News: Can you withstand the will of a tyrant?

Sony is offering past subscribers of Everquest 2 to journey back into Norrath throughout the month of December. Beginning today, players who left the game with their account in good standing — over the past two years — are invited to participate in the pre-launch event of the game's newest expansion, Sentinel's Fate.

According to Sony's press release, players will have the chance to take part in the event, titled Will of the Tyrant.

Video Games | Everquest II: Will of a Tyrant | Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

"In Freeport, Lucan D'Lere is missing and the city has erupted in chaos. The rule of law is gone and blood runs in the streets as Lucan's would-be successors vie for power over the great city. Players must uncover the mystery behind his disappearance and who is responsible for this unprovoked attack.

The city of Qeynos is unharmed for now, but enemies of the city hide in plain sight everywhere awaiting the perfect moment to unleash their plan. One of Antonia Bayle's closes advisors has gone missing, and it is up to the players to help find him."

Former players in good standing can choose to log in for free until Dec. 31 to receive access to The Shadow Odyssey expansion. If the player decides to continue playing after the month is over, they can receive an exclusive in-game item — the Marble Effigy of Al'Kabor — if they choose to purchase the upcoming Sentinel's Fate expansion.

The players will also gain access to the expansion's beta on or around Jan. 19.

The Will of the Tyrant contains:

• EverQuest II Sentinel’s Fate Pre-Launch Event #2 – Roehn Theer’s minions are on the move leaving destruction in their path. Players must uncover their evil plot and stop them from destroying another city.

• City Festivals are Back! –Festivals started by the Far Seas Trading Company are scheduled to begin in January 2010.

• New Daily Tradeskill Missions in Kunark! – Players can seek out Assistant Volwon in Bathezid’s Watch to participate.

• 300 quest bugs, plus an additional 300 miscellaneous bugs have been fixed.

• Many creatures throughout Norrath that previously did not grant Alternate Advancement experience now do.

• Erollisi's Lost Longbow, the Longbow of Valor, the Buckler of the Broken Heart and the Tower of Love can now each be turned into a trophy item to be placed within player homes.

• Item tooltips will now give information about gains and losses over currently equipped items.

For more details, visit http://everquest2.station.sony.com/expansions/sentinelsfate/index.vm.

If is wasn't for January being such a busy month for game releases — Darksiders, Bayonetta, Army of Two: 40th Day, Dark Void, No More Heroes 2 and Mass Effect 2 — I would be signing up today to get back into one of my all-time favorite MMOs.

It's a shame, really. I miss my time playing MMOs, but there are just too many other games that I still need to play. It's bad enough that I still have Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins sitting on my desk, unopened.