Retroview - Everquest 2

Official Site: http://www.everquest2.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/201230/
Source: Youtube Channel MMOHut

Everquest 2 is an MMORPG and is sequel to one of the most influential games in 3D online RPGs.  Everquest 2 released around the same time as World of Warcraft and was eventually overshadowed by it (though Everquest 2 still had its community and has kept up till even now).  A few months ago, I finally decided to give Everquest 2 a spin as it has gone free-to-play (sort of) and is also downloadable on the Steam platform.  The free-to-play version is rather limited as many functions and content is locked until the player pays for them.  There are quite a few classes to choose from, but the free-to-play version only gave me (was it 2?) a few choices.  Getting through the beginning parts of the game, I saw history of MMORPG unfolds itself as many familiar traits revealed itself: picking up quests, gathering, looting, the user-interface, the combat style, etc.  Between as early as 1999 from the original Everquest till now, there has been very little change to the 3D MMORPG genre.  Sure, there have been changes in graphics, story, and quality, but the core concepts and mechanics haven't changed very much.  It felt odd playing EQ2 since it felt like I've played it forever, even though it was my first time seeing it and playing it.  What I did notice is a lot of the problems or lack of quality the game had.  The animation for characters running was rigid and awkward, the looting system was clunky and annoying, combat was laggy and didn't register along side the graphics, the environment clashed with the objects which made it difficult to distinguish enemies sometimes, etc.  It made me understand why World of Warcraft has been highly praised ever since the early days of its release despite having nearly identical game mechanics with other MMORPGs prior to 2004.  I'm actually really surprised they didn't change much of the game to refine some of their game mechanics after all these years.  I didn't enjoy playing Everquest 2 too much, even if it was just the first few hours; however, I'm glad I did as it revealed a lot about MMORPGs and its history and evolution.  If I didn't have such a crazy backlog of games, I would be more willing to play more of it.  Still, that shouldn't stop anyone from trying it out of it they are curious about it.  Everquest 2 can be free to play on their official website or downloaded through the Steam platform.