I’ve been slowly getting rid of some of my old console games (the ones worth anything, at least) because I just don’t have the space. I had kept collecting and putting things in boxes in my basement crawlspace with the vague hope that one day we’ll own a larger home where I could have a proper retro game / movie room. However, I’ve come to realize that probably isn’t in the cards anytime soon (or ever).
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I’m back in my PS2 era, and to kick things off I’ve been dabbling with a couple of Japan-exclusive licensed games.
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As I continue to re-immerse myself in Norrath, I was thinking about how little EverQuest lore I know. While I could easily watch fan-made explanation videos or read wiki entries, I thought it would be more fun to explore primary sources, starting with the game’s original manual and official player’s guide.
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With Legends looming, I’ve been revisiting EverQuest via the recent time-locked progression server, Frostreaver. I just hit level 15 and I’m honestly having a great time. What’s the appeal? Why play this 27 year old game over World of Warcraft (which I also actively play and love)? Well, let me try to explain.
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As I continue to get more and more hyped for EverQuest Legends, I decided to check out the new EQ time-locked progression server, Frostreaver. This is a pretty wild server, with a ruleset chosen by the community:
These rules add up to a more approachable experience, but far from an easy one; it’s still EverQuest. Once you create your character, you are dropped into the world with zero direction or signposting. There’s a quest chain for your class at the start, but if you aren’t paying attention to your inventory and NPC text, you won’t progress. There are no exclamation points over the heads of quest-givers here.
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I have a deep love for EverQuest that dates back to 1999. It’s also a game that I haven’t really been able to commit to since like 2002. I adore the world and still dabble in it occasionally, but I’m pretty far removed from the all-nighters of my high school days. Enter EverQuest Legends: a remixed, solo-friendly version take on EQ that aims to capture the vibe and soul of early EverQuest while also acknowledging that OG players are now adults with responsibilities. One big change is that you can now multiclass to cover multiple party roles in a single character, making solo play more viable. Most notably to me, the punishing XP penalty on death has been removed- which removes the survival horror aspect of the original, but encourages exploration.
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In an effort to disassociate from all the bad stuff and exhausting discourse around gaming this month, I’m back to my usual go-to: old Nintendo games. Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct gave me a great roadmap of some games to play, and how.
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Enchanted Arms is interesting for a couple of reasons. For one, it was the first JRPG on Xbox 360, which technically makes it the first HD console JRPG. Secondly, it was developed by FromSoftware, a company that doesn’t really make this kind of game anymore! Those two facts go a long way to make Enchanted Arms seem more compelling than it actually is.
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In anticipation of the upcoming reveal of Gears of War: E-Day, I finally played through Gears of War: Reloaded. This is the third way I’ve played through the Gears 1 campaign, and while it looks and runs great, it has some issues, like the Ultimate Edition before it (especially on PC).
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The final game from Pandemic Studios is a memorable one. Inspired by the life of William Grover-Williams, The Saboteur is an open-world sandbox WWII game, where you work to liberate Paris from Nazi occupiers.
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