MMO’s have always been there for me ever since I gave a shot at EverQuest way back in the day. Throughout the years, I’ve gone on to countless different additions from SWG to Warhammer Online. I’ve played dozens of free MMO’s (and even made a small website dedicated to them for a while).

There’s something about an MMO where you seem to get an “itch”. You start a new one with your buddies, someone begins to out level, and then there’s a loss of interest so onward you go, digging through the release dates and forums, and trying to find the next one.

Usually you look toward the upcoming MMO’s to scratch that itch (which is well and good) but when you only look toward the future you forget all the awesome games that were released in the past. Many older MMO titles have been fleshed out over years and years of patching. Communities have settled in and made amazing contributions.
Sure, some parts of it may feel clunky compared to some of the newer games but at the heart of MMO gaming is being able to find a great community, because even if the game has a few short-falls, it makes up for it with awesome players.

One of the titles that has always been on my radar since its release (and to my surprise has always received a ton of praise) is The Secret World Online game.

The game was released in the summer of 2012 and is still going strong (which is hard to say even with other big budget MMO titles around the same time, let alone the countless F2P offerings that went dead-in-the-water roughly six months after launch).

Metacritic isn’t the most reliable metric (as we all know) but it does say a lot for the game:
· 8.2 user score
· 74 metascore

Jump over to MMORPG.com and The Secret World is sitting at the #2 spot (for released) just below Guild Wars 2 and just above FF14: ARR. That’s pretty impressive considering the budget for the other games, the IPs, and the fact that both had previous releases.

So at this point you may be wondering what makes the game unique enough to give a try (and to scratch that MMO itch)?

You can expect some familiar tropes thanks to WoW and EQ making such a large impact on the scene, but the things that would pique your interest the most about a game like The Secret World would probably be the following:
· Aesthetics – How many times do you want to fight orcs or some form of alien creature? TSW is based around Lovecraftian lore so you’ll see a delightful change to the mix with its array of ghouls, gods, mythical creatures, and dark atmosphere.
· Voice Acting – KOTOR does a fantastic job about having a ton of great voice acting but TSW really takes the cake in this department. You’ll hear all kinds of dialog (funny, strange, dark, and the like) coming from the characters and NPCs. This little feature goes a long way when you’re trying to immerse yourself in the feature-rich world.
· It’s Open – No more hand holding (like the other big theme park type MMO’s); you’re dropped in and can do as you please. Don’t want to fight? Try making your way by crafting! If you do start the journey down mastering your character you will have hundreds of different skills and options to choose from so each alt you level will be completely different from another. No more rotations!
· Proper F2P – The game went F2P but it’s not setup like many others that seem more pay-to-win. You can upgrade your account for better access to some features but if you want to just give it a try you aren’t greatly limited like so many others that try to claim this form of gameplay.
· Bustling Community – Part of the big problem with trying to jump into a new (or old) MMO is that much of the community has become jaded and toxic. This isn’t really the case with TSW because it’s always had its players grounded in reality. Look over on the forums and you can easily find helpful guides or starting guild invites, past events, and plenty to interact with to make your jump into the game a positive one that won’t end after a week of farting around in the beginning areas like so many other games.
Overall, TSW is worth taking another look if you gave it a chance in the past and doubly so if you’ve yet to experience the game. The game brings so many great features that aren’t found elsewhere in other titles within the genre.

The community has stood strong and there are always new developments, which means if you do give it another go (or get started) you’re entering a world where others are welcoming you with open arms (and more than enough to do to get you sunk into your next, potentially favorite new MMO).