There's a
Lords
of EverQuest Demo on GameSpot offering a sampling of SOE's upcoming EQ RTS
game. Here's the word on the one-map demo: "The 372MB demo lets players try
out the evil Shadowrealm faction, one of three sides in the game, in multiplayer
battles via the new SOEGames.net matchmaking service." The demo has been
mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Computer Games Online,
FileShack (registration required),
Happy Puppy (registration required)
and
Worthplaying.
This is the first of three planned demo releases for the game, here's Sony's
explanation of the plan:
Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a
worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, today announced that it
will soon be releasing three separate playable demos for its forthcoming
real-time strategy (RTS) game, Lords of EverQuest(TM). Each demo allows the
player to sample the game's tutorial missions and play one of three factions via
online multiplayer. Lords of EverQuest is expected to ship to U.S. and Canadian
retail stores this Fall.
"Our aggressive demo program should give players a taste of the exciting
gameplay Lords of EverQuest has to offer," said Michael Lustenberger,
director of product marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "GameSpot, NVIDIA
and Computer Games Magazine give us the opportunity to reach a broad base of
gamers across their respective outlets."
The first demo for the Shadow Realm faction will be available exclusively via
download from GameSpot.com (http://www.gamespot.com)
beginning on September 19. The second demo, featuring the Elddar Alliance, will
be available initially via download from NVIDIA's NZone website (http://www.nvidia.com/nzone)
on September 29, and at select retail partners including GameStop and
Electronics Boutique beginning October 6. The final demo, for the game's
still-unannounced third faction will be available exclusively on the demo disc
off the November 2003 issue of Computer Games Magazine. As an added incentive
for players to collect all three Lords of EverQuest demos, having all three
demos installed unlocks a special bonus multiplayer map.