Shroud of the Avatar had a free trial weekend so I tried a bit of that. It's better than I feared and worse than I hoped. I can get past 2006-level graphics and general jank of the game, especially since it's still technically "pre-alpha". What kills me is the awkward controls and incredibly boring MMO-esque combat ( I REALLY hate hold down a mouse button to be able to turn your field of view type control schemes, I'd much rather have a toggle). To be honest, there are MMOs that have much better combat than this, like TERA. There are positives, though. I like the freedom in how to build your character, the lack of hand holding, and the ability to play offline, online single-player, or online multiplayer, or online just with friends. You can switch between online/offline modes whenever you like, though I'm not sure how the game would handle things like player housing in those instances.
Anyway, the bit that I played didn't exactly inspire me, but it didn't make me write the game off completely either. Hopefully they do another free trial weekend closer to full release, assuming that ever happens.