<%@ Language=VBScript %> Lisa's Gaming Reviews of Console and Computer Games
BellaOnline
g Computer / Console Gaming Site
Lisa Shea
BellaOnline's Computer / Console Game Editor

g

EverQuest: A RPG's Dream Come True

EverQuest is a hugely popular multi-user online role playing game, where players buy the base software and then pay a monthly fee to connect to the server. The server holds the worlds that the players explore 24 hours a day - a world populated by computer-controlled people (NPCs, or non-player characters), by monsters, and by many, many other gamers. It is in many way a role-player's dream come true.

Where Ultima Online uses a top-down, isometric view a la Baldur's Gate, EverQuest goes for the in-your-face style of Doom or Thief. You can rotate through to other views, but the character-point-of-view seems to work best, truly immersing yourself in your world. You begin by choosing a server to play on - each server hosts a set of characters, quests, and NPCs. A given CD can allow up to 8 characters on each server. If you don't like a character, you can immediately delete it and make a new one - a nice feature compared to some of the other gaming systems that make you wait a week or more. On the downside, your new character only starts with a weapon and some food. The other gaming systems start you with a good amount of cash, which is why they don't let you simply cycle through characters in an attempt to build up wealth.

With the characters being polygon-based, they have done a nice job of allowing different facial features on the characters. You can choose from a wide variety of races. The traditional human, elf, dwarf, gnome, halfling, etc. are here, but they throw in a lizard race, ogres, trolls, and intelligent black "erudites". On the downside, only the erudite is of color - everyone else is a "tan" with fixed hair and body. With Ultima Online, you can fully customize your hair color, length, and style, and skin color.

Classes (or professions) are done in the D&D-2 style instead of the new edition. This means that choosing a certain race limits which classes are available to you. The typical classes of paladin, warrior, wizard, ranger, etc. are available. You can choose from being an axe-wielding dwarf, a elven bowman, a human wizard, or many other combinations. You then customize your various statistics - strenght, charisma, intelligence, etc. to finalize your character.

There can only be one character of a given name in each world, which cuts down greatly on confusion between characters. Where some other gaming systems might have ten "Bilbos" running around, some good and some bad, in EverQuest you are the only character of your name in your server.

You start out in a city that promotes your race and profession. You can talk to the guild leader there, get some initial training for free, and maybe hear about a quest or two. You can start talking to other characters that roam the city, finding where the best lairs of monsters are, or perhaps of other interesting goings-on. Once you practice moving about in the city, it's time to head out into the Real World.

The world of EverQuest is *huge*, and as in most of these on line servers, it can literally take hours to walk across the continents. With the frontal view of EverQuest, you walk amongst the trees, past the shrubs, and see the monsters fly and wander right past you, scaled appropriately to size. The small snakes slither underfoot, while bats fly past your head and larger beasts tower over you. This is one area where EverQuest clearly shines - the immersive quality of exploration is fantastic. You have to learn 'sense heading' as you go. Each time you use any skill, be it swimming, fishing, clothes making, direction finding or fighting, you gain experience and knowledge in that skill.

After killing a few of the vermin of the forest, you gain items and money, which you can trade in for better weapons, armors or spells, and on you go. The beauty of the system is that it is open-ended, and that there are always players to interact with, no matter what your schedule is. If you work third shift or are an early riser, there are players there. If you're a night owl or have a few hours free in the afternoon, there those players are. You can leave your character when you're done, and when you return, your character will be exactly as you left it. The world around you, however, will NOT be - it has been growing and changing in the hours you were away! It's an incredibly dynamic system, constantly changing, with real life people interacting with it.

The ability to learn trade skills (like fishing, or cooking, or clothes making) greatly helps you become 'self supportive' and even create things for other characters. The inventory system has its good and bad points. The graphics are great, letting you see large, 3-dimensional images of the swords, backpacks, spell books, and other items. They are easy to keep track of and use, compared to other on line systems. On the downside, you can only carry 8 types of objects other than what you are wearing. If you get a backpack or sack you can increase this amount, but that is a bit limiting in the beginning.

Highly recommended because of the large number of roleplayers that help populate this world, and because of the high quality first-person graphics. Downsides include the integrated player-vs-player combat, where other systems keep pvp in its own 'area' so those who do not wish to fight players do not have to. Another downside is lack of detailed customization of a character's appearance. Buy EverQuest at Amazon.Com





Forum - Live Hints, Tips and Cheats
Submit a Hint, Tip or Cheat


Want hints, tips, and techniques delivered to you personally?
Subscribe to the Computer & Console Games Newsletter


Walkthrough Index

PS2 / PS3 Reviews

Wii Reviews

Nintendo DS Reviews

XBox Reviews

PC Game Reviews


Video Games and Child Soldiers

Women in Armor

Free Dating Tips


g