Way back when I was a wee tyke, I absolutely adored Heavy Metal magazine. From Stephen Tamburini’s Ranxerox through to the various worlds penned by German surrealist Mobiüs, the sheer volume of high-concept fiction on display in those quasi-taboo pages was dizzying. From out of nowhere, Paris-based Nevrax Software has coded together a world that is every bit as imaginative and offbeat as any of the fantastical short stories found in the previously mentioned pulp ‘zine. Currently in open-beta, the fantasy / post-apocalypse sci-fi title Saga of Ryzom looks to stand apart from the massively-multiplayer online pack, just by sheer moxy alone. I’m talking space-opera epic mood in the same vein as Star Wars mixed with the aesthetics of Larry Niven’s Ringworld series. Do I have your attention yet? I thought so.