This is a LITE review, I will try not to spoil anything

The real review for EQ2 thusfar. I have been in beta for a month or so.

Performance: 10/10

Requirements for this game are very large, as anyone with a brain can see, the graphics are unbelievable. I have beta'd both EQ2 and WOW, EQ2's graphics are the BEST ever seen in ANY rpg ever. I am running EQ2 on the machine as follows:

VC=Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB

PROC=AMD Athlon 2500+ Barton Core

MB=MSI K7N2DeltaL - Nforce 2 chipset

Audio=Old Soundlblaster Pci

RAM=1024MB PC3200 DDR

NIC=Some Crappy NIC

OS=XP PRO



Combat 9/10

Much better than EQ1, the combat is much faster and alot more realistic, it really feels like you are "in" the game. Combo's are a great addon as well, with many other things I won't spoil for people. There are options to turn on your character model swinging his sword/axe/etc in the options menu if you want to see yourself doing so in combat.

Soloing 10/10

I got to level 10 in 5 hours, if that helps you understand how much better this is than EQ1. You also get bonuses for killing grouped mobs which you will just have to play and see what they are. All I can say is that it makes soloing WAY faster than EQ1 - and faster = more fun :P

Grouping 9/10

Pretty much the same as EQ1, you will want a well rounded group, or a really mage heavy one. Pet groups are also viable, heck you could group with anyone just depends on what suits your personal taste, and how you want to fight/what you want to fight.

Crafting

Great, probably the best crafting system ive ever seen in an rpg before, and the animations are awesome.

Questing 10/10

Quadrillions of quests, so many you can get very overwhelmed, very quickly. The voiceovers add a completely different feel to EQ, it really feels like a true RPG.

Graphics 10/10 (10949782/10 on my pc specs above)

The graphics are unbelivable, I spent about my first 10 hours in the beta just messing around with all the different settings given. Most give minimal performance boosts. But there are a few that give TREMENDOUS performance boosts for hardly any impact on the graphics. On my computer the game looks absolutely stellar, and my PC is by no means even close to the best that is available now. I really couldn't believe how well it looked on my pc, after I adjusted the settings the game ran smooooooooooooooooth even in Qeynos!

Sound 10/10

Not all of the voiceovers are in yet, most are though, and the ones that are have been spectacular. I love the kerrans accent's. Fits them perfectly, along with every other race in the game. I can't stress enough how much of an impact this will have people.

Story 9/10

The story in EQ2 is much better than previously, mainly because of the voiceovers as stated above. They really envelope you and grab your attention. I have noticed that I actually retain alot more of the storyline than from reading the text previously.

Immersion 10/10

Captivated me the moment I finished messing with the graphic options. I haven't stopped playing since. Everyone is in for a great suprise when it gets released.

Lag 9/10

VERY MINIMAL, even in beta, it has actually been better than WOW's beta, and I would have to rate it the best for a beta that I have ever experienced, I have btw beta'd over 20 rpg's.

Conclusion

Not much more to say, other than the guy who made the review earlier in this forum makes me sick.

He either

A) is a WOW fanboi

B)isn't playing the same game I am

or C) is a complete idiot