Tabula Rasa closed beta begins

When Richard Garriott first announced his massively multiplayer online role-playing game Tabula Rasa at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the project was expected to be complete in two and a half years. Apparently it takes longer to make a blank slate than one might think. Today, nearly six years after Garriott first went public with the project, publisher NCsoft has announced that the game is beginning closed beta testing.

Tabula Rasa takes a sci-fi approach to the MMO genre, dropping players into a universe where a coalition of alien races band together to stave off a conquering invasion force known as the Bane. Among the game's features is a tactical combat system that lets players take cover or kneel to steady themselves for better aim.

NCsoft is planning to release Tabula Rasa this fall. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.