So many MMOs on the horizon

It seems like every hot up and coming game is in closed beta right now, this is certainly a great time to be an mmo junkie. Though with all of these great games in beta that means you'll be fervently checking your inbox every time a new batch of invites goes out, and then crying yourself to sleep when you don't see that pretty little "Welcome to Such-and-Such MMO!" subject line staring you in the face. So here is a recap of what is currently in closed beta(links to the application provided).

1. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Ahhh the big guns! This is what I know many out there are looking for to be the so called "WoW killer", possibly because it just looks a whole lot like it but with a greater focus on PvP(when did PvP become so damn critical in MMOs? a whole different discussion). The game just recently went live with their closed beta and of course it is currently under NDA but with the limited screenshots they have offered it certainly looks great and if you are an old Warhammer miniatures player such as myself it certainly brings back a whole lot of memories of those simply bad ass dwarves. The game so far, as most every mmo in beta looks great and I am certainly looking forward to it.
App


2. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Another big up and coming title, Age of Conan is all about the PvP and I know quite a lot of people really looking for this to be their next big addiction. With a more mature aim this title certainly looks like it is going to be a taste of something different(I even saw a screenshot with a full blown boob!). Now I am personally pretty excited about this because it is a new direction in MMOs, when everyone seems to want to copy WoW and its family friendly feel, AoC seems like it is aiming at the die hard PvP audience and looking at a much more "mature"(mature meaning people that are into blood and gore) crowd. Now I don't know a single person in this beta so I have absolutely no thoughts about it, but from all of the teasers and interchatter I can say I am jazzed about this title and can't wait to hear more about it.
App


3. Tabula Rasa

Ahhh the great Sci-Fi MMO, a rare and curious bunch are they. TR recently opened up their closed beta to 10k new people and it has certainly garnered its share of attention. For being one of the only major sci-fi titles of the past couple of years this game has quite a lot of hype built around it and for good reason, those clamoring for a GOOD(the operative word being good there) sci-fi mmo have been left in the dust for far too long. TR has a lot of little quirks about it that I'll get into in a later post, but it is safe to say that this is a sure fire hit, for at the very least because it is a good looking sci-fi mmo that doesn't have SOE at the helm.
App


4. Fury

This lesser known title is currently in closed beta and focuses heavily on PvP. I've heard comparisons to Guild Wars, with its instanced team combat, look here for a good overview of how the game works. I'm pretty interested in the skill based combat and "rolling your own" class which I am more than a little curious about, the game types are very FPS like, and with mostly instant cast spells and abilities this game is shaping up to be very competitive and will surly turn out the action junkies.
App


5. Saga

Now this is a new one, an MMORTS!? Yep! In Saga, you will be able to buy buildings, purchase, troops, etc... All of the usual RTS concepts are there, but this time they exist in a persistent world and you can beat the heck out of your friends and other players. Your troops will be able to gain experience, and gain skills, armor, and all of that over time, if they die you can rez them and the same with your buildings. This is certainly a leap in the genre, and I am pretty excited to see how it goes, though I'm not sure I am personally interested in this experience, it would be fun to check out, I'd have to imagine the world would be simply massive to handle a large number of players, but we'll see as I have no contacts in the beta as it is. To give the game some credibility the Starcraft: BroodWars lead programmer is working on Saga, so we'll see how it turns out, maybe its a sleeper hit, who knows right now.
App


6. Sword of the New World

This new fantasy style MMO has had a bit of buzz around it, it is no major title, but it is garnering some attention in the MMO circle. The game is in open beta, so go try it out, I havn't had the chance yet, but am eager to check it out, the artwork is simply beautiful(I am a sucker for that FFXI style art) and other than that it seems rather ordinary, if someone would like to comment on it, please do I'd love to hear more, and as soon as I try it out I'll be sure to let you guys know my impressions.
App


7. Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising

This Roman based MMO is pretty interesting, it relies heavily upon Roman/Greek Mythology and is neat in that it employs player controlled squads which you control and can be made up of a set number of classes, you yourself also choose a class and a deity to follow. The deity that you choose also will grant you powers along the way so that you might smote your enemies or something fancy like that. It seems worth checking out at least when open beta hits.
App

Now that is a list if I've ever seen one! And what a summer it is for MMOs, if this list can't keep you busy until the retail release of "the next big thing"TM then I don't know what will.

--
Cheston