The end of the world would not stop me playing this game
but OH... MY... GOD...
No game has ever consumed me over as much time as this one.
I say over as much time because I've taken breaks from it on numerous occasions as I'm sure most have. But I just keep coming back to it over and over.
You think Star Wars Galaxies will make you quit, and it doesn't.
You think World of Warcraft will make you quit, and it doesn't.
The thing is, if you like PvP in MMO games, NOTHING out there does it better than this. Of course it doesn't have all the role playing elements and adventuring of a MMORPG, it's just 100% player on player puree, no levels, no rares, no fixed choices. (minus your faction choice)
There are some MINOR performance issues in regards to lag, I think you can get round this by having an ultra top-end PC, but even without one it's still hella fun.
IMO the only people who have a problem with this game are whiners and cry-babies. They don't seem to realise this isn't Everquest with guns or Unreal with just more people. This is war, savage, brutal and many a times unfair. But that's how it goes, you either learn from your mistakes and play smarter next time, or throw your toys out the pram and piss off back to whatever run of the mill **** you were playing before.
So, what is Planetside?
I won't go into detail because there is just SO much in this game, you'll have to read up or better still, try it out.
The idea is pretty simple really...
It's an online FPS. You pick one of 3 warring factions for your character and then go fight with several hundred other players at a time for control of bases. There are loads of unique weapons, armours and vehicles which you can learn to use. (and unlearn to get the skillpoints back for something else) You fight on huge battle continents of all kinds of terrain, deserts, snow, swamps, coastlines, bridges, mountains, cliffs, as well as giant caverns with numerous hieght levels.
One of its defineing features is there's just so many ways you can play it.
Infantry, artillery, defence technician, support, medic, heavy armoured, cloaker, convoy assault, vehicle gunner, mobile scout, hit and run, gunship pilot, fighter pilot, dropship pilot, mech pilot, bomber...
Then you can go solo, join a squad/platoon (or outfit guild) or just follow the empire zerg across open ground, over hills, through trees, over bridges, down coridoors, up staircases, in store rooms, on rooftops...
Imagine any kind of first person shooter scenario and Planetside will have it in some form if not better. They've added so much content, and they still are adding more. And because there are no NPCs or pre-determined numbering factors, it never gets old with different enemies every day. It's also free until BR6 now.
In the end this is just a war game, and while it is of sci-fi breeding, it's more realistic than anything else out there.