PC

  News 
  Reviews
  Previews
  Hardware
  Interviews
  All Features

Areas

  3DS
  Android
  iPad
  iPhone
  Mac
  PC
  PlayStation 3
  PlayStation 4
  Switch
  Vita
  Wii U
  Xbox 360
  Xbox One
  Media
  Archives
  Search
  Contests

 

Everquest Evolution

Score: 90%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
Media: CD/4
Players: Massively Multiplayer
Genre: MMORPG

Graphics & Sound:

Everquest -- if once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.

Long have I been able to resist the dark grasp of the game known as Everquest. Yes, even as some of my closest friends fell to it's mighty presence, I was able to resist stepping into the realm. For a time, I thought I might have been free of the influence -- but as it turns out I was wrong. Once again, the digital drug peddlers at SOE have managed to offer a deal on Everquest that is just too hard to pass up with Everquest: Evolution.

Despite the 'evolved' name, this edition of Everquest is the same graphically as every other edition. This is one of the older MMORPGs on the market, but you wouldn't know it by the looks. The world of Norrath looks just as good as it always has and runs rather well. Even with the setting maxed out, I ran into few problems. It may not look like one of the newer massively multi-player entries like Star Wars: Galaxies or the upcoming Lineage II, but it gets the job done and looks good doing it. The sound package also remains unchanged.


Gameplay:

With the next generation of MMORPGs upon us (which includes Everquest II), Everquest: Evolution is an opportunity for players to revisit the game that helped start it all. Evolution is a collection of the original Everquest, along with five of its expansions: The Ruins of Kunark, The Scars of Velious, Shadows of Luclin, The Planes of Power and the Legacy of Ykesha (the upcoming Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion is not included).

Everquest transports players to the mythical realm of Norrath. After selecting one of 15 different races (Human, Elf...), players can learn one of 15 different skills and enter the realm. Once there, players can join thousands of others in traveling the world, exploring dungeons and, more importantly, meeting new people.

For deeper impressions of each title, check out these links:

Everquest Trilogy

Planes of Power

Ruins of Kunark


Difficulty:

Everquest isn't a game you can master in a day and be done with. In order to get even halfway decent, expect to invest a lot of time into the game. Grouping with a party is the best way to go about doing this quickly, otherwise get used to killing lots and lots of rats. Be sure to make use of the game's social aspect, since going through it solo is rather difficult at times.

Game Mechanics:

Once situated in the game, the control and menu system in Everquest: Evolution is very easy to use. Combat, travel and even forming parties has all be streamlined into a few easy to navigate menus.

Everquest: Evolution is the ultimate gateway drug into the world of MMORPGs. This is an especially good deal for people who have wanted to try out the game, but would rather not deal with the hassle of buying each of the expansions separately. This all-in-one deal is an excellent option. Combining a deep role-playing system with the ability to share adventures with friends from around the world, Everquest is the pinnacle of what a good online world can be.


-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

Minimum System Requirements:



Windows 98/2000/ME/XP; Pentium II 400 MHz or Higher; 16 MB 3D Video Card (32 Meg 3D Video Card Recommended); 450 MB HD (1.5 MB Recommended); 4x or Faster CDROM Drive; 256 MB RAM (512 MB Recommended)
 

Test System:



Windows XP; Pentium 4 1.7 GHz; Radeon 9100 128 MB; 40 Gig HD; 640 MB RAM

Windows Blitzkrieg: Attack is the Only Defense Windows Everquest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated