Tabula Rasa deploys October 19

Richard Garriott's "clean slate" sci-fi MMOG penciled in for release next month.

In 2001, Richard Garriott revealed the first details for his newly founded studio Destination Games' first project. Titled Tabula Rasa, the not-quite-fantasy, not-quite-sci-fi-epic massively multiplayer online game that signaled a fresh start for Garriott was initially planned to redefine the genre after its two-and-a-half year development cycle. Six years, one major reorganization, and a few "noteworthy modifications" later, and Tabula Rasa is now poised to attempt its original objective.

NCsoft announced today that Tabula Rasa will go live in North America and Europe as of October 19. Those who preorder the game will be able to jump into the fray three days earlier on October 16. The game began its closed beta in May, and GameSpot is currently hosting keys for testing. The game is rated T for Teen.

Tabula Rasa's standard edition will retail for $49.99. A collector's edition for the game that includes several in-game extras, as well as a special message from Garriott, bonus maps and survival guides, Tabula Rasa dog tags, a commemorative coin, a poster, and a making-of DVD, will be available for $69.99. Both editions include the first month of play free. Afterward, the game requires a recurring monthly subscription fee of $14.99.

Mixing role-playing strategy with fast-paced action combat, Tabula Rasa is a sci-fi epic that follows humanity's struggle against an invading alien race. As detailed in GameSpot's previous coverage, Tabula Rasa looks to introduce several new features to the massively multiplayer online space, including a character cloning system that lets players better explore the various classes in the game, as well as a dynamic and interactive environment.

55 Comments

  • radiostyle

    Posted Sep 10, 2007 1:19 pm PT

    finally it comes out!!! awesome!!!

  • anziex

    Posted Sep 10, 2007 12:18 pm PT

    This is a great game for Sci-Fi fans . . . fairly quick advancement and introduction to new weapons and skills . . . you don't have to run 5 billion miles to get where you need to go. There's a lot more, constant action and missions to go on . . . lots of fun! I've just about completed the first area in the Beta and really enjoy it. I think their teleport system and mission management, waypoints, etc. are among the best I've seen.

  • jansdman

    Posted Sep 10, 2007 11:21 am PT

    You don't pay for play? Then I guess it's either you don't have any games at all or your parents buy your games....anyway, Unreal Tournament or Quake Wars anyone?

  • squall316

    Posted Sep 10, 2007 5:34 am PT

    Played this for an hour and was craving WoW the whole time.

  • X-RS

    Posted Sep 9, 2007 3:49 pm PT

    looks cool.
    too bad i dont have highspeed and dont pay for play.

  • gazelem67

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 6:17 pm PT

    In spite of all of the negative comments, I enjoy the game quite a bit. It DOES have that addictive trait to it that makes you want to play "just one more ____ ". Is it perfect? No. Is it ready? No. And it probably won't be ready on 10/16. But you've got to launch sometime and I've played about 7 mmo's and they ALL had problems prior to launch. Heck, look at Everquest when it launched and look at it in its prime. They advanced so much it was amazing. I like Tabula Rasa and I'll probably buy it and pay the $15 a month for it. As for it not "beating" WoW? Good. They go after a different gamer. I'm sick to death of swords, orcs, and dragons. I'm ready to shoot stuff!

  • LockdownLA

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 12:48 pm PT

    It's sad that TR and LOTRO, two of the most hyped recent mmo's are just so incredibly boring. They both look great (and LOTR is incredibly polished) but so very dull to play.
    Please spend more effort on making your games fun again devs.

  • downloadmanguy

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 11:43 am PT

    Having Beta tested this game for some time and can say very simply that it's not worth anyone's time. I wanted more than anyone to have a functional, fun sci-fi MMO experience available, I even enjoyed the game for a little while. But it does NOTHING to bring players back in. The game is a pale shell of flesh without innards. There's no core driving this game that makes it a reasonable purchase. It's bland, buggy, and has the overall feel of an average shooter on top of a below average MMO. The bugs are so plentiful and astounding that the game could not possibly be ready in a month, unless the beta test has been a big joke and was not to be taken seriously. Glitches, massive lag spikes, poor resource management (Looks less detailed than Guild Wars and runs 3 times as slow on a machine that can run that). The people that are interested in Tabula seem to come from three main groups:

    - The Guild Wars camp. People are sick of Guild Wars and have been ever since Nightfall released and the combo of poor development decisions and bad releases/changes drove the players off and they still have yet to find a niche' unique game as Guild Wars once was.

    - The Old MMO camp. To a lesser extent WoW, but I'm mainly speaking of people that have been playing Ultima, EverCrak, and Anarchy Online since the release and need something new to jump into. I personally came from Anarchy Online, in dire need of some fresh blood after the years of stagnation drove what was the greatest MMO ever designed directly into the ground.

    - Sci-Fi Enthusiasts and Non-MMO players. This is the group of people who wanted Tabula Rasa specifically for its theme, and not being a full-on RPG. To all of these and more I must advise to look elsewhere. It would be a kindness to call this game abysmal, and absolutely not worth a 15$ price tag. And to the developers, who probably will/can pay little heed: The only way you're saving this game is if it comes out without a monthly fee. The only way it could ever be worth playing is if you picked it up as a casual game from a local store and never had to pay any money for it again. Screw the giant "Richard Gariot's" sub-logo, nobody cares. "Free Online Play" would be the only thing that would sell this unfortunate MMORPG.

  • vashkey

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 11:36 am PT

    On my birthday... o.0

  • Agulf

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 3:10 am PT

    Great, but it still needs a first person view mode.

  • RockySquirrel

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 2:16 am PT

    Anyone who is a WoW fan will be let down by this... not enough variety of classes, and not enough variety of skills within classes, and everyone is human.

    If you want some real sci-fi shooter action, go try Planetside instead...

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 1:53 am PT

    don't think I'll get this one

  • Tsuska

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 9:36 pm PT

    I really question whether this game would be great enough to overtake the already blooming "WoW" mmorpg market. I'm not so sure whether this game has the potential to 'beat' blizzard's gaming industry 'yet' however it seems this game hold quite a lot of potential that may shape our future concept of the "mmo" genre. I Truely wish this game would become much more magnificent than WoW, although WoW was great...i'm sure gamers are looking for something new, better and more epic than before.

    However you must also realise that gamers will most likely only play ONE MMO at the same time (time wise and cost wise) and thus only the best will prevail.

    Tabula Rasa looks great, sounds great...but will it be great enough? Only time will tell. MMO's must be epic...is TR epic enough and worth the money...?

  • Pete5506 posted Sep 6, 2007 7:18 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Pete5506

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:18 pm PT (hide)

    no more mmo's

  • starbead

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:48 pm PT

    There was a patch and character wipe tonight and the US server (which has been crashing constantly for over a week) was supposed to come online at 6PM EST. Shortly after 5PM, they announced that, contrary to all previous statements, They needed to "stress test" the EU server so weren't even bringing the US server online.

    It is a PR disaster. The day they announce the release date, they can't get their server to work and post a BS excuse.

  • Mortal_Medic

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:42 pm PT

    $15.00 is a good price. Comparison: WoW is $15.00 if you pay for the longest (and largest) payment type available. If I could get my friends into this game, I would seriously consider playing it.

  • sneakbyte

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:05 pm PT

    $14.99 sorry hellgate london is free and optional $10 while this isn't optional and you pay more this game will flop

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:05 pm PT

    Hope bugs don't catch you down.

  • Devvy01

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:45 pm PT

    Don't know what this one's going to be like, I did download the beta and played it for awhile, but there didn't seem to be much activity on the US server, oh well I'll try again this weekend...

  • djekin

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:41 pm PT

    I am a huge Ultima fan, and played Ultima Online ... a lot. (lol). I want Richards "clean-slate" project to succeed so much, to reignite my passion for MMORPGs much like UO did. Unfortunately in this day and age... the bar has been set so high by UO and WOW and after playing the beta a bit , I just don't see it succeeding. Hopefully I am wrong and the game does great but based on the comments ive been reading , it looks like this games developers/community are in for a rough launch........

  • doesntalkmuch

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:19 pm PT

    As a tester from beta, i have to agree with the above posters that the game is not ready. The game needs several more months (at the least) of bug fixes and more content before it is ready for release.

  • Arias666

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:11 pm PT

    Damn shame...I hoped it would turn out to be a nice game a la Guild Wars...:-(

  • kyrieee

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:05 pm PT

    oh it's lifted nevermind

  • Oni

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:00 pm PT

    I've played the closed beat for 3 months. Had very high hopes. They've done nothing to improve upon the game since I started to play. Very bland experience. This games falls under the "It's been done before - but better" category. There are some cool things about it, but not enough for a purchase and nowhere near enough for a monthly subscription.

    VERDICT = Pass

  • HuxleyHobbes

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    I've heard nothing but bad news from folks in the beta about TR. That saddens me, because I really was looking forward to it, and it seemed to have some nifty elements. There's still a minor hope, but the reviews would have to be pretty good... maybe I'll check it out again in a few months and see if it's been patched up to scratch.

  • QualityJeverage

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:36 pm PT

    I don't know what about this game is "clean slate", as it's always claimed to be. I played the beta extensively, it feels painfully average and does nothing to change or add anything to the MMO genre.

  • Zero_Fate_

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:34 pm PT

    It's far from finished from the beta I played and yet NCsoft is going to release it next month?

  • Ryo_Kensen

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:23 pm PT

    I saw the box for the beta at Target, I might check it out.

  • Turkeysoup1

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:23 pm PT

    starbead is so on target it's not even funny. I've been beta testing since the first wave of closed beta testers and the game has barely improved. You still cannot capture points, monsters STILL shoot through walls, partying is worthless and soloing is 100 times faster and you get better gear. The graphics are dated horribly, running it on max res still doesn't make it look good. Speaking of which, the game still doesn't utilize SLI/Crossfire well and if you have SLI/Crossfire you have to turn off alot of the settings(shadows/lighting) just so the game will load and not crash. This game needs at least another 6 months before it's ready. They only patch every 2-3 weeks too. So one, maybe two more patches before release.... ugh

  • crusader8463

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:20 pm PT

    indeed I'm in beta too and in stead of repeating what starbead said, i will instead just stay (what starbead said. only in caps and with more !!!!!!) i feel sorry for any 1 who pays money for this game. COH/COV seems to be the first/last good game ncsoft has put out.

  • starbead

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:06 pm PT

    Well, the NDA has been lifted, so now I am free to say the following.

    1. The game is buggy, unstable and not ready for prime time. It is being rushed out the door unfinished, which is a shame given its potential.

    2. The game is an MMO-lite. The action elements are fun, but the game has no depth. The crafting system is a joke. There is no end game. They still haven't released any content for players level 40-50, much less planned for endgame. It simply isn't worth $15/month even if they manage to iron the bugs out and get the servers to stay up for more than an hour at a time (at which point there is usually a 90 minute rollback).

    3. They still haven't added the abilities you get at level 30 to the game.

    4. The CMs have spent the last month trying to convince people that the launch was NOT coming soon. That level of dishonest communication does not bode well for the community of the game, which is important for a MMO.

    5. The game doesn't look good considering the system requirements. And the zones are fairly generic looking. More specifically, ripped off from Halo.

    Basically it feels like they decided that if they couldn't get it working in 6 1/2 years, it was time to throw in the towel and let Richard Garriott's name sell as many copies as possible before people see how shallow it is and jump to game that is worth $15/month.

    I would go back to World of Warcraft before I payed $15/month for this bugfest.

    If you loved Auto Assault and Vanguard at launch, Tabula Rasa is the game for you.

  • osleyee

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:04 pm PT

    we have to wait and see if its turns out good i am going to try the beta out i am so exited to try it.

  • Questlove711

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:01 pm PT

    Hmmm... Not gonna pay to play this game... I have been playing the Beta for a bit. Not worth $15 a month for me.

  • Spartan1017

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 4:00 pm PT

    i want this. correction "wanted" this, but at $15 a month, don't want it anymore.

  • mlt42

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 3:55 pm PT

    nobody will pay $15 a month for this.

  • johncraven

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 3:51 pm PT

    arghhh i thought it was f2p like guild wars

  • DonutTrooper

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 3:37 pm PT

    Does not look ready, and the cost with the fee almost made me **** myself. As much as it pains me to say this, *sniffle*, pass.

  • 0jiggy0

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 3:35 pm PT

    This game was terrible and felt like its nowhere near rdy

  • moocow21

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 3:34 pm PT

    $15 a month, no thanks...

  • spelledarn

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:44 pm PT

    I have to say that I'm not impressed at all with the beta. Nuff said. I hope they can fix it.

  • sergio_afonso

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    Plz Good Reviews! I cant stand to be a disappointment!

  • Zemus

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:38 pm PT

    This game is no where near ready. this release is laughable.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:25 pm PT

    I didn't play the Beta but I'm interested to see how the final version turns out.

  • Sheiko

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    Most Mmorpgs aren't ready upon launch however isn't the $14.99 monthly price tag a bit much? Granted WoW started the same but thats WoW...

  • jknight5422

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 1:58 pm PT

    I wish they had thought to make a 360 version..I guess that's too far ahead in the planning stages since the game was made 6 years back though..

  • NemesisLives

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 1:49 pm PT

    I'll try the beta when I get home and see if its worth getting. Tried to play last night but the server crashed

  • earlthecannibal

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 1:10 pm PT

    The 19th, trust me when i say it's NOT READY!

  • uberjannie

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 12:21 pm PT

    ejerrell : grow up and be realistic. Do you really think someone would keep making patches, do server maintenance and pay bandwidth bills at their own expense?

    pff.

  • ejerrell posted Sep 6, 2007 11:46 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    ejerrell

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 11:46 am PT (hide)

    WTF!? you gotta pay monthly. It was an awesome game, this monthly thing just ruins it.

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