The Secret World

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1304 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,029 out of 1304
  2. Mixed: 117 out of 1304
  3. Negative: 158 out of 1304
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  1. iozay
    Jan 14, 2020
    0
    Disclaimer: People WILL either HATE or LOVE this game(With capital characters intended). Please don't let your opinion become guided by those of others, give it a try before giving your final personal conclusion.

    The secret world is one of the few(if not the only) MMO's that sucked me into it, it has the best story of any MMO I have seen this far. True, there are some issues but the    Disclaimer: People WILL either HATE or LOVE this game(With capital characters intended). Please don't let your opinion become guided by those of others, give it a try before giving your final personal conclusion.

    The secret world is one of the few(if not the only) MMO's that sucked me into it, it has the best story of any MMO I have seen this far. True, there are some issues but the friendly customer support is more than happy to assist. I absolutely love the way that the missions are designed, they require you to actually think or try to learn you something. The world is designed to make sure that there is always something to do, something to explore and something new to learn regarding the story. If you love to "think" and enjoy a good story, the game is definitely worth a try. The Secret World is clearly a different than the avarage MMO.

    Edit: 14 Januari 2020 - Unfortunately funcom has killed off the game. That and the fact that they don't have a proper costumer support anymore makes it impossible for me to recommend any of their games anymore.    … Expand
  2. Avalord
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    I do not know how the game was in the early games. I am just beginning my journey.
    Yes, that's what it is all about: Exploring. Every single detail is thrilling. I find it highly impressive and of all the MMOs I've seen, the most original, being the least copy-cat to WoW (which in turn stole from Everquest and so on)
    To details: You choose your role ingame, so you enter as a generic    I do not know how the game was in the early games. I am just beginning my journey.
    Yes, that's what it is all about: Exploring. Every single detail is thrilling. I find it highly impressive and of all the MMOs I've seen, the most original, being the least copy-cat to WoW (which in turn stole from Everquest and so on)
    To details: You choose your role ingame, so you enter as a generic character. So the three-slot-limit (across ALL servers) shouldn't hurt. But as there are three distinctive factions with differing story lines, and a great way of visually customizing your char I guess it will hurt.
    To this point it feels very much like a solo game. Although exploring the world together should be even more fun.
    Character build seems complex though I am not very much into that now.
    Great voice acting with every even slightly important NSC help creating an awsome atmosphere
    Bottomline is, I am awfully impressed and I have to go back to the game right now :)
    Edit: This review is about the classic TSW not the relaunched f2p Secret World Legends. Steam forcefully changed my game to the latter and it was awful. Awfully easy, awfully meaningless combat, dumbed down levelling system.
    Boring, although the story apparently remained the same.
    After some research I got back into the old game and everything's fine again.    … Expand
  3. Drevia54
    Nov 27, 2017
    6
    I loved the environment above all, it made me think too much about Lovecraft! But I also appreciated the fact of being able to change weapon and template easily. And the system of enigmas and infiltration quests was just awesome.
  4. Yulie
    Jun 27, 2017
    10
    Do not listen to a lot of the negative feedback around Secret World Legends. If you played The Secret world and found it overly confusing and lacking in combat well I strongly urge you to try Secret World Legends. It is extremely fun to play either alone or with a friend. Currently, my Man and I are playing and the creepy atmosphere, combat, and story will keep us playing this for a good while.
  5. xellis
    Jul 18, 2016
    10
    I'll start by saying this game is underrated. It's a spectacularly well done game that you should definitely try if you like either RPG's, or MMORPG's. It has a really epic, mature narrative where you play a character in the modern-day joining a secret society and exploring the urban legends and myths of the world through out history from ancient to present. The storytelling, the voiceI'll start by saying this game is underrated. It's a spectacularly well done game that you should definitely try if you like either RPG's, or MMORPG's. It has a really epic, mature narrative where you play a character in the modern-day joining a secret society and exploring the urban legends and myths of the world through out history from ancient to present. The storytelling, the voice acting, and overall presentation is phenomenal and holds up to what we've seen from other RPG's since it's release almost 4 years ago. The game also holds up graphically, they keep the graphical fidelity up to par with newer titles (and honestly in many cases better). The world is huge, it encourages non-linear exploration behind every nook, cranny, corner, alleyway, there's something to be discovered that can lead you on a huge variety of sub-plots all with their own epic narratives. They've updated the combat from back when I played it in beta, it's now more action oriented with dodging and quick skill reaction. The progression is some of the deepest I have seen in an MMO, and even many modern RPG's, allowing you to build and customize your character to play exactly how you want, with a huge variety of weapon and skill types you can mix, and match to your hearts content. This is a very atmospheric game, so I would recommend playing it with the sound settings for ambiance, and music maxed out, you will go on many missions that can be downright creepy and befitting of the horror genre. When I think of comparisons it's hard to come up with one in the gaming-sphere, as The Secret World is truly unique, and the closest thing I can think of is if you mixed Fallout 4 with Life Is Strange. If you've ever seen the tv show's "Supernatural", "Grim", or "Sanctuary" the game can remind me of those as well.

    If you're like me, and are there feeling like the games on the market, and the RPG, or MMO genres are at a stale point, you should definitely try this game, you will be surprised, and you will love it.    … Expand
  6. ViharTancos
    Apr 18, 2016
    9
    Best story telling in a whole MMO industry. Its most of single player games as well. Mature and complicated characters and dialogs. The world is amazing lot classical horror refence from Love Craft, Clive Barker etc..
    The TRON disc fighting system is difficult for the new comers but get pretty handy and flexiblefor veterans.
  7. megabear
    Apr 12, 2016
    10
    I heard about TSW a few times but not enough to get me interested. Then I finally decided to give it a try because well, there weren't any "better" options I thought. Turns out, this is the best MMO I've ever played, and I've been playing MMO's since Everquest, WoW and such. So happy that I decided to give it a try.
  8. SIPPIO
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    HELPING THE UNDECIDED = DEICDE
    --Take 5 seconds and click my name for proof that I review ALL games I play. pos & neg.
    ---I'm BRAND NEW to PC GAMING(again) after a 8 year hiatus. -Saw this on Steam Sale for $12 and the story setting of Cryptozoological,paranormal,divine, illumintai,Templars & Dragon(evil bad faction) --This idea had me excited and I dove in without knowing what to    HELPING THE UNDECIDED = DEICDE
    --Take 5 seconds and click my name for proof that I review ALL games I play. pos & neg.
    ---I'm BRAND NEW to PC GAMING(again) after a 8 year hiatus.

    -Saw this on Steam Sale for $12 and the story setting of Cryptozoological,paranormal,divine,
    illumintai,Templars & Dragon(evil bad faction)
    --This idea had me excited and I dove in without knowing what to expect..
    3 days later(today) I paid the $15 monthly to be a member because I expect to play it ALOT this month..
    -I played all 3 sessions SOLO so far.
    -I choose my faction & everything on my own as the game is VERY noob friendly..
    -I leveled quite quickly and I finally hit enemies that killed me. some sea monster baddies..
    --You pick TWO powers out of 9.
    3 guns,3 melee,3 magical
    I went with Shotgun & Electricity magic(forget name of magic)
    ---I spent a hour testing ALL the powers and weapons. as the arean was set up perfect for testing.
    they have the picture of said weapon, you click it & now its equipped. no add-dropping or equipping..all auto..awesome!!!
    --Almost picked Handguns(two pistols) and almost selected sword & blood magic & healer magic...
    --Faction--I selected the illuminati...
    each faction has a sweet intro video explaining what they are. watch them b4 you decide=I DID AND THE ILLUMINATI seem to be the A-Moral-out for self NEUTRAL faction...
    Knights Templar is the heroic good guys & the other "Dragon" are chaotic evil.. I went Neutral..
    --and I suspect the 1st missions are for every class & faction. stop zombies in some middle America Twin Peaks type of middle American suburbia town with a 1% minority %. just a observation of town type. probably coulda worded that better(don't be offended by it)

    -----Combat--I felt IN-CONTROL. All other MMO's I feel nervous in early game. but I had confidence early..
    --Graphics-pretty good BUT not gonna make any magazines under graphics..i have every setting on MAX.
    my PC is brand new but middle tier with a 750 card & i5 with 8gb ram. SO most people can enjoy jacked settings if I can..i suffered -0- lag. I thought id have to turn off something or lower resolution but I didn't..

    --Funfactor & last words--I found myself thinking of The Secret World..i was mad because I wanted to think about other games but whatevs.. I have Metal Gear & Jedi Starfighter going on PS4 & Wasteland going on XBOX1 but those game have taken the backseat..i mention this because only a fun good game can have us thinking bout it while we are away.....

    I bought my PC for StarWars The Old Republic because I'm a SW fan who read books and I played StarWars Galaxies MMO. that was actually my last good PC. so I am supposed to be playing The Old Republic. I subscribed to that and played 1 session & liked it ALOT. yes I paid the $15..wish id waited...I like the game,,but The Secret World has got me...whatevs... and that's mmy honest review so far...
    ---I cant say more cause this is a NOOB review..as all reviews should be.. hope someone on the fence goes for it.....    … Expand
  9. WiLdEcaRd
    Nov 30, 2015
    10
    One of the best mature games out there,and hands down one of best MMO a ever played.
    I'm solving mysteries in my sleep! Can't get enough of this game!
  10. Tobwa
    Nov 10, 2015
    9
    Like others have mentioned, this game is outstanding.

    I don't like MMOs. It is my general opinion they are broken. They aren't REALLY multiplayer. In that regard, this one makes no difference. You might be able to team up and take a raid, but any story bits will never be about you all as a group. They only are about you as an individual. But, that is where this game shines. You are    Like others have mentioned, this game is outstanding.

    I don't like MMOs. It is my general opinion they are broken. They aren't REALLY multiplayer. In that regard, this one makes no difference. You might be able to team up and take a raid, but any story bits will never be about you all as a group. They only are about you as an individual.

    But, that is where this game shines. You are intertwined in outstanding atmosphere and engrossing writing. Being a part of that, even if it is only kind of with friends, is absolutely the best part of the game. I WANT to see every quest, every twist, every turn. Every creepy detail strewn about this beautifully created world.

    And are you big? Are you bad? There is always something mysterious and deadly that is larger and bigger. It feels fantastic. And I need to end on that note and play just a little more.

    It feels fantastic.    … Expand
  11. vwh187
    Nov 2, 2015
    5
    Gave this MMO a few months chance based on all the positive feedback, but can't quite see why some people are raving about this game.
    It's not a particularly impressive MMO, too much reading/puzzling, and not enough action.
    Graphics are also sketchy in some parts, as are the sound quality. Decent story, I admit, but not quite enough to make this MMO work. Perhaps it should have been a    Gave this MMO a few months chance based on all the positive feedback, but can't quite see why some people are raving about this game.
    It's not a particularly impressive MMO, too much reading/puzzling, and not enough action.
    Graphics are also sketchy in some parts, as are the sound quality.
    Decent story, I admit, but not quite enough to make this MMO work. Perhaps it should have been a single player game instead?    … Expand
  12. salma
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Don't play this game for the combat , nor the PVP , nor the raids/dungeons etc.
    Play this game for the missions/quests ... You'll never feel the same about questing in MMO games afterwords.

    If you consider yourself a true MMO player , the experience provided by TSW is not something you want to miss.
  13. ninja-jason51
    Sep 4, 2015
    10
    The most interesting game out there, very customizable class system which is my favorite part. The graphics are amazing for a MMO. The story is really good.
  14. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jun 21, 2015
    5
    TL;DR 50/50 Secret World tries something new in the MMo genre and I don't think it works too well. As always, don't trust all the '10' fake reviews. I highly advise if your looking into getting a new MMo and you stumble upon this game, and this review then please, do plenty of research first before you buy into this game, and don't get any version other than the ultimate edition -TL;DR 50/50 Secret World tries something new in the MMo genre and I don't think it works too well. As always, don't trust all the '10' fake reviews. I highly advise if your looking into getting a new MMo and you stumble upon this game, and this review then please, do plenty of research first before you buy into this game, and don't get any version other than the ultimate edition - preferably on a good steam sale.

    Its an MMo you're basically going to love it, or truely hate it. My biggest problems with Secret World is that it tries something different from the traditional MMo genre and honestly, it just really doesn't work to well. So many quests are downright stupid, the player has to constantly press (B) to open up the in-game web browser and actually search for hints and solutions to quests because most just don't offer you any information at all - so that browser becomes a huge crutch through-out the entire experience. I found very few of the usual cookie cutter kill X amount of mobs, or typical fetch quests that most MMos have - The problem that secret world has, is trying something new other than the cookie cutter, and I think for most people - it doesn't make it fun. Far too many quests which try to make the player actually think, or solve complex puzzles - (one puzzle actually requires you to read the bible in RL ~ luckily the web browser can pretty much give you all the information you need to skip that)

    These issues basically create a massively steep learning curve thats exceptionally harsh without doing plenty of research first, such as what build your doing to make - any DLC your going to buy into ~ how to craft, how to allocate your skill points. Everything isn't very new player/newb friendly.

    I personally had graphical issues too, many quests especially stealth missions are so poor that most are trial and error, or again - look up that online guide how to do it. The first few stealth missions, I died constantly due to near invisible laser tripwires - seems to be an issue with nvidia cards, also the game constantly crashes each time I exit the game.

    It seems the developer also has taken a nickel and diming approach to the so-called free to play method, the item store is full of good stuff...of course if you want to pay for it, the problem here are the issue packs which are essentially the expansions, if you really want to invest time and effort into this game, then the ultimate edition is the only way to go unless you want to spend a small fortune later. Also worth mentioning is if you buy the individual packs on steam, you only get the regular versions, so if you actually wanted the cool items, costumes etc - that would cost you "double" the money. Example, I purchased the Tokyo DLC and I originally assumed that would come with the school uniform, title and gadgets but no, a 1620 point ($15) extra cost was needed on top of the $15 cost for the DLC, making the actual cost of the DLC $30 for one DLC... Each issue has its own dedicated 'collectors edition' which has all the cool items and obviously a huge price tag to match.    … Expand
  15. FaustX
    May 29, 2015
    9
    Here it is 2015 and I am still playing Secret World. The character development is rich and flexible. The style is unique and captures a modern horror genre well. Game play is great. PvP is fun. Endgame play in nightmare dungeons, scenarios and Tokyo is great. The only reason I did not give the game a "10" score are some optimization and technical issues that have been a challenge forHere it is 2015 and I am still playing Secret World. The character development is rich and flexible. The style is unique and captures a modern horror genre well. Game play is great. PvP is fun. Endgame play in nightmare dungeons, scenarios and Tokyo is great. The only reason I did not give the game a "10" score are some optimization and technical issues that have been a challenge for Funcom since launch. Regardless, the gameplay is just a blast! TSW is still a great game years later.… Expand
  16. game_over
    May 26, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The secret word(tsw) has some good points-- atmosphere, original setting, story, and an interesting skill system. The story is especially engaging.

    However, Funcompetence is in place. TSW has bugs that will never be resolved, rough edges, BS un-fun quests, and the need to stop and grind to make progress in the story. Also, the game doesn't have enough new players to make it easy to find groups for new players who don't bring their own friends.

    If you are looking for a non-fantasy MMO with good story that you don't mind playing solo, then TSW may be for you    … Expand
  17. Zenren
    May 17, 2015
    4
    This game had such great potential, but the designers decided to make the focus clickies, rather than actually deepening the mechanics. What started out as a strong MMO petered out to a mediocre MMO with shoddy cheap attempts at progression. Look elsewhere for a deep engrossing MMO, at least if you plan on going beyond Issue 8, because everything after 9 is focused on a very specific buildThis game had such great potential, but the designers decided to make the focus clickies, rather than actually deepening the mechanics. What started out as a strong MMO petered out to a mediocre MMO with shoddy cheap attempts at progression. Look elsewhere for a deep engrossing MMO, at least if you plan on going beyond Issue 8, because everything after 9 is focused on a very specific build to progress.… Expand
  18. xtremehaze
    May 12, 2015
    9
    The Secret World was one of those games that I was going to skip considering when it first came out, it came with a Pay Monthly system. But then I saw it was going to Buy to play and I then bought it. The missions are one of the most Unique in MMO's considering you have to use your brain and not like most MMO's which ask to collect X amount of items and Kill X amount of Creatures. It is aThe Secret World was one of those games that I was going to skip considering when it first came out, it came with a Pay Monthly system. But then I saw it was going to Buy to play and I then bought it. The missions are one of the most Unique in MMO's considering you have to use your brain and not like most MMO's which ask to collect X amount of items and Kill X amount of Creatures. It is a great game, the combat can get a little repetitive but the Missions certainly are worth it. If you are not convinced then just wait for a sale as it will be surely worth it then.… Expand
  19. PeterRJG
    May 6, 2015
    8
    It's easy to write this off as Funcom's third flop in sequence but they gave this one 110% in effort. There's a lot of heart and soul in this game. So why does virtually nobody play it? My theory is that it is too weird and niche for its own good. There's no levels, no classes and people who load this up for the first time may be lost in a sea of confusion as to what's going on. There's noIt's easy to write this off as Funcom's third flop in sequence but they gave this one 110% in effort. There's a lot of heart and soul in this game. So why does virtually nobody play it? My theory is that it is too weird and niche for its own good. There's no levels, no classes and people who load this up for the first time may be lost in a sea of confusion as to what's going on. There's no comfort zone here. Beyond that initial puzzlement, it's a rewarding and challenging game, but you have to get there.

    It's a semi-fully voiced (your character is silent), action-oriented MMO with some fairly decent graphics but the combat animations - especially from the zombies - do look awful though. That's one minus, but overall, the monsters look and animate well. Just not the zombies. Their running and fighting animations are comically farcical.

    The Secret World tries so hard to be hip, cool and out there, overloaded with pop culture and internet-speak references, it's beyond belief. You'll either laugh or facepalm at all the talk, maybe both.

    But if you do buy this and give it a shot, persevere with it. Experiment with the builds, try new things. Just don't expect too much social interaction. Despite all those people camped at the Agartha zone-in, you'll be playing this game 99% by yourself unless you really try hard to group with someone. Even then it has mandatory solo sequences, which IMHO, don't belong in a multiplayer game.

    But give it a shot. It might be the best thing you'll ever play. Who knows?    … Expand
  20. EmoBubbleGum
    Apr 8, 2015
    10
    Let me start with saying this game has amazing quests. Rather than your run of the mill go out and kill these bad guys kinda quests. Every quest I play in this game feels like part of the game's lore and story are coming to life!

    The combat is very interesting, and you don't have to feel tortured with a class lock. In the end you can mix and match all the abilities of the game, provided    Let me start with saying this game has amazing quests. Rather than your run of the mill go out and kill these bad guys kinda quests. Every quest I play in this game feels like part of the game's lore and story are coming to life!

    The combat is very interesting, and you don't have to feel tortured with a class lock. In the end you can mix and match all the abilities of the game, provided you are wielding the corresponding weapon(s). I find this a very refreshing and relaxing take on skill systems.

    If I had to throw one con out there, it would be that the game can be a little buggy sometimes. Perhaps this is a low budget problem? Also their customer support can be kind of EXTREMELY dumb, but hey! That isn't part of the game. (;    … Expand
  21. Thebean28
    Mar 18, 2015
    9
    I noticed there hasn't been any recent reviews of The Secret World. I bought this game back when it came out and only played a little bit. I'm not even sure why I quit back then, but probably other time commitments and I remember the game being tough early on. Fast forward to now. I recently started playing again. This game is free to play once you buy the game, and for a FTP game, it isI noticed there hasn't been any recent reviews of The Secret World. I bought this game back when it came out and only played a little bit. I'm not even sure why I quit back then, but probably other time commitments and I remember the game being tough early on. Fast forward to now. I recently started playing again. This game is free to play once you buy the game, and for a FTP game, it is really good. You can play and enjoy the game easily without a subscription. I waited over a month before I decided to get one (I ended up doing Lifetime).

    What is good about the game:
    1) New player experience - they've made it easier to start and understand what is going on
    2) You can teleport between anima wells now for a nominal fee, which helps moving around the map a lot easier
    3) The story line is excellent and not the same old fantasy line.
    4) The 3 "secret world" types are unique in their own right; templar, illuminati and dragons. (I play templar)
    5) The game has a TON of content. I'm still in the first areas (Solomon island) and have been playing a few weeks now (I'm not a power player though) few hours here and there.
    6) Sanctuary Channel - you type /chat join sanctuary is great community channel and help for players

    Drawbacks/Cons
    1) It isn't your standard MMO, so there is a bit of a learning curve. I highly recommend reading up online about good survivial builds to get yourself off to a good start.
    2) I'm not sure the Cabal scene (guilds) is as active as it use to be, but players are very helpful, especially to new players

    You don't ever have to restart, so if you don't like your setup, just keep questing and put your points elsewhere. You'll eventually get all the skills and abilities. My first, homemade build was decent, but started to make play difficult. I just looked up a good survival build using some of my current skills and added the ones I needed. Now I'm really doing a lot better with questing and holding my own.

    Also, you'll find the questing isn't run of the mill either. There are regular type quests, investigation quests (which require you to think and use logic) and even another type of quest. There is a built in web browser so you can do web searches while on a mission. Really very creative and the game is extremely atmospheric.

    If you're in the mood for something different and a robust MMO with great story, then give the Secret World a try. I haven't even scratched the surface on any of the add on content yet.    … Expand
  22. Hex08
    Jan 18, 2015
    10
    This game is awesome. There have been very few MMOs that held my attention for very long and this is one of them. The atmosphere and stories alone make it worth playing. If you love horror in the vein of Lovecraft and King then this game is for you. If you are looking for something other than the typical level grind of games like WoW then this game is for you.
  23. DJMM
    Dec 27, 2014
    10
    I haven't given very many MMO's the time to become immersed. I play EVE Online and I have tried D&D Online, DC Universe, SWTOR, WoW, and Everquest II. I love how quickly I got hooked into the story and fictional reality that The Secret World offers. People have complained that it is not really an MMO, but most agree that it is an extremely good single-player game. I would have to sayI haven't given very many MMO's the time to become immersed. I play EVE Online and I have tried D&D Online, DC Universe, SWTOR, WoW, and Everquest II. I love how quickly I got hooked into the story and fictional reality that The Secret World offers. People have complained that it is not really an MMO, but most agree that it is an extremely good single-player game. I would have to say that the community is so friendly that even if you solo every mission it is still unique having help from other players. I personally love the underlying mythology. I needed to get used to the combat system but it is better than many other games I have tried.

    I'll echo the others who have said that it is the storyline, the character depth, and the atmosphere that have hooked me.    … Expand
  24. Fuz
    Dec 12, 2014
    10
    Fantastic game. Not your typical MMO, it's a different approach on the classic formula.
    It's a very original, smart and imaginative game. The writing is fantastic and has some of the best character I've ever seen in a videogame, the story is great and the gameplay is pretty good, with a huge number of skill combinations possible... and this is a strong and weak point at the same time: the    Fantastic game. Not your typical MMO, it's a different approach on the classic formula.
    It's a very original, smart and imaginative game. The writing is fantastic and has some of the best character I've ever seen in a videogame, the story is great and the gameplay is pretty good, with a huge number of skill combinations possible... and this is a strong and weak point at the same time: the learning curve is pretty steep and could be scaring sometimes. Also, some zones are less interesting than others (but this mostly depends on personal taste).
    Questing is the best ever seen in a videogame, period. The investigative type of missions, especially, are always extremely intelligent and original, and often require a great deal of thinking outside the box, they can be very hard to solve, too.
    The game does have some flaws, but still, it's the most interesting MMO out there, hands down. And it's not a carbon copy of WoW.    … Expand
  25. threepie
    Nov 22, 2014
    9
    I normally don't write reviews but I think this title deserves one.

    This game is in my opinion the most underrated MMO out there. The story is superb, easy to follow and interesting at the same time, it is always giving you more questions than answers but when you follow the story for a bit things slowly falls into place. The graphics is far better than most MMOs out there, giving your    I normally don't write reviews but I think this title deserves one.

    This game is in my opinion the most underrated MMO out there. The story is superb, easy to follow and interesting at the same time, it is always giving you more questions than answers but when you follow the story for a bit things slowly falls into place.
    The graphics is far better than most MMOs out there, giving your high end computer a run for the money but at the same time scales very well with older harware (I'm currently playing on my laptop gtx 680m).
    The combat is fluid and fun; movement and timing of attacks are more important than bashing buttons (although there is a bit of that as well). The combat never gets overly complicated with only 8 combat moves available at one time, but the variation of moves that can be set up prior to combat is extensive and varied.

    The game is fully playable as a single player only if you so wishes but gets more fun with a group of people in PVE mode. Unfortunately it can sometimes be difficult to find players to join you unless you are a member of a cabal (a guild), but I guess that is true for most MMOs.

    There are three types of missions (aside from dungeons and scenarios which are group missions); the classical seek and destroy, the covert agent missions and the investigation missions. They are all varied and fun to do and seldom feel like a chore. Most of them are repeatable which in my opinion is a good thing. On top of this you have the main story missions which combines all three elements as it follows the progression of your character.

    There is enough endgame material to keep things interesting for a long time and there are regular updates and new content added on. Admittedly it is not the size of WOW yet but it is steadily growing and improving.

    The main criticism I have is the inventory interface, represented by tiles that all look very similar and you have to hover the mouse over it to find out what it is. A minor annoyance that I have learnt to live with.

    I can't comment on PVP as it doesn't really interest me that much.

    All in all a game that I hope more people will try, because I'm sure you will like it. It is definitely worth the 30 dollars to buy.    … Expand
  26. Winterlight212
    Nov 13, 2014
    9
    IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF FREE TIME, you're VERY PATIENT, and DETERMINED, you will find yourself immersed in a dark, gloomy world that will make you feel immersed & excited just to be there. This game is very heavy on special effects, not necessarily polygon count, but actual effects and lighting, to the point where your graphics card might actually not be able to handle it. However, if youIF YOU HAVE A LOT OF FREE TIME, you're VERY PATIENT, and DETERMINED, you will find yourself immersed in a dark, gloomy world that will make you feel immersed & excited just to be there. This game is very heavy on special effects, not necessarily polygon count, but actual effects and lighting, to the point where your graphics card might actually not be able to handle it. However, if you have dual GPUs, this game looks gorgeous on max, the lighting & special effects make it really a treat unlike any other MMO I've seen.

    As far as the abilities go, it's a little bit clunky since the indication of using skills is not exactly clear, you will probably find yourself button mashing a few times to make sure you used an ability. Once you get beyond that though, you'll find a multitude of hauntingly beautiful stories and puzzles to solve, with a plethora of cut-scenes, and the atmosphere is chilling.

    THERE ARE NO "CHARACTER LEVELS" *BUT* there IS a lot of "LEVELING" of SKILLS, so it's indirectly saying yes you have to level, just not officially saying it. You choose general weapons from shotgun, assault rifle, swords, magic (chaos/blood), and get new spells/abilities as you level up, your choice as to what skills. There's also miscellaneous skills to get such as taunt for "tanks" and heals, but it's all up to you as to what you want to get. There are pre-set templates though to use if you want a guide. Eventually you CAN get every skill on one character, so you don't need to level more than one character.

    The nice thing about the world in this game is it's modeled exactly after the real-life cities & towns, so it's like you are actually there, plus the gloom and doom of demons & zombies of course, but you might find your house if you happen to live in one of those areas in real life, that's how close it resembles the real thing.

    I have not actually gone very deep into the game, even though I've had the game for a while now, because I'm a big WoW player and League of Legends player, and have other things as well, so haven't had as much "urge" to play this game, but I get around to it every now and then. If I had some friends to play with it would be 10x more awesome, but for now I just play it solo and it's fine for a few puzzles / quests here and there just to get my end-of-the-world zombie apocalypse fix.

    They just added a new area: Tokyo, and I heard it's really fun.

    There's also PvP, but again I'm very newbish and can't even hold a stick against the enemy team. All in all, if you have little cash to spend, this is a good game if you have a lot of time & maybe a friend to come with you, but make sure you go in with an open mind and you try to actually immerse yourself, otherwise you'll take it at face value & it won't be fun to you.    … Expand
  27. BragonWagon55
    Nov 13, 2014
    8
    I had bought this game on steam on sale this past holloween for $10...$10 well spent. Yes the combat can be a little bit annoying at first, but its definitely not the worst. The games combat feels clunky at first, especially if youre used to target ,right click, followed by hotkey presses here and there like WOW or GW2, but once you get the hang of it, its actually a lot better than someI had bought this game on steam on sale this past holloween for $10...$10 well spent. Yes the combat can be a little bit annoying at first, but its definitely not the worst. The games combat feels clunky at first, especially if youre used to target ,right click, followed by hotkey presses here and there like WOW or GW2, but once you get the hang of it, its actually a lot better than some F2P MMO's or even payed ones too. The setting feels refreshing and new, the story is well played and the limit on the amount of quests you can have at a time allow that story to be noticed (til this day i can shamefully say i have no idea what the story is about in WOW). the fact that there is no leveling or even a class system is a very bold move for an MMO and kinda shows ESO how this system should've been implemented in some sort, as thats how Elder Scroll games are supposed to be, yes skyrim is the only one with absolutely no class system but even earlier elder scrolls titles gave you the option to create your own class to your liking, which is what TSW does very well. also one thing you either love or hate is the option to change and reassign set skills, to hardcore rpg or mmo players, having those choices engraved forever means you have to choose wisely and level your toon very carefully, that is the challenging factor that makes a good game, however the other end adds flexibility for newbies, and expands ever changing features where you wouldnt have to start a new toon to experience said features. The games graphics are rather poor for a post 2010 game, however this is where accessibility is brought into the picture. Realistically, not everyone has a top of the line computer, so with that said it can run on most PCs. Now since im fairly new to this game (but not to the MMO genre) i didnt experience that many bugs in the game, so its fairly polished at this point, but i did hear horror stories in the beginning.

    Overall this game is a great MMO, its combat is an "either you love it or hate it" situation, Graphics are poor but not terrible, its not perfect and to some it might be dull, but if youre tired of playing MMO's that desperately copy the WOW formula or are in a over-used J.R.R. Tolkien cookie-cutter fantasy, then give it a shot, if youre still not convinced, wait for it to go on sale.    … Expand
  28. cellestron
    Oct 16, 2014
    10
    Excellent game. Character progression is interesting. The instanced dungeons are some of the best I have ever seen. Quests are fun, challenging and interesting. Graphics are amazing.

    Downsides....it is hard to find people to play with. Cabals have almost no functionality. PvP can be iffy. The only MMO I have ever played where the story has me hooked. I will continue to come    Excellent game. Character progression is interesting. The instanced dungeons are some of the best I have ever seen. Quests are fun, challenging and interesting. Graphics are amazing.

    Downsides....it is hard to find people to play with. Cabals have almost no functionality. PvP can be iffy.

    The only MMO I have ever played where the story has me hooked. I will continue to come back to it just to see what happens next.    … Expand
  29. kasmar45
    Oct 14, 2014
    9
    This game snuck up on me. When I first played it, I didn't like it much, so I put it away and went off to play Starwars. After that bored me to death, I came back to The Secret World and this time it hooked me. I think the main thing that put me off the first time was not understanding the leveling system. TSW does not have levels. It uses a ranking system plus a Quality level of yourThis game snuck up on me. When I first played it, I didn't like it much, so I put it away and went off to play Starwars. After that bored me to death, I came back to The Secret World and this time it hooked me. I think the main thing that put me off the first time was not understanding the leveling system. TSW does not have levels. It uses a ranking system plus a Quality level of your equipment to determine the power of your character.

    I like the general overall story of the game, although the zombies do become tedious after a time, but once you are strong enough, they are just a nuisance that is easily gotten rid of. Once you leave the first couple of areas the zombies are no longer a problem.

    The quests are the major draw to TSW for me. They are well thought out and keep to the story throughout the game. Most of the quests, at least the main quests, are chains, chaining from one to the other until the final quest and boss. There are several different kinds of quests. The main quests are stories that require a lot of fighting usually. You may only have one of these active at any time. There are investigation quests, and exploration quests, each one of these types of quests have their own look and feel. The puzzle are sometimes rather amazing, requiring much investigation, usually on the web. There is a web browser included in game for solving these puzzle quests.

    You can play TSW solo or with a group. The group quests do require a group. If they are attempted solo the play will most surely fail.

    The NPCs are very life like. The quest givers are fully voiced and always have an interesting story. You have to listen carefully because they will slip in bits and pieces that can be extremely funny. Pay particular attention to deputy Andy.

    One caution, if foul language offends you, then give TSW a pass. The NPCs have some very flowery language. The game, for me, is never boring. There is always another quest to do or puzzle to figure out.    … Expand
  30. KaienShiba
    Aug 24, 2014
    6
    Story wise it is great, graphic wise a failure you basically have to constantly adjust you brightness and gamma for outdoors then when you do underground scenes, 2 yrs out and you would think they would have fixed it. Will tell you that the game is almost impossible to solo using melee, magic and shooter is somewhat easier but still labor intensive. The system requirements are higher thanStory wise it is great, graphic wise a failure you basically have to constantly adjust you brightness and gamma for outdoors then when you do underground scenes, 2 yrs out and you would think they would have fixed it. Will tell you that the game is almost impossible to solo using melee, magic and shooter is somewhat easier but still labor intensive. The system requirements are higher than they say.… Expand
  31. whitepawn
    Jun 19, 2014
    9
    X-files on crack, modernized and made into an MMORPG. Similar humor. Urban fantasy would be the most apt genre description here.

    Puzzle quests. Like RE puzzles? These go well beyond those in difficulty. Look stuff up on fake web pages designed around the game. Riddles. Codes. Biblical clues. Ciphers. Some are tedious, yes, but once you get the gist you can cheat if you like    X-files on crack, modernized and made into an MMORPG. Similar humor. Urban fantasy would be the most apt genre description here.

    Puzzle quests. Like RE puzzles? These go well beyond those in difficulty. Look stuff up on fake web pages designed around the game. Riddles. Codes. Biblical clues. Ciphers. Some are tedious, yes, but once you get the gist you can cheat if you like rather than plugging away at the mechanics of the cipher you already figured out. Solve the puzzle, leave the tedious mechanics to someone else, or not, as you like.

    I honestly don't know why reviews weren't better. I think the monthly fee sticker shock may have turned people off. Or the near simultaneous release of GW2 influenced reviewers in a bad way, the big company does have a lot of money to throw around. If you're going to charge, at least bring it down to the Netflix going rate of $8, not $15. Now on a proper buy the game once then play for free, with an opt in to pay what, $10? for each new content installment. Cash shop is mostly clothes over Pay To Win.

    I hate MMORPG questing. It feels like running through a hamster wheel and is boring. Dungeons are where it's at, EXCEPT with this game. The questing here is unique and enjoyable. Bonus, call in your turn-in on a cellphone instead of hiking back to the questgiver. There are solo dungeons interspersed through the storylines, most being difficult, forcing you to figure out how to develop your toon to win in each scenario. This, I think, properly prepares players for endgame dungeons, a much needed aspect in any MMO.

    Lacks in-game voice system. This game was released in 2012, surely the tech is there for such things when a 2006 game like DDO can have a perfectly clear and nicely done in game voice available on auto upon joining any group. Fail.

    Requires passage through a "gatekeeper" scenario. First you have to complete all the starting endgame dungeons, then you have to solo this guy, not easy. Once you "pass" you can then play endgame. Again, much needed to rout out the whiny gimme cuz I want to ask for it instead of earn it crowd infesting MMOs these days.

    Alts not required. Seriously. I think people start one each faction just to check out the storyline diffs, but you only need one. You can learn and have everything on one toon. Much needed death to altism.

    Want more inventory? Just buy it with ingame currency. No lie. Bank or backpack, have at it.

    Want more ingame currency? Quest. You get it in copious amounts, quite easily.

    Want to play with your buddy who rolled up another faction on another server? Do it. Even guild with him if you like. Servers and factions don't offer any real barriers to gameplay at all, except in PvP.

    It's lack of better ratings is mind-boggling.    … Expand
  32. spacehawk
    May 26, 2014
    10
    This is a great game

    For people who like something different. A good plot .a bit difficult to understand but fun and flexcible weapon and skill system. The graphics is excellent and u can play the whole story solo as if you were playing a good rpg game. There are fun and excekently written events each season.coustomer support is great. The bads---------- Updates are always delayed.    This is a great game

    For people who like something different.
    A good plot .a bit difficult to understand but fun and flexcible weapon and skill system.
    The graphics is excellent and u can play the whole story solo as if you were playing a good rpg game.
    There are fun and excekently written events each season.coustomer support is great.
    The bads----------
    Updates are always delayed.
    Some of the low tier skill animations need to be enhanced.
    Pvp needs something more.....

    I love this game and am still playing it avidly .    … Expand
  33. Stargher
    May 4, 2014
    10
    Absolutely the best MMO I've ever played. The quests are individual and expand the lore of the game. The settings are gorgeous and moody and the mechanics are engaging. Character customization is the very soul of the game and you can spend hours mastering the synergies on hundreds of abilities. The maps are full of hidden mysteries, side-quests and hidden lore.

    This game is great even    Absolutely the best MMO I've ever played. The quests are individual and expand the lore of the game. The settings are gorgeous and moody and the mechanics are engaging. Character customization is the very soul of the game and you can spend hours mastering the synergies on hundreds of abilities. The maps are full of hidden mysteries, side-quests and hidden lore.

    This game is great even as a single-player game!    … Expand
  34. Zen-Zinxe
    Mar 11, 2014
    8
    The first time I saw this game advertised I thought it could be amazing. But then I heard about the subscription and decided I should stick with WoW, as I already knew what to expect. Then they moved to a pay once model with cosmetic microtransactions, and one of my friends sent me the game as a gift on steam.

    When I first played the game, I wanted to apologize to the developers for not    The first time I saw this game advertised I thought it could be amazing. But then I heard about the subscription and decided I should stick with WoW, as I already knew what to expect. Then they moved to a pay once model with cosmetic microtransactions, and one of my friends sent me the game as a gift on steam.

    When I first played the game, I wanted to apologize to the developers for not giving the game a chance and playing when they had the subscriptions. It was that good. I was convinced that this was the best MMO I had ever played, it was like nothing I had ever played before, with a style that I absolutely loved. I was almost certain that this game would end up taking up more time than WoW ever did for me. But I was wrong.

    There's not much wrong with the game at first, in fact there are so many things right it's almost shocking. Playing through the missions for your first time is a euphoric experience. There are some minor bugs I remember coming across, but nothing that broke the game. So why didn't this end up being the end all be all MMO for me?

    It's all because of the endgame. When you start the game you're presented with a glorious wheel of abilities that you can choose from. Ultimately you can reach a level so high that you will have learned every skill for every weapon in the game, everyone can. The thing about this game is levelling up and doing missions is more fun than the endgame by far. The anticipation of getting another skill to try out in your set, of getting the outfits associated with certain builds, adds a lot to the levelling experience.

    The thing is, I spent nearly 400 hours on this game. A bargain considering it costs 30$. But what I found out was that you are pidgeonholed in your abilities at the end of the game depending on what you want to do. Once you reach the level of gear required to do nightmare mode dungeons, you'll realize that if you're not a ranged dps, you're probably gonna have a **** time trying to find a group. When I first started the game I was excited for the endgame because I figured I could use almost any of the weapons any way I wanted. But the fact is, a melee dps just isn't as viable as a ranged. Even though fist weapon abilities can either be offensive or used for healing, it doesn't mean you can make a dps build for dungeons using claws as your primary weapon. There's no benefit to taking a melee dps over ranged. In a nightmare dungeon you are more likely to be killed being melee, you are also less likely to do as much damage because you're constantly running away from AOE. While ranged people can attack at range, obviously.

    It's not that you can't do a dungeon as a melee dps, I found a few groups willing to put up with me and we successfully did the dungeon. But it's a headache, half the groups won't pick me up and to the ones that do I'm basically completely optional because almost anyone could do my job better, no matter how good I was at staying alive during boss fights, you just don't get the time to dps that ranged characters do. If we ended up having trouble with a boss fight, I was almost always the first one to be kicked, and justifiably so.

    So with that huge rant, this game still deserves an 8/10. 400 hours, 30 dollars, nearly 2 months of playing this game religiously, I didn't even finish every single mission. But I finished the main story mission, and when I did I realized the endgame had nothing that I wanted.

    Worth every penny that my friend spent. The PVP is ok.    … Expand
  35. OliverGrau
    Mar 8, 2014
    1
    I would like to credit the developers for trying to make a new kind of MMORPG, where levels and classes don't matter. It's a great way to TRY and make a fresh new MMORPG. Yet it fails miserably, not only on the before mentioned. However, even though there are no levels nor classes, there is. You do gain levels and classes are bound by weapons. Each weapon represents a specific class andI would like to credit the developers for trying to make a new kind of MMORPG, where levels and classes don't matter. It's a great way to TRY and make a fresh new MMORPG. Yet it fails miserably, not only on the before mentioned. However, even though there are no levels nor classes, there is. You do gain levels and classes are bound by weapons. Each weapon represents a specific class and levels are aquired to gain new skills and wear new armor. So, there are levels and there are classes. If you don't got enough levels or good enough gear, you can't move on. Just like in a regular MMORPG.

    I would like to state that I did enjoy the atmosphere and the graphics, they are some of the best I've seen in a MMORPG. Yet, it's not optimized well enough. My fairly high-end system featuring a GTX 670 and an i5-3570k are struggling too keep up at high/highest settings. At times dipping well under 30 FPS.

    Also, some of the quests were exciting enough to keep me interested for a few hours, yet the quality of the quests drop really fast. They become your typical grind and pick quests way too fast.
    Combat is bland though and your hotbar is way too small in my opinion. Only featuring 5 passives and 5 actives.

    It's clear to me why the game went from monthly fee to 'buy once, play forever'. It's not worth the money that you spend, so stear clear and save yourself some money.    … Expand
  36. bluesnacks
    Feb 21, 2014
    8
    Fun and interesting. I originally never gave this game a chance. I was wrong; once I tried it again it turned out to be amazing, creepy and immersive. The story gets grindy, and some of the stories are only single player.

    However, it is so captivating and interesting that I have to play more. This game is for people who love horrors, mythology, a modern fantasy game, or who love to    Fun and interesting. I originally never gave this game a chance. I was wrong; once I tried it again it turned out to be amazing, creepy and immersive. The story gets grindy, and some of the stories are only single player.

    However, it is so captivating and interesting that I have to play more. This game is for people who love horrors, mythology, a modern fantasy game, or who love to fight. I'm not much of a horror person, but there is a drive to keep going and find out how everything is happening.

    10 stars for being awesome, fun, different and original. -2 stars for the excessive grind.    … Expand
  37. Iracundus
    Feb 2, 2014
    7
    The story and idea are intriguing. The letdown is in the grinding whether this is pvp or dungeons, or even mission grinding. In other words there is little replayability once you have gone through things the first time. Also I find it hard to believe how the secret world can remain secret for very long the way characters are flinging magical firepower around.
  38. Lobar
    Feb 1, 2014
    10
    Metacritic is horribly off on this one. The game has been amazing so far. I've sunk 30 hours into it so far and can foresee sinking hundreds more into it. It's very immersive, and has a nice feel to it. The npcs are all voiced. I have yet to experience any bugs. I accidentally bought the initiate pack on the store when I already had the massive edition. They don't normally do refunds, butMetacritic is horribly off on this one. The game has been amazing so far. I've sunk 30 hours into it so far and can foresee sinking hundreds more into it. It's very immersive, and has a nice feel to it. The npcs are all voiced. I have yet to experience any bugs. I accidentally bought the initiate pack on the store when I already had the massive edition. They don't normally do refunds, but they were very cool about it, giving me the full amount back.… Expand
  39. MishoPro
    Jan 30, 2014
    10
    The ONE BEST ONLINE MMORPG! Investigation missions that combine history, myths and tales; stealth missions and pure shooting. Touching characters and stories that make you cry out of sadness or joy! Creepy places. Happy places. Original and beautiful. You can seemingly freeze in snowy mountain one moment; then see a desert sun.

    Newest missions make great fun by seem like, say, Indiana    The ONE BEST ONLINE MMORPG! Investigation missions that combine history, myths and tales; stealth missions and pure shooting. Touching characters and stories that make you cry out of sadness or joy! Creepy places. Happy places. Original and beautiful. You can seemingly freeze in snowy mountain one moment; then see a desert sun.

    Newest missions make great fun by seem like, say, Indiana Jones type of mission. Regular updates.

    GREAT COMUNITY!    … Expand
  40. grenouille
    Jan 26, 2014
    8
    I have been playing this mmo more like a 'normal' game than as I would normally approach an mmo and, as such, it is quite enjoyable. Fully voiced npcs with unique and genuinely interesting personalities alongside its novel weapon-leveling system makes this one well worth it. I am just in love with this world and they definitely delivered on giving a genuine Lovecraft experience.
  41. georgoi123
    Jan 26, 2014
    4
    Great game Idea, very poor execution. The concept and setting are fascinating, but the actual game play leaves a lot to be desired. Quests are buggy in spite of 1.5 years of complaints, the difficulty is very inconsistent and there is no in-game play/build guidance of any sort. I’ve noted that players who have written some of the most used guides have quit the game out of frustration. TheGreat game Idea, very poor execution. The concept and setting are fascinating, but the actual game play leaves a lot to be desired. Quests are buggy in spite of 1.5 years of complaints, the difficulty is very inconsistent and there is no in-game play/build guidance of any sort. I’ve noted that players who have written some of the most used guides have quit the game out of frustration. The emptiness of the zones outside of endgame and start up are highly indicative of a game that causes most players to quit before they get too far. Overall, a real shame, this could have been the next great thing. Instead, its best just to leave it alone.… Expand
  42. Johangir
    Jan 20, 2014
    10
    Very innovative story telling for an MMO. The quests are revolutionary, and actually require you to think. They're more akin to puzzle and adventure games than the typical MMO grindfest of "kill/collect X things." The graphics are very highly polished and the UI is slick and clean. The combat is ok, but you're not going to play TSW for the combat, you're doing it for the experience; thatVery innovative story telling for an MMO. The quests are revolutionary, and actually require you to think. They're more akin to puzzle and adventure games than the typical MMO grindfest of "kill/collect X things." The graphics are very highly polished and the UI is slick and clean. The combat is ok, but you're not going to play TSW for the combat, you're doing it for the experience; that there's no other MMO out there like this one, and in a good way.… Expand
  43. ThommyH
    Jan 15, 2014
    9
    I absolutely love this game, it's wonderfully unusual when compared to other MMO's. Admittedly its style may not be for everyone as there's a significant emphasis placed on research and puzzle-solving rather than straight up kill-everything-that-gets-in-the-way. I love the atmosphere, Funcom pulls off the 'dark fantasy' theme and world exceptionally well. The abilities and powers availableI absolutely love this game, it's wonderfully unusual when compared to other MMO's. Admittedly its style may not be for everyone as there's a significant emphasis placed on research and puzzle-solving rather than straight up kill-everything-that-gets-in-the-way. I love the atmosphere, Funcom pulls off the 'dark fantasy' theme and world exceptionally well. The abilities and powers available to the characters are diverse and interesting, and the potential combinations between them are fun to explore. The voice acting is also exceptional, and in my honest opinion the quality of writing is worlds better than any other MMO I've played.

    My only gripe with the game is that there are a number of small bugs that seem to have avoided the dev-hammer and while they're nothing truly gamebreaking, at least not for me, they are noticeable. For example, when using the sitting down function, it doesn't visually display for other players that were not present when the emote was used and so to them you're still standing. As I said before however the bug issue is relatively minor and has very little impact on the brilliance of the game. It's a definite must-buy for dark fantasy fans and those who are looking for an MMO experience beyond the straightforward World of Warcraft-esque grab n' grind.    … Expand
  44. CiaranJ
    Jan 6, 2014
    9
    The reason I gave this game a 9/10 was because of its unique aspect. On the surface The Secret World looks different straightaway. However, after experiencing the lore, the quests, conspiracies and the world itself, it is clear that Funcom has spent a huge amount of time and effort in creating this MMO.

    Brief bullet reasons why you should play; and why it gets a 9/10. 1. Unique    The reason I gave this game a 9/10 was because of its unique aspect. On the surface The Secret World looks different straightaway. However, after experiencing the lore, the quests, conspiracies and the world itself, it is clear that Funcom has spent a huge amount of time and effort in creating this MMO.

    Brief bullet reasons why you should play; and why it gets a 9/10.

    1. Unique modern setting. Featuring: New York, London and Venice,
    2. Highly thought out missions, quests and conspiracies that are inspired by the works of: H.P Lovecraft, Stephen King and our world today.
    3. Pay once; play forever. Expansion packs, or known in The Secret World as Issues, are purchasable)
    4. Classless system. Play and be the character YOU WANT TO BE.
    5. Interesting story.
    6. Also, I believe if you bought the game before January 2013 you get the first 4 'Issues' expansion packs) FREE.
    7. Regular updates.    … Expand
  45. Moza_m
    Jan 4, 2014
    8
    I'm enjoying the game however, Funcom needs to sort out their customer service. I rolled on a dead server, like, seriously I didnt see anyone for hours and hours. They want me to pay for a server transfer, which seems dodgy..if you have a dead server, why let new toons start on it? Seriously, if there is ANY aspect in a game that literally takes the fun out of the experience, just removeI'm enjoying the game however, Funcom needs to sort out their customer service. I rolled on a dead server, like, seriously I didnt see anyone for hours and hours. They want me to pay for a server transfer, which seems dodgy..if you have a dead server, why let new toons start on it? Seriously, if there is ANY aspect in a game that literally takes the fun out of the experience, just remove it... simple. Or at least let us have a couple of free bonus points to change to a more lively server. It is silly to allow this. Their customer support was entirely unhelpful and had no respect that I had paid money and was not getting what they advertised (a MMO experience).
    Aside from Funcom's failings as a company, the game is fun and worth trying out.    … Expand
  46. guccibrane
    Dec 22, 2013
    8
    Fun game, very dynamic character progression system. Graphics are top notch for an MMO. What sets this apart from every other MMO that I have played is the story.

    It will take you a few hours to really grasp how the game works, but it's great once you get the hang of it.

    If this game is on sale, I recommend buying it. The story alone is worth it.
  47. Quaymar
    Nov 29, 2013
    9
    This is an AWESOME MMO! The one thing I have seen that may turn off some players is that this is NOT an easy game that holds your hand like WOW does for example, it's actually challenging. And that is why I love this game. One unique thing that I like is how you can change roles from healer to tank to DPS by simply switching builds...if you so choose. Heh...just DPS alone has tons ofThis is an AWESOME MMO! The one thing I have seen that may turn off some players is that this is NOT an easy game that holds your hand like WOW does for example, it's actually challenging. And that is why I love this game. One unique thing that I like is how you can change roles from healer to tank to DPS by simply switching builds...if you so choose. Heh...just DPS alone has tons of choices as to how you want to DPS....pure caster, pure melee, ranged or any combination of those. Although some may argue, there is no cookie cutter build that everyone and their dog is using. It's more a matter of preference.

    And the story line is AMAZING...if you take the time to follow it.    … Expand
  48. Pyrrhus67
    Nov 23, 2013
    10
    i played many mmo's and this is the most innovative i've ever played. the game is not perfect but it DESERVES a 10.

    If like me you can't force yourself to go back to your wow account because when you play it again you're bored because it's always the same stuff, and because it is now a "fast food rpg", secret world is for you. Plus, the maps are well done, the voice acting is    i played many mmo's and this is the most innovative i've ever played. the game is not perfect but it DESERVES a 10.

    If like me you can't force yourself to go back to your wow account because when you play it again you're bored because it's always the same stuff, and because it is now a "fast food rpg", secret world is for you.

    Plus, the maps are well done, the voice acting is immersive, the quests are interesting (and you can skip the (rare) "kill x mobs" quests if you want. The dungeons are well made (interesting boss fights, no 999 trash mobs the xp system is great too you do what you want, not like some mmo's where leveling is automatic ...

    a fresh breeze in the world of wow and wow-clones     … Expand
  49. abasche
    Nov 8, 2013
    6
    Pros:
    -Gorgeous graphics
    -Storyline is fun and exciting -Dynamic environments to interact with Cons: -The do-it-yourself skill/ability system sounds interesting in theory but you'll be super frustrated if you don't use a pre-designed build by the time you hit mid-game....which defeats the entire purpose and just means you have to do more work. I.e.. You want a tank? Go look up how    Pros:
    -Gorgeous graphics
    -Storyline is fun and exciting
    -Dynamic environments to interact with

    Cons:
    -The do-it-yourself skill/ability system sounds interesting in theory but you'll be super frustrated if you don't use a pre-designed build by the time you hit mid-game....which defeats the entire purpose and just means you have to do more work. I.e.. You want a tank? Go look up how to build one.
    -Crafting system makes little sense and is incredibly frustrating.
    -Auction House is bare bones (feels like it's still in Beta)    … Expand
  50. LeperMessiah
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    I'm an avid fan of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombies, and all things that go bump, and I was immediately drawn to The Secret World because of the obvious influence the horror genre has had on its sensibilities. I'd never played any MMORG's before TSW but that didn't hinder me from immediately becoming immersed into its elaborate world.

    The game proper begins in Kingsmouth, Maine, an    I'm an avid fan of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombies, and all things that go bump, and I was immediately drawn to The Secret World because of the obvious influence the horror genre has had on its sensibilities. I'd never played any MMORG's before TSW but that didn't hinder me from immediately becoming immersed into its elaborate world.

    The game proper begins in Kingsmouth, Maine, an isolated community on Solomon Island (although one can travel to any map from here provided they know the way). Once idyllic, this Arkham inspired New England town is now overrun by zombies, sea monsters, and cosmic horrors. The few remaining holdouts provide the lion's share of the quests available on the island, though there are plenty scattered throughout. The individual quest lines conjoin to build an encompassing island narrative of what went wrong in their community, and there is so much that did. Solomon Island is a haunted, insane place, and I've greatly enjoyed uncovering its' secrets.

    The strong emphasis on story telling and NPC personality really shines in TSW and the voice acting is always top notch. One of my favorites is Hayden Montag, played by Jeffery Combs, who you may recognize for portraying Herbert West in the cult horror film series Re-Animator (Re-Animator was based on H.P. Lovecraft's famous novel). Many of the characters are very aware of common horror tropes, and will casually refer to them in a very self aware, wink to the audience, breaking the fourth wall kind of way that I find incredibly endearing. This is one game where I really pay attention to what every character has to say; every single idiosyncratic word.

    I am also very pleased by how much TSW plays like a dedicated adventure survival horror PC game. There are the riddles, puzzles, and the exploration familiar to adventure gamers and they are all intelligently designed and well presented, many of them requiring research, for example, into Latin, Morse code, Medieval history, even musical composition. If you take the time to figure out things on your own, you can actually learn a lot!

    Having never really played any on-line cooperative games before, I really wanted more of a solo gaming experience going at my own pace, instead of a group one just running around from one checkpoint to the next, but with the option of testing the waters of team play once I had some time under my belt to become familiar with the gameplay. So far I have been able to do exactly that. None of the initial missions are too difficult to be done alone, and once most quests for one map are completed my character was well developed enough to go on alone to the next map. There are missions that are impossible to be done single-handed, but nothing that would hinder the player from progressing from area to area and going back later with a group for the rest. And missions that were first done in a group can always be replayed solo after a cooling off period if you are so inclined.

    The Secret World is huge. At the time of this review there are maps in Maine, New York City, Seoul, Transylvania, Egypt, London, one in Tokyo being released soon, and more, with many locations having multiple maps themselves. They are constantly expanding their universe and it is safe to say there is enough content to last for months or years. I've played for about 60 hours so far and I haven't even made it out of New England yet!

    The game does have its annoyances, but most, if not all, can be resolved throughout the learning curve. Read the stickies in the Newcomer forum on The Secret World message board as they can cut that curve in half. http://forums.thesecretworld.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6 My only major complaint about the gameplay is that when sticking to the same weapons, which you must do in order to level them up, the fighting can get very repetitive.

    I have thoroughly enjoyed The Secret World. It's fun, imaginative, ambitious and unpredictable. Now that it's gone free to play (no monthly subscription) I highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure games, horror stories, or role playing. In The Secret World, death is just the beginning. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.    … Expand
  51. babylon
    Oct 31, 2013
    0
    The scores of 10 have to have been written by what was left of the Funcom staff before they all got fired, as there is no way this game should score more than a 5 pity vote. The combat is the worst thing about this game, it's full of bugs which never get fixed (and are built into the Dreamworld Engine since Anarchy Online days and will never be fixed, because lazy devs). Now they've allThe scores of 10 have to have been written by what was left of the Funcom staff before they all got fired, as there is no way this game should score more than a 5 pity vote. The combat is the worst thing about this game, it's full of bugs which never get fixed (and are built into the Dreamworld Engine since Anarchy Online days and will never be fixed, because lazy devs). Now they've all been fired (and rightly so) there is no way this game will be anything more than on life support. GG Funcom for another disaster. Giving a 0 for balance with all the lying 10s written by staff under threat of the chopping block.… Expand
  52. Elii
    Oct 26, 2013
    10
    This game is an absolutely unique game and has a brilliant atmosphere. This world is so brilliant. The characters has a really good style too, IMHO this is the best looking in any of the MMOs. And the quests are so epic and various, it's amazing! The skills are also great, and has great effects, and the UI is cool, it's number one. So overall it's a great game and by the way, you don'tThis game is an absolutely unique game and has a brilliant atmosphere. This world is so brilliant. The characters has a really good style too, IMHO this is the best looking in any of the MMOs. And the quests are so epic and various, it's amazing! The skills are also great, and has great effects, and the UI is cool, it's number one. So overall it's a great game and by the way, you don't need to pay a monthly fee, so it's definitely worth it's price! … Expand
  53. SenshudoTV
    Oct 16, 2013
    9
    The game hasn’t released without some bugs.

    I have seen some reviewers bash on the fact only three or four main areas have been described. However, this leaves plenty of room for expansion. Maine (traditional home of Cthuhlu mythos), Egypt, and Transylvania are detailed in multiple zones each. This leaves so many other places available. Another person has reviewed the game and said    The game hasn’t released without some bugs.

    I have seen some reviewers bash on the fact only three or four main areas have been described. However, this leaves plenty of room for expansion. Maine (traditional home of Cthuhlu mythos), Egypt, and Transylvania are detailed in multiple zones each. This leaves so many other places available.

    Another person has reviewed the game and said the 3-3-3 tiered system of melee, ranged, and magic looks limited. This, though, is another area of expansion potential. Martial arts and weapons, ranged weapons like submachine guns, and other arenas of magic can all be added down the line, expanding the game.    … Expand
  54. Velnon
    Sep 29, 2013
    8
    The Secret World is a Fantastic MMORPG. The story and plot are just enough for a MMORPG. Gameplay is fun, without levels or classes you are free to try any skill composition you want. The theme of the game is fun and while it lacks any true horror, at best it is slightly disturbing, the idea is really unique and well executed. This game however is somewhat frustrating for beginners as theThe Secret World is a Fantastic MMORPG. The story and plot are just enough for a MMORPG. Gameplay is fun, without levels or classes you are free to try any skill composition you want. The theme of the game is fun and while it lacks any true horror, at best it is slightly disturbing, the idea is really unique and well executed. This game however is somewhat frustrating for beginners as the skill building system, the crafting, and some of the quests will have you looking at a guide just to figure out what to do. That being said TSW also has something that I personally believe a lot of MMO's lack, difficulty, it's a hard game sometimes especially the Investigation missions where you have to be able to riddle out problems and use internet resources to find where you're going next. This brings me to my next topic, the missions have variety and are interesting for the most part. Dungeons are particularly good in TSW especially Polaris, the first dungeon, they focus mostly on boss fights with very few trash mobs in between. It is definitely worth a try for MMORPG fans especially considering it's only $30 up front.… Expand
  55. The_Ommadawn
    Sep 17, 2013
    9
    It's unlike any MMO I've played before. I personally find the combat far superior to GW2 and like the graphic style and locations. It also plays at a nice pace (much more relaxed than most MMO's). I missions (quests) have thought involved and don't rely on the constant 'Hello I need 15 apples from the forest' crap. This alone makes this game stand out. I wanted to grab it at release butIt's unlike any MMO I've played before. I personally find the combat far superior to GW2 and like the graphic style and locations. It also plays at a nice pace (much more relaxed than most MMO's). I missions (quests) have thought involved and don't rely on the constant 'Hello I need 15 apples from the forest' crap. This alone makes this game stand out. I wanted to grab it at release but with so many other games at the time, I neglected it. With the now buy and play deal (aka no more monthly fees) it seemed like the perfect time to test drive the game. People's views on games varies hugely and TSW is no exception here. I hear that the initial release had many mission breaking bugs and assume that's why the critic reviews score it so low. So far, I'm yet to find any of these and think that if it was re-reviewed in it's current state the critical score would be much higher. I for one will champion TSW as it deserves the praise. I just joined the Firefall beta and was extremely unimpressed with it. People need to look at new ways to entertain the public. TSW does this. Buy and enjoy.… Expand
  56. cosay1
    Sep 12, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. the game starts out good and the sense of adventure is intense you want to see whats all there the first area is fully voiced accept yourself of course the story line is fantastic but you are unfortunately limited to were you can go on your own and allot of the plots and story is in the dungeons and high difficulty zones witch are impossible to do on your own just starting out the game hasn't, been updating the main story line for the average character you have to buy missions in order to get different weapons and they have been catering to the player vs player more then the main story line itself and the story line is what makes the game so excellent but i digress the game is good in the begging and the side missions are fun but if your the type that has to see every thing in the story and how it ends i say look somewhere else cause this game will only get your hopes up and the drive them straight down.… Expand
  57. iceice
    Aug 22, 2013
    10
    This really is an amazing outing by a great company who has really turned a new page in customer relations. Funcom keeps coming out with quality content at a good pace. No subscription fee this company has really listened and cant wait to see future products!

    This game broke out of tradition and offers something new, exciting, mysterious, with great artwork style and direction.
  58. coven
    Aug 6, 2013
    10
    I pre-ordered the game and played it for about 3 months straight (what means 10-14h a day) last summer, until I reached the point where my character achieved everything possible that time. ^^

    It's really been the weeks of my (digital) life and so I never regretted buying The Secret World. Unfortunately, regarding player counts and earnings it was a huge fail for Funcom anyway (and I    I pre-ordered the game and played it for about 3 months straight (what means 10-14h a day) last summer, until I reached the point where my character achieved everything possible that time. ^^

    It's really been the weeks of my (digital) life and so I never regretted buying The Secret World.

    Unfortunately, regarding player counts and earnings it was a huge fail for Funcom anyway (and I will never be able understand why), Funcom had to cut back on jobs and so this game was never able to make the most of its incredible potential. :-(

    Anyway: I would still recommend this game to everybody (especially if you're looking for a game you can play in a group with some friends). Great Story, Scenery and created atmosphere. Still pretty okayish graphics and sound and enough content to play about 900h+ intensively without getting bored.    … Expand
  59. Steyraus
    Jul 27, 2013
    2
    When I first heard about 'The Secret World' I thought I would have loved it, I liked the dark themes it was supposed to be based on and found the idea of exploring a Lovecraft inspired world fascinating. So I drooped my $50 down on steam and got going, it was a disappointment for the word go. Whatever the story's and plots were they made no sense to me, the combat was very plain andWhen I first heard about 'The Secret World' I thought I would have loved it, I liked the dark themes it was supposed to be based on and found the idea of exploring a Lovecraft inspired world fascinating. So I drooped my $50 down on steam and got going, it was a disappointment for the word go. Whatever the story's and plots were they made no sense to me, the combat was very plain and unsatisfying and the way the game explained how to play was very vague and didn't compel me to learn more.
    After 7 (long) hours or so I gave up on it. It was basically run from point A to B and press 1 2 or 3 a bunch of times. The tactics I've enjoyed in other MMOs weren't there and the usual thill of getting to the next character just wasn't there either. I wish this world had stayed a secret to me and I would have saved $50.    … Expand
  60. mitriid
    Jul 25, 2013
    9
    The Secret World is the most unique and deep mmorpg on the market now.

    Pros: 1) The Story: all main quests are professionally voiced and cover all the dark mysteries of the world. There are minor quests to discover around the map. Map is pinnable so you can save visited locations for later use. 2) Graphic: graphic is very good, framerate could be better due to sporadic lag but overall    The Secret World is the most unique and deep mmorpg on the market now.

    Pros:
    1) The Story: all main quests are professionally voiced and cover all the dark mysteries of the world. There are minor quests to discover around the map. Map is pinnable so you can save visited locations for later use.
    2) Graphic: graphic is very good, framerate could be better due to sporadic lag but overall it is very polished and capture the "feel" of every zone.
    Monsters (especially bosses) are the best designed ones in a mmorpg to date.
    3) Combat: combat is very varied, it is possible to change your gamestyle 100 times. Guns, melee, magic is all here. It can be somewhat hard to figure at the beginning but once done it is a fun ride.
    4) Difficulty: the game is hard and i love it. Progression is slow and you have a sense of accomplishment. Thing that most of the latter mmorpgs have omitted.
    5) Modern setting

    The cons:
    1) No gathering: you just loot stuff from mobs and experiment with a tool what can be done with the resources. It could be a new feature, but i really miss some old style "gathering"
    2) Social features could be better
    3) Rides: you just run all the time.

    All in all the game is still young and continously improving, Lets see what future have in stock. But as of now it is one of the best mmorpg out there.    … Expand
  61. Woundheir
    Jul 17, 2013
    7
    First of all if I was going solely by game-play this would easily be a 10/10. TSW allows you to simply choose two weapons, equip your abilities from any of many skill choices for those two weapons, and choose passives labeled under any weapon. Questing is not boring like many MMOs, because you are often solving complex puzzles. You actually have to think about the game, which makes it farFirst of all if I was going solely by game-play this would easily be a 10/10. TSW allows you to simply choose two weapons, equip your abilities from any of many skill choices for those two weapons, and choose passives labeled under any weapon. Questing is not boring like many MMOs, because you are often solving complex puzzles. You actually have to think about the game, which makes it far more interesting than the standard "go here, kill this, repeat." The atmosphere is also very well designed, and pulls you into the game while leveling. It has six zones you quest through, although it does end up feeling like three zones because of how they designed the environments. (You progress through 3 sets of similar looking areas.) The story line is not only interesting, but unique in that it is modern and has more of a serious mood to it than many games. Leveling itself is unlike any MMO I have seen, because there are no real levels. You also don't need to read the story... lots of voice acting. Huge plus for me. You just keep unlocking abilities, and have the flexibility of investing points into other weapons/skills for it if you want multiple specs. Your level is basically the quality level of gear you are wearing. (Which ranges from 1-10 while leveling then 10-10.5 end game.)

    End game instances are a lot of fun the first few times you do them. They can be very challenging; especially the high end ones. However, that is somewhat ruined by the progression model for end game. Unlike questing, which is a lot of fun, end game gear progression is a slow boring grind. Instances are fun to run every once and awhile, not every day. Unfortunately to get end game gear it is necessary to run as many as you can daily, and even then it takes a long time. Gear does drop from bosses, but that is justr starter gear. The good stuff you just buy with black bullions. (They are tokens that drop off nightmare difficulty bosses.) To have any chance of clearing the high-end instances, which are challenging and fun, you need to grind out that gear first, which is a long and boring process.

    If you enjoy raiding (Instances with 10 or more players involved) then unfortunately TSW will disappoint you in that aspect. The only real raid is a single boss, that honestly is easier than a few of the nightmare mode 5-man instances. A second raid will be coming out, but it is just another 1 boss raid. There are lairs, which are fun every once and awhile. But they are not challenging at all, can be done with 5 players, and really just drop signets that you can sell to other players or use to enhance your gear.

    Finally the glitches. There are many glitches, including frequent game crashes for most video cards. Many bosses have all kinds of glitches, some areas give players massive fps drops, etc. They don't seem to be fixing them either. It gets frustrating when you need to exit and reenter the game every hour and a half to prevent crashing, just to glitch out in once of like 500 different ways. It seems to be the same with EVERY Funcom game I have ever played.

    All in all worth playing for the unique game play and fun questing, but expect frustrating glitches and a sub-par end game.    … Expand
  62. DemonWriter
    Jul 16, 2013
    10
    I enjoyed this game a great deal in Alpha and Beta. I got caught up in other games for a long while and I decided what the hell and bought it. I had forgotten how fun overall this game is. the story telling in it is fabulous.
    The mythos is spot on which just makes this game more for my style the quests are not just go collect X you HAVE to use your brain. the in game browser helps with    I enjoyed this game a great deal in Alpha and Beta. I got caught up in other games for a long while and I decided what the hell and bought it. I had forgotten how fun overall this game is. the story telling in it is fabulous.
    The mythos is spot on which just makes this game more for my style the quests are not just go collect X you HAVE to use your brain. the in game browser helps with that if you have issues though. I try to stay away form the sights that solve the puzzles for you though.

    If you want a challenge buy this game.
    If you love horror BUY THIS GAME!
    Also there is no longer a subscription needed to play so buy once and play forever. DLC is extra and they have a cosmetic cash shop which keeps the game alive.    … Expand
  63. TitaniumDragon
    Jul 16, 2013
    8
    Ugh, this site has a 5000 character limit. So, to summarize:

    1) The game never should have been an MMO. 2) The game's atmosphere is spot on. 3) The game's fully voice-acted NPCs help to make you care about the world and what you're doing; you are seldom just doing quests for the sake of quests, you're also doing it for the sake of the people who are around you. 4) Your "mission    Ugh, this site has a 5000 character limit. So, to summarize:

    1) The game never should have been an MMO.
    2) The game's atmosphere is spot on.
    3) The game's fully voice-acted NPCs help to make you care about the world and what you're doing; you are seldom just doing quests for the sake of quests, you're also doing it for the sake of the people who are around you.
    4) Your "mission control" sends you emails and gives you phone calls periodically which help further reinforce the feel of the world, as well as giving you things to look forward to.
    5) The game has some wonderful dark humor in it.
    6) The investigation quests and smattering of other quests where you are solving mysteries are wonderfully immersive, require you to think outside of the box, actually require you to access real world information (and fake set-up websites), and are actually done in-character you have a smart phone and internet access in the game world, so it makes sense that you can actually look up websites to translate morse code and the like. They also require you to think about the information you have been given and make use of it, and very often require outside of the box thinking.
    7) The classless system works incredibly well. Because everyone can do literally anything, just not at the same time, you only ever have to make one character, and switch weapons between them to give them the powers you need to support your teammates or overcome challenges. The weapons are fairly diverse and interesting, though some of them (particularly the Assault Rifle for DPS) are rather centralizing, in that you're going to rely on them far more than others, while a few (Blood, namely) are underpowered and not particularly useful. However, even if you pick some bad skills, its alright you don't need to start over or rebuild your character, you can just pick up good skills, and eventually you get every skill in the game, so it doesn't really matter.
    8) Because characters only have 8 powers each, they matter more and it is easier to understand what everyone in your party is doing. Likewise, because you have access to every power in the game (eventually), you can actually know what all your allies are doing because you can do it too, and as such become familiar with everything.
    9) The game doesn't overstay its welcome. There isn't tons of pointless grinding anywhere in the game; when you are moving around in the world, you have some purpose beyond gathering xp.
    10) Some of the dungeon bosses have interesting mechanics to them which really reward teamwork and make for a fun experience.

    So what's wrong with this game?

    1) It never should have been a MMO. It really gains nothing from it. There are only a small number of things which require you to work in teams, there are a lot of things which require you to NOT work in teams (which is very bad for an MMO you're trying to play with your friends!), the mysteries are better solved on your own... really, the only team content which is really meaningful is the dungeons, and they feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the game, particularly the ones later in the game.
    2) PVP is a mess, not because it doesn't work, but because it isn't particularly interesting. It feels very pointless, which sticks out in a world where everything you do while going around the PvE areas is purposeful.
    3) It has no endgame. This would be a non-problem if it wasn't an MMO, but as an MMO, this is a fatal flaw. You complete every quest in the game and then you're essentially done with it. Sure, there are the elite and nightmare dungeons, which give you better equipment, whose only purpose is... to beat said dungeons more quickly and get even better equipment? While the dungeons are actually reasonably enjoyable to play through multiple times, the truth is that it is all utterly pointless, as there is no more "meat" to the game after you've beaten transylvania.
    4) Combat is not good. It is bog standard MMO combat. Some will complain about it being bad, but ultimately I don't think it is any worse than any other MMO combat I have played, and is actually better than many as unlike some other games, you can actually understand what is going on in combat at any given time. But as most MMOs have terrible combat, this isn't actually a good thing.
    5) Many of the boss monsters fail to really live up to their potential. Puzzle bosses and "stay off the bad" bosses are the only types of bosses that MMOs can have which are actually interesting, but many of the bosses are just "stun them at the right time" and sometimes, in the lower difficulties, not even that.

    All in all, the game should have focused on being a single player experience, and I think it would have been less disappointing to Funcom and worked out better in the end.    … Expand
  64. Andresitooo
    Jul 11, 2013
    8
    Very cool game could've been done better. I like the sound and gameplay mechanics even thought a bit out dated. Loved the class system seemed balanced and very deep. Equipment could have had more added to it i think. Otherwise very cool story and lore. give it an 8.
  65. genesishep
    Jul 9, 2013
    10
    Easily the best MMO I have ever played. The writing is top notch, the voice acting is extremely good. This is one game where I have watched every cut scene and been happy to read the NPC content as it makes the game that much more enjoyable.

    The missions are refreshing, no grind fest here, you actually have to think to play this game and think to solve many of the missions. The overall    Easily the best MMO I have ever played. The writing is top notch, the voice acting is extremely good. This is one game where I have watched every cut scene and been happy to read the NPC content as it makes the game that much more enjoyable.

    The missions are refreshing, no grind fest here, you actually have to think to play this game and think to solve many of the missions. The overall eeriness of the game is also a big plus. I find myself drawn in each time I play it. Having just spent way way too many hours playing during their first year anniversary event I am very pleased with my purchase, very pleased that I have a lifetime subscription and cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.

    Do not pay attention to the poor reviews about this game. Give it a shot..and look me up in-game just look for Dracnor :)

    Enjoy!    … Expand
  66. dustydervish
    Jul 4, 2013
    0
    The game, regardless of its compelling content, is crippled by its bugs and should not be played.

    A year after launch, some friendly NPCs still attack players during escort quests; this has been going on forever and has apparently been fixed before. One of the few useful Blood magic elite actives kills tanks if combined with a signet; Benediction has been a problem for a while. Many    The game, regardless of its compelling content, is crippled by its bugs and should not be played.

    A year after launch, some friendly NPCs still attack players during escort quests; this has been going on forever and has apparently been fixed before. One of the few useful Blood magic elite actives kills tanks if combined with a signet; Benediction has been a problem for a while.

    Many of the new quests that end with a cut-scene and teleport simply black out the screen and force you to reset the interface and find the continuation of the quest on your own dime. Was the main quest line supposed to teleport you elsewhere? Instead, it merely blind you, forces you to use your one teleport on long CD, and then forces you to walk to the continuation.

    Problems with PvP queues prevent the majority of players from entering the massive Fusang arena, in which all three factions were supposed to meet for epic combat; some players have waited in line for eight hours. In another arena, one faction was able to win more than 200x per hour because broken queues mean they weren't matched to enemies.

    Even disregarding the new game-breaking problems in PvP, the developers have barely lifted a finger to address major imbalances in all arenas. Nothing prevents farming of new-/lowbies. In Fusang, the bots that were introduced in an attempt to help underdogs do no such thing, especially since they vanish soon after capturing a facility; i.e. the underdog can't hold on to what they were just given. There were promises of matchmaking, but the population is certainly too small by this point.

    It's not as if the developers have been idle. They had time to cut crit and proc rates in half for Burst abilities, an unwelcome change especially for new players who used these abilities to compensate for low stats on early gear. They had time to put a one year anniversary boss in Fusang, where it can't be accessed by most due to broken queues.

    Etc., etc. The game had promise and was accompanied by a large number of promises. These and the game itself continue to be actively broken. Do not participate in this exercise in frustration.    … Expand
  67. getorky
    Jun 28, 2013
    0
    This game has great visual design and awful gameplay. I'm reviewing the gameplay. ZERO. unplayable
    There are so many games out there that deserve the exposure of TSW. TSW does not deserve any.
  68. Sianmors
    Jun 22, 2013
    10
    Skeptical like most the people about the game i waited and bought it on sale about 3-4 days ago. Now I played plenty mmo's in my time to their respective endgame content .(WoW,WH:O,Tera,GW,GW2,NWO,AoC,FFXI,Rift) And i have to say this game was a refreshing addition, Not only the leveling is engaging and interesting the atmosphere of the game is great and on point, and if your playing withSkeptical like most the people about the game i waited and bought it on sale about 3-4 days ago. Now I played plenty mmo's in my time to their respective endgame content .(WoW,WH:O,Tera,GW,GW2,NWO,AoC,FFXI,Rift) And i have to say this game was a refreshing addition, Not only the leveling is engaging and interesting the atmosphere of the game is great and on point, and if your playing with a friend is even better! I admit i only have about 24 hours in but as of now i would have gladly played full retail i bought in game points to contribute … Expand
  69. TerrymcG
    Jun 21, 2013
    6
    Ahh, The Secret World. What a curious game. I was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed other Funcom games, like The Longest Journey and Age of Conan. The subject matter in SW is really right up my alley too; Conspiracies, horror, Lovecraftian themes and a modern day world. What could go wrong?

    Secret world does a lot of things really well. I like the look of the game. The writing    Ahh, The Secret World. What a curious game. I was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed other Funcom games, like The Longest Journey and Age of Conan. The subject matter in SW is really right up my alley too; Conspiracies, horror, Lovecraftian themes and a modern day world. What could go wrong?

    Secret world does a lot of things really well. I like the look of the game. The writing is just excellent. NPC characters are characters with a big "C". I like how you can find quests as you explore the world. The investigation and sabotage missions are a lot of fun. Secret World also tries to innovate the MMO genre by removing levels and pre-set roles. You are not stuck with being a Tank, dps or healer, if you don't want to. You can always switch later.

    But... This doesn't change the fact that you still need to have healers, dps and tanks to complete dungeons. Your level is also basically your gear. The better the gear, the higher your level is. So the question that comes to mind is: -Is this true innovation or a clever camouflage for the traditional MMO way of running things? Are they in fact just throwng things out the front door (levels, roles), and then merely sneaking said things back in, from the back door?

    While Guild Wars 2 is happy to speed things up, Secret World goes the other way around and slows things down. In other words, SW is a very time consuming game. It involves theory crafting, sitting down and trying to figure out puzzles (as you would in an adventure game) and even combat takes longer. Someof the puzzles require you to browse the web (while half a dozen hungry zombies are trying to chew on your butt). Interesting gameplay mechanics to say the least.

    While the investigation missions and sabotage missions are breath of fresh air, most of the time playing SW is about fighting mobs, a lot of mobs. While there aren't that many trash mobs inside dungeons, there are plenty outside them. The monsters tend to have a lot of hp. The areas are densly populated and the mobs usually have some sort of attack that you have to dodge. This leads to some annoying things; While dodging attacks you have a risk of aggroing more than 2 or 3 mobs and after that you are as good as dead, since they have a lot of hp.

    Combat it self feels a bit dry. The animations are nothing special and most of the attacks feel and look underwhelming. There is no stealth skill, so you can't usually sneak past the mobs either.

    The PvP..Well Im not going there.... Inventory system needs some work. Crafting is nothing special. Conspiracies and factions barely exsist. There is lack of polish almost everywhere except for the dialogue and voice acting.

    They also gave your character no voice. You can't even respond to any of the npc's. You can't interact with them. You just silently listen to their monologues.

    At the end of the day, this is another Themepark MMO, with all the shortcomings and highpoints of that genre. The endgame tends to be another gear-grind and I personally have no desire to experience that again.

    But still, the game is Buy to play. It does challenge you. It wont hold hands with you, like most other games out there. If that's your thing, then the Secret World is definetly worth cheking out.    … Expand
  70. Redstripe420
    Jun 19, 2013
    10
    This is one of the best MMO's Ive played since WoW. Its a very new fresh feeling of a MMO. I'm really digging it atm.

    Steam has it on sale for 50% off so 15 bucks, its also F2P now. Cant lose for 15 bucks.

    have fun!
  71. zuk0
    Jun 5, 2013
    10
    I just got back into this after a 10month hiatus. Whatever problems there may have been at the launch are gone. Funcom has done a great job of addressing many of the issues and has even provided additional changes to improve upon the user experience of the game. secondly, the world is just amazing. I'm really tired of JR Tolkien's environment (ok, it's still awesome) and this was a greatI just got back into this after a 10month hiatus. Whatever problems there may have been at the launch are gone. Funcom has done a great job of addressing many of the issues and has even provided additional changes to improve upon the user experience of the game. secondly, the world is just amazing. I'm really tired of JR Tolkien's environment (ok, it's still awesome) and this was a great opportunity for CHANGE.

    There is a learning curve, but that comes with anything that's different. i.e. Windows 8.

    Try it, you won't be disappointed.    … Expand
  72. Ryha2000
    May 29, 2013
    10
    It's easy to jump into a MMO, form an impression love it or hate it and state your opinion. I was so very tempted to do that. I had waited for this game for years, I was primed to love it, and as I started playing I found a lot to like. Great visuals, dynamic combat, gripping stories, creepy mood, beautiful ambient sound and sweeping score, fun well designed instances, insanely dificultIt's easy to jump into a MMO, form an impression love it or hate it and state your opinion. I was so very tempted to do that. I had waited for this game for years, I was primed to love it, and as I started playing I found a lot to like. Great visuals, dynamic combat, gripping stories, creepy mood, beautiful ambient sound and sweeping score, fun well designed instances, insanely dificult investigation missions... But will it last... will I want to wait for the proposed 7 years of story updates by the time I have 'finished' the launch content?

    Ok, so here I am a year later. I have finished the story campaign, and all of the side missions and caught up with the 'monthly' Issues that move the story forward and... YES! I still want more.

    I don't love the PvP, but that has never been my thing. I hear it has gotten better since launch and they have some interesting open world PvP in the pipe. I haven't advanced to the end of the instance nightmare instance lair raid progression... but working on that has been fun.

    Sure at this point I plan on scaling my playing back a bit as I wait for new Issues to come out. I'll log on to run instances with my friends or catch a player run show at the Albion or attend guild RP events... and that is great. If I had to play at full bore for 7 years... that would be too much. But given that the game is free to play now it's perfect for my pattern of play!

    This game would be worth many times it's purchase price even if you just play the story line mission and then never log on again... give it a try and my bet is that you will still be playing at the end of the 7 year story arc.    … Expand
  73. Seryin
    May 26, 2013
    7
    Quick Review: Probably the only mmorpg I have played after leaving WoW that does not feel like a game that copied or aspired to be something like WoW. It is just its own game.
    Pros: Excellent world, story, art and theme.
    Cons: Lame, though intuitive, combat system.
    Loses points for having a box price. Any mmo like this should be F2P, especially when there is a micro transaction store in-game.
  74. BlackForest
    May 23, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You step into the game and are greeted by a solitaire cowboy warming up on a bonfire. Then you notice something is not quite right. Suddenly the cowboy grabs his rifle and shoots a wandering zombie in the head. You can't help but thinking "you are so cool".

    Welcome to The Secret World, one of the most under-rated mmorpgs of all time. The game is an amalgamation of horror and sci-fi genres joined by a good storyline. Zombies, Lovecraft, city detectives, secret societies, egyptians gods, vampires, war horrors...Really refreshing to not have a fantasy theme for once

    Honestly my note should really be a 9, but I feel this games has been unfairly reviewed by the press. I've joined the game recently so my explanation is that there were many bugs in the release. Happily the game is pretty much bug free although there's a few still around.

    Only pity is the game fails to deliver the final punch and you keep thinking "if-only". If only the dialogues could be more interactive and your character could speak. If only the pvp was better. If only there would be more endgame content. There's a feeling with a bigger budget this game could have been a masterpiece. In any case the case is tons of fun as long as you are forgiving with a few issues and don't mind the conditionals:

    - you are not a pure pvp oriented player: there's only one effective pvp map and it often feels like headless chickens running around. Also there is no real proof of skill and there are no ranked matches so often matches are noob-stomping by premades group. Still jumping in once in a while is good fun.

    - you are not hardcore: there's plenty of content in the game and it's incredible good value for the small price (it's f2p now) but it's possible to "finish" the game beating the hardest content after about 200 hours of gameplay. A really wide approximation from my side but my point is that you can actually "finish" the game after a respectable amount of time. Unlike other MMOs where you basically has to lose your real life to beat the last boss.

    - you are a mature adult: the game treats like an intelligent being, there's not "toons" graphic and the community is nice and sane. There's a notorious lack of abuse, insults etc in general channels

    The strong points of the game are:

    - plenty of quests to do on your own with good storylines and distinct flavours
    - an innovative skill system that allows an interesting way of developing your character. It's easy to get a basic build up but being able to build the perfect build is more challenging. Then you have the possibility to become the three tank/heal/dps roles at the same time which works wonderfully
    - Interesting and challenging dungeons: 8 dungeons with a storyline, hardly any trash mobs and challenging boss mechanics.
    - Being able to equip cool weapons like assault rifles, shotguns or blades, each one offering different play styles. Plus 5 auxiliary weapons (rocket launcher, flamethrower...) that add a little extra spice to your build

    - Excellent GM support

    - Free to play subscription is real free. You'll never feel like a second class citizen for not paying.

    I've been playing MMORPGs for 15 years now and can honestly say this is one of the games I've had more fun with. I love you can still progress in the game without the feeling of it becoming a second job. The game seems to be designed for adults, who don't have so much time to sink and can get the "wink" of so much of the content. It really feels great to walk in in-game streets of new york, london or seoul and notice the details that make them so similar like the real ones.

    Absolutely recommended and incredibly good value for money.    … Expand
  75. Dozmo
    May 2, 2013
    6
    This is a great game that many would find fun, but it wasn't for me. It looks good, and lets you freely mix and match skills. Unfortunately, aside from the occasional puzzle to shake things up, it pretty much plays like every other MMO. 1, 2, 3, 4, mob dead, next mob. For contrast, something like DDO (DDO.com) lets me, as a mage, use spells that will clear an entire room at once, with oneThis is a great game that many would find fun, but it wasn't for me. It looks good, and lets you freely mix and match skills. Unfortunately, aside from the occasional puzzle to shake things up, it pretty much plays like every other MMO. 1, 2, 3, 4, mob dead, next mob. For contrast, something like DDO (DDO.com) lets me, as a mage, use spells that will clear an entire room at once, with one spell. They give me the flexibility to have truly powerful and unique abilities something TSW simply doesn't provide, as far as I've seen. The story is interesting, the class system is interesting, but ultimately the game plays pretty much the same as every other MMO. Sad, really, considering the high hopes I had for the game after my first few hours of play.… Expand
  76. Marenwynn
    Apr 27, 2013
    10
    Amazing game. The combat is very fluid, but it there's a higher than usual learning curve on making a build that flows well. The lore is engaging. Unlike another fully voiced MMO we know, the questing feels a lot less pointless and I found myself trying to clear every single quest in a zone before moving on. Haven't really run into any serious quest bugs, but a lot of the investigationAmazing game. The combat is very fluid, but it there's a higher than usual learning curve on making a build that flows well. The lore is engaging. Unlike another fully voiced MMO we know, the questing feels a lot less pointless and I found myself trying to clear every single quest in a zone before moving on. Haven't really run into any serious quest bugs, but a lot of the investigation missions are quite difficult and may lead many to think they're bugged.

    TSW is seriously underrated by critics, but if you look at the user scores you'll see that it's very high in comparison to that of other MMOs. There's no more subscriptions, but if it weren't for the misleading reviews at release, I totally would have bought a permanent subscription.    … Expand
  77. Kracket
    Apr 14, 2013
    4
    The combat in this game is quite possibly the worst experience you could have in a game. If you are looking to buy this game for it's combat, buy something else. The environments and detective quests are surprisingly enjoyable, but still I always find myself asking the same question; why couldn't they have put more effort into the combat? In my honest opinion, there are better games toThe combat in this game is quite possibly the worst experience you could have in a game. If you are looking to buy this game for it's combat, buy something else. The environments and detective quests are surprisingly enjoyable, but still I always find myself asking the same question; why couldn't they have put more effort into the combat? In my honest opinion, there are better games to waste your time on.… Expand
  78. TheVindelator
    Apr 12, 2013
    10
    The title and boxart made me think this was some crappy Asian import. (Boy was I wrong.)

    This is a game for people that enjoy depth and complexity. The writing is phenomenal. The class(less) system is extremely complex. This game is a hidden gem and there's no monthly fee.
  79. owen445x
    Mar 27, 2013
    9
    I loved this game.. almost all the other MMO's are super boring to me and I literally was about to give up on them all togeather until this game came out. You always have something to work toward in this game with the unique skill system. I love being able to work on a tank set, then go for a melee dps set, or healer and can switch between them whenever I want. The story is awesome and II loved this game.. almost all the other MMO's are super boring to me and I literally was about to give up on them all togeather until this game came out. You always have something to work toward in this game with the unique skill system. I love being able to work on a tank set, then go for a melee dps set, or healer and can switch between them whenever I want. The story is awesome and I love the Templar faction. Only real complaint is some of the bugs and the PVP.. I can literally toss some tank gear with some dps and troll people with AOE skills. Other than that, some of the battles for the factories in pvp are legendary. I highly recommend the game.… Expand
  80. kalv
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    Very under rated game. It's one of those games you can put endless amount of hours into it. There is so much to do and explore. Quests are fun and they don't feel repetitive. Developer is active and always adding new free content. I would have never tried this game if there was a monthly subscription and I'm glad. My only complaint is some of the riddles are too difficult but you canVery under rated game. It's one of those games you can put endless amount of hours into it. There is so much to do and explore. Quests are fun and they don't feel repetitive. Developer is active and always adding new free content. I would have never tried this game if there was a monthly subscription and I'm glad. My only complaint is some of the riddles are too difficult but you can always cheat. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new game to get into, riddle fans or RPG fans.… Expand
  81. ensum
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    Bugs.
    More bugs.
    Horrible controls.
    Boring story.
    Very limited BGM (Background Music) variety.
    Too much grinding.
    Way too much grinding.
    Crapiest PVP system on earth. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
  82. Orc
    Mar 11, 2013
    1
    Unlike others below, this game convinced me to give up on Funcom. It's incredibly buggy, incredibly exploited, crashes...often...Did I say that it's heavily exploited? A few minutes in the battle grounds and you will understand ;)

    What does it have? Nice graphics and character customization options...but that doesn't make a game. The battle grounds are hit and miss on whether you    Unlike others below, this game convinced me to give up on Funcom. It's incredibly buggy, incredibly exploited, crashes...often...Did I say that it's heavily exploited? A few minutes in the battle grounds and you will understand ;)

    What does it have? Nice graphics and character customization options...but that doesn't make a game. The battle grounds are hit and miss on whether you will enjoy them, or fall asleep. As I learned, falling asleep with your head on the keyboard will get you banned...roflmao. Other games solved that problem eons ago.

    Issues after months of "fixes":

    Dragging items in your inventory takes a graduate degree. It's perhaps the sloppiest code ever written. The possible results range from it moves where you wanted it, it moves somewhere completely different. the game tries to (or succeeds) at destroying it, or (for consumables) sorry sucker you just drank it.

    It's also a massive grind fest. In standard Funcom tradition, they are incapable of either creating in-depth content, or scaling the availability to their desired investment...you will grind and grind, and grind. But don't worry, almost every quest is repeatable (brings back memories of Age of Conan back). Yes, you will need to repeat them...forever. Good luck on new content. They fired most of their programmers months ago.

    As for the story. Nice idea, very badly implemented. Despite a plethora of cut scenes, they just did a poor job of developing their story. It was a great disappointment after Age of Conan's beautiful lead in (AoC died late in the leveling scale but at least made it through a few levels of play prior to that).

    Ah yes, let's not forget that this is really AoC with a new skin. Yes kiddies, its the same crappy resource hungy, unstable, gaming engine. Indeed some of the oldest bugs are still there. Just crank up the details and especially the shadow details, and you will see large patches of the world that don't quite work right. Indeed, even on low settings, I found an entire region that became unstable (as in most of it disappeared and I was left staring at the subterrain) during one of the quests.

    Can it be enjoyable. Yes. Can you have fun? Yes. Is it worthwhile to play given the many alternatives? Given a choice between TSW and WoW, I would go read a book, watch a movie, or perhaps watch the birds as they fly past my house going where ever birds go this time of year.

    Other issues,    … Expand
  83. Cailore
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    The style of character development takes some getting used to and some of the solo missions are a complete pain in the butt; however, it it turns out to be a very enjoyable game with great atmosphere and store lines.

    I wish there was a better mechanism for finding groups, it feels very lonely for being a MMORPG. But if you manage to come with a friend or two of your own it is a lot of    The style of character development takes some getting used to and some of the solo missions are a complete pain in the butt; however, it it turns out to be a very enjoyable game with great atmosphere and store lines.

    I wish there was a better mechanism for finding groups, it feels very lonely for being a MMORPG. But if you manage to come with a friend or two of your own it is a lot of fun except those solo missions.    … Expand
  84. BK201
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    Amazing game do not be fooled by the low critic review this game has a great modern day world to explore, tons of interesting quests, this game is worth the 30 dollars hands down.
  85. Captiosus
    Mar 3, 2013
    6
    I played during the beta but decided to wait a bit before buying into the game. I purchased the game in early January so I now have 2 months plus the beta time under my belt and I'm still torn on how I feel about the game. I believe Funcom should be commended for trying to think outside of the MMORPG box in regards to their skills and abilities system. Far too many MMOs follow a simplisticI played during the beta but decided to wait a bit before buying into the game. I purchased the game in early January so I now have 2 months plus the beta time under my belt and I'm still torn on how I feel about the game. I believe Funcom should be commended for trying to think outside of the MMORPG box in regards to their skills and abilities system. Far too many MMOs follow a simplistic model where the player makes one initial "spec" choice and everything in the future is confined to this choice. By removing the idea of numerical "levels", Funcom was able to dispense with this paradigm entirely, allowing players to earn an infinite amount of Ability and Skill Points that can be allocated in any skill. These skills are then used like a customizable card game, where the player determines which skills they prefer and must discover how various skills and passive abilities complement each other. The system can be overwhelming at first but once a new player gets the hang of it, it can be very rewarding. However, because it's still an MMO at heart, players have discovered which weapons or skills are the "best" and have already started sharing "cookie cutter" builds (called "decks") to min-max potential. The act of exploring different playstyles is negated by guilds (called "cabals") who want people to build certain decks for hard mode content and raids. Gameplay is traditional MMO fare: find a rotation and stick to it. Certain skills build points while other spend the points you build and this can be managed between both equipped weapons. In many MMOs, like Warcraft, the playerbase tends to look down on classes where you only click one or two buttons and call it a day but, thanks to the design of only allowing 7 abilities, TSW makes a 2-4 button "rotation" typical for everyone regardless of weapons chosen or deck design. Within only a few hours, the monotony of the combat system sets in. While players get beefier spells as they progress, the monotony of the design never changes. An elemental magic user, for example, might graduate from "Shock" to "Arc Flash" as a primary nuke but the rotation remains the same. Graphically the game is decent but not great. It suffers from many graphical glitches. DX11 integration is lacking and often causes performance drops even on high end systems. Character models are stiff, bland, and uninteresting while combat models and particle effects are merely passable. The world environments are amazing but suffer from texture pop in and shadow issues on both DX9 and DX11 modes. The story of The Secret World tries to pass off a dark, Lovecraftian, post-apocalyptic world full of warring secret societies but falls flat. The secret societies don't feel fleshed out enough to feel as though they're really mortal enemies, and the world doesn't feel as dark as it looks. The in game store is an unmitigated disaster, often having trouble dealing with transactions and bugging out while delivering items that are bought. In addition, the cost of these items are ridiculously high ($7 for a black trenchcoat for ONE character, for example) and is often the only way to get decent cosmetic items as the game's vendors have simple, bland, goods. All told, it can be an enjoyable game but it still retains many of the bugs that were present back in the beta, nickles and dimes players as bad as free-to-play MMOs, and doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking. The ability and skill system is refreshing for a while but marred by the repetition of the combat and the blandness of the story and character interaction. At $29.99, it is worth playing for the casual player. For the hardcore MMO player, TSW leaves much to be desired.… Expand
  86. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    7
    TSW is different than most MMOs thats a fact. Some things are good, some not though. The settings, environment, sound are great, especially at first areas. But Look of characters and animations arent good. Combat is nothing special. Quests can be good or very frustrating. End game below average. PvP is bad. Zones are few and small compared to other MMOs. Overal its saving grace are theTSW is different than most MMOs thats a fact. Some things are good, some not though. The settings, environment, sound are great, especially at first areas. But Look of characters and animations arent good. Combat is nothing special. Quests can be good or very frustrating. End game below average. PvP is bad. Zones are few and small compared to other MMOs. Overal its saving grace are the 3 first areas, they are amazing and you forget the negative parts. But then the magic slowly fades. Still i d play it just for those beginning areas.… Expand
  87. Peikkonaama
    Feb 15, 2013
    9
    The other best mmrpg out there. The best being Warhammer online, of course. Yeh, perhaps the density of monsters is too high in some areas, but altogether everything else in this game is right and might.
  88. Fallenlords
    Feb 12, 2013
    3
    This is not a good game by any stretches of the imagination. It has appeal, but it's very limited and very niche. Your average MMO player I don't think will see much in this game at all or get much out of this game. I personally find everything about the game annoying, from the bad combat to the abysmal voice acting. Playing recently again, the first time since beta, it felt likeThis is not a good game by any stretches of the imagination. It has appeal, but it's very limited and very niche. Your average MMO player I don't think will see much in this game at all or get much out of this game. I personally find everything about the game annoying, from the bad combat to the abysmal voice acting. Playing recently again, the first time since beta, it felt like self-flagellation I have to be honest. I enjoyed nothing about the game. To be honest I think there has been somewhat of a campaign on here to bump up the user score after Funcom blamed this site for it's initial poor sales. In general some people may like this game, but it's not a gamers game its a below average third rate MMO.… Expand
  89. PorpoiseAlert
    Feb 5, 2013
    9
    Easily in the top 3 best MMO's currently out, The Secret World does almost everything right. Questing and leveling are a refreshing change from the standard formula, and the setting is immersive and unlike anything else on the market. Fans of customizing a character will love the skill-wheel system, as there are no true classes and you can change literally everything about yourEasily in the top 3 best MMO's currently out, The Secret World does almost everything right. Questing and leveling are a refreshing change from the standard formula, and the setting is immersive and unlike anything else on the market. Fans of customizing a character will love the skill-wheel system, as there are no true classes and you can change literally everything about your character's abilities. Everything has a touch of the Horror genre to it (which you'll feel in depth from the very first area.) Quests can be both very hard and rewarding, some of which require you to do actual research in the in-game browser (or just look up the answer to a puzzle in the many guides that exist.) All that said, the game falls a little flat in the endgame. PVP is mostly unsatisfying and stacked toward premade teams (which are in the same queue as soloers), the endgame Nightmare-level dungeons can be both prohibitively difficult and excessively grindy, and the move to buy-to-play has ensured that endgame content will continue coming out at a slow pace. Not perfect, but well worth the purchase price, and very easy to sink a large amount of time into.… Expand
  90. DemonicRuins
    Feb 1, 2013
    4
    So I just took my first look at "The Secret World" I figured no sub, one time buy... why not? I have to say that I am torn in whether liking it or totally hating it. I lean more towards the total hate side. The trailers and description are total eye candy... However as we all know the trailers will show the best the game has to offer and not the worst, similar to a photo album... AllSo I just took my first look at "The Secret World" I figured no sub, one time buy... why not? I have to say that I am torn in whether liking it or totally hating it. I lean more towards the total hate side. The trailers and description are total eye candy... However as we all know the trailers will show the best the game has to offer and not the worst, similar to a photo album... All you will see is smiling faces in the pictures. The game itself has a terrific storyline but the game play just does not match it... It almost seems they put more time into the "lore" if you will then the actual game itself... I like the fact that they took a step away from the traditional MMO's that we see so often now a days but I would be lying if I said they took a step in the right direction... If a game becomes a job then there is no point to it, and many of the problem solving aspects of this game is damn near like a job... Kudos to the developers for doing their own thing and not following "the scene" but as far as a semi-hardcore players view it is lacking immersion, basics and excitement.… Expand
  91. KeyserSozeNZ
    Jan 21, 2013
    9
    The Secret World is a hidden gem in the MMO landscape. The quests are brilliant and very few are simply fetch X of this and kill Y of that. They have a lot of thought put into them and the resulting questing experience is really enjoyable and has a lot of flow. Some of the investigation quests are down right devious and you'll be finding yourself using the ingame web browser to help solveThe Secret World is a hidden gem in the MMO landscape. The quests are brilliant and very few are simply fetch X of this and kill Y of that. They have a lot of thought put into them and the resulting questing experience is really enjoyable and has a lot of flow. Some of the investigation quests are down right devious and you'll be finding yourself using the ingame web browser to help solve them, or if you are up for a bigger challenge, spending a couple of hours trying to crack the code yourself. For instance, one quest involves deciphering morse code to figure out a location to go to. Not so hard if it was written down, but the morse code is audio. Of course the answer is freely available on the internet if you wish to go that way, or decipher yourself if you're really up for a challenge.

    The dungeons are also well paced and thought out and offer a good challenge, very minimal trash so the action really flows.

    There are no "levels" as such but you'll need to complete quests to gain XP to allow you to wear better armour and gain access to better skills.

    Given that this game has dropped the monthly subscription (I'd be surprised to see any major MMOs launch with a monthly subscription in the future btw - I think the micro transaction model is the way of the future) it is well worth the purchase up front for hours and hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  92. Daddy_D
    Jan 19, 2013
    9
    For being an MMO, the storyline is amazing. It's very deep and well written, and the graphics is probably the best in it's genre. There are a few bugs here and there, but overall it's a great experience. Best part is that the subscription is gone. Pay once and play as much as you want. This game doesn't suffer from what other F2P games does. There's no "Pay to win" in this game at all. AllFor being an MMO, the storyline is amazing. It's very deep and well written, and the graphics is probably the best in it's genre. There are a few bugs here and there, but overall it's a great experience. Best part is that the subscription is gone. Pay once and play as much as you want. This game doesn't suffer from what other F2P games does. There's no "Pay to win" in this game at all. All you can purchase are more item and character slots and a few boosts that makes you level up faster, but that's more to help you progress faster and it won't effect your gameplay experience if you choose not to pay for extra stuff. Considering that you can get the game for about $20-30, being completely fee-free and offers the player alot of fun, I highly recommend this game.… Expand
  93. Ghoul
    Jan 18, 2013
    10
    Very inovative as MMORPG in many aspect. Questing is a real pleasure and the story is very deep, an uncommon feature for MMORPGs. Now that is B2P i think it deserves the the attention of many.
  94. jazzdak
    Jan 15, 2013
    10
    A game with original background and gameplay. Numerous and various missions. A must have when u love MMos. Puzzles in MMos are refreshing and bring a new blood in these kind of games.
  95. osc1
    Jan 13, 2013
    10
    It been since bc wow that I've lost track of time where 4 hours feels like 1 cause playing is so much fun. I loved it in beta and it's come a long way since then and keeps getting better.
  96. meru
    Jan 13, 2013
    0
    The game's topic is fascinating, some of the cut scenes are OK, and the combat system is interesting. Unfortunately, for a secret societies / end of the world game, it does not have any suspense or horror feeling.

    Expect to start playing the game either with heavy support through game chat, or by searching the net for hints, as both the user interface and the quest design often is    The game's topic is fascinating, some of the cut scenes are OK, and the combat system is interesting. Unfortunately, for a secret societies / end of the world game, it does not have any suspense or horror feeling.

    Expect to start playing the game either with heavy support through game chat, or by searching the net for hints, as both the user interface and the quest design often is lacking. The community is nice and helpful, though, compared to other MMO communities, so getting started is not too bad.

    I cannot imagine that a developer studio that has quite some past experience with creating and running MMOs produced such an obvious B title on purpose. My impression of the game is that it was shoved out the door both regarding design and implementation, before the funding ran out, hoping to fix some of the design errors later. "Later" never came, as many customers these days rather spend their money for finished games, having enough MMOs to choose from.    … Expand
  97. MaxHazard
    Jan 12, 2013
    9
    Featuring original content, a rarely seen modern theme and a gaming experience that is both engaging and thought invoking, The Secret World really does bring a lot to the table. This game will push you more than most western MMOs. Messing up a puzzle could mean the difference between life and death and combat even against trash mobs is intense to the point that it really makes it clearFeaturing original content, a rarely seen modern theme and a gaming experience that is both engaging and thought invoking, The Secret World really does bring a lot to the table. This game will push you more than most western MMOs. Messing up a puzzle could mean the difference between life and death and combat even against trash mobs is intense to the point that it really makes it clear that it's a MMO meant to be just that, playing with other players. Not only do I highly recommend this 20 dollar AAA title, I give the game a full 10/10 for its bold decision to not be another clone of a generic grinder. Once again Funcom has created a great MMO experience unlike any other for the time.

    Also, I wanted to note that some 'professional' reviews have been ridiculously PMS over the game while they reviewed it in a limited closed beta test phase with nearly no content. No really, read the review from G4 and it's clear that the reviewer decided that limited closed betas are good enough as full releases and the game does not deserve a proper review... Real professional indeed.    … Expand
  98. Kosheus
    Jan 10, 2013
    10
    Great constantly growing singeplayer+MMO.
    Just try it if you have somewhat powerful PC. It definitely worth more than its price (B2P now) just for singleplayer content. So just try.
  99. Wolfpack
    Jan 8, 2013
    9
    So a few things about this game that set it apart from other MMOs: Investigation Missions, which require the player to put some thought into quests (unless you look up spoilers); you will be required to use clues, and put 2+2 together to solve a mystery or puzzle. Sabotage missions: these quests typically involve stealth and non-combat to solve. There is no "stealth mode" so it meansSo a few things about this game that set it apart from other MMOs: Investigation Missions, which require the player to put some thought into quests (unless you look up spoilers); you will be required to use clues, and put 2+2 together to solve a mystery or puzzle. Sabotage missions: these quests typically involve stealth and non-combat to solve. There is no "stealth mode" so it means actually having to sneak by guards without fighting. No levels or classes: characters have access to every skill, ability and weapon in the game. As you progress, you eventually will have ALL the skills, weapons and abilities; the tricky part is to find the right combination of weapons and abilities that will allow you to beat a particular type of creature. You build multiple decks that can be swapped in and out as the situation requires. Lovecraftian, modern day setting: it's a mix of X-Files, Poe and Indiana Jones -- the atmosphere is just great. Because it's modern day, you have access to devices such as cell phones and a browser within the game. Story and personality: All the missions have great individual stories, and they all tie together into a larger story as you explore. Fantastic cut scenes and great humor -- the NPCs are truly inspired.

    Fun, challenging dungeons: the dungeons don't have lots of trash, but they DO have great settings and very interesting mechanics. They are a bit on the difficult side, so figuring out how to tackle the big bad is always challenging and fun.

    Separation of gear from clothes: you can look however you like since clothes are completely independent of the gear (talismans). Some very nifty clothing options, and cool uniforms you can unlock as you open decks on the ability wheel.

    Great community: one of the friendliest, mature and most helpful I've been around. Lots of opportunity and support for RP, including pubs, a nightclub and an in-game theater stage for plays.

    Downsides : PvP is still a work in progress (it has its dedicated followers), animations are a bit lackluster, and not as many facial and body type options as I would like. There's little in-game hand-holding, so the learning curve can be a bit steep, especially with the ability wheel and decks. Still, the community helps here. There are a few niggly bugs still hanging about.

    Overall, though, a fantastic game, if something of a sleeper. Heartily recommended.    … Expand
  100. xnts
    Jan 7, 2013
    9
    The best MMO I ever played (I have long background in Legends of Mir, Guild Ways, SWTOR). Interesting storyline, quests that are so different from standard (go to location X and kill 100 worms), interesting combat and character upgrade system. Really worth checking especially since now it's B2P, you pay once and pay for ever (ok, later you may want to buy DLCs, but it's up to you like in GW).
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
29
#29 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 55
  3. Negative: 1 out of 55
  1. Armchair Empire
    Oct 22, 2013
    90
    The Secret World delivers an MMO experience that's distinctly different from its competitors, and it's likely going to remain the standard for future games in the horror/supernatural genre.
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  2. GameStar
    Dec 17, 2012
    81
    I am really looking forward to the next mission, the next dialog, the next puzzle. As in a solo role-playing game flat. And this is not an error but a boon.
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  3. 4P.de
    Sep 18, 2012
    76
    I like the open character development where I don't have to wear a class straitjacket as well as the quiet discovery of mysterious dangers. But more often that it wants to, The Secret World is "just" an ordinary MMO.
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