Tabula Rasa succeeds in at least one of its aims: It’s a different type of MMO in large areas. but generally it’s a different play experience than the rest of the options on the market. The two things that separate it are the Sci fi world (In which it is not unique, but is rare. Admittedly, the options for new MMOs appear to be “There are too many Fantasy MMOs! Lets make a Sci Fi one instead!”) but, more obviously, the lack of turn-based combat. Tabula Rasa plays more like a First Person Shoot-em-up than the standard First Person Diablo 2 combat system. Tabula Rasa has a more subtle class system – in that you don’t pick a class on creation, but instead take a series of choices at level boundaries which shift your abilities in a certain direction. For example, first you might chose between being a Solder and a Specialist, and then later take up the subclass Ranger, and later on a further subclass below that in Tabula Rasa. Tabula Rasa's a system that works particularly well with the Clone mechanic, which allows you to take a copy of your character, strip back all its choices and skill point spending and build it back up as something else, You can then play this new character separately.

  None of it's new, though.