I dag annonserte Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), at Everquest er på vei til PS2, under navnet EverQuest Online Adventures.
Og det er ikke småtterier de har planer om heller. Spillet vil benytte den kommende PS2 bredbånds adapteren og det skal visstnok ikke forekomme loadetider i det hele tatt. Handlingen utspiller seg 500 år før den i PC versjonen, hvilket betyr at det ikke er snakk om en konvertering, men derimot et helt nytt spill. Du vil kunne velge mellom ni spillbare raser, 13 karakter klasser, skreddersydde karakter features, mer enn 500 kvadratkilometer med land å utforske, pluss mye mer.
Det høres jo slett ikke verst ut! Nedenfor har vi tre screens fra en tidlig versjon av spillet, pluss litt Concept Art, etterfulgt av et utdrag fra pressemeldingen. EverQuest Online Adventures er satt til utgivelse i løpet av våren 2003.
EverQuest Online Adventures is a completely new game, designed to take full advantage of the PlayStation 2 system’s capabilities. But like the original EverQuest, it will feature intricate character development, continuous player interaction and a strong sense of community, which is sure to create a phenomenon that PlayStation 2 gamers have never experienced before. With an installed base of more than 8.8 million units in the U.S., the PlayStation 2 represents an opportunity to expand the massively multiplayer online role-playing game onto new platforms, delivering a whole new genre to the console gamer.
"Quite simply, there is no other console game like this," said Don Vercelli, vice president of sales and marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "The dedicated team at SOE has put in countless hours making sure that no other game would rival the level of character customization and atmospheric detail in EverQuest Online Adventures. This is truly a new experience for the console gamer."
Using the PlayStation 2 system’s network adaptor, available in stores this August, EverQuest Online Adventures will connect seamlessly to the Internet, directing players to dedicated EverQuest Online Adventures servers. By connecting directly to dedicated servers, SOE can help to ensure low latency gameplay and fast connection times. Gamers simply insert the disc and the world of Norrath is just a few button pushes away. By 2005, Gartner Group estimates that 18 percent of American households will own an online enabled game console.
Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), the online gaming division of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, is a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming. Headquartered in San Diego, California, SOE develops, publishes and distributes entertainment for the PC and online markets. With more than 12 million registered users, SOE’s award-winning website, The Station® (www.station.com) hosts a variety of entertaining games and player communities spanning all genres. In addition to blockbuster hits EverQuest® and Jeopardy! Online, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development such as PlanetSide™, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Sovereign™.