Everquest is actually just one of the many PC "Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games", but it does stand out of the crowd when it comes to popularity. Everquest has the biggest amount of paying gamers of all MMORPG’s and because Sony would like to see its PS2 Online kit going good, porting the game is a logic step. Whether this killer PC MMORPG is worth the cash on PS2, you’ll read in this review !

The first thing you’ll notice at Everquest Online Adventures, is that the interface is almost identical to the PC version. The menu’s have slightly been adapted to the console controller but the look and feel is still the same. Wandering around the menu’s I sadly also noticed that EQ only contains the same races and characters from the original game and not the expansion. However, don’t be too sad as there’s plenty of them to walk around the streets of Tunaria (the world where Everquest plays) with a unique character.

EQ contains a very original and well worked out tutorial. As soon as you’ve created your digital self, you’ll start in the city of your species. There’s you’ll see a bunch of NPC’s who help you to start off some short quests (finishing a quest makes you gain money/xp/items). Of course you can skip these quests but you won’t as they’ll show you how you have to play the game. Even experienced players don’t need to bore themselves, they get access to more difficult quests where they can earn more money/xp or expensive items

The battle system is very fluent, you just place your visor on a potential opponent and depending on the possibility to win, the color will change. For the rest, battles go as with most RPG’s… turn-based (*pugh* I hear several think, including myself). What you do need to look out for is the condition of your weapons… You’ll have to get them repaired on a regular basis because otherwise you won’t be able to do anything with them.

What happens when you die ? A character that looses its life will return to its last “bindspot”. As punishment for death you’ll also have to loose half of your XP, this to make sure the Rambo’s amongst us don’t start raging around the streets. Of course, this diminishing of the experience points is not a light sanction for gamers who were almost at the next level.

About the sound effects we can be short: (almost) unexistant. Also graphically Everquest is far from the most beautiful game on PS2. The built-in day/night cycle and the changing weather are beautiful but the surroundings themselves are plain ugly. There’s little vegetation, blurry textures, boring surroundings,… but what did you expect ? A PC MMORPG isn’t known for its graphical beauty, let alone this would be the case on a console…

Everquest is aimed at getting players to work together. The “party” system is very comprehensible and each character has certain weaknesses and strengths which you can take advantage of by teamwork. The further you get in the game, the more difficult it will become to take on certain species alone. The digital loners won’t appreciate this game.



For those with interest, the price list of an EQ account:
*$9.99 per month
*$27.99 for 3 months
*$49.99 for 6 months (17% discount off monthly rate)
*$89.99 for 12 months (25% discount off monthly rate)
*$21.99 per month for SOE All Access Plan