So EQ2 finally patched itself up, only 4 hours or so later. I actually managed to watch all of Terminator 2 on DVD and still have some time to spare before I was able to create a character.

On to the game itself, I find it odd that the new trial of EQ2 limits you to only playing the Fae, without letting you even look at your other options. Considering the variety of race and class combos in EQ2 is viewed as a plus, the trail completely eliminating this is a bit of a letdown. I still can’t decide how I feel about the graphics in EQ2, while on the surface they seem good enough (I have it on high settings, 1900×1200 getting 30fps) something about them bothers me. It’s like 95% of the game is in high res, and then you run into a low res texture and it just sticks out like a sore thumb. It also just seems overall boxy compared to LoTRO, or even WoW. The UI is serviceable, but nothing to write home about. One minor bother is that when shutting the game down, it takes a good 30 seconds or so to close out, and close to a minute on the other comp. Odd, but not a deal breaker.

After playing for two hours or so, I’m undecided. It does not jump out and scream ‘buy me’ but at the same time it’s not a huge mess and it certainly does have some hidden charm to it. Clearly more time is needed, and I intend to put a few more hours into it.

However, while playing EQ2 I realized I would also not mind giving the recently revamped Vanguard a try. For some odd reason, as far as I know, Vanguard does not have a free trial. Considering I intend to play either EQ2 or Vanguard with my girlfriend, and she plays on an older comp, a trial is a must to see if the older comp can even handle the game. After a bit of searching, it seems Vanguard has a buddy key system similar to what LoTRO had. If anyone reading this has a spare key they would not mind sharing, email me at syncaine(at)yahoo(dot)com. Hopefully I’ll be able to compare the two and see which one will be a better fit for us.