Niche...
However times have changed and i'm sure they've changed for the better but it's just not for me anymore. People grow tired of games anyways and to last me 2 years or so is great for a game.
EVE Online is a very open ended sci-fi sandbox game, where it gives you full freedom and rewards the clever and greatly punishes the stupid. The death penaltys are harsh and this makes PVP heart pumping good fun, altho i wish sumtimes i coulda just PVP'd for fun in bigger more expensive ships without caring bout losing it.
There are no levels and just skills where you train even when your logged off, theres no limit to how many you can have as they trian by time so you wont get ever get them all. Theres no 3d avatar, just your pod and ship + your avatar 2d picture which has a great chaarcter creation.
EVE Online however is planning to add planetry flight and walking on stations, so this will broaden the market abit as people will be able to walk about and fight like that i hope.
You have the freedom to be bad or good or run your own business. You can do lots of stuff and you only play to gain more and more money and power with your corps and alliances. You can do anything you want and you can even scam people which is very kool.
It's open ended nature however forces you to create the content and have the imagination, some people wont like this as they want to play content allready in the game like WOW. This game gives you the tools and the basics but wants you to be creative.
I love the graphics and the music/sounds they're the things people notice most and they're all beautiful and its amazing for a game engine that was around in 1997. The character creation was also very detailed, i can't wait till we get bodies, that'll ber very kool maybe you'll change things like length of toe nails lol.
Most people quit because they don't get into a Corp (guild) and without being in one then you wont have any fun playing on your own. It's basically a corp game where you fight in the masses for power, not anyone person can do much but annoy people and kill them lol.
Anyways Eve Online is a very Niche game, not everyone will enjoy it however that doesn't stop it from being one of the best most original mmorpgs ever! Theres no competition for it in the Sci-fi genre let alone the space one lol.
Try the 14 day free trial (google eve online free trial) and if you don't like it then you've wasted no money :)
Btw it's a very hard game....
Also on the value thing it's the same as WOW price but you get all expansions for free so it's good value seeing as you get the game for free aswel vvia download on the site. Only downside is the monthly fees but for a mmorpg its the cheapest one around seeing as no paying for the above ^.