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EverQuest II

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7.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 43 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 27 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

Developer: Sony Online Entertainment

Genre(s): Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

Players: Thousands

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: November 8, 2004

Summary

EverQuest II is a parallel online universe to the hugely successful gaming phenomenon EverQuest. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful game world to explore, EverQuest II sets new standards in graphical realism as players are immersed in the game's epic storyline with thousands of other players online. Massive World of Norrath -- Regions, cities, countless dungeons and dynamically created zones. Easy to Play -- New user friendly game mechanics with reduced learning curve for both new and seasoned players. 16 Races, 100 Levels and 48 Classes -- Branching systems allow you to choose your class as you advance. Existing EverQuest Player Incentives -- Exclusive crossover quest zones, chat system and more! [Sony Online Entertainment]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: EverQuest EverQuest II: Kingdom of Sky EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark EverQuest II: The Fallen Dynasty EverQuest: Shadows of Luclin EverQuest: The Legacy of Ykesha EverQuest: The Planes of Power EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark EverQuest: The Scars of Velious Lords of EverQuest

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Game Chronicles

There’s always something new to discover!

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Gamezilla!

I felt a fantastic feeling of adventure that I hadn’t experienced since the first EverQuest. It was all propelled by the sense of interaction and community that only a MMORPG can offer up.

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eToychest

Crack has been refined and made anew with EverQuest II. It’s an addicting game as well as being very deep. It probably won’t be for the casual gamer, but anybody that enjoyed EQ will pick this up, and find the game more enjoyable then the original.

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GameZone

EQ II is immersive, and certainly challenging as well as entertaining. For a strictly PvE game, EQ II is a tasty entry in the MMO genre.

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Warcry

SOE has managed to bring back the addiction. I don't know if I should thank them or curse them for that. I do know one thing for sure, though: Everquest II is the best MMORPG currently available on the market.

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Cheat Code Central

With voiceovers and the ability to team up with other characters there is more of a sense of community than ever before.

Computer Gaming World

It might be too friendly for old-school, hardcore EQ players to make the jump, but for gamers looking for a classic fantasy MMO, EverQuest II should fit the bill very nicely. [Feb 2005, p.72]

PC Gameworld

Has less instant fun than "World of Warcraft," but there is a stronger sense of accomplishment.

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Boomtown

The game is by no means perfect, but it's a wonderful evolving experience that it's a pleasure to be part of.

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Computer Games Magazine

A brilliantly reworked world with technology to die for. [March 2005, p.66]

GamerFeed

To put it simply: if you are a fan of the MMO genre, you absolutely must try this game. It sucks you in from the first click and doesn't let go. Graphics, sound, and gameplay are all here and representing the best there is to offer in the MMO pride.

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Loaded Inc

With frequent updates, it is obvious that they are trying to get this title as far to the front of the pack as possible. Only time will tell just how “massive” this MMORPG game will become.

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Pelit (Finland)

A modernised sequel to the MMORPG classic. The basic idea is pretty much the same, but the new class system is good and the game looks awesome. Content is rather fluffy, although it is easy to get into and a lot of fun to play. [Feb 05]

Just RPG

The least flawed of all the MMORPGs presently out.

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IC-Games

You can spin superlatives about the sound effects in Everquest 2 but nothing could justify the sheer amount of work that has obviously gone into making this game an audio delight.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

As a game Everquest II improves on many aspects of the original, boasting some of the most detailed graphics in any game to date, a feature rich community toolset, a very well thought out crafting system, meaningful character choices, highly interactive combat and a lot more besides.

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Gamers' Temple

Takes the addicting gameplay pioneered by EverQuest and makes it more streamlined, accessible, and more enjoyable than before.

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Game Informer

If you have the time, EverQuest II is, in my opinion, the best group-orientated MMORPG on the market. Its one major drawback being that it still requires a serious commitment of time to experience the game the way it was intended. [Feb 2005, p.85]

IGN

There's no doubt that EverQuest 2 is the most refined expression of the model that the first game sparked. The beauty of the visuals and the variety of quests are definitely the high points for the game, but you shouldn't discount the game's presentation either.

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Inside Gamer Online

It is evident that the five years of development were well spent, and you can see that EverQuest II was, is, and will likely continue to be a labor of love. If you want a satisfying, intriguing title full with potential, look no further.

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RPG Fan

EverQuest II does not make a profound mark on MMORPG titles that its predecessor did. However, this doesn't mean it's by any means a bad MMORPG; it's just not innovative.

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Worth Playing

It's not as revolutionary as the original, but is addictive and fun. There always seems to be a goal that's “just out of your reach” that kept me interested in playing.

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My Gamer

Challenging games are becoming an endangered species in the MMORG genre; several of the latest releases seem to cater to the lowest common denominator of the gaming community. EverQuest II reverses that trend.

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ActionTrip

Just don’t expect to see too much in the way of innovation or earth-shattering new ideas being brought to the table and you won’t be disappointed.

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G4 TV

An undeniably polished game. It will offer you months and months of new things to do and experience.

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2404.org

The environments are beautiful, sound is quality, and community is strongly encouraged. You do not have to be running this game all the time to be enjoying it.

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GameShark

A brilliantly crafted work art in almost every respect. It just never became fun for me. It always seemed like I was supposed to be working for something, but I never figured out what that this was.

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games(TM)

By design, you’d expect any MMORPG to offer you a wealth of layers to delve through during the days, weeks and months that you exist within it; even by these standards, though, Everquest II’s scope is almost beyond compare. [Jan 2005, p.98]

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Sydney Morning Herald

An immensely deep role-player.

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Yahoo! Games

All of these details get wound into a very straightforward game world that is absolutely packed with quests and other things to do. In most MMOs, characters spend their first 10 or 20 levels looking for enough things to do to earn better powers and weapons. Here, a ceaseless barrage of possible tasks begins with the orientation area (on the Isle of Refuge) and continues deep into the game.

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Computer and Video Games

There are off-line games equally or even more spectacular in immediate scenery or character models, but what game can offer such outrageous landscapes on such a grandiose scale? It's not just the sheer footslogging size of it, but the way the environment is realised to enhance this impression of immense vista and truly epic proportions.

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GamePro

EverQuest II a metric crapload of game, to be sure-complex, huge, versatile, and lots of fun with friends, but slow-paced and visually schizophrenic. When Norrath calls, you'd better be prepared to give a very long answer.

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PC Format

EQII beats any other MMO at release; the developers have learnt a lot from its competitors and there's a full game here, ready to play and have fun with. [Christmas 2004, p.116]

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GameSpy

Even as it stands now, EverQuest II is extremely fun to play, frequently rewarding, and designed with just the right amount of user convenience in mind.

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RealGamer

While EverQuest II may not be the revolutionary title that the original was it does take steps in the right direction despite not offering anything that hasn’t already been done in other titles.

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Thunderbolt

The only thing missing from it is a larger player base and it’s going to take a lot of work to get diehard World of Warcraft players to give this a shot.

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GameSpot

So while EverQuest II isn't the massive step for the genre that its predecessor was, it can still be a fun and addictive online role-playing experience that has a lot to offer new and experienced players alike.

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PC Gamer

A solid game that does everything at least mostly right, but almost everything seems a little duller and more tedious than you'd expect from a next-generation MMORPG. [Feb 2005, p.76]

Gaming Nexus

Faithful to such profiling, the EverQuest universe does not stray from the tried-and-true formulas. EQ2, from conception to execution, was never able to think outside of the box.

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Play Magazine

Some dull environments and lame voice over, as well as steep hardware requirements, might chase you away to... whiter pastures. [Jan 2005, p.76]

Game Revolution

It takes place in a gigantic world with loads of great content, and the seemingly endless number of small quests means that if you only have a half-hour to play, you can actually get something done. However, Everquest II isn’t terribly intuitive or noob-friendly when you’re just starting out.

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1UP

It's everything its predecessor was, only with better presentation, incredible graphics, and a lot of the simple, necessary improvements that have become standard since the days of the original EQ. On the other hand, players who never cared for the first game will find that the core gameplay has changed very little.

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Detroit Free Press

Sure, EQ II has its share of great quests, including one that requires helping a crew to rebuild a ship that you then sail on, defending it against bad guys. But the run-of-the-mill quests never had that crackle of humor or drama that "World of Warcraft" captured so well.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

EQ Fanatic gave it a9:
EQ2 is a great game, and I remember how awsome it is to finally get off that island. (In the 14-day trial, you're stuck there. But, I have only, ONLY 2 problems. 1: The characters are all too whiny and npcs are kind of ridiculous. 2: If you play as a dwarf of High elf or something, you HAVE to start off good (same with Iksar or dark elves, they HAVE to start as evil), and it takes too long to get to the point that you can take a betrayal quest. Still, it's a good game, and a lot of the things that made the first EQ are present here.

Eric E. gave it a9:
In my opinion EQ2 is the best MMO on the market right now. It has a rough start during launch but Scott Hartsman turned the ship around and really set her on a path to success. For a 3 going on 4 year old game it still has graphics that are stunning and match it with ANY current MMO. However because of this you need a fairly decent gaming machine to handle it.

Luckbad the Pirate gave it a10:
By far the best MMO out at the moment. It has everything any player who is a fan of the standard MMORPG model could want, whether you're a PvE or PvP player. EverQuest II updates more often than any other game out there for free, and has had more content in the form of expansions and adventure packs than any of the competition.

D King gave it a10:
Simply the best, most engrossing game I've ever played.

J gave it a5:
I was never really an Everquest fan, and I probably will never be at this rate. The game was a re-graphic, redesign of the original everquest, just with online fees. Online fees brings my rating down a point, only because it takes a hack in my part-time paycheck. Gameplay was ok, skills were nicely balanced but I would reccomend switchiong to Guild Wars, or maybe even World of Warcraft, unless you played warcraft 3, then youd be dissapointed.

Leslie A. gave it a10:
Beautiful! Of course you need a pretty wicked system (I had to go out and get a new graphics board - nothing like having to spen an extra $150 to be able to use a Christmas present!!) to be able to play...I am not very far into it as work and sleep seem to interfere with my gaming time, but I think I will enjoy this even more than plain old EQ...

Leigh M. gave it a 9:
What a Huge Amazing Game. The only this is you need a monster of a machine to play this!

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EverQuest II

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