The Bottom Line
Pros
- Incredible blend of hack and slash with deep RPG elements
- Clean graphics with lots of variety
- Great voice overs and gorgeous music
Cons
- Too bad you can't slay the camera person
- Where's the EverQuest level-up ding?
Description
- Graphics: 4 - They are as good as they get on the PS2, but perhaps a bit too 'clean' feeling.
- Sound: 5 - Wow! The voices, the sound FX, the music - ahhh I could listen to the music for hours.
- Concept: 3.5 - It's Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance meets EverQuest, not that that's a bad thing.
- Control: 5 - You'll be slaying spiders and casting spells like it was second nature.
- Difficulty: 3.5 - It gets easier the better you get, but at first those goblins are brutal.
- Replay: 4 - Got new friends? Then play it with them too!
- All scores are out of 5. The overall rating is not an average of the above scores.
- Rated: Teen - This one has plenty of fantasy violence, probably not one for the kiddies.
Guide Review - Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest - PS2
Developed by Snowblind studios, the folks who brought us the fabulously addictive Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance realize what they have in EverQuest. They've got a rich, unique universe, a loyal fan base, and the support of Sony. They also realize that they did things right with Baldur's Gate: DA. It doesn't take a PhD to figure out that combining these two assets could work out well, and luckily for us it does.
Champions of Norrath plays like a Cadillac version of the classic Gauntlet games. You can play with up to four players. You traverse huge levels and dungeons, slaying any and everything along the way. As a reward you get gold, items, and experience, which is used to gain new spells, skills, and attributes. As is par for the course, you'll feel a bit like an arms dealer as you haul weapons you find back to shop to sell, but even a Dark Elf has to Earn a living.
Amazing visuals, and fantastic music, worthy of its own soundtrack CD, help the game out. But a horrific camera keeps a great RPG from being one of the best. Champions of Norrath is amazing both as a stand alone and an online game. Find some friends to play with you, as it's best enjoyed with pals.
