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New Secret World dev walkthrough delves into the Savage Coast
All right now, all you occultists, paranormal investigators, and conspiracy theorists, it's your turn to squeal with delight. Funcom has treated the world to a spankin'-new dev walkthrough of The Secret World's Savage Coast instance. You may remember we got our first look at the Savage Coast at the beginning of the month. Now, we get to go in for a first-hand look at just what makes this coast so savage. The walkthrough -- which is so expansive it has to be presented in three parts -- begins with our dev tour-guides Martin Bruusgaard (Lead Designer) and Joel Bylos (Lead Content Designer) jumping into the dungeon linked to the Solomon Island zone, which they note is the first that players will encounter as they play through The Secret World. After a short preview of the quest-receiving experience (which includes voice acting that's rather good, especially for a game still in development), it descends into a rollercoaster ride into the mouth of madness. The developers take on the Draugh (undead Norse warriors out for vengeance) and their masters throughout the course of the dungeon, which culminates in a scene straight out of Lovecraft's best. We'd hate to spoil the whole thing for you (and it's so long we really don't have the space!), but believe us, it's well worth the watch for any TSW fan. So head on past the cut for the full walkthrough videos!
Trion Worlds takes players on a tour of RIFT's upcoming Hammerknell raid
Ia! Ia! Akylios f'htagn! You may have (read: should have, and if you haven't go do so now) seen our hands-on impressions article covering the new raid coming with RIFT's patch 1.3, Waves of Madness. The instance takes place inside of the abandoned Dwarven city of Hammerknell, where Akylios -- the Dragon of the plane of water and the object of worship of the Abyssal Cult -- has long been imprisoned. The cult has now breached the ancient stronghold and is in the process of awakening its aquatic master. In a new walkthrough video from Trion Worlds, VP of Development Russ Brown gives RIFT players a sneak-peek at the world event that will accompany the opening of Hammerknell's long-sealed doors. Once the doors have been opened, we're treated to a tour of the halls of the city itself, where the ghosts of fallen Dwarves and Abyssal cultists alike stand to prevent Telara's heroes from interrupting Akylios' awakening. The video shows off four of the raid's bosses, including Akylios himself, so those of you wanting to avoid spoilers can consider yourselves warned. Russ also takes some time to stop and admire the hauntingly lovely architecture and lighting of the deserted city, which is truly stunning. Any RIFT players who don't mind a few minor spoilers and who want to get a look at the upcoming content can click on past the cut for the full video.
Massively Exclusive: RIFT's Abyssal Cult lore
Following last month's RIFT lore detailing the assassin Kira Thanos, today Trion Worlds has given us a new lore piece which outlines the Abyssal Cult. It's a dread cabal that follows the dragon of the plane of water, Akylios, who lies sleeping and dreaming in his prison. Akylios fhtagn! His followers are granted arcane and eldritch knowledge at the cost of their sanity, making the Abyssal Cult one of the most incomprehensible dragon cults in Telara. The cult itself is largely disorganized and chaotic, seeking neither treasure nor power, instead pursuing their own ends. The one tie that unifies the Abyssal Cult is the desire to free Akylios from his bondage. RIFT's heroes must not let the cult succeed lest Akylios spread his "gift" across the whole of Telara. Check past the cut for the full lore write-up on these Lovecraftian cultists, and remember that you can take the fight to them with RIFT's Ascend-A-Friend and free trial programs. %Gallery-101448%
Massively Exclusive Interview: The Secret World to open the flood gates of info soon
Conspiracy theorists rejoice! Funcom's Lovecraftian horror MMO known as The Secret World is looking to get substantially less secretive over the next little while, and we've got a new interview with Funcom's Erling Ellingsen to prove it. The company's Director of Communications sat down with us to talk about the plans to reveal The Secret World to, well, the world, and if you're even the slightest bit curious about the skill-based MMO headed up by legendary developer Ragnar Tornquist, you'll want to follow along with us after the cut. Ellingsen spills the beans about the title's unique marketing campaign and also hints at the fact that we'll be treated to more traditional (and game-focused) information -- including gameplay footage -- in the coming months.
The Digital Continuum: Where mundane and fantastical merge
The wizard leaps across the chasm, deftly avoiding a hurled ball of fire that the Goblin shaman had thrown in a rage. A space fighter weaves through suspended rocks in space as hostile blaster fire scorches the tips of his wing span. A retail employee swings the massive hammer he found in the home improvement section, saving a co-worker from the blood-thirsty sprite from another world?
The Secret World becomes a little less secretive
Age of Conan hasn't even come out just yet, but for certain people FunCom's next project is the focal point. There has yet to be a massively game with a modern (alternate Earth-style) setting, where Lovecraftian horrors threaten to disembowel unprepared players. Up until now the only game with this kind of promise -- The Secret World -- has been operating in near-silence while Age of Conan's release as crept up (and jumped back) over the past year. With knowledge of the game barely a year old, we're left with a lot of room to wonder. So it's kind of nice to read an interview about the game with its product manager, vague as the information may be.
The Secret World inspired by 'The Ring'
Funcom's been playing it cagey with any information surrounding their (presumably) upcoming MMO The Secret World, but intel does trickle out. To wit: in an interview with PC Zone magazine (due out on Thursday), the developer mentions that the Japanese horror flick 'The Ring' was an inspiration for the project. I've already assumed that there would be Lovecraftian elements involved, and while I wouldn't typify 'The Ring' as having those particular features (as the referring article does), it's definitely going to be dark indeed. In fact, it's not clear what, exactly, in 'The Ring' was the inspiration for TSW, but if they're able to capture even half of the dread that movie invokes, then I'm all for it. And while I'm on the subject, I'm also in favor of not knowing well in advance every little nuance of gameplay, or not having access to tons of screenshots of the game under development. Sometimes, a little mystery goes a long way.
In Development: The Secret World
Some of you will have heard of this project by Funcom, the development studio that brought us Anarchy Online, The Longest Journey, and the upcoming Age of Conan. The Secret World, from the sound of it, might be closer to the horror MMO that I was talking about here. From what's available on the website that's gathered together all the puzzle pieces, including some game concept artwork, it looks like TSW might be a Lovecraftian-type of world, which makes it more than welcome in my eyes.I'm getting tired of Fantasy and Space as MMO themes. It's time for something new. Barring a Western, or Gritty Cop Drama Environment, the Cthulhu Mythos seems a ripe and ready universe to base an MMO in. Think about it: it's both urban and provincial, outdoors and indoors, can handle both technology and some variation of magic, and the creature models will be outrageously creative.That's my best guess, anyway. Anyone else get a different take from it all?
