A universe in peril and on the brink of war is pretty standard fare in space-based titles, so it’s the refreshingly different game play and character interaction that makes the upcoming Jumpgate Evolution PC Gaming Season’s featured MMO. The first break from the norm is Jumpgate’s class-free society. Well, there is one class – pilots. Everyone in the game is a pilot and it’s the skills you pick up along the way that determine your abilities to pilot various craft. So just because you start out on a transport ship, that doesn’t mean you can’t jump behind the controls of a battle cruiser in combat.

Another is the abandonment of turn-based game play. Jumpgate’s twitch-based setup means when you go ship vs. ship, you’re going to have to rely on your own skills and reflexes. This promises to make the game’s aerial combat less “hurry up and wait” and more like down and dirty dog fighting.