Summary
Superb but moribund
The Good
Where to begin? EverQuest is such an immersive, expansive experience -- it's essentially like a whole other world that players will routinely sink themselves into for three, six, ten, perhaps even twenty hours at a time. Of course it isn't nearly the phenomenon today as it was five years ago, but the fact that we've seen a dozen or more expansions demonstrates the enduring popularity of the game.
First and foremost, EverQuest is a social experiment. Scratch that, it's a successful experiment. It's a game. It's huge. It boasts over four hundred zones, and most of them take a player at least a couple of minutes to run across. This is a huge game world, and there is no lack of detail. You can tell that the creators of EQ really knew their fantasy inside out, from the creatures that populate Norrath to the massive array of magical spells to the 'phat lewts' that dominate the focus of the game for a lot of players.
The Bad
It's clearly past its prime. I haven't seriously played EverQuest since 2002, and that's a good thing. It used to be on the leading edge of social gaming, but now we have World of Warcraft, that's no longer the case.
The Bottom Line
A majestic and very fun experience that has probably entertained more people for a greater length of time than any other game in history.
