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The Tattered Notebook: Worth your time?
"EverQuest II, that's the crappy Sony game with five-year old graphics and a bunch of RMT isn't it," said a friend of mine as we ran around the chilly slopes of Dun Morogh in Azeroth a few weeks back. Even though he phrased it in the form of a question, his delivery implied a mind already made up. Such is EQII's reputation among a decent chunk of the MMORPG-playing population it seems. Since taking over the Tattered Notebook, I've been asked more than a few times what it is about EverQuest II that makes it worth playing, aside from the Massively paycheck of course. From friends and family, to commenters, to colleagues, it seems many people are curious about SOE's long-running fantasy flagship, but relatively few take the time to learn more about it in order to make an informed go/no-go decision. Regrettably, I'm a somewhat slow leveler, due to the fact that I've got a lot of demands on my time and I enjoy running around willy-nilly exploring the nooks and crannies of Norrath. So, I won't be level 90 with 250 AAs, raiding, or able to tell you about endgame any time soon. That said, is it worth playing through the early 30s? Indeed it is. Turn the page for some reasons why.
The Tattered Notebook: What's a sandbox guy like you doing in a themepark game like this?
You'll have to forgive my enthusiasm this week, as there's just no way to be completely objective about the fact that I'm having a blast in EverQuest II. That said, this is an opinion column, so objectivity isn't exactly a requirement, but I do normally like to highlight the good and the bad whether it be Norrath, Hyboria, Atreia, or wherever else my wandering MMO eye casts its withering gaze. For the first time in a long time though, I'm thoroughly enjoying my MMORPGs. I know right? Who'd have thunk that you could have fun playing games? More to the point, and because I like to repeat lengthy, borderline run-on column titles, what's a sandbox guy like me doing in a themepark game like this? Sneak past the cut to find out.
The Tattered Notebook: A loremaster's dream
I have a confession to make. Well now that I think on it, I have two confessions to make. One, I'm your new EverQuest II columnist. Two, I never played the original EverQuest. If those two facts haven't turned you off already, congratulations, you might just make it through the rest of this week's Tattered Notebook, and hopefully future editions as well. Now before you go summoning your fellow villagers and rounding up all the torches and pitchforks in your neck of the Darklight Wood, allow me to elaborate on the EQ virgin bit. I have in fact logged into Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest on multiple occasions over the years, both on full paid accounts and various trials. I've also toodled around the earlier version of Norrath long enough to be slightly above complete and total newb status. For whatever reason though, the title never grabbed me like it did many gamers. So, while I've played the game, I haven't really played it as many of you no doubt have, and it's my hope that you'll forgive me for this little oversight so we can all get along. Why do I bring this up when writing about EverQuest II? Well because the earlier title informs the later, and of course they share fans. More importantly for purposes of my first column, they share lore. Turn the page for more of The Tattered Notebook.
