The big Fantasy MMORPG Roundup

EVERQUEST 2 -> C-

Fans of Everquest 2 will probably want to strangle me- but it's completely true. First, let me explain the situation- the graphics of Everquest 2 are absolutely without doubt the most beautiful of all three, being the hallmark of MMORPG gaming as we know it. The world is huge, beautiful, lush, detailed, interesting, the weapons all look unique and fun, the characters all can be custom designed and completely unique (Though looking like Bryce 3D models) and everything about the game spells “Beautiful”.

To add to this, Everquest 2 features full voice overs for important characters, phenomenal music rivaling Final Fantasy XI, and sounds that make sense- all teaming up to be an absolute aural orgasm, in many respects. One cannot argue that Everquest 2 has the whole package.

However, this comes with a price, one that virtually no gamer can pay. On my professional gaming rig, the one I have used to crank up games such as Half Life 2 into huge resolutions with no lag at the highest quality setting- could barely handle Everquest 2. This comes as no surprise to many, however, because the issue lies not within your SYSTEM- it lies within a very underdeveloped engine that tends to rely way too much on the networking situation. So, with that in mind, the Everquest 2 servers lag quite often- and thus no matter the superb gaming rig you have on your desk, you will always be clipping unless you set the game to the same graphic quality as, surprise surprise, Everquest 1.

In fact, as I discussed with a friend of mine whilst playing the game, the game is absolutely ruined by this. There is no redeeming value to beautiful graphics that cannot be even rendered properly. I write that as a partial failure- a C-.

Part 2: Gameplay and User Friendliness

This comes under the heading of how you play the game, and how well you can handle the game. MMORPGs are all about being part of a larger world, an avatar-like system where you create a citizen- so, when one plays this game, one generally expects that the game allows him/her to experience the game rather than to be partitioned away from it by some draconian GUI or horrible control system. This is so important, that we debated putting this on top- but, rather, it takes second place in our rankings system. Time to break it down:

FINAL FANTASY XI -> F

Oh god, where do I start. Way back when Final Fantasy XI was launched for the PS2 and PC, it was very obvious that the Japanese market intended to play it on the PS2 rather than the PC- and thus, the PC was somewhat screwed over. While the PS2 version fared somewhat well (Though with a horrible chat system), the PC version ended up getting such a horrible short end of the stick, it is nigh unplayable.

The GUI system is obviously based from the PS2 version, even forcing gamers to hit the – button (Yes, the one all the way on the numpad) to access a menu. Then, unless you change the config (to the other setting, there is no user controlled configuration of keys), you are forced to use the arrow keys to move, and the alphanumeric keys are stuck to chat- exactly like the PS2 version. Adding insult to injury, all of the fonts and GUIs are muddy and ugly (see above), and very hard to control.

So, with no hotkeys of any kind, this may seem bad. What really kills gamers is the horrible mouse and camera support. The mouse, somewhat lackadaisically tied to the character as a pseudo-control stick, manages only to mess up the camera and tilt it far away from where you intended it to go. This floaty control gets annoying- and there is no fix.

Oh, and let's not forget the settings for those of us who chat when we play MMORPGs. Because the game forces you through the gates of hell (Personified in the presence of a system known as PlayOnline, which forces you to log in TWICE to START FFXI, whilst harassing you with messages and warnings. Alt+Tabbing the window will instantly crash your game, and there is no window function- you are forced into fullscreen. Hacks exist to fix this particular problem, but nothing is there to fix the indignity of forcing one to log into the irritating system known as PlayOnline.

There is nothing redeeming about this system. If there was such a thing as F-, this game would get it.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT -> A

World of Warcraft, as I mentioned above, was a game developed by Blizzard, who knows what the hell they are doing when it comes to MMORPGs. Originally, after sharpening my teeth on the Diablo series, I expected World of Warcraft to be similar- somewhat clunky and irritating (and a whole lot of clicking)- but was pleasantly surprised to find otherwise.

The GUI system is basically uniform and very simple to use. Much akin to other MMORPGs, a hotbar appears below to summon abilities, as well as check your inventory, current XP, and anything else you feel to check. The camera system is very easy to use and flips around at the drop of a hat, the windows are customizable to the full extent, and amazingly, Blizzard allows users to add modifications to the GUI, be it specific counters, class help, or anything else you need.

This is all tied with a very easy to use system that makes everything SIMPLE, which is very amazing for this sort of game. This amount of ability to customize your game really turns into a very nice way to play, and World of Warcraft feels natural. I was surprised.

EVERQUEST 2 -> B+

And, of course, Everquest 2. Not very much different than the original, Everquest 2 does not do much to excel itself beyond what it has done for the last 10 years, which is good or bad, depending on how you look at it.



All of the GUIs are very easy and obviously based on Everquest, which is good when it comes to being able to do what you want to do. All windows are movable, lockable, turnable, and basically anything your heart could desire- resulting in remarkably customizable gameplay, which I do admit I like, as I mentioned above.

However, where Everquest 2 does not meet the wonder of World of Warcraft comes into the realm of ease of use and concise labeling. It seems as if, at least in some spots, Everquest 2 wanted to pander to extreme gamers, which essentially translates into some excessively wordy text, confusing terminology (Many people don't get the Attune concept still..), and sometimes slightly buggy gameplay elements. It takes a good amount of time to work the system to make it feel familiar and usable- which may be a good thing, but may be intimidating to newer players.

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