Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest Preview
We check out Sony Online Entertainment and Snowblind Studios' promising adventure game.
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest is the upcoming action RPG from Sony Online Entertainment and developer Snowblind Studios. The game is set in the realm of the popular massively multiplayer online RPG EverQuest for the PC, but it features far more console-friendly controls. We recently tried out a work-in-progress version of the game and were more than pleased by what we saw.
For those unfamiliar with the EverQuest franchise, the series began on the PC in 1999 and has since gone on to hook millions of players. Part of the game's appeal is the world of Norrath, whose rich history and varied landscape has offered an engaging playground for players to live out any number of lives. Given the fullness of the world of Norrath, it's not much of a stretch to draw on it for the premise of a console game, which is what's been done with Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest. While the specifics of Champions of Norrath's story haven't been revealed, all you have to know right now is that bad things are afoot in Norrath and the call has gone out for some ass kickers.
There are three ways to play Champions of Norrath: single-player, multiplayer, and online. The single-player game is a collection of chapters that will span 50 levels filled with enemies. The multiplayer mode will support up to four players on one PlayStation 2 via the underused Multitap for much hacking and slashing. The online mode, which will likely be one of the most addictive elements Champions of Norrath has to offer, will let you play with up to four friends over broadband or dial-up connections using a PlayStation 2 Network Adapter.
The basic structure and mechanics of Champions of Norrath are similar to those of Snowblind's previous game, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. You'll play through a series of chapters made up of assorted levels. You'll find several different hub areas based on various locations in Norrath, such as the treetops of an elven city under attack by goblins. Within each hub, you can venture into the dungeons to defeat an assortment of nasty creatures, collect items, and level up. Along the way, you'll have the opportunity to engage in side quests and battle boss characters. The catch to all this is the dungeons will be randomly generated from approximately 40 different types of graphic sets. Snowblind has tweaked its own formula to make room for five playable races. You'll be able to play as a barbarian warrior, a wood-elf ranger, a high-elf cleric, an erudite wizard, or a dark-elf shadow knight. The various classes have their own unique attributes that will cause them to play differently. The barbarian warrior has high strength and stamina and can swing a massive weapon around and inflict generous amounts of damage on enemies. The erudite wizard has high intelligence and can earn enough mana to cast a variety of different spells. Other character classes will have slightly more-balanced attributes, such as the shadow knight or the cleric, which have reasonable melee attack skills that are complemented by magic skills. Each race will also feature male and female models to use. You'll be able to customize your character's skin, hair style, and hair color as well.
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- GameSpot Score 8.5 great
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Champions of Norrath Review
The core components that make up the game all come together to create an experience that is, across the board, better than the original Dark Alliance and better than any of Champions' current rivals.
- Feb 9, 2004
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