Hey folks I'm a long time reader new poster though and thought I"d weigh in on this thread.
I've been playing MMO's for a long while now. They're often more than worth the monthly fee. It depends on thier policy for releasing new content. Sony's standard method sux, aka pay an extra 20.00 for every stupid expansion.
I've been playing City of Heroes since March 2004 (When it was in Early Beta). Its provided me countless hours of fun and a great community.
I've played other games in the past, Everquest (lasted two days), Star Wars Galaxies (lasted thirty minutes), Ultima Online (lasted two days), Earth and Beyond (played for eight months), Guild Wars (lasted a week), World of WarCraft (lasted two weeks), Jumpgate (lasted two months).
My experience with these games is to get in the beta and try it or find a friend who plays and see if they'll let you try it out a bit, or find a free trial. Buying an MMO without trying it can often lead to a huge waste of time and money.
For those of you looking for a great new game.. I'm currently in
Auto Assault's Beta and talk about fun... Cars, Guns, destructable environment, great beta community, and the Dev Staff has had so much interaction with the player base its amazing.
Its a long way out from release so there's a good chance of getting into the beta yet for those who are interested.