There are several MMORPGs coming out soon. The main ones beng Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft.

Which one will you be playing? Why?

I have never bought a MMORPG before but if i ahd to pick one then it would be World of Warcraft as i have been a big fan of the series since it started, i have bought and played everyone to death and still go back for more.

Not too keen on the idea of paying a monthly fee to play a game tho - think thats the 'student' voice inside of me.

Very difficult choice.

I've been in Everquest since just after its release about 5 years ago. The people who run it have a few problems when it comes to caring about customers, but they've been proven right again and again with regards to gameplay. It's the biggest time sink ever, but it's very rewarding for the immense effort you have to put in.

EQ2 is going to be run by the same organisation (Sony Online Entertainment) but a different team so it could be completely different.

I'll probably be trying both for a while and decide on whichever one is more fun.

EQ2 is going to be run by the same organisation (Sony Online Entertainment) but a different team so it could be completely different.

What, you mean like SWG?

:haha::haha::haha::haha:

SOE will never ever get a penny of my money. Their production values stink, their QA department is nonexistant and their customer support is a fucking disgrace.

WOW all the way for me. Appart from the PVP aspects being built in from the ground up instead of being tacked on at the end, Blizzard are the polar opposite of SOE, WOW has more polish and more content in beta than Everbore 2 will ever have.

I've been a EQ 2 beta tester for over a week now. Its my first ever MMO experience. I have to say I am enjoying it quite a lot. Its pretty easy to get into and that is the reason I have been holding off on the MMO thing because most MMORPGS would have you playing for days before they game actually gets fun. I'm a level 8 scout right now and its fun to play so far. But I'm a totally new at this, as are most other people I group with. So were all wondering along offering advice to each other and stuff like that. Bugs are everywhere but mostly they are graphic bugs. Draw distance, clipping and shit like that. Ati users have it worst. For the most part though, the game does look and play great.

I'll be having a go at wow when it comes out. I does look like a lot of fun also. Gonna have to choose between one or the other eventually.

How come a complete MMORPG newbie gets invited to the beta and someone who's been playing EQLive for approx. 5 years doesn't :P

How come a complete MMORPG newbie gets invited to the beta and someone who's been playing EQLive for approx. 5 years doesn't :P

Easy. I pay a lot of attention to gaming news. I was browsing through Shacknews.com months and months ago and noticed that they had just announced they were taking beta applications for uk EQ2 beta testers. So I signed up streight away, within an hour of the news being announced. Never imagined I would be accepted but thought what the hell... Then just over a week ago I get an email from SOE. The rest, as they say...


Screen1 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/Po0py/EQ2/01.jpg)
Screen2 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/Po0py/EQ2/02.jpg)

One important thing about games that is often overlooked is the story (and possibly history). Warcraft has a huge story nad history that is being continued in WoW. From what I understand, EQ2 is just wiping the slate clean and letting us figure it out. While this seems intersting, it may take away from the game.

The one thing EQ2 has going for it it EYE CANDY. The screens that come out of the beta are fantatstic; however, I don't have a $3000 machine to run it like it is supposed to be. Blizzard on the other hand is ever the gaurdian of he budget minded underdog. I have always been impressed by their system req. to graphics/gameplay ratio.

I am excited about both title, but i'll be waiting until both are released to make up my mind.

My setup is pretty average: Athlon 2200+ 1gb ram and a radeon 8500. As you can see from the screens I posted (ill be taking them down tomorrow because I think it might be against SOE agreement) it looks alright even when the display settings are set to low, as mine are. It performs pretty good aswell even for a beta that is not kind to Ati cards.
Some areas of the map need a desperate tweaking though. I'd say that is more because its beta than because of my system. Framerate is ok: about 30fps most of the time. But you don't really need the high fps that I'm used to for playing shooter games.

Whoa... interesting screenshots. They bear a striking resemblance to Dark Ages of Camelot - same clothing style, same building style, same rounded landscaping.... same poor graphics? (though they're on low, so...)

Still gets me drooling, if not more so.

I also signed up as soon as they opened it... oh well *is just jealous*

That UI looks pretty shoddy, how does it play?

Oh, and you forgot the comedy Lineage 2 option.

The ui is completly configurable. Anything you can see you can click and drag it around the screen or even get rid of it completly and just use keyboard shortcuts. Because I am such a n00b I have to have the colourful buttons everywhere to know what I'm doing.

Its all intuitive. I picked it up easily and I'm beginning to learn shortcuts after a week of play.

Want to know why World of Warcraft will wipe the floor with Everquest 2?

Download this gameplay video (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-pvp&t=8354&p=1#post8354) and find out (it's in the first post, pretty big though around 80MB).

I'd also like to add read the thread discussion, these guys weren't griefing, even the people they killed (and eventually died to :P) popped in to say how awesome the PvP was.

Looks like a lot of fun. But as far as I know there is no pvp in EQ2. Or if there is I haven't come accross it. They may do it at a later date.
Hmm. Even before I was on the beta I always fancied WoW and probably still do so I'll be trying it when it comes out. I can see myself getting addicted to it because of the competative aspect of the pvp where as at the moment in EQ2 its just a matter of getting higher levels and completing quests.

I`m on the Closed beta for World of Warcraft :) (Don`t hurt me)

Absolutley loving it so far. Graphics are stunning even though they have a cartoony look them. If you go and look around some of the towns each building looks unique, you rarely see the same texture twice it really is quite remarkable how much attetion to detail has been paid. Even a bloody tree looks different from the last one you passed.

Combat is superb. Fast, frantic, intense.

Easily the most immersive game I`ve ever played and makes all the other MMORPGS I`ve wasted my life on look and play like utter tripe.

I was going to go back to work tomorrow but it`s now 4am nearly and I`ve got an important quest to finish :D

I`ll go back on Wednesday.......promise :p