Review of Everquest Online Adventures

Sony Online Entertainment recently released a new version of its immensely popular MMORPG Everquest for the PS2. This is not a rehash of Everquest carried over to a new platform, but instead is an entire new game based in the same world 500 years earlier and using many of the concepts that made Everquest so popular. I have to admit that I was skeptical about whether Everquest’s interactive and compelling game play could be successfully brought over to a console, given the obvious limitations a console game suffers in comparison to a game for the PC. Thus I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at how much fun this game is and how well it captures what has kept me playing Everquest for the past four years. Much of this review assumes that you have some familiarity with Everquest, but I have also written it to help describe the game to those who have never played Everquest or even any other MMORPG but are interested in learning about whether EQOA is for you. Is it? In a quick nutshell, for the console gamer who likes role playing games, the answer is yes, get this game. Nothing else for the PS2 comes even close to it. For the PC MMORPG gamer, the answer is more complex. Whether you like this game will depend upon your playing style and how much you like console games in general, because you have to keep in mind that this is a console game and not a PC game and needs to be judged accordingly. Hopefully the descriptions below will help you decide. The World of Norrath The graphics of EQOA are very well done, though admittedly relatively simple compared to Everquest. They have a nice variety and give you a nice feeling of space and location. Best of all, there is virtually no lag at all in this game, even when playing with a 56K connection and in an area with a large group of other players. There is a nice variety of creatures to fight, from the standard rats, bats and snakes at lower levels right up to the high level dragons. The game does suffer from the syndrome of many of these games of retexturing and renaming old mobs and bringing them in later on as a newly named higher level creature, but there is enough variety that this does not cause the boredom that some other games that do this suffer from. There is definitely no lack to things to see and do. The world they have created is simply immense. I created an Erudite and decided to make the trip north from the Erudite city of Highbourne to the Human city of Qeynos, a relatively short trip according to the map that comes with the game. That short trip took me almost a half hour of real time. Moreover, it took me through several different terrains and past several small towns. I can’t imagine how long it would take to make the cross continent trip from Qeynos to Freeport, but I am itching to find out. It is conceivable that a player could play for hundreds of hours and still not see everything the game has to offer. This gives the game incredible replay value. Even after you have spent the enormous amount of time it takes to level up that Elf Druid to level 50, you will not have exhausted the game. You can roll up a Troll Warrior and you will basically start over with an entirely new playing style due to the class change and an entirely new playing field due to the Troll city being hours of real time distance away from the Elf town. Even after four years, I haven’t seen everything you can see in Everquest, and EQOA seems to have much the same depth to it. The Multiplayer Experience I know there are many reading this review who have never played a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). If you have never played a MMORPG, then you are in for a real treat. Once you experience interactive game play with thousands of other players in one world, the single player stuff just seems kind of lame. This is a world that never sleeps. Unlike other games, when you log out, things do not just freeze and wait for you to log back in. Instead, the world keeps on going and the people you met may have moved on to other areas while you were gone or fought and gained several more levels. Social interaction is as important as the traditional game play, and you gain status within the game as much by how well you play with the other players as by how you play against the actual game environment. It is a concept that new players have a hard time grasping at first, but one that eventually can hook you into the game far more than the basics of the game play. If Joenewbie comes in and starts stealing your kills or starts a train that gets you killed, you are going to remember his name. Moreover, you are going to tell all of your friends and guild mates about him. Do this enough times and Joenewbie will suddenly find that very few people will group or trade with him, and without that interaction it is very difficult to play the game. This interaction extends to all areas of the game. If you are stuck on a quest, you have an instant source of help. Just ask the other players. It’s likely someone has already done it and will gladly give you advice on what to do. MMORPG’s also have thriving economies. Players actively buy and sell items and goods from each other. In EQOA, as in most games, the best items are not available from the NPC vendors, but instead from the other players. Friendships also develop during the game. Players that you group with on a regular basis can become close friends and companions, even though you have never actually meet them in person. Join in guilds and you become part of a small community within the larger one. The more you play the game, the more you get to know the other players and they get to know you. While EQOA does not completely capture the multiplayer experience that has made Everquest the most popular game on the internet, mainly due to some of the communication problems I will detail later, it is still far better than anything else available on the PS2 in this area. If you can’t experience this through your PC, then by all means get it through the Playstation. It’s worth it. Quests The best part about EQOA are the quests. The developers obviously put a lot of time and thought into the quest system and it shows. Unlike Everquest, every quest is worth doing for the experience alone. In fact, they may have gone a little too far with this, since most of the major quests seem to give you an entire level’s worth of experience for completing them. Moreover, many quests also result in items better than anything you will get at that level via a drop, and the class quests give you crucial spells and abilities that you cannot get any other way. Every race/class combination gets a series of quests that kick in every so many levels. These are well designed to teach you how to play the game and to force a player further and further out into the world. Thus at level 1, you learn how to buy things, at level 2 you learn how to bind and how to sign in with the Coachmen for traveling. Level 3 teaches you how to fight and level 4 how to group. Then each quest after that sends you further away from your home city and gives you more and more difficult tasks to complete. At least in the beginning, a player can level up solely by doing the quests and fighting the mobs you find on your way to and from where they send you. I like how they give you a sense of purpose. You really feel like you are moving up in importance within your guild and are getting assigned ever more necessary tasks. I think this adds a great deal of fun and depth to the game. If there is any disappointment with the quests it is that there seem to be only a limited number of side quests in the game. I would like to be able to travel around to all of the small towns in the world and solve their problems for them, but nobody seems to have a problem to solve. Sony has promised that they will patch more quests into the game, so hopefully this is something in the works, but right now it is an area that is lacking. Combat and Gameplay I was a little leery of how EQOA would play with a PS2 controller. Everquest is a complex game and I could not figure out how you could get all of that into a single controller. They have actually succeeded pretty well. You target from mob to mob using the upper right controller button. This soon becomes a habit since the targeting button tells you the relative level of the mob to you and, more importantly, whether it will attack you if you go near it. A lot more mobs attack on sight in EQOA then in EQ, making it dangerous to just run through many areas. All of the controls you need for combat are easy to reach on the controller and have a nice, logical flow to them. Obviously, it takes getting used to in order to react quickly during battle, but the more you play the game the more instinctive the controls become. I did find that some of the lesser used functions were not as easy to figure out without consulting the manual, but fortunately, they were not the ones you needed in the heat of battle. Once you target a mob, you can attack it or cast a spell on it. Combat is more along the lines of traditional console and arcade games than the PC Everquest, and gives you a good feeling of the battle. You move up to the target and keep hitting the attack button to attack. There is no auto attack button. Casters do not get interrupted when hit and can cast while moving, though they do slow down when they cast. Plus, skills such as kick and taunt are now treated like spells and are cast using power much like you would cast a lightning bolt as a wizard. This adds an extra dimension to the fighting classes, and also an extra degree of caution since you can actually run out of power from kicking the mob. There are only five spots to store spells and skills, which really makes choosing what to keep memorized tough. I rather wish they had stuck with the 8 available in Everquest, as that seems to give you more options than you can get in EQOA. The spells and skills that you get are the basic sort anyone who plays RPG’s would be familiar with, and vary widely by class. You have direct damage, damage over time, and damage to groups of mobs. Plus, you have buffs for party members that increase their stats and skills and debuffs for mobs to make them easier to fight. Then there are utility spells, charm spells, root spells, pets you can summon to fight with you, teleports and probably some others I am missing. Fighters get ranged attacks and other special attacks to do extra damage to the mobs. Basically, everything that exists in Everquest in the way of spells exists in some form in EQOA, although the fighting classes actually get some additional abilities to use. The biggest difficulty I had with the combat setup was the hotkeys. Commands that you would normally hotkey in EQ have been consolidated into a set of option commands worked by the buttons on the left side of the controller. This works fairly well, but is no substitute for a quick hotkey button. For example, to get your pet to attack you need to pop up the options menu with the lower left button and then hit the left joystick four times to the left. Assisting the puller means hitting it several times in different directions, wasting valuable seconds and missing completely if you mess up the combination. This is an understandable compromise given the fact that there are a limited number of buttons on a PS2 controller compared to a keyboard, but it is still awkward and hard to master. Players who hate sitting around between battles in Everquest will love EQOA. Combat is very fast paced and there is very little down time between fights. This is due to the addition of food and drink that you can use to regenerate power and hit points in between fights. The biggest downtime comes from being poisoned or diseased, as the food and drink won’t work as well while you are experiencing those conditions. A group with a healer and caster should pretty much never have to stop fighting. On the whole, players are more powerful for their level than in Everquest. Most players can easily solo anything that is blue or white to them (i.e. at or below their level) and have a pretty good shot at winning against yellow conning mobs (i.e. those a little higher in level than them). Good groups can chain pull yellows and reds with very little difficulty. This makes combat much easier than EQ, or for that matter than many combat oriented console games, and may be a turn off for some, but it also makes combat more exciting overall. The ease of the combat is somewhat offset by the fact that there are no zone lines in EQOA, so there is no place to run. If you make a bad pull and get in over your head, you have no real way to escape and will definitely be killed. I have yet to be able to outrun an angry mob. Also, the mobs in EQOA are far more aggressive than in EQ and adds are pretty frequent, so you need to remain on constant alert as to where you are and what is happening around you. Group Combat Grouping together with other players to take on the hoards of creatures is what makes MMO’s so much fun, and EQOA is no exception. In fact, there is almost no reason not to group in this game. Unlike other MMO’s like Everquest, you do not lose experience for group combat. The same level mob will get you around the same amount of experience whether you are soloing it or fighting it with three other players. Yes, that is three. Whereas Everquest has gone the way of expanding group sizes through the raid functions, EQOA has reduced the size, limiting groups to four players rather than the six player groups found in Everquest. I personally wish they had stayed with six, since I think the four player group is going to make certain classes much harder to play. Every group needs a tank, healer and crowd control. This basically leaves one spot open for another class. They have fixed that somewhat by giving the utility classes more ability to fit into those traditional roles. For example, Druids and Shamans can heal almost as well as a Cleric, and Paladins and Rangers can tank almost as well as a Warrior. Still, I have to admit I am baffled as to why they decided to reduce the group sizes like they did. It will remain to be seen if certain classes are able to hold their own against the traditional classes or will instead find themselves searching for groups that will take them. Nonetheless, there is little reason to not form a group in EQOA. All of the excuses for solo play have been eliminated. You gain the same amount of experience per kill in a group as you would soloing. And you can kill things that are a much higher level at a much faster rate, meaning you will gain better and faster loot. Thus, players that consistently play in groups will level much faster than players that mostly play solo and will find better loot faster than solo players. Also, group battles are just more fun than solo battles. A smoothly run group can pretty much fight non-stop until they get tired to fighting. It is only when you form a group that your particular class’s skills and abilities really start to stand out. The game is designed so that the classes compliment each other and no single class can do everything needed to succeed in the game. Cooperation is in the long run not only more fun but actually necessary to really experience all the game has to offer. For those who have played Everquest, you will find that group combat is very similar to how it works in Everquest. In a good group, the cleric stands back and heals and buffs, the tank pulls the mob and fights up front, taking the damage, the casters stand back and cast their damage spells as needed and the other classes fit in with their own various abilities. It is this interaction of the various classes that has made Everquest so interesting to play, and EQOA transfers that interaction very well to the console. Death and Travel The death penalty in EQOA is completely different than in EQ. The developers chose to make dieing much less of a burden. Instead of having to run back to your corpse and retrieve your equipment, you are resurrected whole wherever you last bound yourself. You can never lose a level either. Instead, you incur an experience point deficit that you need to make up. About 50% of the experience you get from future battles is then taken out until you make up for the experience deficit, meaning you still level to some extent, but just at a slower pace for a while. Thus, you still do not want to die, but if you do, it is not quite a devastating a consequence as it can be in Everquest. Travel in EQOA is actually more difficult than in Everquest. As a new player, you are pretty much homebound. Travel between cities must initially be done on foot through dangerous terrain full of aggressive monsters. Moreover, the path from place to place is not always well marked, and it is easy to stray from the roads. I personally think this adds a nice element of suspense to the game. Once you reach a new city, you need to register with the local coachman. After you are on the coachman’s books, you can use the coach to instantly travel to any city that coachman is linked to where you have also registered for the books. Thus, after traveling from Highbourne to Qeynos on foot, I was thereafter able to make the journey instantly via the coachman. Not all coaches are interlinked. For example, there is no coach that goes directly across the continent from Qeynos to Freeport Thus, to make the long journey from Qeynos to Freeport, you will need to be registered at several towns in between, which means you initially will have to walk all that way. This means that exploration of the world is necessary if you want to eventually be able to travel it at your leisure. Communication The biggest problem with EQOA, and its most serious debility when compared to Everquest and the other PC MMORPG’s, lies in the communication features. It is designed so that you can play it without a keyboard, but as a practical matter a keyboard is a necessity. Even with a keyboard, communication is very difficult. This is because you use the controller for movement and combat and when you want to talk, you have to put down the controller and type. I have found that it is just not worth trying to talk to anyone while fighting. If you are typing, you can’t also be hitting the attack or spell buttons. Since combat is pretty much non-stop in a good group, this means you can go quite a while without any communications at all. The game, as a result, can often be pretty quiet, and the fun banter you can get in a friendly group in Everquest is non-existent in EQOA. Furthermore, when I play console games, I like to lie back on my couch, relax, and play the game in a relatively prone position. I doubt that I am the only one who does this. But in order to type on the keyboard, you need to be positioned in a sitting position more like you assume while playing PC games. EQOA forces you to compromise this and either play while sitting back and not do much typing or to sit up by the keyboard and give up the more relaxing position. The forms of communication available are standard to all MMO games, and the commands are the same as in EQ, making it easy for an EQ player to pick up on it. In fact, most of the commands in the game as well as the chat terms players are using use EQ terminology, giving an old EQ player a distinct advantage in knowing how to play. You can /tell an individual player anywhere in the game. You can /shout to the players in the zone you are in. You can /group talk to just your group or /guild talk to just your guild. There is no OOC in EQOA – just shout. As long as you are sitting still, communication is as simple as typing in your keyboard. If you are fighting or traveling somewhere, it is much more difficult to hold a conversation. When you go to type something, a giant keyboard pops up on your screen, basically blocking the view of everything else. This is there for people to use who don’t have a ubb keyboard, but it is just a distraction for those who do. The combination of the screen being blocked and the fact you need to put down the controller to type means that very few conversations are made on the run. I find this to be the biggest drawback in what is otherwise an excellent game. There are shortcut keys and game keys on the keyboard that are designed to let you play without the controller. I confess that I have not really tried to use them since I feel one of the nice things about playing the PS2 is using the controller. Perhaps the use of these commands would solve the communications problems. The Community Right now finding that good group I was talking about is pretty difficult. EQOA has enticed a whole new set of players to try out an MMORPG. This is great on one hand and extremely aggravating on the other hand. Right now, the game is pretty much a free for all. Players attack everything in site, break into other people’s camps, steal other people’s kills and generally do whatever they want. In a group, many, if not most, players still have little idea of how to integrate with the other classes. In effect, the EQOA community is still very much in its infancy and is experiencing some serious growing pains. As a long time MMO player, it can drive me crazy to group with clerics who consistently attack rather than heal, casters who don’t even realize they have a pet much less know how to use it, warriors who don’t know how to taunt, and so on. Nonetheless, this is to be expected in a new game like this. The game is young and over time the players will learn how to play it and when they do it the game play and player interaction has the potential to become as complex and detailed as it now is in Everquest. This will be helped by the fact that there are a decent number of experienced players in the game who are slowly teaching the rest of the players the basics of how to play in this type of game. For now though, expect more chaos than cohesion. Then again, while on one hand it can definitely be annoying for an experienced player, it is also kind of exhilarating to be watching a brand new community develop from scratch. Players who are new to Everquest come into a world where the rules have long since been hashed out and developed by the players. They have no real say in how things are done. EQOA players, on the other hand, are entering a blank slate and will play a role in deciding where the game goes from here. I personally find that kind of exciting and am enjoying seeing the game community develop in front of my eyes. Conclusion I believe Sony has done an amazing job of translating to the Playstation 2 the experience that made Everquest so popular on the PC. They have created an incredibly large and complex interactive world that is likely to entice many players into its fold for hundreds of hours of enjoyment in much the same way Everquest has done. However, you need to keep in mind that EQOA is a console game and not a PC game. It is geared more towards a console game player than the traditional PC role player. Some people may consider that to be an advantage, and others may never really enjoy the changes. I personally find it to be a nice change of pace from Everquest rather than a complete substitute for it and plan on playing both games. So is this game for worth buying and worth the $10 per month fee to keep playing it? If you are a console game player who loves role playing games, then the answer I will give you is a definite “yes”. You are very likely going to love this game. There is really nothing quite like it for the Playstation 2. Massive Multiplayer gaming is something that once you experience it makes all other forms of gaming seem simple and Everquest Online Adventures is an excellent MMORPG. The group combat and character interaction you experience in this game is far beyond what any single player game can give you in terms of depth and reality. Plus, the replay value of the game makes the price well worth it. I am not exaggerating when I say that most Everquest players have played the game for thousands of hours and are still entertained by it. EQOA has that potential as well. How many other games are going to give you this much pure entertainment in one purchase? If you are a PC MMORPG gamer and are wondering if this is worth sacrificing time you could spend playing Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot or other MMO games on the PC, you need to think about what types of games you like and what you enjoy about the games you are playing. EQOA is faster paced than EQ, experiences less down time and a lower death penalty, and has a generally different feel about it then EQ. Casual players may actually get more out of EQOA than Everquest because you can play for shorter stints and get more out of your game play. Yet EQOA is also less complex than EQ and does not have the depth of game play or community that EQ has developed over the years. It is more of an arcade game and less of a strategy game, so you really have to decide if you will enjoy a more arcade style MMORPG. From my personal perspective, I really like this game and plan on continuing to play it, but I don’t plan on canceling my EQ account or stopping playing EQ. I envision logging into EQOA when I know I only have an hour or two, but logging into EQ when I find myself with a nice block of time to play. That may be the perfect compromise between the two – well until Star Wars Galaxies comes along that is. For more information about the game, visit our Everquest Online Adventures site at eqoa.allakhazam.com.
Tags: General, News

Comments

« Previous 1 2
Post Comment
Something familiar ..
# Mar 17 2003 at 3:49 PM Rating: Default
The thing that struck me in the review was how many of the difference are what's different between EQ and DAOC (E.G. ability to solo all blues and whites, ability for group to chain yellow/reds, more casual friendly, quests that give decent items and exp to name but a few. Good to see the V learning from past mistakes !!)
Logitech PS2 Netplay Controller
# Mar 05 2003 at 8:27 PM Rating: Default
Here's a link to that Logitech PS2 Netplay Controller that merc was talking about:


http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1&product_id=801498&affid=99999&sourceid=00290340476905916997(null)&bfinfo=104691382745218234

if this link doesn't work just search for ps2 netplay controller in google. this thing looks like it might just be the ticket for eqoa.
RE: Logitech PS2 Netplay Controller
# Apr 01 2003 at 11:27 AM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
I picked one of these up a couple weeks ago from the local Fry's Electronics and returned it a week later. I liked the larger controller as the PS2 controller is pretty small, but the buttons are very stiff, the joysticks have a HUGE range of movement, and the keyboard is pretty bad. The keys are smaller than a normal keyboard, and many of the non-alphanumeric keys are irregularly shaped making it impossible to touch type.

It was definitely a nice try by Logitech, but not good enough to use even if it was reasonably priced. I hope they come out with a version 2 that comes in both kid and adult sizes, uses one cable that is split at the PS2 end, and presents a full sized keyboard w/o these 2/3 sized keys. The weight would not be a problem if the controllers were designed at the correct angle for resting the keyboard on your lap.

Instead, I've gone back to the PS2 controller and picked up a Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard which comes with a USB connector. These keyboards have come way down in price and don't have all these stupid macro buttons all over the place, which you can't use with the PS2 anyway.
Need a keyboard?
# Mar 02 2003 at 9:30 PM Rating: Default
I whould like to buy EQOA, but it sounds like you need a keyboard is it realy that hard without one?
RE: Need a keyboard?
# Mar 03 2003 at 3:53 AM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
You can play the game very easily w/o a keyboard. A keyboard makes it much easier to talk to others, which is why you would definitely want one. You can pickup a USB keyboard for as little as $9 and as high as $140. You can also buy an adapter that will convert a keyboard with a PS2 (tiny IBM-PC) connector to USB, but I don't know how much they sell for.
Very nice game...
# Mar 01 2003 at 7:45 AM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
I started playing EQOA with beta 2 and have been playing it ever since. As stated by many others, it is a completely different game than EQPC. If you are expecting it to be like EQPC, you will be very disappointed and may not make very many friends in the game. I completely quit playing EQPC for many reasons (i.e. serious lack of support, serious problems with the game, and the developers forcing their way of play on you, making soloing or duoing almost impossible at high levels).

Whether you can play for 20 mins, or 8 hours, you will have fun playing this game. It is lacking a couple features, which others have stated, but many of them are being added in a major patch in March (i.e. auto-attack, auto-follow, etc.). The classes are very balanced and no one class outshines, nor is any one class prefered over any other, unlike EQPC.

One thing you will definitely notice is that the classes in EQOA and EQPC may have the same names, but they very definitely don't have all of the same abilities. While class roles in groups may be very similar, things like crowd control do not exist, which changes the way you play some classes. For example, casters will still cast, but they will also melee, especially toward the end of a battle. Enchanters are no longer the masters of crowd controls, in fact, there is no crowd control at all, so they are like every other caster and have brain candy. Only healers (clerics, druids, and shammies) would ever stay back for the entire fight.

EQOA is designed to let you play in such a way that fits your lifestyle. Create many different characters, and level each one up in a reasonable amount of time rather than spending an eternity to level up just one character. The quest system in EQOA makes EQPC's quest system look like a joke. The best items in the game are the result of quests. In fact, if you don't do the quests you will have a very difficult time playing the game. Most of all, just have fun.

One last note: If you decide to play the game and determine that you are just missing way too many of the features, items, or style of play in EQPC, then its definitely not a game for you. There is nothing worse than having people complain about the group sizes being limited to 4, the abilites (spells) being limited to 5, monks not getting FD, chanters not getting mezz, root breaking if the mob is attacked, etc. This is a different game and it was designed with these limitations in mind. Any change to them would imbalance the game and totally destroy it.

Take it easy...
#Anonymous, Posted: Feb 26 2003 at 7:39 AM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) DAoC fricken rules Everquest, waaaay better everything in DAoC.
Keyboard....PSHH!
# Feb 25 2003 at 5:16 PM Rating: Default
I also just wanted to say, that you dont have to buy a keyboard, a keyboard is a luxary item, i was typing about 30+ wpm with just the controller as a keyboard, once you get the hang of it, you can fly.

-Zakkhoe
big keyboard popup
# Feb 25 2003 at 1:47 PM Rating: Default
You can go into options and turn off the big keyboard popup window. This eliminates the "keyboard blocking your view" issue the review talks about. I highly recommend that anyone with a keyboard use these option settings. Also, anyone who doesn't yet have a keyboard needs one to play EQOA. Finally, the Logitech Netplay controller eliminates the need to switch between controller and keyboard as it combines the two into one.
No, sorry
# Feb 25 2003 at 11:43 AM Rating: Default
EQOA, is an online game only, just like everquest, but eqoa is on the PS2, only difference really, except the no trade skills, and no pvp.

-Zakkhoe
Help
# Feb 25 2003 at 10:39 AM Rating: Default
Can you play this game without being online so you dont have to pay the fee?
RE: Help
# Mar 02 2003 at 12:35 PM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
No. You need to pay the monthly fee just like you do for EQPC. Your first 30 days of play are free, so if you don't like the game you can cancel your account and not be charged. The monthly fee is $9.99/mo, and there are other payment options as well as game cards which can be purchased wherever you can buy the game.
whoops
# Feb 24 2003 at 7:35 PM Rating: Default
Oh yea I forgot, there is an auto attack feature, isnt just one button but a combination of pressing a few, just to get that straight, since in the review it says there is no auto attack :)

-Zakkhoe
Phase 1-2-3
# Feb 24 2003 at 7:33 PM Rating: Default
I was also in all phases of beta like a few other people here, and I loved the game, I wouldn't pay 10$ a month for it though, which is why i have migrated over to eqpc, but it is well worth the buy if you would like to pay for it monthly, and the first time. Sent sony a suggestion saying that we should be able to play both if we pay them 12+ a month :) well I didnt say it like that but that is the just of it.

-Zakkhoe
Question?
# Feb 24 2003 at 3:00 PM Rating: Decent
On the EQOA can you multi-player from one PS2? Or is it a single player game?
RE: Question?
# Mar 02 2003 at 12:42 PM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
No. You will need one console for each player, and one account (copy of the game with activation code) for each player as well. You will also need a network adapter for each console you wish to play the game on along with an Internet account.

If you have a network setup to share an Internet connection, you should be able to use it. Some people have reported problems with certain routers, but they were fixed by updating the firmware in the routers.

The EQOA web site has all this information as well and the tech forum can help you out if you run into problems.
little mac trains in frank sinatra park, hoboken nj
# Feb 24 2003 at 2:54 PM Rating: Default
remember mike tysons punch out? is EQOA better than that? and like i'm gonna give up killing elves in gfay to play EQ on PS2 hahahahaha


Eator of Souls
not bad, could be better
# Feb 24 2003 at 2:38 PM Rating: Decent
As a Beta tester, I was impressed and disappointed, which is probably par for the course. Some of the monsters graphics were better than PC EQ, but the technical requirements to actually play were lacking, imo. If you don't have a keyboard and plan on playing this game, then get one. Any USB type keyboard will work, it doesn't have to be a PS2 version KB.

I liked the questing, but having played an enchanter much of PC EQ, I found that class to be totally useless in the PS2 version. I have to agree, however that it's cool that almost every class, except the enchanter could solo whites, and my healer classes could solo yellows fairly easily.

The targeting system will appeal to younger crowds, since you don't actually have to see your target to find it. One thing I didn't like was how people would just loot everything in site. One of the down-sides to playing with children I guess. And yes I know they were supposed to be 18 to play, but I can't believe adults were acting the way some of the beta testers were.

Overall, as a PS2 game, it's one of the better one's that I've seen. It think PS2 graphics hype and reality have very little in common. The graphics are all too dark, not enough detail, too prone to lag if you try to push the limits. The login and connect process were easy, I never lost connection unless a patch was going on. But then we didnt' have 10,000 people logged on at one time.

I'd kind of like to check it out with the zones populated with 5000 10-year-olds just to see the chaos. But for now, I will stick with the PC version. Overall though, I think if you don't have the cash to shell out for a computer upgrade, it's a good way to get introduced to the world of EQ and MMORPG's. Just don't expect droves of PC players to fall in love with this version. It's geared to a much different audience, and it shows.
Beta Tester
# Feb 24 2003 at 12:55 PM Rating: Decent
I don't think that this was specified but since Sony has no legal bounds on me anymore (beta is over <snickers>) I was a beta tester in EQOA since day 1..One thing made me cry tears of joy..The fact that you can send tells to people who are offline...There is actually a MAILBOX that you get that you can send of recieve letters whether the person is online or offline..it was a cute way to send raid/wedding/party invitations... The game is AWSOME for those who A) Have no access to EQPC B) Would just like to see how the world was before their time in EQPC C) Are relitavly new to the MMO gaming experience!As a EQ vet of (god what has it been) 4-5 years?..I think the game lacked alot of things that EQ has..so if you are one who is in it for just the graphics than this game IS NOT for you..The gameplay was very well enabled even with the mess that us Beta testers had to deal with...the tool bar can be a little confusing at first (up means down and down means up?) but if you are use to playing SOCOM and swicthing your weapons in missions than it will be no prob...EQ Veterans will enjoy this game for novelty reasons...but it is still worth just checking out ^ ^ I had to admit...I missed EQPC while I was playing it though...perhaps a good alternative for when servers are down <hehe>
Bards
# Feb 24 2003 at 12:51 PM Rating: Default
Is there a bard class? Do they need to twist songs?
PS2
# Feb 24 2003 at 12:33 PM Rating: Default
I really6 enjoyed the evaluation that you gave for the game it was something i really wanted to see. I have not purchased the PS2 game yet but am a 2 1/2 year veteran of EQ.
I liked the detail you gave and the insite that I was able to gather this will probable help me make the jump to this game. I have 2 teens that play this also and they have their own account, but they are PS2 players so i think getting this for them will really be a boon for them.
As for myself I am a guild leader so it is difficult to change gears to play and spend time on the PS2 when I think i should be overseeing the guild, but then they are able to play on theur own I think. LOL.
To wrap up I'd like to THANK-YOU for the review and the insite you gave me I hope that i get a chance to play this and enjoy all the features you described.

Grayshade Swiftwalker-(Freedom Knights Guild)
53rd Season Druid
The Rathe
Gameshark
# Feb 24 2003 at 1:25 AM Rating: Default
Can you hack your character to hell and back with the gameshark like in PSO. If you can that will kill the game because I remeber hitting for over 10K dmg in PSO and have everything know to man.
RE: Gameshark
# Mar 02 2003 at 12:54 PM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
Yes and No. You can hack any of the info stored on a memory card, but with EQOA it won't have the effect you are looking for. All character information is calculated and stored on the servers. Absolutely nothing that is stored in your console is used to change your character's abilities.

The data stored in your memory card is actually the patching code to modify the client interface. Everytime there is a client side patch, the data in your memory card gets updated. So if you hack the card, it will have no affect on your character's abilities.
I love my wife
# Feb 23 2003 at 5:24 PM Rating: Decent
Oh one more thing if my wife looks at this web page...I'm just trying to find out how to hook up my PS2 I'm not going to buy it I swear ;) unless you let me.

Redcat Hoffman
41 Druid Elf = Good looking ;)
If your a Power gamer
# Feb 23 2003 at 3:46 PM Rating: Default
If you already been playing EQ PC for more than 2 years, and your in a guild with people your on First name basis with, and you also play for more than 40 hours a week "You are a Power Gamer". Power gamers will NOT like playing EQOA. You will not have the chance to laugh at friends when they do something stupid during a raid ... communication takes to long. You will miss out on all the talks guilds have during raids.... if your talking during combat.... Your not doing your job!... deguild! Communication is All the fun for us old timers. Going from EQ PC to AQOA is not an option for me... or any of my old EQ PC friends. This game is for Casual gamers and New blood PS2 noobs. Lets all make SoE rich!

65 shaman
Question
# Feb 23 2003 at 7:44 AM Rating: Default
I'm in italy and I have ISDN internet...anyone know if I can get internet to work with PS2? I don't know to much about this stuff. I had to have a friend hook all my stuff up so I could start playing EQ again. All I know is I love EQ and I'd like to try out the PS2 version.

Redcat Hoffman
41 Druid (Good looking Wood Elf)
RE: Question
# Feb 25 2003 at 11:11 AM Rating: Decent
there is a seperate add on to the ps2 you have to get in order to hook up a network or modem connection.
RE: Question
# Mar 21 2003 at 11:48 PM Rating: Decent
thanks....
42 Druid
Keyboard only
# Feb 23 2003 at 3:34 AM Rating: Decent
Although I can certainly understand your preferences for lounging with a controller in your hand, I wanted to confirm that it is entirely possible to move/target/attack/etc. using the keyboard alone. There've only been a few minor occasions where I've had to put the keyboard down and pick up the controller, but that's likely becouse I haven't found the corresponding keys yet. As a cleric, it's often necessary for me to instantly communicate with the group during a fight, so the keyboard is preferable to the controller in my case.

-Ithil
Cleric of Brell, Durin server
RE: Keyboard only
# Mar 02 2003 at 1:02 PM Rating: Decent
*
50 posts
Yes, you can use the keyboard to do everything, though it may take some time to figure out what keys do what. I don't think all the keys are fully documented, and they are not all listed on one page either. I choose to use both as the keyboard is very awkward to use if you have to look up and down, which is quite often.

Logitech is coming out with a control/keyboard combo that looks perfect for use with EQOA. I think it is due out around March 11th.
EQOA
# Feb 23 2003 at 12:16 AM Rating: Default
Is it better than EQPC, if you had to choose out of the two, which is best. (and what are the graphics like?)
RE: EQOA
# Feb 23 2003 at 2:09 PM Rating: Default
go to the site that is on the load screen when starting EQ. It shows some videos from EQOA so you can see the grapics on there. I think they look pretty cool.
what whould you profer
# Feb 22 2003 at 11:27 PM Rating: Default
If you compare EQpc too the ps2 virson what whould you say?

zoreeo level 12 erudent shadow-night
Just Another Opinion
# Feb 22 2003 at 1:59 PM Rating: Default
As an EQPC player for several years and trying out the PS2 version I can say this review is dead on. Personally I like the PS2 version better, but I also am more of a casual player so the fast action is good for me. While there are flaws and bugs like every new game has I see alot of potential in it and alot of the problems with the PC version have been addressed.

The PS2 version will never match the depth of the PC, but you can only expect so much from a console. Best thing of all though? NO TWINKS!!! ;)

Kismet Lucksong
RE: Just Another Opinion
# May 26 2004 at 2:44 PM Rating: Decent
Are there no Twinks becuase it is impossible to twink, or because it is a new game? If it is impossible to twink, that would be a HUGE selling point for me.
« Previous 1 2
Post Comment

Free account required to post

You must log in or create an account to post messages.