i recently have given Spellborn a shot, it kinda cool I guess, i like the twitch combat kinda.
Eve has great pvp and can be pretty engaging for a few months or a year or so. Then it will bore you silly, but the pvp is very good.
Best MMO i ever played is :
http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=30366.0PvP is exciting, it means something usually. Permadeath to the loser.
Died in pvp? don't worry because theres no real grind to speak of, you can hit high levels in a few days of playing. Its really about WHY you would fight another player.
I have tried RP in other MMO's and I dont like it. No matter what you talk like or reasons you imagine your character isdoing something, it doesnt matter because you are in a static world where nothing will really change because of your actions.
Wanna build something? Want to kill the the main NPCs? Want to start a faction that can actually interact in the world politics of the server? You can.
Free to play, you can get NWN Diamond for about $15 these days.
The guys who run Escaped from the Underdark are really like a small game company, sure they are stuck using the dated tools of NWN, but I have never seen a more dedicated teams of developers maintain such a dynamic and living, breathing world.
http://www.escapefromunderdark.com/And yes, I am a big fan of these guys. And no, I do not work with them or am I involved in promoting the server for any reason. I just think it's epic and I have been playing it off and on for a few years now. No matter what new games come out, I still go back there now and then for some hardcore RP.