Getting less secret by the minute.
By John Walker on March 15th, 2012.
The Dragon certainly seem the most intriguing of the secret societies that make up The Secret World. But perhaps that’s because they’re the group we’ve so far heard the least about. At a recent demonstration of the game, a little bit more was revealed, along with some news about the character creator, dungeons and the game’s intriguing crafting. Oh, and the oral sex.
"Everything you’ve ever done in an MMO is selfish."
By Adam Smith on February 25th, 2012.
After spending some time with The Illuminati, I escaped from The Secret World to speak to lead designer Ragnar Tørnquist about overcoming the challenges inherent in building a story-based MMO. We talked about creating coherence in a vast and varied world, the confused and confusing role of the hero in an MMO, and how it’s possible to reinvent and deconstruct a genre.
Illuminating
By Adam Smith on February 24th, 2012.
I’ve spent the last couple of months searching the streets for signs of conspiracy, perhaps a Toynbee Tile or two bills from separate electricity companies who are clearly trying to con me out of every last penny. To resolve the troubled contents of my mind, I took another trip into The Secret World, where my every delusional thought seems quite ordinary in comparison to the oddities around me.
By Adam Smith on February 21st, 2012.
The Secret World, Funcom’s modern day, pop culture-infused MMORPG, has just been given an official release date of June 19th. It’s a little later than some may have been expecting but it does provide plenty of time for some public beta testing. Although no dates for any opening of the beta have been provided, Ragnar Tørnquist, Funcom’s creative director and itinerary planner of the most lengthy journeys, had this to say: “The additional time will also allow us to carry out even more quality beta testing, and soon we will also be announcing several public beta events where hundreds of thousands of gamers will get to test the game prior to launch.” We’ve already played the game and spoken to the chaps behind it, and will have more coverage soon.
By Craig Pearson on January 27th, 2012.
There’s a still an interesting intangibility to Funcom’s The Secret World: I get the sense that it’s difficult to quantify because that’s the way they want it. Watching their latest trailer, showing off The Blue Mountain area, it has a story and aesthetic that makes me think of a single-player game, but the action smacks of buffs and guilds and raids. What do you think?
By Alec Meer on January 16th, 2012.
Funny thing, The Old Republic – while I’m still not entirely sure whether I like it or not (here I am wrestling with its inherent single/multiplayer duality over on Eurogamer, incidentally), what it has successfully done is restore my appetite for MMOs. I thought that urge was dead in me since the great binge of 2006-2008, but no, there the old hunger for virtual globe-trotting is again. So, hellooooooo Secret World. I had barely a lick of interest in you a few weeks ago, having plonked you square in the “oh, another one” bracket, but now I hopefully wonder if you can meet my dark needs as well as doing something new’n'smart. Let’s take a peek at your gruff British Illuminati and see how I feel.
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By John Walker on December 7th, 2011.
A new trailer for The Secret World is out. For some reason it’s only been given to Gamespot, because if there’s one way to advertise your game, it’s to limit it to one website. Fortunately they’ve put it on their YouTube channel, so we can all enjoy! This one reveals a new location – the perhaps not too enigmatic sounding Scorched Desert. Oooh, plains of sand you say? That’ll save on graphics. But wait! As much as it might be brown, it’s pretty detailed. Plus, Egypt is always more interesting when it’s suffering from around ten plagues.
"I would hate to see the MMO be the end of it."
By Adam Smith on November 28th, 2011.
In the first part of this in-depth conversation about The Secret World, the talk focused on the game’s fiction and mythology. As the discussion continues, we explore how different the game will be to other MMOs as well as talking about the importance of lore. After covering connections to Indiana Jones and Tintin, the questions turn to other matters as we wonder aloud how long we may have to wait for more Dreamfall. The interview followed a full day hands-on session with the game and those present were: Marten Bruusgaard, lead designer of The Secret World, lead content designer Joel Bylos and the game’s writer/director, Ragnar Tørnquist. We were also joined by Norwegian journalist Knut Gaute Vardenær.
"God is in the details"
By Adam Smith on November 23rd, 2011.
Playing The Secret World was enlightening but the only way to explore its most secret parts was to sit down with some of the myth-makers who are conspiring together to create this story-led MMO. So I did what was necessary, gathering together three of the minds behind the game and forcing them to talk at me and each other for many an hour. In the first part of this two-part conversation, you will DISCOVER the reason the game is set in the modern day, THRILL to the origins of the secret societies, CONSIDER the difficulty of inserting narrative into an MMO, and PONDER religion and mythology at great length.
Cabal Rousing
By Adam Smith on November 21st, 2011.
I’ve had mixed feelings about The Secret World for a while now. As more details have emerged, I’ve found it hard to hide my excitement about the real world setting and mad mix of mythology, but I’ve been struggling to shake the suspicion that stitching them to an MMO framework could squander the potential of the scenario. The promise of classless builds and a strong narrative were intriguing, but they were only promises. That is, until last week when I spent a day playing the game and saw just how convincing it was.
A Knight's Tale
By John Walker on October 24th, 2011.
I was recently sat down to watch one of the opening sections for Funcom’s MMO, The Secret World. A game that promised much, and so far seems to be confusing everyone by delivering on those promises. Is that still the case? I consider such things below.
