Everquest 2, when it was released, was a game that I managed to play for about a week before abandoning it as a disappointing follow-up to one of my favorite addictions. I offer that as an opening statement so you know from the start precisely what kind of mindset I’m coming from. I loved Everquest, kept trying to resist the wanton lure its siren song but always and inevitably found myself drawn back with every new expansion, every promise of new territory, every opportunity to finally play as a sword swinging toad. One of my most fond gaming memories is the overwhelming feeling of first stepping out of the gates of Qeynos into what seemed a limitless world, hoisting a club that might as well have been made by Nerf, and promptly getting myself killed by a most foul tempered rat. Over the past year as I abandoned myself to World of Warcraft, my connection to the Norrathian lands faded and it occurred to me that perhaps my first impression of EQ2 had been unfairly measured against my passion for its predecessors, which is why, when Sony Online Entertainment announced 7 days of free play to reactivate my account, I took the bait.