Decision 2004 (World of Warcraft vs. Everquest 2)

Preview - Let the MMORPG face-off begin!

No, I'm not talking about whether Kerry or Bush gets elected. I'm talking about something much more important... which of the two heavy weights in the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game arena is going to get your vote.

"Ladieeeeeeeeees and GEN-tlemen... in the red corner, weighing in at a massive 400,000+ subscribers, the current World Heavyweight Champion of MMORPGs, the Sword and Spell Heroin, the one, the only Ever-crack legacy, Everquest 2 from Sony Online Entertainment.

[cue cheers from the EQ Fanbase, hisses from the WoW supporters]

"And innnnnnnnnnn the BLUE Corner, the challenger, coming from successes like Diablo I and II, Starcraft and its hideously addictive Warcraft series, Worrrrrrrld of Warcraft, by Blizzard in its MMORPG debut."

[cue cheers from the WoW fans and boos from the EQ loyalists]

Seriously. This is what it feels like. This holiday season, two massive games are going to duke it out, with the prize being your monthly subscription. Of course, you could opt to buy and play both games, but, honestly, who has time to play one massively populated online game, let alone two? I've been fortunate enough to have played both contenders in their respective Closed Betas, and I want to put these two titans head to head for you in terms of playability from an online RPG veteran (by veteran, I mean the wasted hours and broken marriage, not implying I'm actually good at them, or anything).

Backing up six years or so, I first started playing Ultima Online, but not for very long as I was fortunate enough to have received a copy of Everquest from those nice folks at Verant (I later found out that like crack dealers, the first one is always free). Now before you WoW fans pigeon-hole me as a rabid EQ fan, first, read my WoW preview, and secondly... listen up. I could not stand EQ the first time I played it. In fact, I quit my first character in frustration after five hours. However, I was tempted back by friends, guided a little, and before I knew it, the subsequent five years was spent as a frequent visitor to Everquest's land of Norrath.

EQ, or "EQLive" as the first title is now referred to was a huge success in terms of account longevity, and until very recently, was the most attractive in terms of things to do and kill/get. Other titles like Dark Age of Camelot, or the sci fi set Anarchy Online, both had their appeal and tempted gamers away from Sony's title, but EQ was always... "the one to beat". No one has really come close, although the hugely subscribed Lineage has more base subscribers in Asia, for the North American and European markets, EQ is, and always has been for many "the front runner".

Time after time, the next MMORPG was touted by its respective fanbase as the "EQ Killer", but never delivered the depth and playability of EQ, or was hideously unstable at release. Everquest still has a loyal following, as well as its hardcore EQ haters. And after five years of playing EQ, I can see why it generates both poles of emotion among its player base. There are times when I've been so frustrated with it, I've yelled at loved ones, been in a foul mood for days, or outright quit in disgust (only to be tempted back later with a renewed interest in some goal). Every other game that came along has opted for "easier", and while they may be fun and a welcome change of pace, I always felt challenged by EQ and compelled to come back and meet that challenge.

However, time and technology have moved on, and both World of Warcraft and EQ2 are superior to EQLive in terms of the look and feel of the game world, and have also been able to address some of the hard coded flaws in EQLive, whether the long term challenge will be th>ere can't really be gauged until several months after each game's release.

But which one is right for you?

Round 1: Player vs Player (PvP)

The first and easiest choice to make is whether or not you like the thrill of taking on human opponents. Although EQ2 will almost certainly have a Guild vs Guild system post release, there will be next to no PVP mechanic, except for one on one dueling between consenting players. WoW offers dedicated servers to PvP and even on the Player vs Environment servers, an option to consensually get involved in the battle with the opposing faction will exist.

As a result, players who live for the challenge of overcoming fellow humans rather than computer generated opponents will be heading to WoW.

Winner: WoW by KO.

Round 2: Challenge - Difficulty vs. Reward

If you think that working towards a goal should not be an easy task, and that the harder the road, the sweeter the success, then you have a fairly tough choice. WoW in its beta stage appears easier, especially early on as character advancement is quite pacey, but does slow down somewhat as you progress. EQ2's leveling process is noticeably slower, even as early as the pre-teens. Challenge in the form of difficulty of an encounter is probably going to be an even match, as designers on both sides have take care to ensure that balancing and designing encounters is easy for them to accomplish. So because of the leveling speed...

Winner: EQ2 on points.

Round 3: Combat

Both Games have a graphically delicious combat system. It feels fast-paced, fun, and exciting. EQ2 has a slight edge due to heroic opportunities and its advanced graphic engine, but it's not an overwhelming advantage.

Winner: EQ2 on points.

Round 4: Game world

This is another tough round, with both contenders delivering a polished and rich gaming environment and the feeling that "real-ness" in EQ2 has the upper hand, but WoW's seamlessness is a great counter too. Warcraft's graphically stylized approach works very well, and while exploring, having aggressive mobs potentially lurking around the corner makes exploration as risky as it should be.

Winner: Too close to call.

Round 5: Game Mechanics

Whether combat has been locked or tagged, depending on your game. Whether you like your death penalty rough or mild. Online-only merchants, versus offline sellers. All of these come down to personal preference, and if you opt for the first choice in each of those three areas, EQ2 won that round, if you went for the second WoW is your champ.

Winner: You tell me.