The Project Imperium Series: MechRealm

After finishing all the MMORPG games known to the world, Drake Collins receives a mysterious invitation to test out a new, invited-only beta game called MechRealm, a space-based virtual reality game played on the CyberCapsule System, a capsule which, once entered, reads your brainwaves to decide what your avatar will do. Upon entry, he discovers that he and the other players invited have been given all their favorite items from the previous games they played, thus giving them an advantage.

But then, a group of hackers with a mysterious goal took advantage of the underdeveloped game. Capsule malfunctions began happening. Players began dying. Unrest spread among the players.

Now, Drake and the friends he will encounter must stop the hackers before more innocent players die.