EverQuest II Previews
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Experience is gained in the typical fashion of role-playing games, with heroes venturing out to kill an assortment of creatures to enhance their skill in an effort to kill even stranger (and more powerful) creatures. EQ2 puts another spin on this treadmill with the addition of Hallmark Quests. When starting out, four base classes are available for a player to choose. These include a fighter for those that like clobbering beasts with a variety of soon-to-be-blood-stained weapons, the devout priest that buffs allies' abilities, the mage who conjures devastating arcane attacks to flatten enemies, and the stealthy scout that lurks in the dark and strikes from the shadows. Players will develop their skills in one of these base classes until the first Hallmark Quest can be completed. These quests signify the growth of the character and further advancement will not be allowed until the quest is completed. They provide the player with various specialized branches to pursue that unlock specialized abilities. The scout class eventually opens up to a Bard, Thief, or Hunter. In turn, each of those specialized classes further branch out into other prestige classes. This system starts a player off with a general sense of what the class is like and then allows the character to choose a more specialized path of advancement as a play style is developed.
And the second is at WorthPlaying:
There's been much ado about EQ2's graphics. I'm going to understate them and say they do the job. They are amongst the best out there for MMOGs, and while I'm going to say appropriately glowing things about them, I am going to state I feel graphics are second fiddle to the gameplay; if the gameplay isn't happening, the graphics don't matter. I've been in both of the starting cities, and the art direction for both is fantastic. The good city is bright and cheery, and Freeport looks appropriately slummy. At the risk of being too graphic, the immersion in Freeport is so good, you could almost swear you smelled urine in the alleyways. Either that, or I forgot it was my turn to clean the litter boxes again. The character models are well done, by and large, but there's a few that still seem a tad plastic. The Dark Elf I'm least thrilled with, but the Human and Barbarian are well done. The model geometry is fine, but where I find fault is with the skin tones they lack proper shading, making them look like Stretch Armstrongs.
