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Chaos Theory: The Secret World's Transylvania transition
A couple of weeks ago, I finished my first "playthrough" of The Secret World, having wrapped up the last quest and main storyline in Transylvania. Oh, sure, Funcom's going to push the finish line further away in the coming issues, but until that happens, this is the end of the road for the solo experience. I was so darn eager to get into Transylvania after Egypt. For me, Egypt is the weakest part of the solo game, with dull desert zones, statues you're supposed to empathize with, and a truncated main story that didn't really pay off in the end. It wasn't all bad, of course; Last Train to Cairo is six kinds of awesome, and Said and Nassir are two of the most memorable characters this game has produced. But Transylvania seemed like this juicy fruit that hovered just out of reach the entire time I was in Egypt -- and I couldn't wait to be there. I wasn't let down when I finally arrived, either. Transylvania's "old Europe" charm felt like a refreshingly distinct experience than what I'd encountered before, and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through its three zones. Before my new Dragon alt dims my memories of my time among the bats and wolves of Romania, I wanted to jot down what I felt made this a special place to visit.
The Secret World's Issue #7 goes 007
April's Game Director letter for The Secret World is hot off the presses, and in it Joel Bylos shared some juicy morsels about the next issue in store for the horror and conspiracy-laced game. He revealed that whereas Issue #6 was spiced with an Indiana Jones flavor, Issue #7 will be sprinkled with a distinct 007 zest. Yes, Bond. James Bond. Set in Transylvania, Issue #7 directs players to investigate the presence of the werewolves in the area, which ultimately leads them to an Orochi facility secreted away below a glacier in the Carpathian Fangs. Along the way, players get to experience adventures as a secret agent, complete with daring chases (a snowmobile one at that!), dare-devil jumps from exploding bridges, and close shaves with laser beams near sensitive areas. There's also a new auxiliary weapon to brandish -- the flamethrower. But the new goodies don't stop there. Bylos introduced a new feature that allows for custom streaming of radio stations or playlists directly into the client as well as a some PvP changes including tweaks to the matchmaking system. He concluded with some teasers about Black Ops and Issue #8. For all the details, check out the full letter.
GDC 2012: Watch Funcom's full The Secret World presentation
If you found your appetite whetted for The Secret World after reading Jef's writeup from GDC, then make room in your life for 35 minutes of Funcom's full presentation from the conference! Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist, Lead Designer Martin Bruusgaard, and Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos take turns showing off in-game footage and discussing the game mechanics at play. Topics covered in the presentation include character creation, the creepy/sexy Dragon starter experience, how achievements work, story, crafting, and the lands of Transylvania. While the video isn't 100% pristine -- Funcom apologized for the less-than-perfect lighting during the presentation -- it's so chock-full of information and footage that you won't even notice. Give it a whirl after the jump!
