EverQuest Officially PS2 Bound
Prepare yourself for the 'Smack. Soon console gamers will lose all sense of time, finances and relationships just like PC gamers.
Published: April 9, 2002
In a move that could be seen coming about 20 million miles away, Sony Online Entertainment announced their plans to finally move EverQuest to the PS2.
If you haven't heard of EverQuest yet, it'd probably be wise to come slinking out of that cave you've been living in for the past couple of years (but nice work on managing to hook up an Internet connection in there). EverCrack, EverSmack, RatThumper Deluxe, the nicknames for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG for those that like to use the lingo) go on and on, but the game has garnered so much praise and attention that it was only a matter of time before Verant/989 Studios/Sony Online Entertainment released the game upon poor unsuspecting console gamers.
Dubbed EverQuest Online Adventures, the console version will take place a full 500 years before the persistent world of the PC iteration. The MMORPG is being designed specifically for the PlayStation 2, but will offer much of the same experience as the PC version, including plenty of character creation options (nine races with 13 different classes and options for tweaking the usual body and gender types, according to online reports). PS2-specific improvements over the PC version include a world 360 square miles and will boast nothing in the way of the now-standard zoning load screens. It's also been said that there will be no need for expansion packs, unlike the PC version, which is on its way to a third expansion. SOE is shooting for nine different major cities dotted among eight different forms of terrian for plenty of variety.
The game will be one of the highlights of Sony's final push into the world of online gaming, joining such other first-party online efforts as SOCOM and Twisted Metal: Black Online. The game is designed to be played via the PS2's network adaptor, which according to the company will be available to buy in August. The network adaptor does offer both 56K dial-up and broadband solutions, so virtually any player with any type of connection to the internet should have no real difficulty.
"We have seen phenomenal success with the original EverQuest. The look, feel and functionality of the game provided the foundation on which we built a truly unique console-focused game," beamed Sony Online Entertainment COO John Smedley. "Relying on the many insights we have gained from EverQuest over the past three years, we strongly believe that EverQuest Online Adventures has what it takes to be a major success on the PlayStation 2."
SOE's VP of Sales and Marketing agrees. "Quite simply, there is no other console game like this. The dedicated team at SOE has put in countless hours making sure that no other game would rival the level of character customization and atmospheric detail in EverQuest Online Adventures. This is truly a new experience for the console gamer."
The PS2 version of EverQuest will doubtlessly be the focal point of Sony's online plans for the PS2, but full details and screens of the game in action should crop up around E3 time next month. Keep checking back for more the full skinny on EverQuest and all of Sony's online plans as they're announced.
If you haven't heard of EverQuest yet, it'd probably be wise to come slinking out of that cave you've been living in for the past couple of years (but nice work on managing to hook up an Internet connection in there). EverCrack, EverSmack, RatThumper Deluxe, the nicknames for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG for those that like to use the lingo) go on and on, but the game has garnered so much praise and attention that it was only a matter of time before Verant/989 Studios/Sony Online Entertainment released the game upon poor unsuspecting console gamers.
Dubbed EverQuest Online Adventures, the console version will take place a full 500 years before the persistent world of the PC iteration. The MMORPG is being designed specifically for the PlayStation 2, but will offer much of the same experience as the PC version, including plenty of character creation options (nine races with 13 different classes and options for tweaking the usual body and gender types, according to online reports). PS2-specific improvements over the PC version include a world 360 square miles and will boast nothing in the way of the now-standard zoning load screens. It's also been said that there will be no need for expansion packs, unlike the PC version, which is on its way to a third expansion. SOE is shooting for nine different major cities dotted among eight different forms of terrian for plenty of variety.
The game will be one of the highlights of Sony's final push into the world of online gaming, joining such other first-party online efforts as SOCOM and Twisted Metal: Black Online. The game is designed to be played via the PS2's network adaptor, which according to the company will be available to buy in August. The network adaptor does offer both 56K dial-up and broadband solutions, so virtually any player with any type of connection to the internet should have no real difficulty.
"We have seen phenomenal success with the original EverQuest. The look, feel and functionality of the game provided the foundation on which we built a truly unique console-focused game," beamed Sony Online Entertainment COO John Smedley. "Relying on the many insights we have gained from EverQuest over the past three years, we strongly believe that EverQuest Online Adventures has what it takes to be a major success on the PlayStation 2."
SOE's VP of Sales and Marketing agrees. "Quite simply, there is no other console game like this. The dedicated team at SOE has put in countless hours making sure that no other game would rival the level of character customization and atmospheric detail in EverQuest Online Adventures. This is truly a new experience for the console gamer."
The PS2 version of EverQuest will doubtlessly be the focal point of Sony's online plans for the PS2, but full details and screens of the game in action should crop up around E3 time next month. Keep checking back for more the full skinny on EverQuest and all of Sony's online plans as they're announced.