I have been following the development of Guildwars for a while now and it looks awesome. The graphics are amazing, the game play looks cool, and there is NO monthly fee. There is also a free World Wide Preview Event next weekend. You can DL the software for it on their site: www.guildwars.com. I was just reading a review from one of the gaming sites, and this is what they had to say:
"That said, I have had time to play through World of Warcraft extensively, and while the game is extremely well-done and very polished (even in its beta state), it hardly brings anything new to the genre. Compare that to Guild Wars, which is probably the most innovative MMORPG, hell, the most innovative game I've seen in years. It puts such a focus on fast-paced combat, and an even larger focus on teamwork, that it will be an MMORPG for the most action/RPG crowd."
and,
"Bottom Line: Despite the amazing graphics engine of World of Warcraft, Guild Wars has managed to surpass it with its detailed characters, nice usage of bloom to create a fantastical setting, and other great miscellaneous effects."
And those are just a couple of the good things I've read. Head over and check it out. The screen shots their are actual screen shots.
I know their are other games out there to try, but just wanted to let folks know about GW.
Peace,
Connrad