Rift

[Chalybos]

http://www.riftgame.com/en/

The guy in charge of Rift is Scott Hartsman. He was the lead design for EQ from 2001-2003, and then spearheaded EQ2 at launch through Ruins of Kunark. If anybody is going to design an MMO that I'm going to look forward to, it's that guy. Take a look at what he's done, if you're unfamiliar with his name:
http://www.hartsman.com/about/
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/g...oing-Rift.html
Best part of that review (to me) was this:
"Right off the bat players will notice that Rift is indeed a traditional MMORPG in terms of interface and mechanics. We didn't get to see much in the way of different menus and that sort of functionality, but the game does employ the standard highlight and hot-bar mechanics that have become a staple of the industry. Simon's answer when I asked why the studio had decided to stick with the traditional controls was clear-cut and to the point, "Why fix what isn't broken? It works and it's fun, you know?" They want players who pick up Rift to be able to quickly get into the game without much of a learning curve, and then later throw them at the things that make Telara stand out from a gameplay standpoint: Rifts, dynamic events, the class system, etc."

2011 is the target launch (which may not even happen that year), but ... eh, it gives me something to look forward to. I liked what he put together.