When you view a painting by Van Gogh, you don’t compare it to another painting by Van Gogh—you compare it to every other painting in the world.

I will not compare the achievements and failings of EverQuest II to the first EverQuest. As the formula for massively-multiplayer online games reaches new levels, EQ2 must stand on its own merits. While there are some individual refinements, some interspersed high points, this product still sticks players with the same ol’ grind that gives many MMOs a bad name. The extensive hours invested that produce little reward comes off like a phone sex operator: just keeping you on the line as long as possible to milk this gaming cash cow.