Champions of Norrath

Snowblind Studios, creators of the successful engine behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, brought a similar recipe to the world of EverQuest and created, with Champions of Norrath, one of the most beloved console action RPGs of the generation. The game offered players a choice of several classes such as warrior, wizard, or necromancer and sent them across the diverse continent of Norrath, where they battle armies of undead, demons, and other monsters from EverQuest's rich mythology. Each class is also tied to a specific race with its own opening background, so even a repeat playthrough of the campaign feels different.

The game's key strength was an elaborate item system with randomly generated properties, making loot hunting and character building addictive in a way similar to PC hack-and-slash classics like Diablo, something with little competition on consoles at the time. Combat is fully action-based, controlled directly with the stick, and complemented by a skill tree in which points are invested at every level. The game supported co-op for up to four players on a single screen, making it a popular party game, and it also offered online multiplayer through the PlayStation 2 Online service of the time, where characters and items could be shared with friends.

Visually, the game benefited from colorful and varied environments ranging from deserts through ice fields to underground temples, with the engine handling large numbers of enemies on screen without noticeable slowdown. Critics particularly praised the depth of itemization and replayability, which made Champions of Norrath one of the longest-played titles of the genre on PlayStation 2 and the predecessor to the successful sequel Champions: Return to Arms. The game later received a digital re-release on modern platforms, confirming its lasting popularity among action RPG fans even more than two decades after its debut.