Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa is now available. It’s a Massivly Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game – WITH GUNS! Yes, it’s time for another Sci-Fi MMORPG. After the quick demise of Earth & Beyond, I’ve been wary to dabble in the genre yet again. I looked at PlanetSide and Star Wars Galaxies. I was close to buying them, but something stopped me at the last moment. I’m getting that feeling again.
I’ve been looking for a good MMORPG to play. I don’t know why. I’ve been so much more productive since I stopped playing World of Warcraft. Yet, I enjoy being part of an online community. It’s fun. With Guild Wars 2 roughly a year away from beta, and with yet another delay of Warhammer Online, there’s not much going on in the MMORPG scene. A lot these games turn out to be flops. I’m getting that feeling again with Tabula Rasa. It looks interesting, but will I play it more than a month?
I’m thinking probably not! 
What do you think? Should I take the plunge anyway? The game looks different and possibly entertaining. Yet, I hate monthly fees. Maybe I should just pick up Orange Box instead? Maybe I should start a new hobby. Knitting could be less expensive. Maybe I should try that?! The comment section is open for discussion.
I have orange box and team fortress 2 gets really old fast. Portal and episode 2 are also short, so if you’ve never finished half-life 2 or season 1 then it’s a great deal, otherwise it’s okay. Tabula Rasa appears to have a deep storyline, kinda like Guild Wars, unlike WoW. Also, have you considered Hellgate: London? This game is also sc-fi and is free to play online with a bunch of other players just like in guild wars. Right now an optional $10/month is available to get extra goodies but you’ll have to wait for better stuff for the $10/month to be worth it. I’m personally going to buy Tabula Rasa cause I heard Hellgate only has storylines from the cinematics and the gameplay has no storyline element.
An MMORPG Third Person Shooter could be pretty neat if done right. Tabula Rasa’s visuals look pretty good and the game play looks fun, it all comes down to how good the storyline is and how the world is set up. I wasn’t a big fan of Guild Wars’ linear mission-based storyline (which I think Tabula Rasa may be?), or WoW’s level grind mentality. I’m more partial to the large world, lets get a bunch of friends together and go on an epic quest; which would be possible in WoW if not for the vast range in levels.
I think my ideal MMORPG would be a cross between Tabula Rasa (third person shooter style game play) Guild Wars and WoW (Large world, with smaller sized mission arcs and a low level cap). The level designs would have to be smart and add in a few environmental puzzles. Add a monthly fee which pays for monthly mission arc additions and I think you have a winning combination. Unfortunately I haven’t seen any game come close this combination lately (last one I’ve seen come close was Asheron’s Call) but I remain hopeful that such a game will come along eventually.
As for right now, Tabula Rasa sounds like a decent game and probably worth experiencing. I’d buy it if I wasn’t so cheap