Everquest Next

Even if you've never played any of its chapters, you no doubt know the name Everquest. What started as an attempt to bring the world of text-based MUD (multi-user dungeon) role-playing games to life with 3D graphics ended up becoming the breakout moment of the MMORPG phenomenon.

Of course, times have changed considerably since EverQuest's release in 1999. For the venerable franchise to stand out in our modern era, it has to feel new and different again--and that's exactly the idea behind EverQuest Next.

EverQuest Next promises to be one of the most ambitious MMORPGs to date, with an expansive open world where enemies, settlements, and quests can morph dynamically according to how players act (or react) on each server. In fact, the landscape itself will be shaped by its population, since the development team has built into EverQuest Next a customizable world-generation system that allows players to create grand structures or destroy terrain to access underground dungeons.

Think Minecraft, just on a far grander scale, and with all of the role-playing elements we've wanted to see it include for years now. EverQuest Next has the ability to fulfill that promise--especially for console players who've missed out on most entries in the MMORPG genre.