One of the most intriguing yet frustrating games I've ever played, "Faces of Mankind" is based on a concept that would crack up most developers: a completely player-run world. There are no admins to enforce the laws. There is no learning curve and helpful NPCs, and unless you have a good buddy or a streak of luck, nobody's gonna hold your hand. FoM is, as of now, only for the hardcore.

Here's how it works: In the beginning, when you create your character, you choose a faction. What faction you choose determines your role in the world. If you join the L.E.D. (Law Enforcement Department) or the F.D.C. (Freedom Defense Corps), you'll have the ability and the right to jail players. If you become a Mercenary (Mercenaries of the Blood, Brotherhood of Shadows, Guardians of Mankind), you can live in more lawless colonies and take up private jobs. Or you can join a corporation (American Enterprises, EuroCore, Asian Coalition), the best choice for those who just want to be left alone.

That's what the player is given to begin with. But the world has already become a different place. Recently, American Enterprises attacked the Guardians of Mankind, because that faction possessed a large supply of carbon, a vital substance for production. The Guardians of Mankind were already allied with the FDC in a war against the Brotherhood of Shadows. The LED is completely corrupt; prison breaks happen often.

The game has been public for a couple weeks, and already the will of the players has erased the world the developers had in mind. In a way, that's beautiful. I have never seen people get as frustrated as they do while playing FoM. I've also never seen people, as a community, come up with such inventive ideas. The people at Duplex Studios have created a world where players use diplomatic skills they didn't even know they had. Why? Because there's no other option.

Aside from the creative aspects of FoM, it's still fairly rough. Still, it is in beta, and patches are released pretty much daily. There are no open fields to run around in, and all the areas are urban based. The level of detail is unmatchable, but as more players trickle in I'm afraid it might get a bit cramped. There are 33 levels open right now, each being a fairly large area with different mining resources and production facilities. The players walk the worlds in a First Person Shooter format, though the camera can be changed to third person.

Combat is … confusing, to say the least. The first time you get into a gunfight you'll likely be killed fairly quickly. Gameplay options other than combat are somewhat limited, and trading, mining and production get old fairly fast. Players can take missions from their senior officers who follow agendas set by the faction leader. All these people are simple players, no NPCs involved.

"Faces of Mankind" is shaping up to be an excellent project that, to the dismay of others that have tried the same thing and failed, truly simulates political experiences between players. If the developers could balance out the combat and give players more options, it might just be one of the best Massively-Multiplayer Online games available.

Note: FofM is now in the beta form, which means it is not complete. It is currently free for download at http://www.fomportal.com The beta theme, stress test, causes the servers to go up and down like a rollercoaster, so keep that in mind.