Randomly checked the Guild Wars II website, and discovered that for the next 24 hours or so, they're allowing applications for their
Closed Beta! Lucky!
Now, I'm not really an MMO person; I've played them before, and lost interest quickly. Guild Wars II is one exception, which I've actually been interested in enough to follow. I really like what I've seen so far; they're taking some time to seriously consider the mechanics of MMOs, and redesign the formula to make something that explores some new potential for the genre. Oh, and once you buy the game, it's free to play... none of this "monthly fee" nonsense.
The end result is something that looks and plays like Dragon Age as an MMO, where every players' decisions influence what happens to the server. There's a great level of environmental interaction as well; players can interact with and manipulate scenery objects in a number of ways; a fire can ignite dry bushes, a magic-user can shatter and fling shards of boulders, you can pick up a bar stool and smack someone with it, or *gasp* even sit in it, etc. The combat is fluid and tactical, playing a bit like a brawler; melee fighters actually dodge, strike, and parry, you can deflect projectiles, combo with other players, etc. The setting is fairly unique for a fantasy world too, with an art direction heavily influenced by painting and illustration. All in all, it looks pretty cool, and I thought I might share the news with you guys!
Gratuitous Linkage:Guild Wars II MannifestoBeta Gameplay DemoGuild Wars 2 WebsiteEDIT: Closed Beta, not Open. Derp a Der.