Want to play a space MMO but can't get behind EVE Online's economy-heavy gameplay? Reakktor Media and gamigo might have a solution for you. As of today, the North American closed beta for Black prophecy is now running. Black Prophecy is a space-based real-time combat MMO that looks to be a great deal faster than EVE's slow, deliberate gameplay and Star Trek Online's more traditional MMORPG-styled combat. It also looks very slick, and is free-to-play. 

While North American players will have to cross their fingers and hope that they make it into the beta, European players already have access to a launch version and can sign up and play almost immediately. If you're not lucky enough to make it into the beta, Black Prophecy Gold have no fear: according to a press release, Black Prophecy's publisher gamigo expects Black Prophecy "to be ready to go live in North America in a few weeks' time."