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The horror stories and eerie urban legends that would keep you awake at night are now a reality in The Secret World. Funcom’s latest venture is an ambitious project that not only leads the charge in creating an MMORPG set in a modern day real world, but it also removes the class and level system that has been a staple of RPGs for as long as anyone can remember. The Age of Conan developer, Funcom, has been talking about and showing various aspects of The Secret World for a while now, but at a recent press event at their studio in Montreal, we were finally able to get some hands-on time with some early zombie-slaughtering missions, a run through one of the first dungeons and a PVP match in El Dorado.
The Secret World just might have more sheer potential than any other game in development today. Its ideas are extremely ambitious, and it’s one of the most unique offerings in the genre in years. The Secret World could aptly be called a complete rethinking of the MMO genre. From the aesthetics to the quests, and down to the very core of the game design, this game breaks MMO conventions at every opportunity. But with such innovation comes incredible risk, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that Funcom is offering up more than the industry is ready for...
Right, science time. Imagine the characters of Left 4 Dead within an MMO: normal, heavily-armed people in extraordinary circumstances, surrounded by NPCs with intelligently scripted and well-acted voices and whose pretty ladies don’t have up-front areas that come with a jiggle function.
Unlike their last effort, Age of Conan, Funcom is using an original setting for this online game: the real world. But don’t worry: this isn’t a game that has you washing +1 dishes before travelling to the supermarket to purchase increasingly nutritious vegetables. Like the classic shooter/RPG Deus Ex, The Secret World is grounded in our most intriguing urban legends, myths and secret societies.
The Secret World designer Ragnar Tornquist is adamant in his belief that it's a mistake for MMO creators to continue trying to copy World of Warcraft. That makes sense. We wouldn't expect the creator behind cult hits Dreamfall and The Longest Journey to push out another mundane orcs versus elves game. But just because we know what The Secret World isn’t doesn’t mean we know what it is.
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