This game is like an onion, many layers and some parts make you cry.
Graphics: I have read before that this game did not start with very good graphics but I started playing about 7 months ago or so and I have loved the graphics of this game. It is very true, however, that this MMO is graphic intensive and while my computer isnt great (its old but I update when needed) It still handles all games out there. This is up there with FEAR and Bio-Shock though. I am actually unsure why this is because while great (for instance if you actually get the chance and zoom in on a Kerran Toon in combat mode not only do you see the wonderfully detailed fur but also can see inside his mouth- tongue, molars and all that. Its quite extraordinary how implicit it appears to be) there doesnt seem to be much more to this then any other graphically enhanced MMO (such as the CoX franchise which I dont generally have that much Framerate issues with other then certain times such as alien invasion encounters) so it is odd to me but maybe I'm just jaded. I dont know, but be aware when you play this that it is indeed a graphics hog and some areas when adding in the network lag created by all the users there I just avoid altogther. Dont let this scare you however, as noted the graphics are beautiful in this game and the spells animations greatly reflect that. One thing I love is how much flair there is in the spells. It makes looking at them over and over an enjoyable experience one which hasnt gotten old for me yet. Some of my favorite spell graphics are on healers (such as my Fury). I especially like how you get a little patch of grass around your feet when your healing. Thats really cool. There's alot of eye candy in this game.
Maps: The maps are HUGE. This is both a blessing and a curse. To one extent it's great, lots of content and you dont deal with the atrocious load times to much that detract from the fun alot of times in this game. Unfortunately due to issues I'll discuss later, this isnt always true. The curse here, though, is this is an MMO and a fantasy one at that. This game highly supports Guild Players (with the new expansion that I'll be reviewing also it now supports solo players a little bit) so getting around is a real pain and can take a long time to get somewhere when your starting your day in your home which is very far from the vast majority of higher level content (which, again has alot to do with the new expansion I will be discussing in another review).
Quest System: While I wish they did something more with it, the old I need help killing rats motif that is very prevalent in this game is old fashioned and widely used in to many MMOs. Alot of NPCs that give quests (or dont sometimes) do talk audibly so the massive amount of time spent reading can be skipped by just listening. However, ALOT of the NPCs have alot to say, they really like to hear themselves speak, so even getting a quest and knowing everything about what your doing can be time consuming in and of itself. On top of that more often then not you dont know what your actually being asked to do in the old content until after you accept. All you know is if the quest will be worth your time or not (whether its greyed- no longer giving xp to you- or still giving xp). Sometimes you dont even know what exactly your doing and a majority of the time if you dont start in the newest expansion area, you will be looking up how to do the quest in Allah or the Wiki database. If you can actually get a guild that likes to play or a group, however, you will be blown away at how quickly you suddenly are able to do things. Sadly most players these days apparently dont want to group, or they only group with specific classes in mind. Odds will be good no matter what class you are that you will be waiting for a group for hours on end unless like i said your in a great guild that loves to play.
Class/Leveling/Skills System: It's really the same old thing. Altho EQ2 has a massive amount of classes to choose from (25 If i remember) and like WoW based on what side your on decides which classes you will be choosing. I personally dont like it being like that, but MMOs have taken that stance for the most part and it doesnt detract from gameplay so it's not a bad thing. I like the skills system in this (known as Achievements) as it rewards questing and exploration. You supposedly dont need these skills but in my experience it really does make you more powerful to have them then not. This system can be extremely tedious as if you dont like to quest you will be behind other players (their stats will be incrementally better then yours always) but on the flip side you will be more likely to see all that there is to see. Unfortunately a game that hates short time spent online each day it bes. This game requires long travel times to go anywhere, and this means comepleting quests as well as exploring is a long winded and tedious experience rather then an enjoyable one that you can take your time doing. So, it is a rewarding system but only if you can afford to play ALOT. SoE really wants to make sure you play this game for years. This is the first MMO i've played that I'm still not fully leveled in (because I like to take it slow) and I'm going on (or over) half a year now. In some ways this disappoints me because I like end game alot. Unfortunately I often have to play for 5 hours plus just to feel any real accomplishment towards gaining anything substantial. The leveling is painfully slow, mainly due to travel time, and thats the real downer to me in this game. If somehow I could go faster and accomplish things in less time I wouldnt have a problem with it.
Combat: I dont personally PvP but in this based on what I've read PvP is an after thought for EQ2 so unless your on a PvP server dont really expect alot of PvP interaction. There is arenas but it seems no one plays them and while I never tried one I suspect it's because it was poorly implemented and not fun. Combat in the PvE area, to me, is quite enjoyable. There are many ways you know what you can fight and what you cant (there is a color system called considering which is an old hat form of saying you can kick its ass, maybe not, dont bother to easy, etc etc) as well as Heroic and even Epic encounters all throughout the game (even at lower levels although alot of the old Raid content has been downgraded due to the amount of time this game has been around not many new players comin into it). A major amount of time you will be soloing or waiting for some group to pick you up though so if you do get into this I suggest you make your main whatever you want and an alt to tide you over when no groups can be found that is solo friendly. This MMO combat system is simplistic in form (you pick the spell you want to cast like any other MMO) and there is tons of spells to choose from. Sadly at one point you are expected to find these spells on your own, which wont make ALOT of difference because A) Apprentice spells suck (which you normally get for free anyway at the beginning) so you'll be buying the higher lvl versions (such as Adept and Master) anyway before you get to that point. Anyway, the combat is fun and depending on your class can either be very difficult to start or not, sometimes its just slow to start. Some classes are comepletely dependant on hit and run tactics or group play so this is also a downer.
Sounds/Music: The music in this is actually unique. Supposedly (although I honestly either dont notice it on my main or just barely notice it on my alt) the music adapts to how your doing in combat. Becoming more intense if your losing and more epic if your winning. I havent notice these changes while fighting on my main (a conjuror)... ever. Although on my alt (the fury) I notice
it barely although not really enough to justify an inovation yet. The idea is solid and I hope they flesh it out more because I'd love the idea of an evolving sound scheme for MMOs I think that would change the way we use music in MMOs (most of us have it turned off, I know I'm not the only one) and if it actually works would make us less bored with it. As it is the music becomes repetiitve quickly (like all MMOs) and I wish I could play my own music from a UI in game. The other sounds are impressive though, and when you get bashed by something, or your the one doing the bashing, it will be known.
Community: The cruxt of why we play MMOs. Some little kids play them to feel empowered because they can be rude to adults and other kids alike and feel no real ill effects (other then being hated by thousands of people instead of just the few they annoy at school). Alot of adults play them for the communities and making friends and enjoying an experience outside the real world with these friends they make. Alot of people even start these games with other real life friends and that makes them successful in the game. I sadly have not played an MMO since SWG that I started with someone I know in real life. So doing things is always 100 times harder for me. Thankfully the community is great in this game, and while there is a few that are a little bit immature it's ignorable but sadly going to be pervasive on anyone who is playing alone. While most talk on this game doesnt offend me alot of times people will have conversations in open world chat rooms that are comepletely unnecessary and should be held in private. Such as religious views and politics that are brought up merely to incite flaming rather then conversation (i know this because they incessantly flame people who do not share their views before anyone has made any comments about this conversation taking place). The conversations do tend to be mature, however, and if nothing else I can only say they are friendly but can often be very ignorant and disrespectful of other peoples view points. Overall though, you can just turn any global chat off (like all MMOs worth playing) and only speak to who you want. Just be aware what your kid is doing in this as with all MMOs there are the occasional Cyber-Punks lurking around.
Spam Policies: I like the way this game deals with Farmers and Spammers and as such I thought I'd mention it. It has a system in place so that anything sold cannot make money (it gets hidden from brokers) if you havent logged in for a week making it so when a Farmer Bot sells something then gets found by DEVs and deleted they cant ruin or run the the market. While alot of players in this are greedy, its a very flexible market and I have never had a problem buying or selling anything I've found in the game. You just have to be honest with your prices.
Overall "Game Play"/ Fun Factor: If you have alot of time on your hands, or friends that already play this I suggest trying it out. With the new expansion things arent to tough to start out although you will eventually run into the older quest system which will bog your gameplay down and make you feel less accomplishment. If you can stick with it though, there is some amazing things to see in this game. The graphics are beautiful, the sound is fun, and the combat is typical MMO. Most MMO gamers, though, play more for community then anything else and in this theres alot of that.
I want to note I know I havent talked about the crafting system. Reason being I am not into crafting and therefore, while intuitive, I don't enjoy and think my opinoin of it would be less then satisfactory to someone who enjoys crafting in MMOs. If your like me, though, and dont like crafting this game wont change your mind. Hopefully I've covered everything, thanks for reading and continue to enjoy your gameplay.