Updated review
After 3 expansions and a lot of game updates, SOE managed to turn this game into a classic. If you (like me) was disappointed with EQ2 at launch and didn't bother to look back, now(!) is the time to do so. The game runs better, feels better, has a lot more content, a lot of new features (well thought out guild system, achievements, religion, "dressing room" and much more...
I can only recommend you give it another shot, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Original review (December 2004 - score: 6.1) :
I have been playing this game for a month now, and so far I have had a good time. Now that my fighter has progressed to level 24 and become a berserker, I'm begining to lose interest in the game though, it feels more like a grind now than anything else. I'm killing endless hordes of monsters, and though I try to level in different places, the game still is very repetitive. The graphics are really good if you have superior machinery, but on slower machines it really looks awful. The fastest Intel or AMD processor and the fastest cards from ATi and nVidia are a must. Also the game seems to eat all your RAM, so I would recommend 1GB or more.
I like the sound, voice overs are pretty good and sounds effects are above average. The music is good too, if not a little boring (compared to WoW at least)
All in all, this game brings nothing new to the genre. If you are well established in another mmorpg and havig fun there, I really can't think of a good reason to leave it for EQII. The world in EQII is dead and boring compared to for example DAoC and WoW, some of the dungeons are pretty cool though. I have mixed emotions about EQII, I really had a great time so far, and I have had fun grouping with other players, but I feel pretty sure that I will cancel my account within a month or two, the game is simply too boring. I'm a bit disappointed about it and hope that the game will get better with an expansion or two. One final thing I'd like to add is that the game servers will have about an hour downtime every day, at 4pm CET - which is SO annoying!