RETURN TO EVERQUEST!†It sounds like and epic movie but it’s really just MMORPG.com writer Phil James on a hunt to find an MMO home and going back to familiar territory. Phil has fond memories of Everquest from years ago and he jumps back in to see if it still captivates. Check it out and then let us know what you’re thinking in the comments.
You never forget your first love. I first came to mmos with the arrival of Star Wars Galaxies. I was living with a huge Star Wars fan at the time (huge meaning a dedicated fan that is, not morbidly obese) and he couldn’t get his wallet out fast enough to buy Galaxies on its release. Being a video game junkie I gave it a go, but wasn’t hooked. Sorry, but my geek credentials don’t extend to being a fan of the holy trilogy – I’m ignoring episodes 1 – 3. However, I did get my first taste of mmos and a pattern was formed in my mind; I had discovered where my tastes lay. Not long after SOE released a fantasy mmo (much more my cup of tea) and upon trying Everquest II I was hooked, my preference had blossomed into full blown love.
Speaking to CVG last week, Bioware’s Daniel Erickson, Lead Writer on Star Wars: The Old Republic, discussed the poor track record of existing MMORPGs when it comes to really living up to those last three letters, declaring that early MMOs to current MMOs offer “no point†and possess a marked “lack of funâ€.
“In the early days when they first announced that there were MMOs, like the existence of them, I knew in my head what that meant – because I played Role Playing Games. It was just giant Role Playing Games.
“And then MMO [games] showed up, and it wasn’t that. It was the ruleset to an RPG: There was combat, and there were areas, but that was all. Someone had left out the module. There was no story, there was no point. You just kind of wandered around. And that hasn’t really changed all that much over the years.
“We’ve always had that thought in the back of our heads: That Old Republic should be all the things we thought an MMO would be in the first place – which is all the parts of an RPG. Which means – and this is the most radical idea – it should just be fun. Like, just fun to play. You shouldn’t be trying to ignore all of the content to get to the end as fast as possible.â€
Things aren’t completely bleak, however, as Daniel does note that a few of the more recent MMOs have been offering better content, albeit only in the early or “first 20″ levels, though, at least to Daniel, it’s still not up to snuff.
