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For as popular as EverQuest became on the massively multiplayer online role-playing game scene, the recent PlayStation 2 release, EverQuest Online Adventure, fizzed soon after release. Despite a significant price cut at retail to $20 and several rebate offers, the console world of Norrath is a bit empty. Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, coming from Snowblind Studios is Sony Online Entertainment’s altered attempt at introducing EverQuest to console gamers. At first glance, Champions of Norrath looks remarkably similar to Snowblind’s own action RPG, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. Well, that’s because it really is, but we don’t expect a cut-and-paste job with the game. Snowblind wasn’t put in charge of the Dark Alliance follow-up, so the developer’s new ideas for the genre have taken form in Champions of Norrath.
Ala BioWare and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Snowblind begins their tale several hundred years before the events of the original EverQuest. Gamers are recruited by the wood elves of Kelethin to protect against the forwarding march of evil goblins. The rest is a bit fuzzy. Something evil is crafting an army of enormous proportions - but who, and for what purpose? On your journey you’ll find out. Look for the following from Champions of Norrath when it arrives in the fall: - Five playable characters (both male and female): select from barbarian warrior, dark elf shadowknight, high elf cleric, erudite wizard and wood elf ranger
- Thousands of items and magical artifacts to acquire
- Create unique magic items by combining magical components with weapons and armor
- Randomly generated dungeons and monsters mean a different experience every time you play
- Unmatched character customization with modifiable hair, skin, tattoos and facial hair, hundreds of armor variations and thousands of distinctive weapons, including swords, maces, axes, bows and more
- 50 levels with non-linear side quests
- Four player multiplayer on a single PlayStation 2 system with a Multitap
- Superior online multiplayer options for up to four players via the Network Adaptor for the PlayStation 2. No additional subscription fees required (players must provide their own Internet connection for online gameplay)
- Fully interactive 3D environments that push the PlayStation capabilities with stunning lighting and visual effects; capable of handling 30 to 40 characters on screen at once in spectacular battles
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