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Game lags like hell - but I'm STILL playing...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: July 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Okay, I can almost hear all of you asking me: "WHY? are you NUTS?"

Firstly, my computer is just under the minimum recommended spec required for this game: AMD Duron 950 (100MHz FSB), 1GB 133MHz SDRAM (yes the old stuff), Radeon 9800Pro 128MB (Running at 4X AGP) - You get the idea. I have the game on low settings, except for the main texture quality, that is set to HIGH. This game is *just* about playable for me (although some of you may disagree) I get anywhere between 5 - 10 FPS in the cities, and higher indoors. But it lags, and quite serious lag sometimes.

But I'm still playing. And I'm not planning on quitting. And SOE are welcome to the monthly fee that I will pay - gladly.

What's in.... THE BOX!?

The collector's edition of this game comes beautifully presented in a shiny metal box. Opening the box you find: a velvet pouch with collectors coin, a cloth map of the world, a glossy poster map of the main cities, a glossy poster of Antonia Bayle - signed by Heather Graham - and a pic of Lucan D'Lere - signed by none other than Christopher Lee (otherwise known as Saruman in LoTR), a thick glossy book full of game artwork, a glossy manual and a hardback gatefold CD case containing both game DVD's, a music CD and a Bonus DVD (4 discs in all).

It's quite a package, and strangely, I found myself cackling with glee as I was rummaging through its contents. After installing (4.5GB!) and getting into the game, I typed in /claim, and found to my surprise that the collector's edition of this game also includes in-game items as follows: A choice of paintings (to be put in your Inn room after leaving the Isle of Refuge), A statue of Lucan or Antonia to put in your Inn room(and they talk when you click on them), and a baby dragon pet in your choice of colours (it also does tricks). What can I say? Pretty cool stuff - but you're paying for it, don't forget!

The Game

Now, I want you to ask yourself if you like clear purpose in an RPG. Think about all those great single player RPG's of the past that included great storylines and quests. Let me tell you that if you like quests, then you will love Everquest 2's excellent quest system. The game designers have put a lot of thought, effort and time into the stories, quests and reward system, and it's all brought to life by the outstanding voice-overs of the NPC's. It didn't take long for the LAG I was telling you about before, to become... how shall I say? ... more unnoticed. In fact, I was already planning my next PC upgrade.

The game really comes to life when you leave the Isle of Refuge and partake in the well thought-out initial quests to get you used to the city, your Inn room and the places to hunt. The NPC's chatter away as you go about your business - e.g. I saw one of the Ratonga rat men weilding a hatchet and chasing a cat through the streets of Freeport with a comical voice over of "Here kitty kitty!". Moments later the cat was chasing him instead, hissing and yowling, while the Ratonga was shouting "Helllp!.. I'm being chased by dinner!"

The game is full of these comical moments, and it draws you in, gives the world life. This game is very immersive - even more so than the original Everquest. Dangerously immersive. Hmmm... this game could be a real life stealer - but I'm not sure yet if this is a Pro or a Con.

Everquest2 is all about adventure - more so than any other MMORPG that I have played to date (and I've been playing them since the early MUD's). It has the same fun level that I experienced with single-player games like Baldurs Gate and BGII. And even though I have played the original Everquest, EQ2 is completely new to me, has that element of exploration and adventure... and good clear sense of progress right from the start.

But this game requires a COMMITTMENT.

If committment scares you, or if you don't have the time to truely sink yourself into this game - then I wouldn't recommend it for you! I'm going to take time off from real life, and become what I call "a computer hermit" for a month or so. I won't shave or wash much, I won't see the light of day for a while. Grocery shopping will be done online, or from a phone.

You get the idea. If you want a "casual" gaming experience, try WoW out for style. But if you're hardcore, like me. You know what to do..... (bwhahahahaahahaaaaa!)

Pros: Graphics, Sound, Quests, Animation, Community, Can Solo (all the way with the new solo monsters that SOE have added), Player Housing, Guild system, Group System, Combat, Item system, Voice Acting, The way that swarms of bats fly in caves, The way that flocks of birds realistically fly outdoors, Fish (and fishing), Tradeskills, Mining, Gathering/Harvesting and the whole lack of... boredom.

Cons: Price, Monthly fee, REQUIRES High-End system (works good after messing with the game settings on my friend's 3200 AMD barton, 1GB DDR RAM, Radeon 9800Pro), REQUIRES time to play - but if you're patient I suppose you could "casual" this for a time, It's by Sony - so cust support might be sketchy, Expansions to the game are PAY, Game special features are PAY, Overall the game is EXPENSIVE, your real life sanity (and/or relationship with girlfriend/boyfriend) may be at RISK.

And that's all I can think of. Hope you find the info above ^^ useful.

Good As Gold

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 15
Date: June 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Never mind what other people say. Everquest is a great game. But most people need to realize that EQ is just that. A game. Have fun playing it but dont let it run your life.

The people who say that it is the devil and adictive just dont have any self control. But anyway EQ2 is going to rock if they hold up to all that they say. You get a free month of playing when you buy it so if you dont like it just dont subscribe to it anymore.

Bottom line, if you liked EQ1 or Role playing games in general. This is a must buy.

Don't Waste Your Money

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 24
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As a long time player of the original Everquest I was very familiar with the Everquest world. A friend gave me the opportunity to play EQII as much as I wanted for a week.

The game at the low levels is not even as much fun as the original Everquest was as a newbie killing rats. I couldn't tell you exactly what is wrong with it though. The game is very directed and linear but is more like a non MMORPG game in that you are not really aware of the other player characters. It feels very scripted, which is part of what is detroying the ability to immerse yourself in the game.

The graphics are beautiful but cause incredible lag even with a 256mb video card on a Pentium 4 2+ghz computer with 1 megabyte of memory.

As for Sony's claim that you can solo this game unlike the original Everquest, this is not entirely true. You can solo some mobs. But, for example, to get off the original starting newbie island, you have to group to kill the high level mob.

The game also suffers from Sony's typical practice of releasing programs before they are fully tested, the game was full of bugs and poor programming on the first day. In addition some of the solutions to problems in the game are poorly thought out such as the game provides a lighted path to your spirit shard when you die if you want to recover it to regain some lost experience. But the lighted path is "as the crow flies" and you cannot follow it to get to your spirit shard as it leads over impassible mountains and game geography through which there is no allowable route.

Don't waste your money. Buy {EDITED}instead if you want a fun, immersive MMORPG.

DarkestHour Get a Clue!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 18
Date: April 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

DarkestHour Get a Clue!
He Enough crying April 23, 2005

EQII is not getting bad ratings because people form other games are coming here and bashing it. The reasons why people who played EQII flame the game are numerous. Mostly caused by the imbeciles that took over S.O.E.

This game is like dumb blond you at meet at a bar, when your drunk. Wow she looks great/Best graphics I have seen in any game. That is level 1-10. Getting the feel of her/the game 11-20. enh she a dead fish. Level 21, The next morning your talking to her in the light of day and you realize eewwh I better get my self checked out/ you realize what the game is all about and there are many things wrong.

Lets see
1. To sell stuff you must leave the game running and you must stay in your in game room you can't go out to xp. BIT ME SOE
What are your rooms for any way you, can't store gear in them, are they are just doll houses?

2. NERF, NERF, NERF! Every time SOE thinks some one is having fun playing their game not working at, they NERF the fun part!

3. The monthly cost to play the game. If you pay just the base price of $15 a month you will not be able to get in to many of the zones, you will have ½ the player slots and you will get ridiculed by your peers in the game. The real monthly cost of EQII is $27 per/month=$15 base price $7 all accesses pass $3 eqii.com. An $4 when SOE opens a new zone. Lets see guild war is going to have no monthly fees.

4. LAG and zoning. In the to main cites in EQII Qeynos and Freeport on the big servers they lag is so bad you can barely move. Have to spend 3 to 5 minutes every time you leave one zone and go to another gets old fast. Get lock out of full zones you group or raid is in made my nuts!

5. Getting the wrong reward for a class quest made me say ARRRR! I.E. the Bard to Troubadour class quest gave a one hand sword that prevents you form duel wielding. Useless for a damage dealer.

6. After level 10 soloing of any kind is pretty much done. You even need a group to craft after level 10 in crafting! I not much of a solo-er but still there are time when I wish to do a few things alone, but you cant in EQII

7. Not casual friendly at all. I can only play about 30 hours a week and that is not enough to go any where in this game.

8. Greed of S.O.E! S.O.E. has started selling equipment and characters for real money. Its big slap in the face for their players who invest thousand of hours to build a uber character and farm for gear.

9. The main reason not to play this game is it is just not fun. Wait in a spot for more that a day for a mobs to spawn no not fun. Killing the same mob 1000s of times o get one level not fun. Spending most of you gold buying crafting supply only to have the items brake when you try to make something nah not for me.

DarkestHour busting on wow will not prop up EQII. There is lot of content in WOW at 60, but you need to group. You can't solo the high end raid content. But WOW is no for every one. There are lot great mmopgs out there Guild Wars, City of Heros EQlive EQOA SWG. But EQII a ewwwh!

The sad thing is the old SOE made some truly outstanding games. The crew that took them over, is all about monthly fees. They do every thing they can to slowed down your in game progress. One of their games now has a quest mob named Skahyir that has an average spawn time of weeks. That is fun the new S.O.E. style.

EQ2 doesn't get enough credit

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: December 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game seriously isn't nearly as popular as it should be. Yes, the system requirements are pricey, but it's well worth it, trust me. People regard it as a bad game mostly just because it's challenging. But come on people. It makes the game more interesting if you have to work for what you get.
{EDIT} The reason it isn't as popular as WoW is because it is a challenge. It is actually for people who have more brain capacity than a mentally challenged turtle. WoW is so simple, you press the same button a few times and it's Oh Jolly Gee! I killed something! Yay! Now I'm level 60 and it's only been 10 minutes! Give me a break. EQ2 is a little more mature than that, which is why I'm sort of glad it's not as popular. We lose the idiots and gain the patient, smart gamers who deserve to be there. Unfortunately for the makers of EQ2, most gamers go like this: "Aww, 30 seconds waiting time?? Come on! Oh My Goodness!! I actually have to kill stuff and work for what I get and not get immediate results? This is STUPID!". Yeah. Somehow I think I'm a little more mature than that. If you're looking for brainless level-ups, go to WoW. If you're looking for a unique, awesome, mature gaming experience that will challenge you and hone your skills into perfection, stick with EQ2. Now on to the basics.

Pro's:

1. The graphics are awesome. Although the drawback that comes with this (system requirements) are infamous, people, it's not that big of a sacrifice and when I upgraded my computer I was glad to, it needed the upgrade!
2. The game is challenging but fun, which is a positive thing, not a negative! Too many people base their views on this game on their own stupidity and lack of gaming ability. I'm not even that good of a gamer, and I was able to figure everything out and have immense amounts of fun. The tutorial in the beginning is a useful addition, and if you're having trouble figuring things out don't skip it!
3. Everyone is friendly. If you're having trouble, pipe up, I'm sure someone will come to the rescue as they have so many times before with me.
4. There are practically no bugs. I've heard of a few, but they are being combed out extremely quickly and I never personally experienced any.
5. There are so many classes and races to choose from, the variety is great. When you customize your character's appearance, you can actually customize it, not just choose from a list of premaid faces and bodies!
6. There are so many quests and so much to do that you will never get bored. The variety is great.

Cons:

1. System requirements. Yes they are a pain, but the benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks.
2. Lack of variety in landscape. If there was one thing I would change in Everquest 2, it would be landscape. Yeah, it's beautiful and the graphics are awesome, but there is hardly any variety. Everything is, well, normal I guess. Which can be viewed as a good thing, but in a fantasy RPG, come on. Give us a little variety. More stuff should be happening on the screen, in simple terms.
3. LOADING! This is a big drawback. Loading takes forever, and if you are going to do quests, you have to zone in and out of areas so much, it will take you 20 minutes just to get from one place to another.
4. They changed it from Everquest 1 so that everyone starts in Qeynos or Freeport. BAD IDEA. It really does lose flavor and magic this way. I really wish they put it back the way it was in that respect. It would fix the problem stated in #2 partially as well.

*****

Overall, GREAT GAME. I'm hooked. Really.

Good game but WoW is much better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 16
Date: March 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Lets stick with the basics.

Making a character: fun and with a large variety of of custimization and races.

Gameplay:Can be EXTREMLY boring at times (The most a the beggining)and quests somtimes feel like your a mediviel pizza delivery boy or they can be just as bad as grinding.

Graghics/interface: Great graghics and interface allows you to almost completly remake your screen.

Other:Can only make 4 character without paying an extra $1 per month.

Over all this is a good game but if your short on cash then get WoW.

Do yourself a smart favor wait 3 or months before you buy.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 26
Date: January 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Don't catch the must buy right off the bat fever with this game. Give it at least 3 months before you buy and try also look at non-soe game forums and take a peek at what REAL players have to say about the game. Why you say? read the following.

SOE has a running reputation for releasing unfinished beta-ish games. EQ was unstable for months after release, with constant class balancing (nerfs), unworking quests, game breaking bugs etc.

Same is said for SWG. Insert all the above text here. Don't accept the explainations that online games will have problems at release you pay a good fee up front and a monthly fee afterwards.

Read some real reviews before you decide

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 26
Date: October 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm not in the beta, but I've been following this game's production for a while. I'm very excited about the upcoming release, but if it fails to meet my expectations, that's life.

The development team has worked there socks off listening to their fanbase and incorporating suggestions, and fixing bugs with beta.
...

Best Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 26
Date: October 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game will knock your socks off. The depth that developers have put into it is unmatched in the world of MMORPG's. If you lust for a great online experience, it can get no more realistic than this game. It is highly recommended.

...

Different from WoW, but it's all about your preference.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: July 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After a month of playing Everquest II, it's easy to point out the difference between it and WoW.

Everquest II is a team-oriented game for everything pretty much. It gets harder and harder to solo as you progress. So you pretty much have to play with a team if you want good loot. This may be a bad thing for the moron in your family, but most people should be fine. With WoW you truly can solo to level 60. Soloing can be fun and casual, and some may not have the time to play Everquest as it does require a commitment to your group.

The land isn't explored for you. In WoW, you can see where everything is, but to see the details on a map you have to go there first. It is the same in Everquest, however I think Everquest has a little bit more mystery to it. Things aren't as clearcut. One thing I have come to appreciate is exploring in Everquest. The different lands and such you will see aren't quite as unique as the lands in WoW, however it does feel good to discover new areas. Whenever I see something new it feels like something out of an old school RPG.

If you like trade skills, Everquest is perfect for you. You can master whatever you like, and often times you must partake in several different things to create an item. You can make equipment, food, scrolls, potions, and even items for your house. You may not sell as much as you would in WoW because not as many people play EQ2(every server population is low right now). Still, there are many players willing to buy things, and you can auction everything right from your house. The most interesting part of trade skills are the levels. You have 2 levels in the game. One level is your adventuring level that you get from killing enemies and doing quests(the current level cap is 50, but it will be 60 soon), and the other level is your trade skill level. You can limit yourself solely to crafting and such. Later you will need to get better material, but you can craft alot at low levels.

I spoke of houses earlier. Everyone gets a room to start and can purchase a house later. You don't own the actual house, but you own your own interior. What I mean is, 100 people may enter the same door as you, but they will each have their own interior. Some may say that is cheating, but it works fine. Higher end houses cost alot of money to maintain, so only diehard players will have them.

The cons of the game are few. For one, the aren't many players. The city of Qeynos is devoid of life. I barely see anyone in South Qeynos, and it almost seems like there are more houses in the city than there are people.

Another thing, the graphics take alot of ram. I have 512 mb, which is fine for WoW. However, EQ2 takes a load of ram. Traveling throughout the city and to different zones requires loading times. My computer spends at least a minute loading. A minute sounds like nothing, but it is a long time to stare at the computer. I don't even know if I will be able to move in big raids later.

The worst part of the game is the learning curve. There are a bunch of little things you must learn as you progress that the game doesn't bother to tell you about. Nobody will teach you about trade skills. You basically must learn how to counteract things on your own. The equipment in the game will tell you if you can't use it, but it will never tell you when you can use it. For a while I didn't even know I could upgrade my spells. Even learning to control aggro takes a long time. When grouping, the monsters will attack whoever they hate the most. It takes a while to learn how much will threaten them. If you do pull a bunch of monsters and die, your entire group loses experience.

Still, EQ2 has it's positives. It is the opposite of WoW in a sense. If you hate WoW, give EQ2 a try. Even if you hate EQ2, you can use your account to play any SOE game that costs a monthly fee.

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