Editing EverQuest (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 85 / 100<ref name=MC>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/everquest/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=October 1, 2017 |title=EverQuest for PC Reviews}}</ref>
| Allgame = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web | url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16457&tab=review | title =EverQuest - Review | author = Couper, Chris | publisher = [[AllGame]] | access-date =March 21, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210153319/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16457&tab=review | archive-date=December 10, 2014}}</ref>
| CGM = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=CGM>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/019/024/everquest_review.html |date=1999 |access-date=October 1, 2017 |magazine=[[Computer Games Magazine]] |title=EverQuest Review |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020005752/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/019/024/everquest_review.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| GamePro = 5 / 5<ref name=GPro>{{cite magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050313102937/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/789.shtml |url=http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/789.shtml |archive-date=March 13, 2005 |date=April 1999 |access-date=October 1, 2017 |author=Amrich, Dan |magazine=[[GamePro]] |title=EverQuest Review for PC}}</ref>
| GameRev = A−<ref name=GRev>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/games/pc/rpg/everquest.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817185641/http://www.gamerevolution.com/games/pc/rpg/everquest.htm |author=Baldric |date=April 1999 |access-date=October 1, 2017 |publisher=Game Revolution |archive-date=August 17, 2000 |title=Everquest - PC Review}}</ref>
| GSpot = 8.4 / 10<ref name=GSpot>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/everquest-review/1900-2535859/ |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 1, 2017 |title=EverQuest Review |author=Kasavin, Greg |date=April 2, 1999}}</ref>
| IGN = 8.4 / 10<ref name=IGN>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/03/27/everquest-3 |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=October 1, 2017 |title=EverQuest |author=Blevins, Tal |date=March 27, 1999}}</ref>
| NGen = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="NG"/>
| PCGUS = 86%<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=PC Gamer |date=June 1999 |page=122 |title=Everquest Review |issue=61}}</ref>
}}

Reviews of ''Everquest'' were mostly positive upon release in 1999, earning an 85 out of 100 score from aggregate review website [[Metacritic]].<ref name=MC/> Comparing it to other online role-playing titles at the time, critics called it "the best game in its class",<ref name=GSpot/> and the "most immersive and most addictive online RPG to date".<ref name=IGN/> Dan Amrich of ''[[GamePro]]'' magazine declared that "the bar for online gaming has not so much been raised as obliterated" and that the game's developers had "created the first true online [[killer application|killer app]]".<ref name=GPro/> The reviewer would find fault with its repetitive gameplay in the early levels and lack of sufficient documentation to help new players, urging them to turn to [[fansite]]s for help instead.<ref name=GPro/> Greg Kasavin of [[GameSpot]] similarly felt that the game's combat was "uninteresting" but did note that, unlike earlier games in the genre, ''EverQuest'' offered the opportunity to play on servers that wouldn't allow players to fight each other unless they chose to, and that it heavily promoted cooperation.<ref name=GSpot/> Despite saying that the combat was little "boring", that the manual was "horrible", that the quest system is "half-baked", and the game having small share of miscellaneous [[software bug|bugs]], he ultimately called ''EverQuest'' as one of the most memorable gaming experiences he had.<ref name=GSpot/> Baldric of [[Game Revolution]] likewise stated that the game was more co-operative than ''[[Ultima Online]]'', but that there was less interaction with the environment, calling it more "player oriented" instead of "'world' oriented".<ref name=GRev/>

Despite server issues during the initial launch, reviewers felt that the game played well even on lower-end network cards, with Tal Blevins of [[IGN]] remarking that it rarely suffered from major lag issues.<ref name=IGN/> The reviewer did feel that the title suffered from a lack of player customization aside from different face types, meaning all characters of the same race looked mostly the same, but its visual quality on the whole was "excellent" with "particularly impressive" spell, lighting, and particle effects.<ref name=IGN/> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' said that ''EverQuest'' set a high standards for its genre.<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=54|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|date=June 1999|pages=88–89}}</ref> ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]'' commended the game's three-dimensional graphics, first-person perspective, environments, and simple combat system, remarking that ''EverQuest'' gave the players the first step towards to the true virtual world.<ref name=CGM/>

===Accolades===
''Everquest'' was named GameSpot's 1999 Game of the Year in its Best & Worst of 1999 awards, remarking that after the game's release in March, the whole gaming industry was grounded to a halt, that a least one prominent game developer blamed ''EverQuest'' for product delays, and that for several weeks GameSpot's editors were spending more time exploring Norrath than they were doing their jobs.<ref name=GS2>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818054737/http://www.gamespot.com/features/1999/p4_01a.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/1999/p4_01a.html |archive-date=August 18, 2000 |website=[[GameSpot]] |title=GameSpot's The Best & Worst of 1999 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The website would also include the game in their list of the Greatest Games of All Time in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041115160814/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-60.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-60.html |archive-date=2004-11-15 |access-date=October 15, 2018 |title=The Greatest Games of All Time |date=September 17, 2004 |author=Kasavin, Greg |website=[[GameSpot]] |url-status=live}}</ref> GameSpot UK would also rank the title 14th on its list of the 100 Best Computer Games of the Millennium in 2000, calling it "a technological tour de force" and the first online RPG to bring the production values of single-player games to the online masses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.co.uk:80/pc.gamespot/features/gotm_uk/14.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001010074356/http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/features/gotm_uk/14.html |archive-date=October 10, 2000 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |website=[[GameSpot|GameSpot UK]] |title=The 100 Best Computer Games of the Millennium |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences]] named ''EverQuest'' their "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Online Game of the Year|Online Game of the Year]]" during the [[3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.interactive.org:80/iaa/winners_online.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815235454/http://www.interactive.org/iaa/winners_online.html |title=AIAS - Interactive Achievement Awards: Online |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=October 15, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> while Game Revolution named it the Best PC RPG of 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.game-revolution.com/articles/awards/pc-awards.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301032352/http://www.game-revolution.com/articles/awards/pc-awards.htm |archive-date=March 1, 2000 |access-date=June 11, 2018 |publisher=[[Game Revolution]] |title=Best PC Games of 1999 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> It was included in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's Best of 1999 in the "Tech" category,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com:80/time/reports/bestof99/technology-page1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816065342/http://www.time.com/time/reports/bestof99/technology-page1.html |title=TIME: The Best of 1999: Technology |archive-date=August 16, 2000 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' would include the game in their Top Ten Hall of Fame Video Games of the '90s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://everquest.station.sony.com:80/main/awards.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010306054909/http://everquest.station.sony.com/main/awards.jsp |archive-date=2001-03-06 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |publisher=Sony Online Entertainment |title=EverQuest Awards |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, Sony Online Entertainment received a [[Technology & Engineering Emmy Award]] for ''EverQuest'' under the category of "Development of Massively Multiplayer Online Graphical Role Playing Games".<ref>{{cite web|title=Winners of 59th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards Announced by National Television Academy at Consumer Electronics Show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206110159/http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/tech_2k7_winners.html |archive-date=February 6, 2009 |url=http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/tech_2k7_winners.html|publisher=The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)|access-date=12 March 2012}}</ref> During the 2nd annual [[Game Developers Choice Awards|Game Developers Choice Online Awards]] in 2011, ''EverQuest'' received a Hall of Fame award for its long-term advancement of online gaming, such as being the first MMORPG to feature a [[video-gaming clan|guild]] system and [[raid (gaming)|raiding]].<ref name=GDC>{{cite web |url=http://www.gdconlineawards.com/archive/gdcoa_2nd.html |title=Game Developers Choice Online Awards |publisher=Game Developer's Choice Online Archives |access-date=October 21, 2018 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107090357/http://gdconlineawards.com/archive/gdcoa_2nd.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Editors of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' and GameSpot each nominated ''EverQuest'' for their 1999 "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards, both of which ultimately went to ''[[Planescape: Torment]]''.<ref name=cgwpremier1999>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | title=The 2000 Premier Awards; The Very Best of a Great Year in Gaming | date=March 2000 | issue=188 | pages=69–75, 78–81, 84–90}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816190752/http://www.gamespot.com/features/1999/p3_05.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/1999/p3_05.html |archive-date=2000-08-16 |title=GameSpot's The Best & Worst of 1999 - Role-Playing Game of the Year, Nominees |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[CNET|CNET Gamecenter]] likewise nominated it in this category, but gave the award to ''[[Asheron's Call]]''.<ref name=gamecenter1999>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000606180348/http://gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Awards99/ | url=http://gamecenter.com:80/Features/Exclusives/Awards99/ | title=The Gamecenter Awards for 1999! | author=The Gamecenter Staff | date=January 21, 2000 | archive-date=June 6, 2000 | work=[[CNET|CNET Gamecenter]] | url-status=dead | access-date=May 31, 2018 | df=mdy-all}}</ref> GameSpot would also nominate the title for Best Multiplayer Game of 1999, but would give the award to ''[[Quake III Arena]]''.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823200025/http://www.gamespot.com/features/1999/p2_06.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/1999/p2_06.html |archive-date=2000-08-23 |title=GameSpot's The Best & Worst of 1999 - Best Multiplayer Game |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, [[1UP.com]] ranked ''EverQuest'' 57th on its list of the Top 100 Essential Games.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614172037/http://www.1up.com/features/cover-essential-100-part-two.html |url=http://www.1up.com/features/cover-essential-100-part-two.html |date=August 23, 2012 |archive-date=June 14, 2017|access-date=October 13, 2018 |title=1UP's Essential 100, Part Two |author=Parish, Jeremy |website=[[1UP.com]]}}</ref> [[Game Informer]] placed the game 33rd on their top 100 video games of all time in 2009.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Cork|first=Jeff|title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119071214/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=November 19, 2009|access-date=2020-12-01|magazine=Game Informer|language=en}}</ref>

===Sales and subscriptions===
''EverQuest'' was the most pre-ordered PC title on [[EB Games|EBGames.com]] prior to its release in March 1999.<ref name=milestone>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamershell.com/infosheets/219023.html#a4pZCKoTCuP6BEVp.99 |title=Readme: Everquest Milestones |publisher=GamersHell.com |access-date=October 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028033700/http://www.gamershell.com/infosheets/219023.html#a4pZCKoTCuP6BEVp.99 |archive-date=October 28, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The game had 10,000 active subscribers 24 hours after launch, making it the high-selling online role-playing game up until that point.<ref name=milestone/> It achieved 60,000 subscribers by April 1999.<ref name=60k>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001118015000/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,78,0-2648,00.html | url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,78,0-2648,00.html | title=Game Spin: On an ''EverQuest'' | author=Asher, Mark | date=April 7, 1999 | work=[[CNET Gamecenter]] | archive-date=November 18, 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Six months later, around 225,000 copies of the game had been sold in total, with 150,000 active subscribers.<ref name=milestone/> By early 2000, the game's domestic sales alone reached 231,093 copies, which drew revenues of $10.6 million.<ref name=231k>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010112165200/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,78,0-3868,00.html | url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,78,0-3868,00.html | title=Game Spin: Daika-X-Box | author=Asher, Mark | date=March 10, 2000 | work=[[CNET Gamecenter]] | archive-date=January 12, 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref> [[NPD Techworld]], a firm that tracked sales the United States,<ref name=usnpd>{{cite web | url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/gateway-notebook-goes-for-ratings/ | title=Gateway notebook goes for ratings | author=Spooner, John G. | date=June 13, 2003 | work=[[ZDNet]] | access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref> reported 559,948 units sold of ''EverQuest'' by December 2002.<ref name=controversial>{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=The 10 Most Controversial PC Games of All Time | date=May 2003 | volume=10 | number=5 | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | pages=50, 51}}</ref> Subscription numbers would rise to over 500,000 active accounts four years after release in 2003.<ref name=mac/> By the end of 2004 the title's lifetime sales exceeded 3 million copies worldwide<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906165059/https://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-online-entertainment/2004/satellite-feed-everquest-ii-online-game-hits-the-s.html |url=https://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-online-entertainment/2004/satellite-feed-everquest-ii-online-game-hits-the-s.html |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |date=November 5, 2004 |publisher=[[Sony|Sony Corporation of America]] |title=Satellite Feed - EverQuest II Online Game Hits the Stores |author=Sony Online Entertainment}}</ref> and reached an active subscriber peak of 550,000.<ref>{{cite book |title=Virtual Lives: A Reference Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ek-L3QqtwoYC&pg=PA154 |author=Ivory, James D. |year=2012 |publisher=ABC CLIO, LLC |page=154|isbn = 9781598845853}}</ref> As of September 2020, ''EverQuest'' had 66,000 subscribers and 82,000 monthly active players.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yin-Poole|first=Wesley|date=2020-12-05|title=EverQuest is bigger than EverQuest 2|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-12-05-everquest-is-bigger-than-everquest-2|access-date=2021-02-06|website=Eurogamer|language=en}}</ref>