It is hard to believe that Everquest 2 is more than six years old. Destiny of Velious, the series’ seventh expansion, reminds us why this grand daddy of online role-playing games is still around. Three major introductions – public quests, flying mounts and item stat changes – inject new life into the series.

Continuing the series’ storyline, this instalment transports players to the icy continent Velious. The dreaded Ages End, a doomsday prophecy portending the end of the universe, continues to tick on as players race to avert disaster.

Public quests – in which players can join or leave a dynamically changing battle at any time – are great fun. Players can play solo if no one else is around to help and still get some decent loot. However, the fun starts only if more join in the battle, as the difficulty scales up and rewards become bigger.

A terrific addition is the flying mount. After finishing a series of quests, players can soar through the skies and see the world on the back of griffons. It is amazing what this small change does to reinvigorate older areas of the game.

Destiny of Velious also rings in a key and controversial change by readjusting the item stats and removing some ‘unnecessary’ ones. This change may make things simpler but it also reduces the choices players have to mix-and-match equipment.

And those with a little extra cash can purchase a new race of vampires, called the Freeblood, to play as via the in-game marketplace.

Graphically, the game is showing its age. While characters and armour still look gorgeous, landscapes and monsters are looking stale. That sea urchin looks just like any of the slimes, water elementals and mercury globules I have killed for the past six years.

Still, EverQuest II is a terrific game, especially for those looking for something that is more story-driven. It is great value too.

More: EverQuest II Destiny of Velious [Game Download]

Sony Online Entertainment is launching an online marketplace where fans of its multiplayer games can buy and sell virtual artifacts, a practice it previously discouraged.

The Station Exchange site is apparently in response to the growing underground market for such items. The site will first offer subscribers to Sony’s EverQuest III the option to buy, sell, or trade the right to use specific characters, items, and online funds they have earned playing the video game.

Until now, Sony has been among the most aggressive game makers in restricting sales of such articles, even insisting that all material related to its EverQuest series belongs to the company. For instance, Sony has blocked numerous EverQuest-related auctions on eBay and Yahoo, and convinced both of those sites to ban sales of such items. In addition, Sony has sued othersites specializing in the barter of the online commodities.

The company says it is creating Station Exchange to discourage underground trading of game articles and to protect its customers from fraud. As the trade of game related items has increased, so has the reported number of incidents of people ripped off in misleading or illegitimate transactions, Sony says.

Rather than relying on the good faith of individuals, players will be guaranteed to receive anything they win at auction on Station Exchange.

“The unsanctioned secondary market for online games is rapidly growing, and more and more of our players are taking part in it,” John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, said in a statement. “Not only are we answering the demands of a sizable portion of our subscriber base, but we are also set on establishing the standard for online game sales.”

Links:
stationexchange.station.sony.com
Station Access Collection (Matrix Online, Everquest Evolution,Star Wars Galaxies Starter Kit, Everquest II, PlanetSide Aftershock)
EverQuest Player’s Handbook (EverQuest Role-Playing Game)