Oh man! Massive multiplayer online roleplaying games; a love hate relationship. Not everyone enjoys MMORPGs for obvious reasons. One is the monthly fee that some have or the time you must dedicate to them. I will admit that I've played tons of MMORPGs since 2000. Thursday I picked up The Secret World. In fact I was debating on it but for the first time in awhile there is a MMORPG that actually has people talking for better or worse beyond the F2P topic. The Secret World is indeed interesting but it still a niche game in the genre(much like City of Heroes or EVE Online). It brings some interesting twist that are refreshing, but there are still some problems at its core. Too be honest, if I didn't jump into that huge TSW post on the PC Games forum on Gamespot(the discussion over 40 pages) I probably wouldn't have been intrigued at all.

If you like the atmosphere that the Lovecraft @#$%, Silent Hill, and hell....even Half-Life bring then you'll definitely enjoy the immersion of The Secret World. In fact, that's the best part about this game. I'll tell you right now that I am not a big fan of gory films, unusual suspense, and things in my face! In fact after watching Prometheus in IMAX, I was exhausted(talk about deepthroating). Pretty much TSW is based off of our real life world with the supernatural haunting man in the background. It's the Blair Witch Project but instead you have your token black guy(with magic, guns, and swords) following white folks in the wood to make sure they get home safe.

When I first jumped into the game I was greeted to 3 videos in the character creation which informed me of the factions I can choose from. The Illuminati(can you say 'MERICA), Templars(those blasted Brits), and the Dragon(of course they're Chinese...I mean Korean...Asian..whatever). The introduction to each is really good but the character creation right now is kind of lacking. You choose a basic wardrobe, sex, and facial features. Then you're thrusted into NYC, London, or Seoul. You get a quick introducton to combat which the system has a lot of potential(especially with the dodge system), but quite frankly it needs to be refined just a bit. Sometimes the controls feel a bit disjointed but you'll eventually get the feel of how the game plays. You can choose from melee weapons, range weapons(guns), and magic. Each weapon type is quite distinct which is a good thing and offers a set of unique skills. And since there are no levels in this game, you can use multiple weapons, and train in multiple skills. Right now I have the Elementalist skill(lightning, ice, and fire spells) which does some pretty heavy damage at range. But I have the Blade skill paired with it which gives me more survivability in close quarters. You can mix and match any of the skills; and weapons to come up with your own unique class/playing style.

But the highlight of this game by far is the theme, audio, and....MY GOD...the questing! I have never really quested like this before in a MMORPG and I hope it is done in the future. Everything is thought provoking and instead of using muscle all the time you'll need to use your head as well. With the in-game browser you'll be using it often to solve your mysteries by pulling up information on history, recent new, events, etc. I had a quest which had a unusual clue about a king and a painter, which then had me read King 10:10 in the Bible, and then it hinted at using a numerical value in the passage for a future password. You're guessing how did I know it was chapter 10:10? One clue hinted at a clock which read 10:10pm.:shock:

All this sounds crazy...but I am telling you...I haven't been this involved in a MMORPG for a long time. In fact, I'm writing this impression from the in-game browser after solving a quest which was so brilliant it made me write this impression. If you play MMORPGs I will recommend this one alone just for the questing. Not to mention the theme is done very well with zombies, the supernatural, and everything else. I'm going back to playing right now!