I’m a gamer. My game is EverQuest 2.
Everywhere I turn, I see and hear about World of Warcraft. I’ve bashed WoW on my podcast, I’ve ruthlessly taunted my step son for his obsession with this WoW Rogue. But, no matter my perspective, and my bias toward EverQuest2.. the fact remains that WoW is a hit.
Admittedly, I have played both games.. so, where do I really stand on the WoW vs EQ2 debate? Well, probably where a lot of people are with Mac vs PC. They both have their good and bad points and attract different crowds.
I’m gonna break this down into four comparisons which I look for in a game.
- Graphics.
- Character:
- WoW: Cartoonish, Cookie-cutter – each race and gender has a very limited choice of appearances.
- EverQuest2: More realistic and very customizable, from textures and colors, to actually being able to reshape most facial features, giving you the ability to create a unique character.
- World:
- World of Warcraft: Cartoonish, yet very full and enjoyable.
- EverQuest2: Realistic, vast and a joy to explore.
- Character:
- Performance.
- World of Warcraft: Pretty smooth on mid-level machines
- EverQuest2: You’ll need to upgrade a bit to use quality settings
- Community.
- World of Warcraft: From what I’ve experienced, a bunch of juvenile children.. even the adults.
- EverQuest2: More mature, helpful and imaginative.
- Extras.
- Player Houses:
- WoW: No
- EverQuest2: Yes, 6 Different designs (Freeport, Neriak, Halas, Kelthin, Qeynos, Gorowyn), available in 2-6 room Layouts, each giving the player additional item storage.
- Guild Halls:
- WoW: No
- EverQuest2: Yes, 2 Different designs (Freeport, Qeynos), available in three tiers, granting the guild access to most features of a small city, including transportation, merchants, crafting and banking, etc
- Mounts:
- Wow: Yes. A wide variety including Horses, Rams, Prowlers(cats) and even Dragons and Griffons. Some land and some which actually fly. Available in different speed options.
- EverQuest2: Yes. Horses, Bears, Prowlers(cats), Clockwork Discs and more. All land-based. Available in different speed options.
- Player Houses:
So, what am I getting at here? Both have their points. World of Warcraft seems to be geared toward teens, and EverQuest2 more toward adults. WoW definately beats EQ2 in performance. EQ2 wins hands down in it’s community.
So which is the right game for you? Only you can judge. If you’re looking for big time dragon raids with a bunch of “MC-Hammer Dancing” orcs.. WoW is for you. If you’re looking for a mature crowd, good friends and Adventure in a realistic Medieval, Role Playing, setting… I’m known as Jethal, and I’m on the Antonia Bayle Server of EverQuest2 come round and say hi.
