Not much depth or complexity, but lots of fun and action packed
Tabula Rasa's gameworld is immersive and interesting, but not as dynamic as I'd hoped, at least not yet. There are no spots to camp mobs, as they could appear any where, and the Bane (the main enemy of the AFS) will attack stronghold and control points randomly, which is dynamic. But that's about all there is, everything else seems static to me.
The missions are very well done and are a blast to play through, especially with friends. I've had no problem soloing, but grouping is much more fun. The great thing about this mmo is that neither really outshines the other, just play as you prefer. Although, as you advance your class, chances are you will be steering more toward one style or the other. For example, I am trying to become a Medic, which is a purely group oriented class.
There are a good variety of classes, with a nice assortment of skills to choose from. Choosing wisely can make an impact on your playing experience. Luckily, you can change your skills, and even your main class, by using clone credits, which allow you to respec. You start off with one credit and can earn more by completing missions.
The gameplay is solid. It's somewhat of a hybrid shooter/RPG. It is not a twitchy control scheme like a typical shooter, there is even a target lock, but aiming true can give bonuses to damage, or so I've read. Taking a knee and letting your sights narrow onto your target can pack more of a punch as well. It is nice to see something like this come back to a mmo, as it was a great new feature in the original SWG. Taking cover is also important in Tabula Rasa, and really adds to the gameplay as you can use the environment to your advantage, it's no longer there just to explore, it's going to play a role in your success in battle. The game is mostly for PvE, although there is some PvP in clan vs clan wars.
The graphics in Tabula Rasa are alittle above average I guess, but nothing special. Lord of the Rings Online and Everquest II still share the top spots as far as graphics go, but Tabula Rasa has some nice art and for me, the game runs perfectly smooth at the highest settings, which is very important. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes can look amazing on a particular PC, but in order to achieve that you much suffer through hiccups, freezing, and lag. Nobody want that, and you won't see any of that in Tabula Rasa considering you meet system requirements.
Sound in the game is great. Explosions, firearms, soldiers and the Bane screaming in battle, it all comes together to make it a very immersive experience. The games soundtrack is alright. I haardly notice it until I roam into a new place when the music changes.
As I mentioned, this is an mmo that does appear to be a system hog and runs quite nicely on an older PC like mine. It can be enjoyed by hardcore and casual players. It's got a lot of content in the early going, but I'm not so sure of the end game content at this point. The good thing is that Richard Garriot and Destination Games are working on additions, patches, and expansions, and Tabula Rasa looks like it has a very bright future. So if you like Sci-fi mmos and are interested, TB may be a good one to try. I don't want to mislead and say that this game is near perfect, because it's not. The lack of depth and some bugs can sometimes take the fun out of the game, but rarely does this happen. I believe the game will grow and become something better, but it's pretty damn good as it is right now just after release, and that says alot about the dev team.