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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you have the time and can deal with other players..., October 26, 2003
...then this is your game. If you're looking to play solo or for just a few hours a week, you have quite a bit of opportunity as well, but EQ is definitely geared towards groups and a very high time-committment.
Be aware that if you're new to roleplaying (as I was)and EQ then the learning curve to understand and get started on EQ will be quite large.
A quick list of Pros and Cons:
Pros
EQ is HUGE. There are dozens of "zones" to play in and getting to zones is relatively easy, depending on your class and knowledge of zone connections.
The time commitment required is huge, so if you're looking for a game that won't be over quickly, that's EQ. Think of playing your character as a very long-term hobby. Unfortunately for some, it seems to be much more than that.
There are thousands of interesting items to buy, sell, collect, use, and combine. How items (weapons, armor, and otherwise) are used can be very confusing but there is an abundance of free info on the net. Understand this is intended to be a game of discovery, so many quests, items, and rules were meant to be discovered, not given to you.
The number of monsters to kill is enormous and the graphics for most is very pleasing and the animation and sound very entertaining.
There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of players on at a time, which means (ideally) there's always someone to group with.
You can join groups of players in guilds, which can help you in countless ways. You can also easily quit a guild if it's not to your liking (as I've done on several occasions)Cons
The biggest negatives of the game don't involve the game itself so much as the people you encounter. Although I've come across many friendly and helpful people, there are also many negative, bossy, and downright rude people in the game. Too many people take the game way too seriously and don't realize they're just data on a server in an office. As a newbie, you may run into a lot of condescending people who somehow think their level in the game makes them worthy of mocking others. Again, they're just data on a server.
The "quests" are not very interesting and mainly involve alot of running around and collecting items to get a reward item.
The overall story of EQ is rather obscured by the overall kill-to-level push of the game.
If you don't make an effort to immerse yourself in the game's world, the game is basically just a kill-to-level game. The developers have mastered the psychological aspect to push people to want to level (by provide surnames at certain levels and new spells every 5 levels or so, for example) so everyone will know just how "powerful" your character is. All the presentation aside, the entire simplified goal of the game is getting to the next level, thus making your character more powerful so you can go to a higher level zone.
The startup time for a newbie is painfully slow. Getting your first character enough EQ money (platinum) to properly equip the character can take weeks or months, which can easily kill the fun in the game.
Unfortunately, I've found the social aspect of the game more of a con than pro. Perhaps it's the type of people who play, perhaps it's because there are many younger (12-16 year olds) playing, but I find that soloing was much more fun simply because I didn't have to deal with real-life bad attitudes when all I wanted to do was immerse myself in a fantasy world for a few hours a day.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Aging MMORPG That Still Has Legs, December 26, 2003
If you have not yet tried the immersive and addicitive PC gaming experience that is Everquest, and are still curious, Sony now offers this impressive collection of the original game plus five of the expansion packs in one massive three disc set.For what it is, Everquest Evolution is a very good value. Granted, you still have to pay a monthly subscription fee in order to access the content (after an inclusive 1 month free "trial" period), however, the original software titles in standalone form would easily exceed the cost of this single package. In fact, I would probably recommend this even if you own some of the titles already. For example, "Legacy of Ykesha" is only available as a digital download direct from Sony's Station web site and costs nearly as much as what Amazon sells this product for. And for those that aren't sure if they want to commit to an ongoing subscription, Sony still offers multi-month gift cards with keys that allow you to participate for a limited time without using a credit card. Since this is merely a collection of existing titles that have already been reviewed all over, I will go right into the Pros and Cons of this particular set: Pros:
Great value--5 software titles in one!
Rich, immense fantasy world to explore
Included expansion packs offer improved graphics, better interface, and more streamlined features compared to EQ Classic Cons:
Steep learning curve for newbies
Sparse in-box manual offers little insight into the game or how to get around
Monthly fees required to play
Does not include the newest expansion "Lost Dungeons of Norrath"
Some of the expansions require characters to be level 20 or higher in order to access or play in. Summary:
EQ has aged somewhat gracefully from it's inception over 3 years ago. Still the largest and most successful game of it's type yet, EQ has a lot to offer players looking for fun in a persistent online fantasy world. And recently, the developers have gone through some changes to reduce the difficulty for new players--at least in the beginning and some of the mid-stages of the game. In addition, the expanded content means that there are far less overcrowded areas where players need to compete for adventuring for that special item or quest. There are still the ongoing issues of technical problems, socially-inept players, game balance tweaking, and the enormous investment of time needed to properly enjoy the game, but it still arguably the sentimental favorite in this ever-growing field of gaming. Giving credit to where it is due, Everquest continues to add more and more new or improved content in it's efforts to remain one of the top MMORPGs in the industry. Even with a sequel on the horizon, Everquest Evolution is a great opportunity to get in on one of the best online games around. Recommended
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pro's and, what cons? There are none., December 19, 2003
So here are the obvious pros:
1. Massive! EQ is the hugest game out there. It could take up to 100 hours just to see the whole world (and that's with out even staying to enjoy each zone, more on these later).
2. People! In EQ there are so many people to meet, 1000's on each server (more on these later). Some nice, some mean, and some that are in-between. The people you like, the people you love, and the people everyone loves to hate (people as in attitudes and behavior). People are the heart of EQ. They make the game. You make friends and you make enemies, and you can even make armies of friends to help you fight army's of enemies. They sometimes help you kill a foe, or sometimes help a foe kill you, but either way it depends on you. So, in short, EQ is all about the people, whether or not you like them or hate, you can't enjoy EQ without 'um.
3. Versatility! You can be a warrior for a city, or a traveling merchant, a battle thirsty barbarian, or a peace spreading cleric, you're bound to find your place (its called role-playing). If you want to take a break from slaying dragons you can vacation in a beautiful forest or a desolate island or anywhere you want. It's a whole world created for you to explore, liberate, or even corrupt, if that's your thing. Everything you do in EQ is up to you and you alone.
4. Its a game! This means when you die, you're not dead, but in this game you can't save, so in the same respect if you want to continue the life you have you have to pay a little sweat and blood (well just some Experience Points, EXP) and track down where you left off and try again.
5. it's not a game! If you don't want it to be, you can get away from real life and into a (In my humble opinion) better one called EQ. People have faces in EQ (fully customizable) and names. They have personalities and feelings and so do you.The game you play or the life you live is up to you, why not try both at the same time, why not try EQ. (No I am not employed by EQ, [although I would love to be **wink wink**] just a player who loves the game) Now for the probable cons:
1. Costly Expansions? No, no, no you have it all wrong, the expansions are for fun, I had the original + Kunark pack until they came out with the trilogy. And had that until they came out with evolution, and still don't have Lost Dudgeons of Norath (although it looks like oodles of fun.). Even with my "out of date" version of EQ I have had, and still have the same good old oodles of fun. They're not needed, just extra fun.
2. Needing to group? Ahh humbug to you to buddy, its fun, and in EQ you make so many friends it's no sweat. And if you like to be a lone wolf its harder, kind of realistic don't you think?
3. Nerfing? Ok, ok I give, it's a con. I don't really enjoy the becoming weaker over night, but hey, in their eyes they feel they made a mistake when they first made the game and are now correcting it. So stop being so pessimistic ya meany head! You know they make classes strong to :P.
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