Customer Reviews

EverQuest (Jewel Case)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I cannot believe that someone out there does not believe this game deserves 5 stars. I would give it more but that is the highest it would go. EverQuest immerses the player into a massively multiplayer online world known as Norrath, where the player can create a character, having the authority to chose the sex, class (each having its advantages and disadvantages), race, face, and distribute ability points into the main statistics: Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Stamina, Wisdom, Intellegence, and Charisma. After you create your character, you start in one of the many different cities, depending on what race you pick. You can choose to start in the marble city of Felwithe, home to the High and Half Elves, or even the corrupted port city of Freeport, home of the humans and half elves. There are many other cities not mentioned. There are over 2,000 players on each server, enableing trade, and many other added resources. Players go out and kill beasts to acquire experience, and after acquiring a certain amount of experience, they raise a level. One way to get levels is to group with one or more other people that are trying to accomplish the same goal, and you still gain experience after splitting some with your group. For some classes this is an easier way to level. However other classes such as the Necromancer and druid, excell at hunting by themselves or solo. That doesn't mean they can't group though. EverQuest is constantly changing, and since the original has come out, 2 expansion packs have been released out to the market, including 2 more continents and another race. These expansions are called EverQuest:Ruins of Kunark, and EverQuest:Scars of Velious. The third expansion, EverQuest:Shadows of Luclin is on its way. EverQuest is an awesome, online game. I highly recommend this game to ANYONE!! If you ever find yourself needing help, send me a tell.. I'm Talise 19 Ranger on the Tribunal Server and I would love to help.

**note - if I were you, I would buy the EQ trilogy version **

And chances are excellent that you will be. I remember reading the manual (gosh, over two years ago) and at the end there's a bit about how to camp (log out of the game) that talks about realizing you haven't slept or eaten in what seems like days. There are honestly people out there who spent all their free time, if not their whole life, playing this game. I'm not "a gamer" but like most people who still play, I've gone through my stages of being completely addicted to the game.

EQ lets you chose any number of characters... tons of combinations, between picking a race, a class, a deity, and then concentrating points in one attribute (like intelligence of strength) or another. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, but pick whatever strikes your fancy. Chances are excellent that you'll get a ways into playing your character and you'll wish you had done _something_ differently, but you can always start another character (up to 8 per server).

For me, the best part of this game has always been the people. If you've ever been playing a classic video or computer game and wished someone could pop in and help you with a little extra firepower, this is it. Fighting alongside characters with actual brains behind them is a lot more interesting... even if they don't always do the "right" thing. And several in-game chat options (player-to-player, group, guild, zone-wide shouting, and normal talking) make this a great game for a group of real life friends to play if local-area-network games aren't a possibility for you.

If you're looking for a cheap, fun game, go ahead and buy this version, but chances are excellent that if you get sucked in you will very much regret not having the expansions. You can buy the Trilogy (EQ, Ruins of Kunark and Scars of Velious) now. RoK means you have the option of an additional race when starting your character in addition to extra zones to explore. SoV is mainly more zones for the mid-high level characters. Of course you always have the options of adding expansions later. A third expansion, Shadows of Luclin, is due to be released in December and includes yet another race and a new class for the first time since the original, in addition to even more zones and nifty new graphics.

The first few levels _can_ get to be a bit tedious before you're a high enough level to travel safely, but after that there's more than enough variety in locations and things to hunt to keep people entertained and challenged without a whole lot of repetition. (...).

Hands down this is one of the best games out there. It can be very addictive and you will want to buy all the expansions very soon after you purchase this starter package. Don't get frustrated with being new to the game, everyone is at some point. Once you have played for a while and get your character past lvl 5 or so you will really begin to enjoy your adventures. Start a player you don't like? Well try another one!! There are to many choices to pigeon hole yourself. Its a great game play it the way that is fun for you!!! )

Well pretty much all has been said by the people above me. Minus a few things.
1. Being a new player doesn't have to be hard simply go to any of the online links that are at the everquest main page.
2. If someone hassles you it's really simple you put them in ignore and go on haveing your fun. It's a huge world and they can't follow you everywhere.
3. If you have children, husband, responsibilities then do what I do. Deal with them and when you have time play the game.
4. Lets see.. out of all the things you could be addicted too, at least this doesn't cost that much (money wise) or give you a hang over, it has yet to kill anyone in real life that we know of, and if this little game cause a divorce or two I can tell you there was problems to begin with.
5. It will improve your typeing speed if you expect to talk to other people. Will improve your spelling, (there are some real grammar sticklers in the game)
6. If your like me I've met in real life some great people thru the game.
I have been playing over a year and still love it.
If your buying this game for the first time, wow your in for a treat, they aren't kidding when they say you are in thier world now. It's amazeing..

I would not recommend buying this game if you at all have an addictive personality.

It's a good game, but very, very time consuming (and, eventually, very repetitious). Because there is no end, you never come to a time when you are finished.

I played for 1 year. I knew people (in the game) whose marriages ended because their wives walked out on them because they played so much. Personally, my wife felt quite neglected, and I did not play anywhere near as much as most people I knew. When you get to raiding, raids can go 4 or 6 or more hours, and it is really looked down on to leave before the raid is done. I get much more sleep since I quit EQ.

That's all--it really is the most addictive game I have ever played, so unless you really don't mind spending all your free time playing a game (at the expense of real world social interaction, chores, any other activities), be very careful. Seriously.

This game rocks!

It's been out for two years now, and it's still adding players. The fact that Verant has to keep bringing new servers online to handle the load is an indication of the game's popularity and its continued robustness. The company is very committed to providing new features and functions to EQ, and has released two expansions (Kunark and Velious), with a third (Luclin) on its way shortly.

The setting is a medieval fantasy world, complete with the usual halfling, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and so on. Some races (dark elves, trolls, and ogres) are evil; the rest are not. Each race has its own attributes and drawbacks and advantages. For instance, the evil races are KOS (killed on sight) by good NPCs in most cities, and vice versa for the do-gooders when they go bumbling into dens of darkness. Some races are stronger than others, some are smarter or wiser or more charismatic. Some have nifty abilities like infravision or regeneration. Of course, some have annoying traits that balance out the good points--trolls and ogres, for example, have an irritating tendency to get stuck in doorways and tunnels in dungeons because they're so big (7 to 10 feet tall).

The game world is filled with numerous zones that are geared for a specific range of levels. Each race has its own starting point, and the zone right outside of each home city is typically a "newbie" zone, filled with trash monsters like rats and snakes and bats. These low-level monsters are the prey for the neophyte adventurer. As a PC accrues experience, he or she can venture out to tougher zones with higher-level monsters. Many of these are wilderness areas, but a good number are dungeons. The dungeons are usually quite terrifying, because the monsters are generally tougher and they won't hesitate to round up some of their buddies to join the fray. Also, because there's only one way out, a PC fleeing a battle can easily get lost while searching for the exit.

The world is also filled with NPCs, most of them merchants to whom PCs can sell loot and from whom they can buy gear. Many NPCs are in the cities, but a lot are in "gypsy camps" in the wilderness zones, making it easier for adventurers to dump those loads of scavenged swords and shields. Not all NPCs are friendly to every race, though! Several will attack races or classes of which they disapprove, and others will start talking smack. ("Yeah, I've got something for you, you dirty troll: the exit! Use it!")

There are several key points to keep in mind about EQ:

1) Except on specific servers, PCs cannot slaughter other PCs unless both parties agree to duel. This prevents high-level idiots from hanging about PC spawn points and killing newbies as soon as they materialize.

2) This is a social game by design, so most PCs will have to spend considerable portions of their playing time as part of a group of up to six players. If you hate cooperating with other people, then you may be in trouble. It's possible to go solo the whole way, but you'd almost certainly have to play a druid or necromancer. Even with these classes, it takes time and dedication to advance. Also, if you only play for a few hours a week, or you don't have friends, just getting into a group can be hard. Not all of the time, but there will be cases where you stand around in a zone for half an hour, shouting "Looking for group!"

3) You need to play a lot. For a good session, you should count on being logged in for at least two hours, and that's the bare minimum. Four or five would be better. Of course, when most people first start playing, they go for eight to twelve hours at a stretch, and call in a few bogus sick days to the office. It's been my experience that if you just play this game casually, it's great up through your PC's 20th level or so, but after that, it can get frustrating. The more hardcore people play so much that they have all of the cool items, while you're lucky to have a wooden stick.

4) You might want to consider getting into a guild. This will help later on when you get into the 40s and above (the current level cap is 60). Some zones are so ultra-tough that it takes entires guilds to crack them (30 or 40 players bumrushing the monster at one time, with hideous casualties).

5) The actual quests are okay, but not all that necessary. If you're lazy, just rack up platinum pieces and then buy the armor and weapons you need.

6) Actual role-playing is quite difficult, because the NPCs remain static (you kill Guard Bob, if that's your kinda gig, and he's back again in 5 minutes) and because sooner or later everyone has the same Wand of Omnithrax, but mostly because too many kewl doodz will spoil it for you.

Sony/Verant has done a good job creating and maintaining this game. They execute one or two patches each week to fix bugs, add items and spells, tweak monsters, and change class attributes. There is continual fine-tuning going on, although admittedly this is the subject of lots of rancorous debate.

There are many sites to which you can go to find additional information, including ones that are specific to classes, races, servers, guilds, and even specific PCs. You should hit some of these if you're stumped on how to complete a quest, or what zone would be appropriate for your new level, or what spells you should use. Just avoid the forums for the most part, because they're quite often full of complaints like "I've been paying $10 a month for two years and playing 40 hours a week and this game sucks". Most of the discussions just bring you down, so ignore them.

A great game, very addictive, loads of fun for a paltry ongoing price, and lots of upgrades and changes. Very definitely worth the investment.

Everquest is a name which is in every online player's vocabulary. It is a game which revolutionized online gaming, and has made an impact on many people who haved played it. The imaginary world of Norrath is full of creatures that are waiting for you. Sounds great, but it really isn't as fun as many people make it out to be. First of all, you have to start by being a "newbie", which is basically having all of the higher levels laugh at you, and they will get their laughs out of you any way they can. Another bad thing about being a newbie is that you can only kill a few animals, which gets old real fast.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is a fun game. The characters are really diverse, and the people controlling them are extremely diverse. Some people really try to play this game. Some people just run around making it a horrible exprience for other gamers. I have had experience doing both, and they are both equally fun. Another good thing about this game are the settings. No two zones look alike, and the starting points for each race are extremelly different. The halflings will start out in a forest, while the Barbarians will start out in a snowy region.

Overall, this game is fun, but it really isn't worth your ten bucks a month, and it definetly isn't worth your life.

Simply put, this game is one of the most long lasting,continually addictive games I've encountered...

Ok...now that that's out of the way, what is so addictive about this game? It's difficult to put a finger on. One of the many nice things about this game is that the designers are constantly working on it, and improving the world. As they make improvments to the game, your own copy is updated appropriately...so there's always new and interesting things to look for within the world. And it's a *big* world. Finding your way around is no small challenge...but it's made easier by locating starting characters in the areas they can explore in relative safety. As one becomes more powerful, further exploration becomes a natural direction to take.

To do this game justice in a short review is truly impossible. Suffice it to say that the game is a very well designed and maintained internet-based 3d RPG. (both an internet connection and a 3d card are required). Be prepared to put your life on hold and put in some serious time to get your character up to the higher levels...and be prepared to have a good time doing it.

As a final note, I do not actually play this game any more, because of its biggest drawback: it's simply too easy to get sucked into it for large periods of time. No joke.

FYI with the new version out, everyone need to have Dx 8.1 installed to play this game... win 95 apparently can't run dx8.1, so basically, the system requirments for this game have been changed...

I have been playing this game since April 2001 and have not stopped since then. Yes this is an addicting game and requires time on your part. The drawbacks are you meet alot of people who are immature and think because they have a higher character are big stuff the pros are meeting new people from everywhere, I have played with people from Germany, France, Canada, and the UK. This does not include all the players i have meet online from all over the US. If you like RPG then this is the ULITMATE in RPG and you need to get it. But remember to have a life too.