That"s right, all you Fileplanet and/or 3D Gamers subscribers can now download and get a key to join in on the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes beta - Phase 5 for those keeping track of the game.
For those of you who have never heard of the game, and I"m sure that"s quite alot of you here is the skinny. Vanguard is being developed by Sigil Entertainment, which is composed of developers who had a hand in developing the original Everquest and Everquest II. Vanguard is being billed as the hardcore version of Everquest II, but still not as hardcore as Everquest itself. Make sense? In any event, the game is absolutely huge and keep that in mind before you download. The download to install the game is approximately 6 GB or so, and the install for the beta is almost 18 GB. Yes, 18 GB. The first patch (which you guys won"t have to get) was almost 4 GB itself. The game world is huge.
So for all of you looking for a less-kiddie MMORPG (World of Warcraft) and a less intense hardcore-fest (Everquest 1 or 2) you may want to take a shot at Vanguard. The NDA is now lifted so you can discuss the game. My opinion is the game is pretty good at this point, obviously buggy and rough around the edges a bit, but overall pretty impressive. The deity system is great, as is the political stuff. If you have the space, and the bandwith to download it all, I say give it a shot! So head on over to Fileplanet or 3D Gamers and register for a key. Remember right now this is subscriber only though!
*By open it is meant that it is a Fileplanet or 3D Gamers subscriber only beta at this point. The beta will open up to regular non-subscribers soon, as always.