Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1223 in Digital Video Games
- Brand: Electronic Arts
- Model: 41018ecret World1
- Released on: 2012-07-03
- ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
- Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP
- Format: Download
The Secret World [Online Game Code]
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
87 of 92 people found the following review helpful.
By B. Jones
This is a complex game to review. It has many different elements that appeal to different types of people, but if you're one of those whose tastes fall right in the center, you will absolutely love it.The world is an amalgamation of conspiracy theories and horror themes. It's a very bleak world and this is very much apparent once you're out of the three primary cities (London, New York, and Seoul), which are very detailed and well-constructed (London being my favorite by far). If you're a fan of Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, or Supernatural, you will probably enjoy the atmosphere. It will be even more enjoyable if you collect and read the hundreds (thousands?) of lore items scattered throughout the world that offer greater insight into specific events or groups.There are three factions, the Dragon, the Illuminati, and the Templars. They are united in their fight against the darkness, but often very much at odds over historical events. They each have their own storyline, and many of the responses to different quests are unique to the faction. The Dragon have a more eastern/philosophical outlook on things, the Templars are a bit more mystical and militaristic, and the Illuminati are very business-like and technical. The stories you encounter reflect this, as the Templar story often feels very mystical while the Illuminati story has more of a conspiracy feel to it.The dialogue is particularly entertaining. You do not get to make responses, as in SWTOR, but I found the NPCs much more interesting to listen to in TSW. They often seem like real people and make amusing or enlightening analogies. You can talk to many about a variety of topics that do not directly apply to a quest, and I've spent several hours doing so without realizing how much time had passed.The mechanics initially seem to be typical of MMOs, but differences become more apparent the further you get into the game. Instead of each quest being about killing 10 goblins, quests can have you trying to investigate the origins of the town, setting up defenses and fighting off attacks, or tracking down and stopping a supernatural killer (and killing 10 draug...). If the quest is fairly straightforward (kill 10 draug), you will see markers on your map and on your screen indicating where to go. However, if you're expected to figure something out this is often not the case. For instance, you may be given a vague idea of what you're looking for and through the use of google (there's an in-game browser and a website for various groups in the game, such as the Kingsmouth newspaper) and in-game clues (hidden in or behind paintings, in architecture, or just about anywhere you can think of), you're expected to figure out where you need to go and get there. Once you've arrived, the quest progresses to the next stage.You're allowed to equip 7 active and 7 passive skills of hundreds purchasable using rewards for gaining experience. Some build resources, some use them. Some set certain states on the enemy (weakened, hindered, etc.), while others will exploit those states. You mix and match the 7 active and 7 passive skills to create a "build" that you enjoy and feel is effective. This can be done on the fly as long as you're out of combat (lose a fight? swap skills and try again). The states can also be exploited by other players, so you could theoretically get with friends and work together to create builds where you exploit each others' actions to greater effect.As for the combat, again, the mechanics initially seem typical button-mashing. The states and skills mentioned in the previous paragraph add greater variety, but there are also indicators that appear when an enemy is about to use a particularly punishing attack that allow you the opportunity to either run out of the way to avoid being hit or to use an active dodge button for the same purpose. Although avoiding these attacks can be helpful in solo-play, it becomes imperative to avoid as many as possible in instances (dungeons) where one such hit may well kill you or put anyone healing on their toes to try to keep everyone alive. Fortunately, you do not sacrifice much damage or many actions by avoiding attacks, as all combat skills are usable while moving (and many situations will leave you dead if you do not use them while moving).Armor is in the form of talismans, whether they're rings or belts or other items that do not alter your character's appearance. Clothing is separate and only alters appearance. There is a large clothing store in London where you can customize your character after you've earned some money.Although there are many servers ("dimensions"), you can play with friends on any of them. If you join a group with someone from another server, you will be asked if you want to be transported to their dimension. When you leave the group, you are returned to your own. You cannot PVP on any server but your own.PVP is restricted to one of two battlegrounds and one warzone. The battlegrounds only allow around 10 people per faction. The warzone allows 75 per faction and is persistent. Controlling various areas in the warzone provides a server-wide buff to the controlling faction (so people in dungeons or just out questing benefit). The power of the buff depends on the number of areas your faction controls.There are still bugs (as there always will be in games), but generally you can either skip them or ask for an invite to a server where a particular quest isn't bugged. There aren't too many, but the ones that are there can be frustrating because it's often difficult to know whether or not you are stuck because of a bug or stuck because you just haven't figured something out. Except in a few cases (which often pop up in the help chat), most of the time it's the latter. Fortunately Funcom seems to be working quickly to fix the quests that are actually bugged, and reporting it to a GM will get them to bump the quest so that the bugged part is completed.If you like solving puzzles, learning about the background of the game world, or building "decks" out of hundreds of different skills, this is probably the game for you. If you're looking for something light that you can breeze through without much thought (and there are days when that's the sort of thing I want), you're better off looking elsewhere.
82 of 95 people found the following review helpful.
By Roy Runnels
Having had a chance to really sink my teeth into the game, it's finally time for me to pass judgement on The Secret World. I've played several MMORPG's in the past (World of Warcraft, The Old Republic) and have had fun with them in the past. But after spending countless hours with these MMO's, you start to recognize similarities in the various games. This is where The Secret World really shines.The Secret World turns a lot of old ideas on their head. Leveling no longer exists, or at least not in the traditional sense. You still earn experience but instead of being greeted with a new level when you fill your experience bar, you now receive Skill Points to be spent in several areas. Along the way however, you also earn Ability Points to be spent on new abilities. You get to fully customize your character to do pretty much whatever you feel like that particular day. You can be a healer one minute and a tank the next. It's a great system that has a ton of depth to it.Quests are also really well written. All the main quests of cinematic, fully voiced scenes. Side quests usual involve finding notes which is the only reason those aren't voiced. The quests have a lot of variety to them as well. While it is true you'll find fetch quests here and there, even those are done in ways that don't feel repetitive. Something that is truly wonderful about the game is the puzzle and research quests. The game forces you to really think sometimes to solve a puzzle, while other times the game gives you just enough clues for you to research it online (and also has a built in web browser to help). It really adds to the immersion and lore of the game.Speaking of lore and story, the game really knows what it's doing in this area as well. Sometimes it does get cheesy in areas, but most of the time it stays on course of being a phenomenal story. There are so many missions that really adds depth to the different organizations and to the world itself. It will make you want to really search the world to get every tidbit you can. The controls handle well, there is a great variety of abilities to choose from and play with, and PvP is incredibly fun. There is so much to do and explore that the game will keep you busy for a long time. It will take you months to fully max a character out. No matter what server you play on, you can still pair up with your friends and quest together. Same goes for guilds which are called "Cabals" in The Secret World.It should be said that the game does initially limit you to only three character slots. You really shouldn't need more because of the fact that you can just load a build and be any class you want at anytime, but it should be noted. You might also find some glitchy quests or other things, but with the game just launching, it's forgivable especially when Funcom stays on top of patches pretty well.Overall The Secret World is a great game and definitely worth a look.
70 of 82 people found the following review helpful.
By Jason Wiley
I was fortunate enough to get into the last two beta weekends for this game before it went live to release.I have to say I was absolutely blown away. I finally found a game that wasn't based on _that OTHER MMO that everyone knows_ and I was ecstatic.They threw out the traditional level grind and made something much more interesting. A sideways and vertical progression. You still level, you still gain experience but it comes in the form of two kinds of points, which can be spent on skill proficiencies and abilities to go along with those skills. The simple fact that your character can learn EVERYTHING in the game is amazing. But the great equalizer is that out of ALL the abilities and ALL the skills... you can only ever have a total of 7 active abilities and 7 passive abilities "at the ready."What this means is a bit forethought on the part of the player. What will you need for a fight? Which abilities do I have that are going to be best for this area? Need a healer and no one else can? But you can! Change into it! Change from a TANK to a DAMAGE DEALER to a HEALER to any kind of hybrid there-in. There are synergies between all the abilities and untold 1000's of combinations that you can put together to make as unique a character as you want.Csutomization is amazing out of the box too. In other games, the race for the best gear often results in all the characters of a class looking 100% the same. In the secret world, it's quite rare to see soemone else wearing what you are wearing. It does in fact appear to be a truly living world. In fact my character, well, I change my clothes every hour or so when I'm playing.PVP is also fun! Three factions make it much more interesting and all of that PVP has benefits and rewards to the players out in the remainder of the world. Bonuses that you get from PVP apply to the PVE experience. And for once, PVP is on an equal footing, since you can have any skills you want, then it's up to you to find the PVP skills that work best for you. No more being beat by the guy that has more time than you so he has much better gear than you "in those other games."Something that also strikes me as factastic, is that they didn't hold back on puzzle quests. They're NOT easy. It's like being in a "Dan Brown" novel and having to solve the same kinds puzzles that Robert Langdon had to. Cryptic clues, and research and patience. It's a whole new refreshing aspect to a genre that lately began to cater to the powergamer; the guy that had to get all the best stuff asap. This game requires you to pay attention as you play it, not just to gather as many missions as you can from a "quest hub" and go grind them out for the fastest XP gains a player can get.Anyone looking to have their hand held to just get rewards fast and be the "top level" is going to be sorely disappointed here. This is a game about the journey, not how quick it takes you to get there.It won't be for everyone, but I think more people will come to see the charm, talent and passion that went into making this game.As a friend of mine put it, this game is like they took Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the CW's Supernatural, stuffed it with Resident Evil and then made it a massively multiplayer game.Killing Zombies.Get your practice in now.
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