Horizons: Empire of Istaria

Horizons: Empire of Istaria is an MMORPG from Artifact Entertainment, the makers of Demise: Rise of the Ku'tan. As a member of one of the nine Living Races, you must battle the invading hordes of the Undead along the Frontier lands. Whether you want to take to the front line as a warrior, wizard, scout, or healer, or stake your claim and set up shop to do your part for the cause as a crafter or merchant, the world of Istaria is waiting for you.

In the vein of similar real-time, persistent online worlds like Ultima Online and EverQuest, Horizons brings multiplayer gaming to the global community. For $12.95 a month (discounts for longer term memberships) you can create up to five unique, diverse characters per CD key to battle for the fate of the world of Istaria.

Improving on a somewhat underdeveloped aspect of preceding games in the MMORPG genre, Horizons has arguably the best crafting system seen in an online game to date. With the ability to dynamically create new content, the world of Istaria is potentially limitless without the need to wait for expansion packs or update patches. Combined with the aspect that you needn't play an axe-swinging warlord or a fireball flinging wizard to participate in Istaria, Horizons has the flexibility for players who might rather set up shop and start a brisk business rather than risk certain death fighting the Undead hordes.