Yes, it is as good as you remember. And other thoughts on Sandstorm.

Sandstorm is as good, if not better, than you remember. It’s not just nostalgia and here’s why.

First of all, you can easily dual box on the same PC. It takes seconds to set up. You can also create macros directly within your PCSX2 environment. If you don’t have a PC to game on but still have a PS2, you can set this up for about $15 total. Setup takes about 30 minutes for a medium tech savvy individual.

Second, there are about 120-150 very active players running a guesstimated 2 characters at once. This means there’s a decent amount of people to help or group with.

Third, the discord for Sandstorm allows you to search the entire shout chat history. This is like your personal resource for guidance on anything. Join the discord and search any mob, quest, item, etc. and you’ll have a list of results. The shout chat in the game is both active and entertaining.

Fourth, there’s little to no server issues. There are daily reboots but you’re granted a 1 minute warning and invis.

Now for some other observations. Aggro ranges are big and sensitive. This takes some getting used to.

Debt feels forgiving and that makes dying a non-issue. There are a lot of AFK players running pets. There are few Rangers and Rogues. Updates are pushed relatively often. Some zones are not yet populated with mobs. Items are limited and drop often. There is an established economy. You can only run 2 characters simultaneously per IP address. The level cap is 51 right now. Isle of Dread is live.

Overall, the game is about 60% there and has 100% of the charm, challenge, and community as the original.