Customer Reviews

EverQuest: Trilogy

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I grew up exposed to role-playing games, and my major problem was that I could never find anyone to play with. Especially since a game required 4-6 hours a week, every week. I wanted to play, I read a lot, sometimes I even started campaigns. But, unfortunately, I could never find enough other people to get involved.

Everquest is the solution to that problem. In the old days, you had one person who built the world (a DM or GM), and four to eight people who played in it, when they were all available. Now we have a company that builds the world, and 400 thousand players who play when they want to, for as long as they want to.
Finally, you can get out and play, and play whenever you have time.

The worlds are huge, they are beautiful, and there are both other players to meet and places to adventure.

Downside? Well, if you've never played a fantasy game, you are going to be massively confused.
If you've never played a first-person shooter, you are going to have some trouble.

If you have a 56k modem, or an older system, this will be pretty hard for you, the game works much much better on a powerful system with DSL or Cable modem.

When you play the tutorial, you might be tempted to put the disk back in the box and ask for a refund.
Don't. It defaults to some really crummy graphics (pre Doom quality), but those can be turned up and improved. Once you get into the game, you are going to want to use F10 to get the full-screen view of the world.
Now is when things start to shine. On a good system, in full-screen mode, the game is visually on a par with quake.
If you get the expansion pack (shadows of luclin), your graphics will be much better, but you'll need a better system.
It moves fast on my DSL (internet connection speed makes more difference than system speed, and graphics card makes more difference than ram), I suspect it would be a drag on a 56k modem.

The best things about the game?
1) Lots of choices for class and racial type, including evil ones like drow, trolls and ogres
2) Great graphics, when your system can support them.
3) LOTS of other people playing.
4) Play when you want to, for as long as you want to.
5) HUGE worlds.
6) A lot of online sites that have maps, discussion boards, etc. Good player support network.
7) A company that is CONSTANTLY releasing patches and updates. They patch this game every week!
They put a TON of work into keeping this game running, and running smoothly.

The worst things about the game?
1) Really hard to get started. Everything from default graphics, to figuring out how to do stuff, this game is rough on the beginner.
2) The game does seriously focus on going out and killing things. Alternatives like quests exist, and they are pretty extensive, but most quests are "go kills something and bring me the body" quests.
3) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This game is seriously addictive, and if you aren't careful, may start to cause problems.
4) You will spend more time playing than for most games.
5) Can run on a lower-end platform, but really isn't worth it. Will make you want to upgrade.
6) DSL or Cable a must.

This is the original game and the first two expansions, packaged together. I'd definitely recommend it over the jewel-case only version, which is just the main game. The graphics improvements that came with the expansion make it worth the extra cash up-front. Everquest has a small monthly fee, which is per user, so if a couple people in the household want to play, that fee can add up.

Now, I suppose I am not qualified to write this review since I do not actually own the Trilogy set, and therefore I am playing vanilla EverQuest, a game with neither of the expansions featured in the Trilogy set.

However, I am writing to illustrate a point - the point that I rate a game 5 stars on it's own, when there are two add-ons available right before your eyes - add-ons which only serve to improve the game, set the level limit a little higher, add more items and two new continents - new quests, playable races and NPC's to interact with. Whilst I have none of these additional features, I rate this game above all others.

EverQuest is a game based in the fantasy world of Norrath. For those of you unfamiliar with fantasy games or books in general, you play in a fantastic world - a world of powerful Dragons, dark, sprawling Dungeons and potent and destructive Magic. In short, you are part of a world of adventure. For a beginner, this game can be tough - one of only a few criticisms that can be aimed at it. A beginning player will find him or herself strapped for cash and unable to kill a very, very large percentage of the creatures that populate the world of Norrath. All is not lost, however, as Bats and Wasps populate some zones - easy pickings for even the lowest level characters.

It is not long before you reach level 10, and from there onwards things become more interesting - you are killing more powerful foes and gaining at least some treasure of value. However, it is not until you reach level 30 that you can really begin to experience the wealth of options this game has to offer. Hitting level 30 is a process that will not take you long, with the huge number of helpful people on any given server, willing to help you out graciously and generously - this was not something I expected, having been treated to taunts on many other online games as a newbie (someone new to the game).

The one biggest criticism I have to aim at the game is the fact that it is addictive to the point of being outlawed for the same reasons as narcotics - this game is capable of single-handedly reducing a social/work life to ruin. This, however, is only a minor issue provided you can keep in touch with reality as well as the infinitely more appealing world generated by EverQuest. Another problem with the game is that of money - whilst the $10 a month (or roughly £6.90 for UK users) is perfectly reasonable, considering the money and time spent on new games. What is slightly demanding, however, is the fact that gamers are forced to pay a lump sum upon purchasing the software that should really be free. The reason I do not own Trilogy is that I cannot afford to spend the money, considering the number of months I would put into it after having bought it. I also think it is unacceptable for Verant not to include the new Shadows of Luclin expansion with the Trilogy pack - forcing people to fork out money to the tune of $45 as well as an additional monthly charge of $10 for the priviledge of playing a computer game is ever-so-slightly demonic - but the fact of the matter is that Verant can afford to, as players are unlikely to stop playing the game once addicted - and the $45 to start does not seem like much until you add it to the $120 you spend on playing for a year (assuming you renew every month - the most expensive option - instead of renewing every 3 or 6 months).

All in all, EverQuest is a fantastic game and a must-buy for all interested. It's pro's far outweigh it's con's provided you can stomach the threat to your life in the real world.

This package is great for new players just entering the world of Norrath. Not only do you get all the expansions, you also get a newbie guide, a map (very useful, this place is HUGE!), and action figures! These features make this package really shine. When I began playing EverQuest, I needed a lot of help since I was a bit confused at times. This guide makes the game easy to learn. I bought it as a present for my friend and he loves it. When we first told him about EverQuest, he said, "Why would you pay 10 dollars a month to play?" He quickly found out why. EverQuest is like having cable television, you pay for it's great features and such. My suggestion to a newer player is to ask around and see if anyone you know plays the game. Once you get to a higher level, you can go on quests and raids with them! You'd be surprised how many people you know play...

I have been playing video games since I was 3 and this is the best game I have ever played. However it takes a long time to learn everything and it's not for someone who only has a couple of minutes to play every day.
This game is a community, every race and class has special abilities that contribute to the community. For example, wizards and druids can get other players to where they're going faster than anyone else, warriors protect the wizards and druids, but clerics heal the warriors. Then enchanters can make magical jewelry that increase stats when you put them on, and gnomes are the only race who can use the skill called tinker.
As with any other community it has criminals and jerks. But, luckily, the game also has police, the GM's (game masters) and volunteer guides.
So, let me say again, do not buy this game if you have a strict schedule, do not buy this game if you only intend to play a few minutes a day, but DO buy this game if you want to have some of the best gaming experiences of your entire life.

I rated this game at 5 stars because, as the EQ web site states, "You're in our world now". The game is exciting, immersive, frustrating, challenging, agravating, and lots of fun. It is a welcome escape from your daily life. ...

First and foremost, heed this warning: If you cannot dedicate several hours a week to playing this game, please look elsewhere. Understand that this game is addictive by design. It is engineered in such a way that you need to spend lots of time online. The singlemost important aspect of this game is that you spend as much time as possible online. Know that it will take over a year for your main character to reach the highest level (60).

As for gameplay, the overall graphics/sound/physics is nothing spectacular, but nevertheless it is effective and immersive. This is not DOOM II so you don't need lightning reflexes with your keyboard/mouse/joystick, but it helps to have quick fingers and a clear mind. Interaction with NPC's is rudimentary since EQ NPC's do not have the best AI in the world. Also, while there are zillions of quests to do, most of them are silly, and few offer anything of value other than EQ lore.

In gerenral, the value of items are based on how hard the thing was that you had to kill. Killing things depends entirely on your class and the things you are trying to kill. No one class in the game can do everything, and every class has a specific ability and advantages that no other class has. This brings about the second most important aspect of the game - the necessity to socially interact with others.

The most exciting things in EQ are things that you do in groups. It is the social interaction that is most intriguing and unpredictable. Killing a room full of orcs in a melee frenzy with five of your online friends is a blast.

Another exciting (or agravating to some) thing is that there is real danger, with risks that may be devastating if you fail. Because of this underlying risk, it can be downright terrifying to traverse over dangerous terrain, or trek deep within a dungeon. Your death can mean the loss of experience that took days to acquire, not to mention the time it will take to recover your corpse (and all your hard-earned items on it). Another risk is the loss of faction when you kill (or help someone kill) something you weren't supposed to harm. Then there is the risk of failing the last portion of a quest that took weeks of preparation to initiate. When you fail in EQ, it hurts. But when you triumph, it feels great, like a real reward for your hard work.

So if you have lots of time, and want a game that will consume and addict you, spend the money on EQ. It is money well spent.

Everquest
Pros:
Great graphics
Large game world
Intensive amount of detail to be learned

cons:
Large time sink doing the same thing over and over
Large time spend in non-productive activities (waiting for stuff, like boats, monsters, etc.).
ummm....alot of detail to be learned. A lot. You have to read a website to find out what spells do/maps/quests/monsters etc--or be prepared for an even larger time sink and many more deaths. On reason i didn't switch to Da0C was I already was familar with EQ's world and didn't wanna blow all this information away and start over.

At its best, everquest can be a challenging game that can while away eight hours easily. At its worst, its a terribly frustrating game with horrific customer service designed by a team that doesn't appear to play the game.
Unlike some games like Diablo where your character is more powerful than the monsters, in Everquest, your character is at a big disadvantage compared to monsters. Monsters can chain cast, cast while being hit, be resistant to spells, and just generally be able to beat you into a pulp (at least at times). This is because Verant wants players to group, but the problem lies it can take a long period of time to find a group of players. With so many zone regions now in EQ, most zones may only have a handful of players and if you're not one of Verant's priviledged classes, your class may not be wanted even if there's an opening in a group. To make matters worse, even as tough as it is for players, Verant will "nerf" classes (like monks) that destroy their grouping ability and make them less desirable for groups--although Verant received criticism and tons of email from monks about this, they arrogantly stick to wrong decisions for several years before attempting any fixes. Don't waste your time with Everquest. Wait for Everquest two or maybe Star Wars Galaxies. Or even better a game designed and supported by another company.

I was turned on to this game by a friend at work. As soon as he told me about it, I knew I would have to give it a shot. I bought the basic game online from Everquest.com and have played it daily ever since. I soon plan on upgrading to Ruins of Kunark and Scars of Velious and then I will finish up with Shadows of Lucilin! (AMAZON.COM has a great price on the upgrades and the trilogy pack, which contains the basic as well as Kunark and Velious)
You have a plethora of servers to choose from and can develop up to 10 characters on any one server. I have several characters on Lanys server. This review is being written in the first person by my 20th level Paladin who is currently (as of 3/17/02) travelling through the High Hold Pass. Orcs and Gnolls are the targets of choice but there are plenty of NPC's to kill also. This game is awesome and very, very addictive too. I played Dungeons & Dragons for many years and this game overshadows D & D by miles and miles. If you choose to practice your fighting skills, you can duel with other Playing Characters without any loss of XP if you lose or die.
Be safe and enjoy your travels. Happy hunting and remember to help others as you were help before them.

This is the best Online Multi-User Role Playing game, bar non, with a well established online community and true multi-server worlds to explore. It is a constantly changing environment with new events and quests being added all the time. I have played it from the beginning...and many patches later the game has taken on a life of its own, the only word of caution that I can give is: Say goodbye to your loved ones, give away all your pets, quite your job, and have easy access to food and bathroom facilities...this game is addictive, called Evercrack to the truely devote. The best there is untill the new expansion comes out.

This game is great, there are vast combonations for characters with different beliefs, that only allow them to do certain things. The playing field is VERY vast, with thousands of people playing a any one server at a time. Skills can be obtained to pass time while healing and such, also skill can develop and get better with experience. Graphic are good, hopefully be much better with the Shadow's of Luclin expansion. I highly recommend this game for people who like dungeons and dragons or anything like that. It a great game!!

Verant Interactive has worked for quite some time to fix problems in the game. They have been largely unsuccessful. That's not to say that the original content and ideas were bad. On the contrary, in the beginning it was groundbreaking. But, sadly it went all downhill from there.

This downward trend has been fostered by many things. Pathetic, unresponsive, and difficult customer service for one. They rarely listen to the players, and as a result that are STILL attempting to balance the classes more than two years after the release. It was just recently announced that they would be adding triple attack to the Rangers, and rebalancing all the melee classes. They continue to struggle with modifications to casters of all types, while the casters grow more and more frustrated with a system that leans toward the melees, giving the melees more and more power as the casters (excluding clerics) are less and less effective thanks to extremely high resistance rates and in some cases unbelievable hit points.

Below 45 to 50th level, the game can be enjoyable. But not always. At times it may take you more than 2 hours JUST TO RETRIEVE YOUR CORPSE after a bad death. Post 50, the game is a farce. Only the "Holy Trinity" of Warrior, Cleric, and Enchanter are neccesary post 50. The only other class that can add much in the post 50 game are theives, because of the number of "locked doors" requiring Pick locks skill and the backstab multiplier. So you could spent hundreds of hours getting a class up past 50, only to find you have very little to do unless you are able to mobilize LARGE groups of people (30 to 50 or more) to accomplish the really high end encounters. Organizing that many people is a full time job in itself. This game can quickly turn into something that feels like a JOB versus a game to have fun in. DON'T BUY IT! There are better games coming.