Lords of EverQuest

EverQuest ventures into the realm of the RTS. Does it make it out alive?

The world of EverQuest expands into the real-time-strategy genre with satisfactory results. Some flaws prevent Lords of EverQuest from reaching the top ranks, but there?s plenty to keep gamers happy.

Here Come the Lords
An asset and a liability of EverQuest lore is that it?s generic as far as fantasy tales are concerned. That?s great for online players immersing themselves in adventures and mythos that they?re actively shaping but not so great for creating a compelling back story for a plot-driven RTS. Lords of EverQuest gives it its best shot, but the overall execution falls short of the mark of its chief competitor, WarCraft. Some big-name Hollywood talent lend their voice to the narrative, and the musical score also tries to strike a grand chord. While some performances are solid, many border on terrible, and the soundtrack is remarkably average.

The visuals are a mixed bag. Some characters and scenery feature a fantastic amount of detail: Shining armor, clothing with intricate decorative touches, and gorgeous pools of water with little fish swimming about are just some of the graphics you?ll be delighted by. The cost of that eye candy is secondary characters composed of far fewer polygons, somewhat choppy battle animations, and the occasional sparse-looking levels.

Feign Death
Thankfully, the gameplay shines through in a big way with a nice variety of units that upgrade and control in familiar ways. Online play in particular is great fun and only suffered lag during chaotic 12-player matches with less than ideal network conditions. The EverQuest favorite ?feign death? ability comes in handy in those aforementioned battles when your Lord can?t beat a hasty retreat. Some greater variety between the three factions would have been cool, but at least you can play them in any order you choose.

Developer Rapid Eye Entertainment got plenty right with Lords of EverQuest, but it definitely feels more like a freshman effort than a fully realized RTS

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