Secret World: a new MMORPG from Funcom - Movies & Synopsis

Greetings Everyone, Among the new MMO's that are coming in 2011, I felt this one might be of interest to some of you. At the very least their video series they've been launching has been pretty bloody cool. Fans of World of Darkness might find this game fairly up their alley. Don't think this has Gaiscioch material written on it but It looks like it could be a fun distraction.

The Secret World

http://www.darkdaysarecoming.com/

Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true. Imagine if your worst nightmare came to life. Imagine a world where vampires hunt for mortal blood in dingy London nightclubs, where werewolves lurk in the sewers beneath Seoul, and where the undead prey on the living in the shadows of New York City. This is the premise for «The Secret World», Funcom's upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in the modern day real world.

• Urban environments - Throw yourself into the bustling urban environments of New York, London and Seoul. Shop for clothes, weapons and accessories. Stop by the local nightclub to socialize with your friends before heading out into the darkness that is slowly encroaching on the city streets.

• Real-world locations - Discover real-world locations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and America. From New England to Egypt, explore vast lands full of detail and story as you unravel the myths, legends and conspiracies of the world through a unique, story-driven gameplay experience.

• Freeform gameplay - Experience a game that has no classes or levels. Truly freeform character customization allows you to create the alter-ego you want to play, and gameplay that goes beyond the usually rigid MMO structure allows you to play the game the way you want to play it.

• Hundreds of powers - Wield fiery katanas, gold-plated pistols, and deadly automatic rifles. Learn martial arts, black magic and voodoo. Choose from hundreds of powers to create a character completely customized to your liking.

• Action-packed combat - Lose yourself in the most intense real-time action-packed combat system ever. Aim, strafe, shoot – movement is key as bullets fly past you and explosions threatens to tear you apart. Swords or firearms, magic and melee, each offering a similarly intense, reactive combat experience.

• Secret societies - Join the Illuminati, the Templars or the Dragon - the three secret societies that pull the strings of our world. Work your way to the top, earn titles and rewards, and play a key role in the battle for world domination.

• Player-made organisations - Create or join player-made organisations called cabals. Create your own headquarters, and decorate and furnish it to your liking. All cabals are ranked against each other, and a cabal's success will bring fame, fortune and power to its members.

• Track your progress - Earn points for everything you do - from combat and exploration, to trade skills and PvP - in order to rank high on both local and global scoreboards, gain titles and worldwide acclaim, and help make your secret society the most powerful and influential of them all.

• Intense player vs. player combat - Take part in ferocious, non-stop player vs. player action in the Battle for Hollow Earth. Fight to control anima, a priceless resource deep within the bowels of our world that will bring unprecedented power to whichever cabal that collects it

• Next-generation graphics - Featuring the latest in cutting-edge graphics technology, explore beautifully realized real-world locations that will truly set the standard for next-generation massively multiplayer online games. Prepare for an audiovisual experience unlike anything seen before.

Video Gallery

*nosebleed* That looks... so awesome... *heads to the website*

We're both signed up. Thanks for the heads up on this game.

Only hard part will be choosing a faction. Think Dragons are where I'll be. Don't like templars or Illuminati much.

I've been following Secret World for years. The way to pick a faction is what types of weapons do you like? Swords are for Dragon, Shotguns for Illum and rifles for Templars as I recall from a couple years ago.

I am still waiting on my closed beta invite for this from when I had a 12month subscription to age of conan (it was one of the perks). There is a heavy lovecraftian influence to the game as well as various other pop-culture and conspiracy theorist flavors. If they can pull it off it will be great. I am suspicious of Funcom now though, both Anarchy online and Age of Conan hit the shelves before they were ready and took a heavy amount of criticism.

Because it's made by Funcom, I'm about as leery about this game as I am about anything made by Mythic at this point, unfortunately. Too bad, it looks interesting.

» Edited on: 2011-02-04 19:05:32

Looks like it could be a lot of fun :)

Yeah, because it's by funcom I'm not sure what to make of it. It's definately a nice idea and I wish it works out for them, but I don't have my hopes up. I'd prolly be in the dragon faction. :P

I'm a big fan of The Longest Journey, and also Ragnar Tornquist. One of the best things I love about that game was its setting (a blend of sci-fi and fantasy). While I don't think this game is related to TLJ, it looks like it has the same atmosphere. So, I'm gonna keep a close eye on this one.

hmm could be good

I've actually been waiting a long time for this title - if the thing escapes being vaporware, I'm definitely giving it a try.

Hello all - a long time I've been wondering around waiting for the Family to join in a game I'll play so I can return home. First - I'll probably join you all in Rift, but now about this game. Don't let the fact it is by FC throw you off. Ragnar T. who is the lead on the game is very passionate about this game - it has been a project that has been in his mind for a long, long time and I really believe that his passion for it will see it through. They have definately not rushed this game. According to some reports there was a playable version 4 years ago and he scrapped it because he thought it could be done better - and they have been playing the current version in their offices for a quite awhile now. I think they are getting close. They just chose their distribution partner - EA - about a month ago and have promised lots of new stuff to be released in the coming months. I have been following the game since The Secret World forums went up - over three years ago. My forum name is Rayvyn over there - and I am a Templar through and through. I always thought that with the Templars based in London as well as their deep seeded belief in history, honor, and tradition - they would be a great Gaiscioch faction if you all ever came over there. The Illuminati are all about power and money - the Dragon about playing all sides against one an another to further their own cause (although they also have that whole "balance is everything" thing) and I just can't go with either of them. Anyway, I am sold on the game and have really high hopes for it. If the Family does come over there (and I see no need to promote the Family as of yet) I will be happy to be the first to sign up and promote the guild (cabal in TSW). It will have active PvE and PvP set in two different environments - so it will have something for everyone. Safe journ.

» Edited on: 2011-02-07 18:19:57

I'm not put off by it being Funcom. Age of Conan is actually a rather good game. It's certainly not for everyone, though, and that's reflected in its niche status. I enjoyed playing AoC quite a bit and it's definitely been improved and expanded upon even since I quit playing. Secret World looks good. There are just too many excellent current and upcoming MMOs to choose from.

I've been playing TSW for 5 days now, and what I can say is one of the best (maybe the best) MMO I ever played.

I was beta testing this for a while until I got my hands on the open beta GW2 weekends.. Now I just don't think I could ever go back to the combat systems of other MMO's. While I think the story of TSW is great and I have a love/hate relationship with Funcom, the combat system was just mundane. The Township of Kingsmouth being located in the pacific solomon islands yet looking like somewhere in Colorado was my first bugbear, I put those thoughts aside when I saw what seemed to be the walking dead feasting on the local law enforcement. My heart leapt, I love Romero style zombies. This scene once again turned to disappointment for me when they sprinted toward me, then stopped and we traded blows in a back and forth Everquest style combat. I just could not handle that style of combat again, this was amplified by the fact that it just made the zombies that much less fearsome. I'm sure the game will have a niche following but I won't just hand my money over to anyone these days, MMO's that can't move forward are going to get left behind, especially once GW2 and ElderScrolls Online start breaking molds.

You have some misperceptions Elth. Kingsmouth is not located in the The Solomon Islands but on Solomon Island. "Kingsmouth is a fictional harbor town that is located on Solomon Island, an, also fictional, island on the northeast part of Maine." Having lived 18 years in New Hampshire I can attest that the environs of the Solomon Island portion of the game is VERY well done. As far as the zombies go; Zombies are only one of many types of horror genre critters that make an appearance and they are represented in a wide variety. Heck there's even a quest to collect body parts from different types of zombies. It really is a good game. My rig needs an overhaul to run it well though. Even on low end settings I find it satisfying however. It's not for everyone that's for sure, but that's by design. Just like Fantasy MMO's aren't for everyone. Folk should give it a try before dismissing it.

I was fortunate enough to be in The Secret World beta, and while it is not without its flaws (usually having to do with some UI and gameplay eccentricities), the game is CHOCK-FULL of content, the leveling and skill systems is incredibly unique, and the lore (courtesy of the delightful Ragnar Tornquist), is a wonderful portmanteau of eldritch horror, conspricy theories and the proverbial fantasy/lovecreaftian kitchen sink. Funcom has a proud history of great online games in its past, so its rather casual run of the past few years should not deter you in the slightest. I would be playing it right now were it not for its monthly fee.

Thanks for clearing that up Onchu. For some reason I got Solomon Island mixed up with American Somoa... I guess they are near each other. I still didn't like the combat though. Each to their own in that respect. I loved Rift when it first came out too but after GW2 Open Beta Weekends, I could never go back to that style of combat... it's too slow.

Combat System is a huge factor for me too. I find it pretty painful to play those typical clunky MMO combat systems since touching GW2. The content here looks quite good, however.

It's funny how feelings about a game company influence us. Age of Conan was a fantastic setting for a game. I was so disappointed that they couldn't manage to get it to run well. TSW sounds compelling in terms of the setting. I've often got the impression a lot of MMO players play *despite* the high fantasy setting, rather than being attracted to elves and dragons, per se. I hope TSW flourishes.