By: Lord of Dreams

The most distinctive aspect of EverQuest: Online Adventures as a massive multi player game has nothing to do with its game play, graphics, or characters.  The one aspect that’s impossible to miss is the fact that EQ:OA is played on a PS2, not a PC.  This is a revolutionary towards a new style of mmog’s that will draw in and cater to a new crowd of console gamers who have never before immersed themselves into the world of a mmog.

For those veterans of the PC version of EverQuest they will find many similarities between the two games as well as some major differences.  There are many landmarks that remain constant throughout the game making the older Norrath, (the game takes place 500 years before the PC version of EverQuest,) feel like home while still driving the need to explore. 

Some other major changes in the game play include the Leveling process, which remains the same in EQ:OA, although it definitely has the feel of being a lot quicker than the level treadmill in the PC version.  Something else that is definitely a huge plus in this version is that it truly lives up to the EverQuest name.  One is able to consistently level their characters while at the same time getting some terrific items to help them in their journey through old Norrath.  The biggest complaint that the EQ:OA development team seems to be getting is when there is no quest to complete for their particular level.  Although we are promised that there are many more quests on the way!

The races and classes that we came to love in the original EverQuest come back here in EQ:OA, with the exception of Iksars, Vah Shir, and Frogloks.  Some noticeable changes from the original PC version in character development are the way stats work and the abilities that every class gets no matter what.  Stats are completely different and are much more important in EQ:OA than the PC version of the game.  For example, no longer does Wisdom effect how much mana the priest classes have so before you go and pump all your points into Wisdom on your new Cleric you should do some reading on what exactly each stat does.  Characters will also be able to boost their stat totals as they gain in levels, which is also a change for those of us familiar with EQPC.  Something also to note is that every character gets the gate “spell,” which in EQ:OA is called an ability, from the first level onward.  Gate is an ability which sends you back to the place where you were last bound.  (Which is where you spawn when you die.) No matter what class a character is they will have some spell like abilities to use from the start of the game which will only increase as time goes on.

There are no corpses in EQ:OA, and you spawn with all your items at your last bind point upon dying.  Items do also decay in the game, although they never actually break they only use effectiveness and they can be repaired by both player and NPC smiths in town. 

Unfortunately many of the features that are staple to EQ are not in the game yet, such as trade skills to name one.  But there is still plenty to do in the game right now and much to enjoy.  The game is obviously full as they have already announced plans to open a new server, so there will be plenty of folks to meet and group with in the game.  This is also a slight difference from EQPC, there is only space for four in each group.  This provides enough room for there to be one member from each archetype in the game which are as follows:  Tanks, Priests, Melee-Damage, Spell-Damage.  This allows for well balanced groups who are able to gain experience quickly, especially if all group members know what they are doing.

There is one major negative aspect I’ve found in the game, but it also seems to be something that is quickly improving.  A lot of folks are unsure about how a mmog community works, and they go against the basic “social values” that we find so important to the way EQPC runs and operates.  As the EQ:OA community learns these basic standards however, the process is becoming much smoother.

Overall the game gives us a new experience which is well worth the time it takes to try the game, although it is not a cheap game to try out.  In addition to the PS2 the game requires a network card (retails for $39.99,) an internet connection, and while it is not needed a USB keyboard is extremely helpful.  This is all in addition to the $39.99 through $49.99 that you will pay for the game itself.  But overall, for EQ players who are looking for a slight change or console users who are looking to make their entrance into the fastest growing genre of games EQ:OA meets all our expectations and hopes.  It is truly a revolutionary step for the PS2 and is worth the effort to try.