
Conversely, the actual REVIEW of WoW gave the game's graphics a 10, while a review of the end game gave it an 8. All three reviews were written by different reviewers.
I say this because while you are free to express your opinions here, positive or negative, making unfounded accusations of "bias" is unfair and I felt that people had a right to know the WoW rating history. In the future, before making serious accusations like this, I would suggest that you review the whole situation.
I still play EQ. Along with WoW, CoV, and Vanguard. Since I have a job and a family, I don't spend massive amounts of time on any one game. However, EQ still has something that makes me happy. It's not the graphics. If I want pretty graphics, I'll log into another game. Maybe because it was my first and they say you never forget your first. The different choices of things to do and the ability to add to my character via the AA system are what probably keep me playing.
As a side note, the monthly fee for EQ is now $14.99. They raised it several months ago. I pay for Station Access or whatever it's called, but I distinctly remember increasing my checkbook entry before I added Vanguard to my list of games.
EDIT: Just saw the post about "bias." Perhaps bias is the wrong word. Anyway, I agree. Reviews are based on opinions, not fact. I think WoW's graphics are cartoony, actually. I prefer EQ over WoW, but I certainly wouldn't say that EQ has great graphics...lol. It's more of a preference than anything.
dude arent you being biased yourself? ROFL @ you becuase if you were to write a review of WoW im sure theres going to be someone jsut like you complaining and whining stating that you're so biased towards that game...obviously you have a serious grudge against any game other than WoW...
Hmm... I checked that fee by logging into my Station Account too, since I thought the fee had gone up a month or so back.
Heh. I just tried it to log into my Station Account and they are "experiencing technical difficulties, please check back again later." So I can't verify it at this time. I'll send an email to SoE to find out for sure.
Stradden,
There are a few missing words and a couple paragraphs that look like they were pasted twice. On page 2, paragraph 10 through 13 were repeated on page 1.
Kedoremos
It's like asking a Britney Spears fan if her music is good, do you think theyll say no? Even a harsh critic who hates everything is better at making us know the true flaws and strength of a game
stradden, i think that reviews like this one only make it more important for MMORPG.com to take a step up and do something about scores. it is ok that reviews are all the opinion of individuals, but those opinions are posted as oficial MMORPG.com reviews, and on my opinion, there should be some kind of comparative analyse when doing reviews. as can be clearly seen on this review, it is not possible that EQ looks better than The Burning Crusade, but MMORPG.com official scores reflect that EQ looks almost twice as good as TBC.
take it not as a critic, but as a suggestion.
eq is full of instances and leveling is faster than in wow
soe ruined this game, move on
I really don't like this re-review.
The writer, never ever even mentioned the biggest problems with everquest.
She briefly goes over the fact that Everquest is top-heavy, when she should have made it VERY clear that eq is in no way an acceptable game for a new person starting out. There is noone around in the newbee area's.
She has also not once mentioned the constant botting that goes on in Everquest atm, the selling of loot rights, the warping and use of macroquest.
"Death is inevitable in EverQuest. From the first accidental tap of the 'A' key while you have your guild master targeted to the total party wipe or TPW, your character dies. "
This NEVER EVER happens anymore since like years. Guild masters aren't attackable since a long long time.
When the hell was this review made rofl.
Also, the default auto-attack key is "Q"now.
I am lukewarm on this review. It has two audiences: people who haven't played, who might have gotten some idea of what to expect from the review, and people who have, who know what the game was like when they played. There are a few changes that have come along that would be pretty major for ex- or returning players that weren't really covered, like out-of-combat regen and changes to melee combat that added new abilities for warriors that draw on "endurance" (a power pool like mana for magic). For new players, I think I would have at least mentioned that all new characters have the option to start in the same starting city (Crescent Reach), making it a little easier to find and hook up with other players.
On the other hand, there was a lot of ground to cover, and this review does cover a lot of it. It was a big assignment, considering the size of the game. So it isn't really bad.
EQ evolved, apparently you didn't.
Well first of all, I don't think that WOW graphics are anything like 100 times better. Unless you like simplisitic very low polygon cartoons and squared off and spiky scenery.
But that aside, a game review should be based on far more than just the graphics, such as content, gameplay, quests, and many other factors. And WOW loses big time there against EQ.
WOW succeeded big time because it IS simple - simple to play, low resolution graphics that will run on almost any machine less than 6 years old, and requires minimul knowledge of the game to level up.
Plus there is the fact that 3 games - UO, EQ, and AC - were the basic ground breakers for MMO's. WOW broke no new ground, and has nothing original nor innovative in it. EQ has managed to hold on for this long because it is challenging and NOT easy. Quite true that it does not and never will have the sub numbers that WOW has, but because of the depth of the game you could literally play EQ for 3 years and never see it all. You can play WOW for 3 months and see everything.
EQ is more of a "harder core" niche game now, but in many ways it is still the leader of the pack - even though it is now somewhat of an old sage in semi-retirement standing out of the limelight while watching the follies of the newer games
And Vanguard proved that you need far more than pretty graphics for a game to succeed.
Well, the flop of VG proved how many real "old time EQ players" there are. Even without instances that you seem to hate (for whatever reason..)
And I have played EQ off and on since about a month after release, and my opinion is that it is MUCH better now than it was.
And leveling is hardly "faster than WOW". It is faster than it used to be before your old friend Brad left, but once past 60 it is far from "easy".
And to be really honest, that really old "SOE ruined it" mantra is pretty tiresome by now. Move along and get a life. That was like FIVE YEARS AGO!!.
EQ is top heavy - but so is every other game that has been out for more than a year. Just look at WOW, EQ2, and other much newer games - you have a large number of high levels compared to noobies. LOTRO has been out for like 3 weeks, and I am already seeing the "race to the top".
As far as your macroquest comment, in my total of playing EQ for around 5 years over it's 8year life, I have NEVER seen a confirmed user of that program. And as far as selling loot rights, I have seen that in every single MMO I have played.
I felt this was a good review, For the life of me i cannot figure out why more dont play eq still, i mean even myself has tried every game to come along after it and besides pvp i feel eq has just about everything covered(player housing still needed but then ive yet to see it useful, the old world of eq was awsome and i still wish they would redo a classic only server for the original eq nothing else but what it was released with (hell levels and all).
as far as other games go i feel wow was a awsome game as well just for a different crowd.
it really comes down to this in the end eq was my first and all others will be judged by this and i have yet to see a spell system as fun as everquest.
i have yet to see a game where folks can pull off 60 man raids with decent graphics and still manage to move.
i have yet to see a game do everything eq did in beginning and do it better then eq , boats swimming advancement and the biggest thing lore.
. i feel the failure of almost all mmo is they expand outward instead of keeping worlds small so folks can find one another the size of original eq was perfect should have just added small zones off of that or kept story line going within that world.
I feel like the author is being dishonest, though. There is zero grouping oppurtunities in EQ now. It really pisses me off when I see people claim they get groups with no trouble in EQ. Its because they have been hanging out with the same people for 3 or 4 years. EQ was a blast when people used to group. Now all they do is log in at 8pm and raid then go to bed.
Grouping past level 65 without raid gear is a death wish. This game is complete garbage to people who don't like raiding. Let's be honest.
The OP's review is valid, but definitely viewing EQ through rosy colored glasses. i think the biggest harm to EQ nowadays is itself since it does indeed have SO much content. The population to fill that type of environment just doesnt exist anymore. You can survive, but not really thrive if you are a returning player from scratch or a brand new player. Then again, those are based on personal definitions so to each their own. EQ is still a good game. Sony Online Entertainment was sluggish in reacting when casual players were seeking & found alternative MMOGs to play. Hence the drastic population decline over the last couple of years, & probably a contributing factor to Vanguard's lackluster beginning. Vanguard has suffered mostly on it's own merit of broken promises. Those dedicated that have played EQ for years i am sure & hope are still having fun, but it took them a lengthy time to get to that higher tiered stage. Why should any of us returning players or new EQ players attempt such an investment with such a dust-aged game? Sure there is alots of content in EQ, but since it doesnt charge more than most other MMOGs that doesnt mean it is a better value. There is a huge vacuum caused by exactly that amount of content & the lack of population to sustain it properly. i had mentioned in an earlier post about the Anniversary Edition that SOE missed a great opportunity using that product to tempt players to EQ. The OP's review here read to me more like propaganda that had been asked to be posted rather than experienced & given. If any still enjoy EQ though good for them! If i hadn't deleted my account toons a couple of years ago i might've gone back to it as well. A game that has content that cannot be accessed by casual playing even after lengthy time seems due to have troubles. EQ used to get by with that because it was mostly the only MMOG. They rested on their laurels & wouldn't listen much to the player-base during a significant time in EQ so now it suffers. Once SOE buys Vanguard, they need to incorporate a trans-gaming-interface between EQ, EQ2, & EQ3, oops i mean Vanguard, so players from all three can group & play together ... okay i filled my quota of sarcasim for the day. Whichever game one decides to play, just try to have fun.
4/5 of oldworld zones are deserted.....
yes, eq evolved.
9/10 graphics...lol.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Every time I go back, it is inevietably as a low level toon, I cant say as Ive ever had a problem grouping when I wanted too. The game itself has gone through a wide range of changes over the years and mudflation second to none, but, that is the nature of the beast.
If you have never played an MMO before I really cant recommend EQ when there are modern options available that are so much less painful to play.
EQ is huge, and chances are, a very great chance that is, is that a new player will never, ever, ever see 90% of the content available. On the other hand if your looking for something really meaty to sink your teeth into, and a vast world to explore, EQ is definately worth the paltry cost of admission. Problem is that very few people (relativly speaking) have the personality type required to stick with EQ for 70+ levels of play. Or even 40, my best friend in real life has had an account since launch, it has been active since then, and his highest level toon is 45, now thats casual and perhaps one of the reasons that EQ will be around for years and years to come.
-Gooney
The rating of the graphics is just not what is should be.
Being a reviewer myself i am really sad to see someone rate a game like this.
You have to rate the game in context to other games.
And taking the graphics rating forexample - How would you rate games like Everquest 2, EVE Online, and others when you've almost reached the top with a low-poly game?
Maybe you guys should focus more on news and articles and just stop reviewing games.
You'd need to decide upfront whether a rating for "Graphics" was going to be based on the technical achievement involved or the aesthetic effect achieved, for a start. I personally prefer the graphics EQ had when I first played in 1999. I prefer the blocky, low-poly models and the low-res textures precisely because they provide just enough of a framework for my imagination to fill in the details. I would, personally, rate the current EQ graphics around a 6, but the original graphics an 8.
Overall, I thought this re-review was fair, accurate, coherent and useful. It does, yet again, bring up the myth that EQ is a difficult or unrewarding game to solo in. When I was last playing regularly, when the level-cap was 70, virtually every class had been soloed to the cap and I am sure that hasn't changed. For the first two years I played, 1999 - 2001, I soloed about 80% of the time and in all the MMOs I have played since I have never found a more enjoyable setting or ruleset for just pottering around at my own pace. I wouldn;t disagree, however, that the game is more exciting with a few friends, but there is a metric ton of things to do on your own when no-one else you know is around, and levelling up your character is very much possible .
BC graphics are blocky and low poly. After the hundreds of millions of dollars in profit and 2 years to work on it, BC should have had upgraded graphics and I totally agree with the review.
BC is NOT just another expansion for just another game. People waited 2 years for it and WoW is the biggest game on the planet. Should we not expect a bit more?
BC graphics are blocky and low poly. After the hundreds of millions of dollars in profit and 2 years to work on it, BC should have had upgraded graphics and I totally agree with the review.
BC is NOT just another expansion for just another game. People waited 2 years for it and WoW is the biggest game on the planet. Should we not expect a bit more?
That comment basically express your complete ignorance about how 3d, graphic and system develompent works. They can`t not ugrade graphics just like that.. they would have to re-map the whole game... and maybe get a new graph engine, change all the develpment tools risking some compatibility issues... i mean.I have always have respect for blizzard as they focuse in art quality rather than high tech blink.. Outlands graphs arent top notch but the whole Outland`s concep and art design are top of the line,making it well ... fun, at least for me an some other millions.
As a graduated architect looking forward for a digital arts master, who also works doing 3d rendering and modeling, One thing i can tell you: creativity, comunication and marketing sells more than ... well meaningless pretty high thech graphics.
The TSS expansion launched included content for all levels and updated the game for lower levels wanting to avoid avoid old world . Eq just launched its anniversary edition last week (which sadly wasnt reported on this site even though EQ is still by far the largest MMORPG available) which includes all 13 expansion to date . They have also reduced the Expansion cycle from twice a year to once a year so not only do you get all the content for 20 bucks the expansion rate will be slow enough to keep up with and wont abuse the wallet.
Eq has hot zones for leveling as well as an expansive task system with single player as well as group progression for any level.
One can easily get to the post 70 playing 4-8 hours a week . EQ is not for everyone though but the reasons for not trying are evaporating.
The graphic may not be the slickest most detauled in the indusry but they are fresh and current . it is the perfect game for those who get bored with games like WOW and are seeking a more complex mature game.
BTW the speaking of graphic the player models starting with the introduction of the Drakkin and the current remodeling of the human model will soon have a fresh new look. this game has not been collecting dust and continues to push the envelope in game design
You all must admit that WoW was not such an Original game, it is fun bu far from original. While EQ was very original and has more content then WoW. EQ has ok graphics if you running a nice rig and wow has nice graphics but neither is impressive at this moment. If it was based off of graphics then EQ2 would certainly be above so many others at this point in time. Tabula would be a perfect 10 considering its graphics.
Coming from a person who is not biased, I would have to say I rank EQ above WoW on th grounds of more content. End game EQ has much more to do because it has been out so long, has more in low level mid level all levels.
Also you should go turn the graphics up all the way on eq, its not as bad as you think.
I say the review is right just because if I had to chose to be put on an island with only 1 of these games it would be EQ as i would obviously not get bored of as fast.
This is not biased either, it is simply the fact that EQ is very solid, has tons of early, mid, and late game content, ok graphics, pretty good amount of players, good sound, small loading times, nice story, nice customer support, low down time, no lag, very strong community that is helpful and friendly.
Now list of the things that wow has above EQ, i will gladly say what EQ has above it and we will see which weighs out.
Now do you understand the perspective that its not all about graphics it might be about the whole experience and the big picture?
OH COME ON!!
Everquest's populations couldn't drop any lower, even pok is empty.
Strong community? Are you kidding? There's none left.
Botters yeah, enough of those.
9/10 graphics made me LOL @ this review.
I think the review covered about as much as a single 3 page review possibly could for a game that is just so huge and had such a massive impact to the MMO industry. While a review's scores have to always be taken with a grain of salt (eye of the beholder, and all of that), they give you a sense of what the reviewer was looking at to make their scoring.
I've also appreciated reading some of the comments here on the thread, as they have given me some insight into the current state of the game as well - From an outsider's perspective who is very familiar with the game, however, is no longer an active player of it.
I would just like to ask everyone to keep the attacks down and try to make your point without having to feel the need to bash someone else's opinion in the process. We all have something to say and each person's opinion is important to hear - Don't ruin yours by bashing someone else's.
Thanks for the comments in the thread, they've been somewhat helpful for a former EQ player taking a look back at this game.
BTW people only goto pok for buffs and when they get those buffs they are not gonna sit around and wait for them to fade when they can go to their guild lobbies and keep their buffs fresh. Eq isnt reliant on pok to use the books for travel anymore either.. guild halls hae pportal stones you can pretty much go anywhere and close to the action than the books.
The annoiversary Edition contains all 13 expansion so it was appropiate to review tthe summation of all 13 expansion. it sounds as if the reviewer didnt spend much time in the the older graphic zones because there isnt much need to except for nostalgia and to pickk up a few odds and ends. EQ desptes it medium quality graphics still contain some of the best back gronds of any mmorpg out there.
Eq is in good position for a resurgence the game has evolved with the yearrs and is still rnning strong the quality of the game continues to rise and the devs continue doing thing with the code that consistently exceeds alot of the limitations the initial game design limitiations
There are problems with Eq such as a few bugged raid encounters here there and poor itemization of recent expansions that has been revamped and conntinued to improve but overall the game is in good shape and the Dev team dont mind correcting their mistakes even if it takes some time.
races 12 -> 16
classes 14 ->16
zones 65 -> 425
...
One news is that now Everquest is moving to a 1 expansion a year mode. With november being the month of choice for releasing the yearly expansion now. In the mean time it has been commented there may be free content released now and then in between, although one will have to wait and see about this.
As to the questing, it's been somewhat more easier to find your path. But it is undeniable that without online resources like Allakhazam it still would be very hard to find your way through quests. But to add to that i believe this is common to all the mmorpg's out there. As example i'd point to the wow version of allakhazam that also guides people through quests and such.
As to sound, i cannot comment much, as i don't really use it. Recently i discovered sound triggers though, which are a real cool addition. where a wav can be played if something occurs. Like a buff that wears off someone. And of which the message can be lost in battlespam.
To the combat system i'd like to add. It may seem simple, the hitting of the A button (or Q if you have an azerty keyboard and didn't set up EQ to that mode). Yet it is not. Continual position of mobs is for example essential, especially as in the higher zones of the newest expansions trash mobs will enrage, in other words at a point, usually around 10 pct life, they will counter all incomming melee attacks from the front. Which can be devastating knowing how hard these buggers hit at that point.
The comments above were some additions to the review.
Now i would like to add a few comments of my own, as well as possible replies to comments of others. The Q button reply was already included above.
Everquest is by no means perfect. But then no game is, and anyone who portrays their game as being perfect only really fools themselves.
Graphical comments were added by some, and it's a comment that will come up in 5 years still. Because those people usually refer to the zones from the first expansions. Which do not get changed with following expansions. And which indeed present graphics from 2001 and before. But then if they were to take a look at the newer zones, then maybe then they would understand what advancements there have been in everquest on the graphical engine, and where graphics are really at. Graphics can change from zone to zone, depending if you go between the kunark expansion or The Buried Sea. But then the amount in years between both is vast. As no other mmorpg covers that large a time scale. But then that is all right. One wouldn't want to buy a game and suddenly find out 2 years later you cannot play it anymore because the graphics were changed, because of an expansion you chose not to buy yourself.
The one graphical pain point may be the character models of the players. Which seem to be due a revamp. And which has been sheduled for a while. At posts from developers this is an ungoing project which will probably be finished somewhere in the comming year.
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Now to the comment that EQ can not look better then The Burning Crusade. I personally cannot comment about that, as i do not play WoW. But it would be nice to know what experience is used for this statement. Did you compare it to TSS or TBS from eq ? or did you compare it to an older experience ? Such statements cannot be accurate or founded, unless one has experienced the most recent in both games.
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To the comment about instances, it is my understanding those exist in WoW to. As such they are no rarity. The fact it's ignored that they add an extra depth to the game, and offer more tools. And can enhance player pleasure is also vastly ignored by this comment. To just state that instances are bad, is kind of once more an unfounded statement.
As to the leveling being faster then in wow. May i disgress. With the level reaching level 75 now, and every class having somewhere between 1300 and 1700 aa's, which are alternate experience methods to tailor your character. There is a lot of experience to be filled. A year of non stop gaming wouldn't fill it for most. Altho there is a push for an increase on the number of AA's released per expansion, and there are players at the limit. To reach that limit most players had to invest many years.
The comment of SoE ruined this game, ignores clearly the fact all the energy and work thats been put in it. It's easier to concentrate on the few negative points one sees, or has experienced in the past. And ignore the fixes and work done since.
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A reply to Drea-Mer
As i understand most games fall in the top heavy category.
It's true that as far as newbee zones go. One has to almost evolve with expansion by expansion. Because players move to try out the newest. And if you do not follow you will end alone in many ways. But this is with all games, especially once they have this number of expansions.
It would be more helpfull, maybe if SoE would invest more time in advertising. To bring in more new blood. But for now that is not the way.
As a reply to the constant botting. It may peeve you. But yes botting happens, and personally there is nothing bad about it. As long as no iligit software is used to do it. Who is to forbid someone to play, 2, 3 characters at the same time. Especially if it gives them more options at progressing. It often takes time to find a group. In the long run if you can make this go faster. Then all the power to that player. It's like the players complaining they have a hard time finding groups. But when it's asked if they ever tried to form their own groups. They start giving you the blank stare. In Everquest you have to give some effort at all levels. For things will not be given to you for free.
As to warping and use of macroquest. It is hard to get a clear view on the problem. But action is being taken against it. Altho i bet it's not something simple to do. Recently a number of MQ users have ended banned, at least so the rumor mill says. The fact is that SoE doesn't share this kind of info with the playerbase. As such you cannot know of what action is really taken. I have to add though that customer support as far as i can see improved. Although it goes mainly through the soe website now. And is only pushed in game once a problem is checked.
As to the dieing item, which i seemingly missed in the review. Dieing happens. But for a fee one can now summon corpses from anywhere in the world to the guildlobby, which is right next to pok. And from there it's really only a matter of time before one can find a rez.
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A general note,
Everquest has issues that is for sure, it is not a game for everyone.
But to a good note is that the work never ends. That there is contact with developers, and at many levels an exchange of information. Everyone is rarely happy, and at times some fixes take 'time', and some fixes are really not liked. But the work goes on, and in a game like everquest it is never done.
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To the comment that old world zones are deserted,
One can only point to the number of zones Everquest now covers, compared to launch. Seeing as the number of players per server are pretty stable. It is unrealistic to expect 6 year old zones to gather crowds while the action really moved to way more recent expansions.
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To Drea-Mer's post about pok.
You state pok is empty, yet it is not. At any time fifty people are in it. Do you mean there are less then years ago. Well yes. As now the action for the main hub of the game spreads over the PoK, the guildlobby, and the instanced guildhalls. As such it is normal that PoK would have less players in it. But to just state it is empty, is spreading false facts.
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Now as i finally got at the end of the posts i can maybe add more of my own feelings.
The newest expansion added some very intresting features. Which are helpfull tools in their own ways.
One helps grouping, with the creation of fellowships, which are like mini guilds of maximally 9 people. And where if 3 members are in the same place they can make a free of charge port in spot (for as far as the zone isn't flagged against this, which is the fact in a minority of zones). This is really handy to get a group to a camp. Now there are some which may feel that this only enhances the clannish nature of groups. But then if those would think about the potential of this system. If a member of a group were to leave, and the other 5 people are in the same fellowship, with one being a gater and bound in pok. Then it would be very easy to recruit a new person for the group, which doesnt even have to be in the fellowship as long as they have TBS. invite them into the fellowship in PoK and then both gate right to the group's camp.
There is a related feature on the guildlevel, which is called the guildbanner. Where much like the fellowship. If 12 guildies are together a banner can be placed down by an officer. Which can be used as a port in spot from the guildhall, for any guildmembers who have TBS. Add to that that the guildbanner can be moved around with the raid. This will show a new strong tool for many players out there.
Add to that, that these can also provide buffs. In the style of 1 thousand extra hitpoints to all members, or extra damage shield, mana regen and many other buffs. It will show that these can be a wonderfull tool indeed.
Another very positive move, is the fact that now one can buy the complete bundle, up to the last expansion. For a mere 20 dollar, for now in shops only, but very soon in online download version to.
Everquest has been, and still is a very heavy progession based game though. This means that if a player is to plan it's progression in difficulty, one will find it way easier to infact grow stronger.
The weakest point of Everquest nowadays is the lack of advertisement. For an influx of new players one would have to be out there. And on that front there is still some work to be done.
Has the newer EQ dabbled with any of the appeals of the older game or has it just dropped that and just continued in its own direction?
IMO, no review about EQ can be fair. There should be 2 reviews for it.
1 Review should be modern, and in which case, EQ doesn't score a 8. When this score is too low, just get rid of this review as it will serve it purpose no more, so when it comes to the point it isn't appealing to new players, just remove this review.
1 Review should take into account the age of EQ, what was existing when it was release and so on...and EQ deserves at least 9.5 if not a pure 10. This review should also consider the impact it has on the market, all the MMOs they influence...be it DAoC by it systematically opposing most EQ-designs decision or WoW been a refined latest version.
Most MMOs are derived and inspired from EQ, not all movies, not even most, are derived or influenced by Charlie Chaplin which get a perfect score.
Ms Koh did a fair review, trying to mix everything in it...but by doing so, she definitely offusk most peoples who actually care. Since it is obvious that as a new game and the current market, EQ doesn't deserve a 8...but it is also obvious that taking it starting point in time, the influence it has on most/all MMOs, EQ deserve at least 9.5 if not a pure 10. Prolly doesn't deserve a 10 however, since they made critical mistakes (raiding is an example) which ruins what could have been. See having an incredibly high score doesn't mean it is perfect, and very few will actually argue about it or try to denigrate it, cause it is obvious the oldie factor is taken into account.
Everquest is one of the most challenging games I've ever played. I've been playing back since the very first beta prior to it's release. I've played WoW, I've played other MMORPG games, but it's always Everquest I go back to.
The graphics of the game seems to be being compared to WoW a whole lot, in my opinion, I prefer the graphics of EQ. WoW has cartoonish graphics that just don't appeal to me whereas SOE devs are striving to make their characters on EQ more realistic. The latest expansions TSS and TBS have huge upgrades to the graphics as compared to the old world ones. To be honest, I choose to level up many of my alts in old world zones purely for the feeling of nostalgia it brings. Aye, I know not many people do anymore.
Being a new player to the game isn't quite as daunting as one would believe. You have easy leveling to level 10 in the tutorial and recieve the basic gear needed to clothe the naked body of a newly created character. After tutorial there are more armor quests in PoK for the newbie adventurer (last i checked Drakkins couldn't do them.. not sure if it changed yet) or you can go to Crescent Reach one of the new TSS zones for a alot more quests that will help get you gear and experience. Also included now are "hot zones" zones in which gear/augs can drop that hadn't dropped in the zone prior to the zone becoming a hot zone and a better experience rate. Most of these hot zones are in the older zones rather than the new ones. Hot zones start at level 20 and, going up in intervals of 5, end at 65. Finding players in the hot zones isn't as hard as you would think either. I know I can almost always find a group when I wander into one as a low levelled player. If I can't find a group, I work on something else.. tradeskills maybe or go to Thurgadin and grab a MM with people already there. MMs are great as players of all levels can group together and get experience. Another thing that is good, at least on my play server, is there are tons of family type guilds which will help the new player with questions or explanations of how things work. I know of a few guilds who even have an "alts" night, a night where they play their alts together or create new toons and work on leveling them. A great oppurtunity for new players to get groups with experienced players. Everquest has so much content that even a new player will be able to find things to do to while away the time. To say that getting to level 70 or even 75 is impossible for a new player is a lie. It may be difficult to do, but all the hard work in the end is rewarding. There may be a lot more higher level players than lower leveled ones, but it really isn't impossible. In fact I've seen people get to 75 in less than a month without using Macroquest and without boxing more than one toon. (Ok, so maybe those players have too much time on their hands but you get the point!)
As for customer service, SOE has really picked up the pace on that. What used to sometimes take days or weeks to get a response too has lately taken up to 24 hours. Yes, sometimes there are problems that take longer to fix and it doesn't seem as personal as it used to due to it all taking place on their website, but overall I'd rather get the help I need faster than have more "personal" contact with a GM. Guides are another story. There was a time when Guides would help handle Customer Service. The days of that are long gone and now they handle small issues like bugs where players get stuck under the world or resetting stuck NPCs and their job is mainly to roleplay and put on quests for the players. Where are these Quests I speak of? They're around, but you have to be in the right place at the right time to spot them or participate in them.
The raiding content of the game is a challenge. It doesn't lower the value of the game. What else would the high level players who've been playing for years end up doing if they couldn't progress any farther? I'm an odd one and I have 2 main characters I play on there, as well as a plethora of alts. One is in a raiding guild, the other is unguilded. I love raiding, but I also like to stick to group content at times and will play the unguilded toon. I even solo my unguilded one and she's a rogue! I have a best friend who plays and he's been playing as long as I have, and his main is a 65 paladin and he has soloed almost every bit of experience he has earned. Soloing may not be easy but is indeed possible for any class.
Another comment was about the epics... do you want to know how my rogue got her 1.5 recently? By using /ooc in PoK and asking for help in General chat and even sending tells to people who were LFG. People I didn't even know came to help me with it! It gave them something to do, so they came and helped. The same goes for groups, I leave LFG up for a while and meander off and do something else, and if I get no response within a given amount of time, I pick a zone I want to go to and using the same methods I used for getting my epic i put together a group myself and off we go. People are always complaining when they can't find a group. But how do you think those groups that you want in to even get started? Only one person is needed to get a group together. Instead of complaining, do something about it!
There are always going to be players who use 3rd party software such as Macroquest on any MMOG. And there will always be people who prefer to box rather than try to find others for a group. SOE has been really working on stopping the players who use it. In fact, I know a few people on my play server who have been suspended, banned, had their characters rolled back, etc. as "punishment" for using those programs and being reported by other players or caught by GMs/Guides.
The population of EQ has dwindled some since it's release, but it isn't as bad as you'd think. With the amount of zones there are and the amount of content, the population has just been spead out a whole lot more than it had previously been. It would be nice to see new people coming into the game in my opinion. I would love to see some good advertising and publicity for Everquest out there. But really? With all the bad that is said and still being said, it would still be hard to get new players interested. But with the two latest expansions TSS and TBS and future expansions to come I think it is possible to draw people into the game again.
Many of the comments on here seem geared towards the negative rather than the positive aspects of the game. A lot of you see how EQ has evolved as a negative thing. Personally, I like how it has evolved as a whole. The world of Norrath is huge and there are so many different things to do or see. Those of you who lean towards the negative things only see the bad and can't seem to see the good things about it. In my opinion the review wasn't as bad as people have made it out to be and there are lots of things about Everquest that are good about the game that others who don't play for whatever reason wouldn't be able to see.
An 8.0 huh? Isn't this the exact same reviewer that gave Lotro a 7.5? Need I say more? Not a bad review although they did not address the number one of my number one issues with the game, downtime.
You are supposed to rate it against other games. Anyone giving EQ anything over a 5 is beyond clueless. It was ok at the time it was released, but it just fails miserably in comparrison to it's competition today.
Dear Mr. Wood, you really need to sit down with said reviewer and discuss how the rating system works because they don't have a clue how to rate a game.
This just reflects badly on the MMORPG.COM site.
please if your gonna make comments about something you dont like in eq elaborate so people know what your talking about.. the longest downtime you have in Eq these days is when every goes to take a lunch break
whats being rated is an MMORPG not a single player or FPS
you can sign on and jump into a group or go work on trdeskills or just go farm mobs for tradeskills parts or catch up some aa soloing when groups arent appealing or available.
Overall EQ is definately a 9 a 7 a worst..
4 minutes huh, wow .....just because you have been brainwashed does not mean their are not far better options out there. I was kind, giving it a 5.
I will be honest, I just never liked the game, Verant did not help. Sony has fixed a lot of Verant's mistakes, but if you can't admit it is outmoded and creaking in it's old age, you are being dishonest with everyone.
group play rewards players for converserving their energy yet gives them the power to go full blast when they need to some may not like that but its part of th challenge of game content and overall is a plus not a negative.
in the raid game downtime used to be the the cause of the majority of now time this is now more refelcted in the organization of the raid instead of game mechanics. except in the course of the wipe.. but if you fail at something it should take a moment before your character is full blast. the content itself has reduced zerging signifficantly whle stil allowing players to reenter the fight smoothly when a few drop here and there during the cours e of a long fight raidwise and that is a delicate balance.
tradeskills have been revamped to be more efficient and practical significantly reducing combine times by allowing the character to remember recipes and hitting the combine button without swapping around alot of items
group wise.. shrouds have been introduced alllowing you to play a different class archetype to fil in base group needs when you are short a group function providing more group functionality. ( you can also shroud down levels to play with lower level characters . granted these shrouds are underpowered for difficult group content as they should be.
potions were revamped to increase player solobility and made readily available for the players lessening dependance on buffs while till making buffs desirable as opposed to the diablo approach of potions which pretty much gives characters no incentives to group with other players via trivializing content
content itself has been revamped. mob immunities from players availities this has gone a long way into been trending mkore towards mob mittigation as opposed to mob immunities. this has gone along way to diversifying content in a game which already has the most.
I disagree with the sentiment that if EQ was released today it would be to little fanfare. with the majority of the players ate lower levels and the crrent degin and content element used in the game in addition to the live content that is introduce periodically.. (scripted armies travelling zone to zone is certainly not boring)
Oh come on, it is a dead end game, only people playing are those that can't stand to start over and try something new.
If it were released today as is, it would be just another small niche game. If you can't grasp the fact that people don't want to play difficult MMO's, then you cannot face reality. The main reason people play game is to have fun. Wow for example is fun due to it's simplicity. Low death penalty, hand holding on quests, etc. I am no Wow fan, but recognize why it is popular. Beyond it's huge content EQ offers nothing that is easy. Hence very small niche market.
But, whoops, newer EQ expansions with options on are graphically superior to WoW, I guess people like to ignore that little fact.
Yes, EQ is a bit more hardcore than most other MMOs, but it still has more content than any of them.
EQ is not outmoded, and is still a cutting edge MMO due to the fact that expansions keep coming out with new features/content.
You just don't get it. The only people that want a hard core MMO is the avid pvpers, they don't mind, but oh, EQ is primarily a pve game.
Where is your fan base coming from? Again a small niche market game.
Who in the world cares about graphics that much? It is all about gameplay and that is exactly what EQ does not have when compared to it's competition.
If EQ is your type of game, more power to you. You should play the game that gives you what you want from a game. All I am saying is that in this market place EQ does not fit the mold of what most people are looking for. Giving it a high rating when it clearly does fit in with what most players are looking for is just silly.
Maybe MMORPG.COM needs to change their 8 categories, because no where do I see a playability category, which really is tops on most peoples list. I guess that falls in the fun category and she gives it a 9 for fun. How in the world can you give a hard core game like this a 9 for fun unless you are a masichist?
By your use of the word "masochist" you seem to be using a different definition of "hardcore" than I am. EQ is not a very hard game overall, there are incredible challenges, and there are trivial tasks, so the difficulty is what you make of it. What makes EQ a hardcore game is the fact that you cannot progress in the game without being willing to make a time investment. EQ is not for the person with five minutes a day to play, you just won't get anywhere. And yes, I'll readily agree that the market share goes to WoW because you can beat WoW much more easily, it has what people want. But frankly I *do* have the playtime to go all out for the best thing on the market.
In short, EQ is hardcore in the sense that it requires some measure of playtime, not in the sense that the game itself is tough.
Everquest isn't really difficult either imo. The difficulty now is having people on who play.
EQ IS TOTALLY NOT newbee friendly anymore.
The reviewer didn't make that clear at all.
Another thing, the newbees in the newbee forum ofter get told EQ is alive and kicking for them and it's packed with newbees etc....Those ppl lying on forums so newbees buy the game just to have more ppl playing disgust me rofl.
everquest has made long strides to making everquest newbie friendly with potions. shrouds, monster missions, the tutorial . poK armor newbie quest. and cresecent reach.. a centralized zone for new players to get familiar with the game with lower end quest a city. and 2 farming grounds as well as an undead area to where you can get into your twenties without leaving the city. a massive bazaar with gear available from other players to bepurchased and used to make old world pre 50 content even more accessible.
Newbies have many options they can grind their way into their fifties in just a few zones or they can take their time and explore the 50 plus zones with content they can do on their own or with a small group.
The industry has ignored everquest the last few years but mainly because of EQ2's release. Many of the industry experts thoughteverquest would stagnate and die with no development so what would be the point to spend much time or making resources availble to cove r it ... this was sony's mistake in the naming of eq 2. because EQ is still improving it still is being developed and fresh content is regularly implemented. Many of the features in everquest now were thought impossible during the development due to coding limitations . this code was rewritten. the game engine was replaced and all was implemented with while sustaining the game with very little downtime.
I server population is in concern there is 26 servers avaialble to choose from and you can have t least 6 players for each server. I would recommend singing on several servers during what would be your regular playing time and seeing which one best suits you
4 minutes of downtime between each fight is horrible and long. Granted, it is nothing as it used to be, the 15 minutes meditating with the impossibility to watch the world around while you meditate was a lot longer.
Still, 4 minutes of doing nothing and waiting is horrible. In a modern game, that downtime is 30 seconds to 1 minute at worst, and killing a mob take 2-30 seconds...not 5 minutes of boring fighting.
I play pre-Kunark. And there was a logic and a mentality behind this that could have been somewhat nice, but the 15 minutes downtime was horrible. 4 minutes is still horrible. I did it back then, because I didn't have a better MMO option. In the MMO I play, between 30 seconds to 1 minutes, not even sitting, I am full heatlh/stamina and ready to destroy scores of minions.
in the old days eq downtime was a chance to catch a breather. Now unless you are taking on content more challenging than what you should be or pushing your limits people have to go afk to get groups to slow down and even then groups will keep going til the player returns.
anything more would pretty much triviallize the game.. I prefer having abilities i can overues or underuse at my discretion as opposed to a system that needs to limit the abilities in order to pace the game.
allowing the players the freedom to manage and moderate their abilities is a plus for eq not a negative
eq downtime is another misperception formed from another era that does not apply to today's game
First of all i went back to my roots right before anniversary pack came out and it has been great. There are people who are new to the game or starting over. Popping in to Crescent Reach for the first time will make you blink and check to see if you are truely logged in to Everquest. Graphics are Fantastic. I started back on Drinal server and it's true that newbie zones other than CR are pretty much ghost towns but with the option to start in CR you can find a low level group. When anniversary pack came out I switched to Bristalbane to join a great guild for restarts and true newbs. Check them out at http://kickingsnakes.freeforums.org (selfless plug
) And no problems finding groups. It's not like in the heyday's where you could stand in Gfay and shout LFG and get bombarded by tells, but i'm not soloing my armor quests either. A lot of people are coming back to EQ because they are frustrated with their current MMORG. Just look at some of the forums around, so many people are frustrated with the quick and easy atmosphere of WoW or the game play of EQ2. Leveling has been made easier. Quests are better. Stat Armor drops like crazy. I am not delusional in thinking that EQ's player number will suddenly start sky-rocketting. Theres just not enough press for that, but i do think that it will continue to be a great game for years to come. Sure there are a hundred other games out there but look at how many are generic copies of EQ and it's predecessors. if you liked it in the past i'd recommend trying it again. if you never tried it, nows the time with the anniversary pack still available for 20 bucks. If you think it's the same game it was four years ago your wrong. With the addition of augments, spirit shrouds, and tons of other stuff listed in the review the game play has advanced right along with the expanding borders of Norrath.
In short don't diss it till you tried it (or tried it again, whatever the case may be.
)
All bow down to the god of MMORPG's imo.
Everquest has been the leader of MMORPG's for gameplay really ever since it was first released in 1999.
Just because games such as WOW have a enormous gamefan base it does'nt actually mean anything other than there's FAR less ppl with the time to play games such as Everquest than there is to play a simple game such as WOW.
In WOW you can log on for 30 mins and do something that's the beauty of the game.But if you compare EQ to WOW then really you can only of played 1 of these games, Everquest is significantly deeper and far far harder to master as well as complete.There's ppl even after 5-6 years who STILL have'nt maxed out there character's due to an unbelievable AA system.
WOW is just like diablo2 that to had a tona ppl all playing it and repeating the same old nonsense day on day out because it was simple it didn't require any brains and you could come home from work (school for ppl that play WOW!) and mess about for 30 minutes.
Remember WOW has to stand the test of time and it won't, in 2 year's time or so ppl would of moved on as they will get bored with the monotous play whereas this game will be still be going as it is a MMORPG in EVERY sense of the word.
Ppl that ridicule this game truly are utterly moronic and truly do NOT really know what a MMORPG is or is meant to be like.
I ditched WOW after just 4 month's as i came from Everquest 1 and trust me if you make comparisions to eq1 as you play WOW, it's near impossible to continue playing WOW.It is INFERIOR in EVERY single department and yes i DO include graphically, WOW is cartoony and does'nt appeal to some1 who is 31.Everquest looks far more realistic (except the old world zones which look crap).
WOW is for children and ppl who like PVP'ing, EQ is for mature gamer's who like a challenge and a decent community with likeminded mature player's.And let's face if you made a game which market of ppl would you prefer to have?kids or mature ppl?Ask yourself WHY has Everquest been going for 9 years and STILL releasing expansion's after 9 years?
Please don't insult this game by even mentioning WOW to it, WOW is'nt worthy to even lace the boots of this classic game and i think deep down WOW player's know it hence why they make dig's at a game they simply CANNOT .a 2 year old MMORPG cannot even begin to compare to a 9 year old game.There are reason's game's last this long and it's summed up in 1 - CLASS.
The fanbase of ppl that play WOW are fickle and will pick up the next good MMORPG that comes out with 'fancy' graphics whereas the ppl playing EQ will not and will only leave IF something decent is released to compare.Ppl leave EQ all the time but only return 5-6 month's later hence why it's sub base fluctuate's so much and why it can continue to be devoloped for.
So much comments on the reviewer and the choice of numbers. Reviews are hard to do. Wether it be games, books, paintings, automobiles, movies, ...ect. You can not review something without having an opinion and opinions vary. If not then there would be a computer program to do it for us. I feel the bigger question to ask is, is there a set standard formula that all reviewers have to use to set thier basis? If all reviewers just review based on thier own personal feelings without a strict guideline then it is easy to confuse and confound us the users of the site. Yet even with this a review will not always agree to everyone because it isafter all just the writers opinion.
As an example of my thinking. Siskle and Ebert (sp?) the Two thumbs up guys were a famous team of movie critics. yet thier tastes were generally pretty opposite to my tastes in films. So if I saw a two thumbs down, well. it just peaked my interest. Bashing them for thier tastes served no purpose as it was Thier taste.
Slightly off topic.
I got a headache from reading all the posts so excuse me if I turn a phrase or two wrong. But I had to back up to this post and comment on it. I highlighted the pertinent detail I wanted and left the sarcasm out. This seems to be oh so true as of late. I am Old School and I prefer a challenge so when playing games like WOW and LOTRO I find them very simplistic. Requiring very little actual brain process. In the time span of 1 - 1.5 hours I can usually easlily raise a character to level 10 or more. Yet I hear others (Can I say kids since I am , after all, a dinosaur?
) complain on how hard it is to get ahead. It has gotten so bad that at times i get sarcastic myself and after being whimed at and begged to death I sometimes reply " Would you like me to play the game for you too???"
I admit, i liked the "flare," of things in EQ, but it was far from anything I would consider "hard."
Ciredic notes,"You just don't get it. The only people that want a hard core MMO is the avid pvpers, they don't mind, but oh, EQ is primarily a pve game. Where is your fan base coming from? Again a small niche market game. Who in the world cares about graphics that much? It is all about gameplay and that is exactly what EQ does not have when compared to it's competition.
If EQ is your type of game, more power to you. You should play the game that gives you what you want from a game. All I am saying is that in this market place EQ does not fit the mold of what most people are looking for. Giving it a high rating when it clearly does fit in with what most players are looking for is just silly.
Maybe MMORPG.COM needs to change their 8 categories, because no where do I see a playability category, which really is tops on most peoples list. I guess that falls in the fun category and she gives it a 9 for fun. How in the world can you give a hard core game like this a 9 for fun unless you are a masichist?"
Response: I completely agree. to most people, EQ is dated. Folks don't want large time sinks. Players don't want to meditate for 30 sec to a min or more for mana. Rarely does anyone want the challence of a severe death penalty as occurs in EQ. Players also want faster leveling than what occurs in EQ.
Thus, I can't see why the reviewer gave EQ a 9 for fun with all of these problems.
There were 25 people in Crescent Reach last time I logged and this is only one noobie zone. There are no less then 100 people in POK at any given time. And dont forget, those are just 2 of 400 available zones. So I wouldnt say EQ is empty. It has more population then EQ2 and lots of people came back lately with Anniversary edition release. Graphics is solid. Wont rate if its better then WoW. I like zone design in WoW more, but the models and obstacles look more realistic in EQ. Some regions in EQ look really impressive compared to old world
The problem with almost any MMO review, the reviewers have different expectations of a game, hence the wildly varying numbers.What they need is benchmarks to compare the game against and as you well know that is something we do not have at the moment.
EQ when released was a pretty harsh MMO, lots of frustration was built into the leveling process. Today it is a kinder gentler EQ, but graphically things have not changed much. Be a bit much to ask for an upgrade, that would be a tremendous amount of work for the graphic artists for little return. But still comparing EQ to other games on the market, it should not have a very high graphics score, just because it is was designed for older technology does not excuse it's deficiencies.
I think MMORPG should institute some sort of benchmark system so they don't have such a ridiculously floating rating system.
kind of myth?
Ozmodan, check those screenshots. 2 from old world and 2 from late expansion. Didnt EQ really change much graphically?
Old1: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/eastkarana-broon.jpg
Old2: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/dalnir-goo.jpg
New1: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/crescent-1stfloor.jpg
New2: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/buriedsea-sirens.jpg
Also check graphics of the latest dungeon: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/zone.html?zstrat=442
Oh they have improved the graphics somewhat over the years, but still it does not compare to that of any of the current games out there now. Wow is not that good of an example as they have kept the pixal count down to increase the people that can play the game.
Comparing EQ with games like Lotr and Vanguard, it is quite evident that EQ is behind the times when it comes to graphics. So if Lotr for example gets an 8 for graphics, it is pretty evident that EQ would get a max of 6 using that same standard.
It is not just graphics that EQ is behind the times with, their are many aspects about the game that make it so. That does not change the fact that it is still very fun to play for many of us and that is really what counts.
system might also help i guess ,i get very nice graphic from this title way better then crappy video i saw online .its
more cartoon style the eq2 .