Long before Rift, Old Republic, LoTR Online, and even before WoW there was a game that continues to now and forever trump them all.
Even the most hardcore WoW gamers today look newbish in comparison to the most seasoned players of this game. This was a game whose name brings chuckles and also grins of pity for the fools who subjected themselves to it's grasp. It was a game that removed years from peoples lives and propelled the MMORPG revolution into the orbit it remains in today.
You'd think that surely a game like that, way back from 1999, has since been suppressed into the gaming archives and replaced by its successors, right? You wouldn't think there could possibly still be living servers and massive community followings for a game that requires only 8MB of video card memory and a 28.8kbps modem, would you? But you'd be wrong.
Admittedly, Everquest died out for quite a few years in the eyes of many of the more nostalgic players. The endless expansions and new versions inevitably ripped the soul from what we once loved so much. It became so watered down and infected with the likings of WoW-ism that it was worthless to press on.
Today, however, things are looking very bright for the nostalgic EQ addict. Having spawned less than two years ago, Project1999.org is a dedicated team of developers who have rebuilt Everquest as it existed in its very first days of existence. Even more, It's not just some janky bootleg emulator waiting to get squashed by Sony. The quality and game-play is virtually indistinguishable from the original game and Sony has no problem with the free server remaining up and running. In fact, word has it that Sony developers have even been known to endorse the server. At this point in time, not a single expansion pack is enabled.
In addition to P99, just this month Sony also started their own classic progression server that also sets the clock back to day 1. Anybody will tell you though, that their half-baked version of “classic†is very different than the authentic dedication to reconstructing Classic EQ like you find at P99.
I'm not writing this to start a MMORPG debate or anything. I'm just spreading the word and making it known that Everquest lives on!
Anybody who once played EQ in its hay-day but became disgruntled after Velious should definitely consider giving Project1999 a chance.
Beware though, it is still just as addicting as ever.
Even the most hardcore WoW gamers today look newbish in comparison to the most seasoned players of this game. This was a game whose name brings chuckles and also grins of pity for the fools who subjected themselves to it's grasp. It was a game that removed years from peoples lives and propelled the MMORPG revolution into the orbit it remains in today.
You'd think that surely a game like that, way back from 1999, has since been suppressed into the gaming archives and replaced by its successors, right? You wouldn't think there could possibly still be living servers and massive community followings for a game that requires only 8MB of video card memory and a 28.8kbps modem, would you? But you'd be wrong.
Admittedly, Everquest died out for quite a few years in the eyes of many of the more nostalgic players. The endless expansions and new versions inevitably ripped the soul from what we once loved so much. It became so watered down and infected with the likings of WoW-ism that it was worthless to press on.
Today, however, things are looking very bright for the nostalgic EQ addict. Having spawned less than two years ago, Project1999.org is a dedicated team of developers who have rebuilt Everquest as it existed in its very first days of existence. Even more, It's not just some janky bootleg emulator waiting to get squashed by Sony. The quality and game-play is virtually indistinguishable from the original game and Sony has no problem with the free server remaining up and running. In fact, word has it that Sony developers have even been known to endorse the server. At this point in time, not a single expansion pack is enabled.
In addition to P99, just this month Sony also started their own classic progression server that also sets the clock back to day 1. Anybody will tell you though, that their half-baked version of “classic†is very different than the authentic dedication to reconstructing Classic EQ like you find at P99.
I'm not writing this to start a MMORPG debate or anything. I'm just spreading the word and making it known that Everquest lives on!
Anybody who once played EQ in its hay-day but became disgruntled after Velious should definitely consider giving Project1999 a chance.
Beware though, it is still just as addicting as ever.
