Dissappointed with the fact that SnowBlind didn't make Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance II and that the fact that BG DA II was a sub par game? Well turn that frown upside down because if you haven't heard, SnowBlind Studios isn't dead my friend, they are still alive and well and they have released the greatest Action RPG game ever in Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest. First off, there are No online fees and this isn't a Massively Online Role Playing Game. Yes this game features online, but no it doesn't cost a thing and like Baldurs Gate, it's an Action RPG.
Gameplay (10) Take Baldurs Gate's Gameplay, take everything good from it, and throw away all the bad, then replace those bad elements you threw away, and add better improvements, you get CON's gameplay. For example, having very limited combos like in BG was annoying, in CON, you continously slash at your opponents, not slash, slash, pause, slash, pause, slash, shash, pause. That's gone, it's slash, slash, slash, etc... It's not all slash, it's crushing too because you get slashing and blunt weapons as well.
Also you can have TWO spells seleceted at a time, which helps big time. They sacrificed the ability to jump around to be able to cast two spells, that's a good trade off. The Gamepaly is a solid Ten.
Story (9) It's a bit lacking unfortunately, it has a few major twists that are extremely nice, but it isn't up to par to the original BG DA game. However, it's still engaging, the city of Kelethin is under attack by goblins and orcs, you must drive them out of the city and find out who is responsible. A decent score of Nine out of Ten.
Graphics (10) Fantastic, absolutely beautiful. If you zoom in you will notice little things, fish swimming in puddles, spiders running around, water dripping, tiny detailed rocks, everything is completely detailed. The character models are absolutely beautiful and each class has their own look when it comes to armor. The weapons and armor look fantastic as well as the levels. Great grpahics, 10 out of 10.
Sound (10) The voice acting is very well done, some of the best I have heard in a very long time. Also the musical score is outstanding. Very beautiful to listen to, and intense when you are in the heat of a battle.
Fun Factor (10) This is the most fun I have had with an Action RPG game since BG DA I. This game is fantastic and so intense and exciting you will find yourself playing it for tons of hours a day.
Multiplayer (Offline) (10) Up to Four players can play offline at once, that's a million times better than previous games were. I haven't had as much playing a game with friends since Gauntlet when that supported that many players. The PS2 has badly needed co-op games and even more badly needed 4 player co-op games, this game fills that need easily.
Online (9) Everthing about online in this game is perfect except for a few minor problems. First of all, there is zero lag in this game, everything is perfect and insync with your controller. Getting into playing the game is fast as well and the people are generally very nice and cooperative. However, there is a few minor problems. The headset talking is EXTREMELY sensitive and can pick up pretty much all outside interferences, plus if your mic is even remotely close to your mouth, it sounds like it's in your throat. So you have to keep it very far away. Also, no chat rooms or buddy lists. I really don't care about either one of those, but a lot of people do. Online is superb except for those minor little problems.
Item Variety (10) Over 10,000 items, you better believe there is a variety. Every type of item and weapon is different in performance. With an exception of an upgraded type like a cracked patchwork tunic from a patchwork tunic. They look the same and perform basically the same, except one is slightly better. There are plenty of variety items in this game.
Replayability (10) 5 Characters, over 50 levels, 3 unique difficulty levels, randomly generated dungeons, and online play, you better believe this game will keep you going. In each difficulty, the enemies are upgraded to make your high level character meet a challenge and the shopkeepers have upgraded stuff to make your character even more powerful.
Controls (10) Simply and easy, basically the same as Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance I and II.
Levels (10) Each level is unique in it's own way, a beach cave looks like one should, everything looks perfect. Each Act provides it's own special way, from tree cities to forests, to islands to dark evil cities. The levels are very diverse.
Enemy diversity (10) When you get sick of fighting the same enemy, you get complete new ones thrown at you. Basically there are four types of each type of enemy that have hands, a shaman, a person that is heavily armored, a regular warrior, and an archer. Some have exceptions like the ants, with 4 size differences, spiders are all the same, and undead Egyptians have only two. The game is incredibly unique.
Loading Times (9) They get a tad bit annoying and a little long, hopefully they will improve in the sequel.
Boss Fights (10) They are wonderful and each of them have their own strategy, they are hard and plentiful. A strong point in this game.
Character Customization (10) The best I have seen in a Action RPG game, considering their never was one!
Overall - 9.8
Final Comments - Not as revolutionary as Baldurs Gate was, but overall this game IS a better game. Don't let the name EverQuest scare you off, this game is the one of the best ever made.
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