Online role-playing games have been around for years, but only in the past few years have they evolved beyond text-based gameplay. A number of massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been released during the past couple of years, including 3DO's Meridian 59 and last year's Ultima Online from Origin Systems, but the road hasn't always been smooth for online RPGs. Ultima Online's problems with handling Internet lag and its ongoing design changes led frustrated "cry-gamers" to file a class action suit against Origin and its parent company, Electronic Arts. Launching a massively multiplayer role-playing game, which permits hundreds or even thousands of players to simultaneously adventure in a persistent gaming world, is clearly a very daunting task.

Enter 989 Studios (formerly Sony Interactive) and Microsoft, two companies with considerable resources and expertise to use in developing their own respective online RPGs: EverQuest and Asheron's Call.

Without giving these games a trial-by-fire including hundreds of online players, it's difficult to judge how successful they will be at managing server and Internet lag and other technical issues. Fortunately, there should be ample opportunity to beta-test these games so that you can judge their capabilities for yourself. The development teams of both EverQuest and Asheron's Call certainly seem to have learned from the experiences of other online games, and role-playing game fans who crave a gaming experience with dozens of human players should take a close look at both of them.

Next: EverQuest