The combat is considerably more dynamic than in the PC version of EverQuest, but it's still a pseudo-turn-based slugfest, just like in that game. Fighting solo, you basically trade hits with the enemy until one of you dies, occasionally throwing in your special attacks to dish out more damage. Then you use recovery items or spells to regain your hit points in between fights and repeat as necessary. Dying means losing some of the money you had on hand and accruing some "experience debt," effectively making you gain experience more slowly for a while, though you can't ever lose a level like you can in EverQuest for the PC. Tunaria is crawling with enemies, so it's not difficult to find a fight. This, along with the relative absence of downtime in between battles turns hunting sessions in EverQuest Online Adventures into sometimes-numbing exercises in repetition. Again, though, the proceedings can be made much more interesting if you happen to be playing with other people. At any rate, the combat is quickly paced and pretty responsive, requiring you to know just how much distance you can put between you and your opponent and still launch successful attacks. EverQuest Online Adventures uses its PC predecessor's system of enemy aggression, where foes will smartly go after the weaker yet potentially most dangerous members of your group (your casters and healers), so the melee classes must work to taunt the enemies away from these vulnerable targets. At best, this makes some of the higher-level engagements quite strategic.
The original EverQuest has often been criticized for revolving entirely around the process of hunting and leveling up, but in truth there is more to it than that. Players can craft their own armor and jewelry, cook various foods, brew various beverages, and more. Some of these trade skills are quite lucrative, and players who excel at them often become popular for the services they offer. Plus, these nonviolent activities make good contexts for socializing in the game. Also, players can engage in player vs. player combat under certain conditions, such as in particular arenas or on dedicated player vs. player servers. This is the ultimate challenge, allowing players to prove whose character is best once and for all. Unfortunately, none of these peripheral elements are in EverQuest Online Adventures, so this game does indeed revolve entirely around killing monsters. You can take on some quests given by non-player characters, but these too tend to involve killing something or other.
It's a good thing, then, that EverQuest Online Adventures' combat system is solid, since that's really all there is to the game. The world of Tunaria is huge, and it's already populated by thousands of real players, but the game seems somewhat shallow when you realize that all you ever have to look forward to is the promise of being able to kill stronger monsters. There's no real plot and no real goal except to catch up to those who've leveled up faster than you, by spending more time playing the game than you have. This contributes a great deal to the sense that, despite the fact that thousands of players can be fighting foes in Tunaria simultaneously, pretty much all the player characters you'll meet will be pretty generic. Your 15th-level dark elf necromancer is same as every other 15th-level dark elf necromancer. Even if you really like the game, you'll probably catch yourself wondering whether all the hours you're pouring into it are really worth it.
Though it's intended to introduce PS2 owners to MMORPGs, EverQuest Online Adventures is actually better suited to those who are already experienced with them.
One of the big reasons people have gotten into EverQuest for the PC since its release is there has been so much to see. The game's world features all the fantasy mainstays, from dwarves to dragons, but before you can encounter them all, you need to gain a lot of levels. However, the idea of exploring uncharted territory is inherently less appealing in EverQuest Online Adventures because the game simply doesn't look good. The character models border on being downright ugly, and though you can see far into the horizon in most environments, the environments themselves are plain and sparsely detailed. At least the spell effects look decent and the frame rate stays relatively smooth, though it does bog down in certain situations, and the game's different third-person camera options all have their quirks. The sound in EverQuest Online Adventures is minimal. There's almost no music except for two different ominous-sounding, repetitious combat themes. The sound effects are good--spells sizzle, weapons fwoosh--but you'll probably start to ignore those after a while, too. As such, you'll probably want to have a stereo with a CD changer in the same room where you play EverQuest Online Adventures.
EverQuest Online Adventures isn't the same game as its PC counterpart, and the designers clearly tried to streamline and in some ways simplify the experience of the original so it would be better suited for the broader audience of the PlayStation 2. Yet, ironically, the game is most easily recommended to those already accustomed to this style of gaming. Those who've played MMORPGs in the past may appreciate the relative simplicity and relative fast pace of EverQuest Online Adventures, but those who have never played a game like this before may just find it boring, confusing, and overly repetitive. Make no mistake, the game can definitely become addictive in much the same way as its PC counterpart, and playing with the variety of different races and classes can certainly keep you busy for a while. But EverQuest Online Adventures will reward you only if you're willing to invest a lot of time and effort into it, and only if you play it with others.
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