I saw the game trailer for Everquest2. This quickly patched together trailer is of the same quality: it was produced to appeal to their current mass of thrall. WoW is hammy and over-the-top in many way as most M.M.O.s are because it's simply the common flavor within an established world. Since I've been playing text-based M.M.O.s way back in 1995 that's the main underlying thread, alongside an obsessed playerbase.
Shadowbane is free, and full of gross flaws. It's a game that was produced and run on good intentions, tragic tolkenesque-bull$%)^, and the developers play favorites. My reasons are because it's free from monthly charges, it's a personal education in DIKUMuds turned 3D, and I followed the development durring beta, and for the sake of misplaced curiosity. Curiosity makes people do strange things.
I'll be playing World of Warcraft when that release comes out; probably as a hunter; and not before.