As Dead Space 3 has just been released (8th Feb, 2113), I thought I’d start at the beginning.

In Dead Space, you star as Isaac Clark… an engineer on a mission to go and fix the communications problems on the planet buster (a deep space mining ship) ‘USG Ishimura’. The Ishimura went quiet a while back, and someone far more important than you sent off a small ship of hapless victi… um, crew to find out what the problem is and to fix it. You signed up for it because your girlfriend is on the Ishimura. Not your best decision ever.

The game begins as you find and approach the setting of the bundle of joy, panic, fear and splatter that is Dead Space. From this point onwards, if it’s not gone wrong already, it soon will.

While I can’t say more about the storyline without getting all spoilery, I can say that the storyline is the weakest part of the game. But it is sufficient to carry the game forward. There is more going on than at first appears, but you don’t really care (other than ‘Oh, right. That’s why’). Finding out the titbits of information is nice, but it is the atmosphere and game play that make this game.

Unless you play it on easy (don’t) it is a real survival horror game. Not only do you have to deal with the rampaging nasties, known as Necromorphs, but you also have to worry about finding ammo, health packs and power modules (used to upgrade your gear and open the odd, useful but unessential, door). So do you stand your ground and slug it out with the sickle armed monstrosity charging towards you hoping that you can take it down before it rips your face off, and then drops that health pack you really need… Or run screaming for the nearest door. Either way, if he’s brought his mates it’s gonna get messy.

The Necromorphs are very nicely done. They come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. From the teeny ones that flop along the floor (generally in sizable packs) to the armour plated behemoths that caused me much pain and many deaths, there is not one that you are relieved to see. And the game mechanics are a very refreshing change from ‘shoot em in tha face!!!’

Quite a lot of thought has obviously been put into making the shooty elements of this game a bit different. Each of the different types of Necromorph should be handled slightly differently. You can just pump rounds into (most of) them until they fall over. But you will soon run out of ammunition. Oh, and their mates will probably be chewing on your back while you do it. The weak points on many of them are their limbs. It is a subtle difference from most shooters, but it really works. And it makes for many more satisfying, and spectacular, takedowns than simply watching a head explode through a sniper scope. If only the buggers would stop waving their arms around so much!

Unlike so many shooters, you only get 7 weapons to play with. But this is enough. Each weapon is significantly different to the others, and has its own advantages in various situations. The trouble is you can only carry 4 at a time. And you never know which you are going to need next. Oh, and there is no way you can upgrade them all on a single play through. Also, you generally find ammo for one of the guns you are carrying… And you have very limited space in your backpack. The number of times I had run out of the munitions for the gun I needed against a particular type of ‘morph cos my bag was too full of ammo for the gun that just tickled them!!!!

All of that said, Dead Space is not really a shooter. Well, it is. But it isn’t either the design or the highpoint of the game. For me, the star was the atmosphere. The creeping down derelict corridors, jumping at every clang, thump and howl… Knowing that at some point, something is going to jump out and be really mean to you. The flickers of the shadow of something moving around the corner. The glimpse of something darting past a window. And what exactly knocked over that cylinder that is rolling down the corridor towards you?!!!

The lighting and sound really add to the tension. The extended periods of heart pumpingly tense quiet really do heighten the panic of when a selection of the denizens of the Ishimura do jump out at you.

There are also some small touches (such as the inspired holographic display) that really floated my boat. But you can find them for yourselves.

Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this game. Enough to forgive the small annoyances I had with the plot.

As with all tension based games, I recommend that you don’t over play it. It’s easy to burn out and not notice the atmosphere anymore. And you don’t want to waste atmosphere this good.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Peter Grant is just coming to the end of his two year probation as a constable with the Metropolitan police. Probies always get the shit jobs. So it’s no real surprise that he finds himself, on a cold rainy night in January, guarding the scene of a murder outside St Paul’s in Covent Garden. While his friend, WPC Leslie May, is off getting coffee, he is approached by an eye witness to the crime. This witness gives a graphic and accurate account of what transpired. The only problem is that this witness is the ghost of a man that died over a century ago. This isn’t going to be easy to explain to the brass.

Thus begins Peter’s journey into a London that he was completely oblivious to before now.

Ben Aaronovitch, the author, has written for TV and radio in his time, as well as a bunch of novels. Most notably he has worked on Dr Who (TV, radio and books) and Blakes’ 7 (radio plays). Rivers of London is his first foray into a world that is his creation, and he has created it well.

The book is written from the view of Peter, and a great deal of thought has obviously been put into the character and the style of the writing. It has an earthy quality and an honesty that made me completely believe that this was the narrative of a young policeman from a mixed race family, London born and bred. There is no pretention to draw you out of the world that he completely succeeds in creating. A ‘modernism’ (is that a word?) that brings it into the world of today. This is something that other authors often aim for, but sometimes fail to achieve with such conviction. However, this does mean that some of the imagery is not quite as poetic as it could be. But I see this as a good thing. Don’t get me wrong. I love colourful renditions of the images writers are portraying. But Peter is not a poet. This is a world seen through his eyes. It really worked for me.

It is a tale told through the eyes of a policeman. So, as such, it is a police investigation tale that strays into a world that is way outside of the realms of police reports. As a result, it is not a splatter book, nor is it a sinister, suspense tale. Yet it is both. Aaronovitch tells a tale which, seen through different eyes, could have easily been told by Clive Barker or James Herbert. But neither of them would have chosen Peter as their central character. So there are moments that are told more clinically than would be by other authors. But are no less shocking or disturbing, if one applies some thought and imagination to what you are being told.

I am truly impressed with the amount of research and accuracy that Aaronovitch has achieved with this book. His portrayal of the Metropolitan Police structure and operation is superb. I used to work for the Met Police Forensic Science labs. So many parts of this book made me think ‘Fuck yeah… that is so right!’ (Actual Policemen may disagree.)

Some may question whether this is truly a ‘horror’ book. And I would admit, it’s no Banks, Lumley or Hutson. But it is a foray into the worlds that we embrace, and it is a refreshing point of view to observe this foray from. It may not be filled with scares, gore or balls out nastiness. But it, in my opinion, completely achieves what it aims at. And as a result of this book, Mr Aaronovitch has made it onto my list of ‘Authors to keep an eye on for new works’. This list is not large.

Rivers of London is the first in a series. It is followed by Moon over Soho and Whispers Under Ground (to date).

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

A bunch of very naughty people performed a ritual. Six years and (approximately) nine months later, it turns out that the son of a senator is actually the son of the devil. Hmmm… This may be a good idea for a film.

So in the game, you play the role of the six year old Dami… um… Lucius. You get to walk him through his formative years as he discovers his developing Hell spawned powers and arranges a series of unfortunate accidents for the people that have bugged him.

Yes, this is the game version of Omen. With names, locations and plot sufficiently changed to avoid those pesky copyright issues. And it does a pretty good job of it.

As you awaken into the young lads rather twisted psyche, you witness your mum telling one of the servants what time you should be in bed by. Oh yes, she will be first! No, not yer mum… The innocent maid who is simply following instructions. Come on. You are new to this evil stuff. You gotta start small.

Once you have offed this poor lass, your real dad pops up to show his appreciation and to encourage you to more socially unacceptable behaviour. And so begins your career of engineering more and more elaborate and messy ends to the various members of the household. And if you keep daddy happy, he bestows upon you more hellish powers.

The game takes place in your family home. And by home, I mean mansion. Getting lost in your own house will soon cease to be an irritation and become the norm. Especially as there are other irritations that will soon surmount this. You are not told who is next in line for an unfortunate accident. You have to find them yourself. This can involve quite a lot of running about talking to people at random. And once you have identified your next mark, you have to work out how the hell (no pun intended) you are going to finish them.

My first thoughts were ‘Ooh. A scary Hitman’. And that comparison holds water. The big difference is that in Hitman, as long as the target stops breathing, you have succeeded. But it’s up to you to choose the method. In Lucius, you have to find the right things to do in (pretty much) the right order to achieve the result that they (the developers) have imagined. But this is where my niggles end.

The game is really fun. A bit slow (again I refer you to Hitman), but really quite nice. Admittedly, the controls are a bit clunky. But this is something we have come across before, and chosen to not let it spoil the game. And all things considered… You get to play as Damie… um… Lucius !

While it may sound a bit hit and miss finding the next target or next step on the path to their doom, you are not on your own. And this is not all you get to do. And one thing leads to another. Seeing as people are dying, you need to maintain the illusion that you are an innocent six year old. So you need to do your chores, like cleaning your teeth and tidying your room. Talking to people around the house will unlock various chores. And doing them paints you as a very good boy. And good boys get presents. Fortunately, these presents help you in your real goal. For example, the Ouija board gives you a cryptic clue as how to ruin your next victim’s day, the music box can help you to find items you need and the tricycle helps you get around faster.
(Hint: Everyone keeps the bin in the cupboard under the kitchen sink, right?)

Lucius is a low budget title. It does not have the huge industry funding that most releases have. So it is not as slick as it could be. But it does not suffer unduly as a result. I would have preferred it if it wasn’t quite so ‘on rails’. But I still had much fun finding where the rails were and thoroughly enjoyed the results.

I like supporting the independents in the various communities in which I choose to spend my life. I like to think is helps keep the big companies on their toes, amongst other things. And rarely have I appreciated an independent work as much as this one. It is well worth a look.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

If you don’t know about the Resident Evil franchise, shame on you. SHAME! There have been a gazillion games (oh, only 5… Really? Feels like more), a bunch of films (a couple of which are worth watching), a load of novels and some comics. So to have failed to come across it before must have taken no small amount of effort on your part. Don’t think of this as a criticism. It’s just an explanation of why I’m going to gloss over any introduction or preamble and dive straight in.

It’s more of the same. Umbrella kinda broke Raccoon City, so they have moved on to pastures new (kinda. Not the same mob, but they fall under the same… er… y’know). But we still have loads of zombies, the world going to hell in a hand basket and faffing about with green and red herbs. Oh, and gun wielding heroes (and heroines, in supporting roles I know! It is 2012!).

I must confess… I’m not a big RE fan. Oh, I love the premise. And I enjoyed most of nearly all of the movies. But the games… not so much. And this was almost entirely down to the controls, the camera and the endless running along walls, hitting a button in an attempt to find stuff (mainly to stop yourself dying). But I played the demo of 6 and thought it may have promise. So I bought it.

Now, I should point out that I have played worse games. And Capcom have made vast improvements on the RE games I have really put much time into (1, 2 and a bit of 4 at my bro’s). But they have still missed the mark. Not by a great deal, but by three feet or three miles… It’s still a miss.

But before I sound like I’m slating it too badly, let’s start with…

The Good

It is, at times, reasonably fast paced. It seems to have borrowed quite heavily from the hugely successful Left 4 Dead games. The appeal of the frantic panic of those games, seems to have affected this release. But thankfully, Capcom haven’t created an L4D clone. They have simply boosted the adrenaline of their own machine. A bit. You still have the tense creeping through darkened hallways, with only a gnats whisker of health left. You still have the prostrate corpses littering your path, and you KNOW some of them will start chewing at your ankles as you tiptoe past. But some of the action scenes are ramped up way beyond my previous RE experiences. The zed movements are pretty damn sexy at times. Shoot the one at the front of a horde in the leg, and not laugh yer arse off when all his mates fall over him. I dare you. Oh yes… the shot impact effects, and resultant physics, are gorgeous.

Another nice touch is that there are three campaigns, featuring a couple of RE perennials. All of which run along (pretty much) the same timeline, and interweave with each other. In the campaigns you can play as Leon, Chris (you know them, right?) or Jake. They are partnered up with Helena, Piers and Sherry respectively. (Or you can play the partners if you prefer. Loadout is pretty much the only difference).

This is another plus point for RE6. The co-op play. You and a friend can face the zombie horde together. But if you don’t have a friend (available, I meant available), your partner will be AI controlled. Or just leap online and dive into someone else’s game, or wait til they jump into yours. You can even give an indication of your play style in the setup. Nice touch.

And the storylines (whilst a bit naive and contrived at times) stitch the gameplay together quite nicely. I’m actually looking forward to finding out what happens further down the line.

Finally, with the introduction of skill sets (ability boosts that you unlock by earning skill points during play) and a bunch of medals and achievements, some thought has been put into replayability. That said, each campaign has five chapters. And the chapters aren’t short. I’m not sure anyone other than die hard fans will want to go back and do it again.

The Bad

It’s a Third Person Shooter. I actually like TPS games. But when the character gets in the way of seeing the lurching minions of doom as they emerge from the shadows to eat your face, it gets a bit irritating. The camera is not far enough back to see what is going on around you, and not positioned high enough to see what is going on in front of you. You constantly have to work the right stick to stay alive. Not conducive to appreciate the pretty of the world, which is pretty. Dark, but pretty.

The tutorial is quite possibly the worst I have ever played and does not give you any real indication of what to expect. It is almost entirely reaction based interaction within an extended cut scene. You just have to hit the right button or waggle the stick at the right moment. Not good. Not good at all.

The storyline is, at times, almost childlike in its naivety. Hell, right at the start of the first campaign, Leon (a veteran of Racoon City) tries to talk down a zombified world leader that is about to chow down on his partner. Yeah, cos that has worked so well in the past. And this is but one, none spoilerific (it’s in the opening cutscene), example of Capcom forgetting that this is an 18 release. They really shouldn’t treat us like kids.

The Ugly

It’s a Resident Evil game. So it’s going to be the same as all the others… The camera, the controls and the ‘fannying’ around trying to find useful stuff. In their defence, all of these are a vast improvement on its forbears. But after umpteen years and several previous attempts, I’d bloody hope so. However, I do find it increasingly galling that Capcom have consistently failed in at least two out of three of these areas in all of their games that I have played. Other companies nail it, and yet fail on the depth and immersiveness of their universe. Capcom have got the bit that requires imagination and talent (although, their script writers could do somewhat better). Why can’t they get right the bits that they could just copy off other games (by which I mean take inspiration from, cos no-one likes a plagiarist)?

All in all, this is almost the game it should be. But sadly, it is ‘almost’ in virtually every area. There isn’t much here that you couldn’t get from a combination of a Romero film, a couple of zombie books (World War Z and Plague of the Dead spring to mind) and Left 4 Dead (1 or 2). They would last longer, be more fun and still probably cost about the same. But if you are a die hard RE fan, this is definitely the best so far.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10 stars

“Are you STUPID??!! Don’t go down there! It’s dark!!!!”

Yeah, I’ve screamed that at the screen many times. But in Blindside, you don’t really have a choice.

This may seem slightly out of order for a game review, but lets start with the graphics… There are none!

Ok, this is a little misleading. There are, but they look like this.

That is it. That’s all you get. The reason for this is that, in Blindside, you are blind. Or it’s all gone dark, or something.

In the first 2 minutes of the game you discover that the lights aren’t working. Neither is your torch, or… um… matches. Oh, they sound like they are lighting, but it didn’t stop me smacking my shins on the coffee table or head butting the TV. And shortly after that, you discover that there are some slavering beasties that don’t seem to have a problem with ripping apart your (also recently visually impaired) neighbours.

So here we have our premise. It is down to heroic you, to save your (not at all whiny) girlfriend from unknown beasties, whilst not being able to see shit. And one of the most innovative computer games I have played in a long time.

You can’t see anything, so there is nothing to see. It is all done by sound. The hiss of the static on the TV and the ticking clock are all you have to orient yourself. You stumble around your flat, bumping into furniture (as we have all done on a Friday night, with the lights on), trying to find your way to the kitchen. It’s a bit bizarre, and really not easy. But it’s different and strangely engrossing. Before long you have your first encounter with the slavering beasties. This was actually really quite scary. It was close and snacking on your unfortunate neighbour… But (of course) you can’t see it. You’ve got to sneak away. You WANT to sneak away. But which way is away??!! My heart was actually pumping away as I quietly spun on the spot to make sure I didn’t tip-toe into it’s waiting jaws, which I had no doubt were big and held many pointy teeth.

Many good horror films rely upon what you can see. Many great horror films rely upon what you can’t. In this game you can see absolutely nothing. It is more like an interactive radio play. I know! What? How?! But it (mostly) works.

This is both good and bad. I have a vivid and immersive imagination. When reading a book I can create the world I cannot see. And as such I managed to create the atmosphere that this game is aiming towards. But I can see it falling flat for many people. The controls are a complete bugger. Turning left and right are both good things. But not knowing how fast you are turning, or which way you were facing beforehand makes it pretty much guesswork. A bit like suddenly finding yourself blind, I’d guess. Try playing it without the compass… I dare you.

In many low budget, indie films you (if you are anything like me) have probably been mildly irritated by the stars and/or supporting cast. Same here. Our hero is often a little cryptic about where we should be going. His girlfriend would probably have been abandoned if I knew her in real life (I’m not a tolerant person, and she couldn’t help me look for the bloody matches??!! Ok, this may be a bit harsh. But I had bruised shins, a lump forming on my forehead and was mildly perturbed that I couldn’t see diddly. And she sat on the bed being particularly unhelpful! And before you know it, she’s all gung ho… On your behalf!).

But this, and the mildly clunky feel of the navigation, are not enough to write this game off. For its innovation alone I would give it top marks. For the atmosphere (which swings wildly between tense and confused), it also gets a high score. Where it falls down is its wide ranging appeal. It’s not a fast paced shooter or a deep and engaging strategy game. It is slow, and relies almost entirely on your patience and ability to immerse yourself in a world only hinted at. If you can do this, it is rewarding and hugely different. Hell, that is what it is aiming at. And in this respect, it pretty much hits it mark.

I have a huge amount of respect for the game. And for the developers for having the balls (and insight… although that may be the wrong word, as their aim was to create a game that the sighted and blind could enjoy equally) to come up with and release something so innovative and seriously atmospheric.

And for less than the cost of a pint? Can you really complain?

[Note: For those of you who have not come across Desura before, it's like Steam. An online refectory of games to buy, download and play. Google 'Desura' to find it.]

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

We’ve all made our plans for the zombie apocalypse (if you haven’t… Why the hell not??!!). Now you get to see if it would work. Ok, maybe not your precise plan. Because you are not in your own neck of the woods. But this is the closest I have seen to a proper zombie holocaust survival game.

Day Z is a mod (an adaptation of the graphics and gameplay to change the look and feel of an existing game) for Arma II. It changes a fairly realistic combat simulator into a fairly realistic panic fest.

You are dropped off on the coast of zombie infested area of fictional Russia (or there abouts) called Chernarus. You’ve got to love the kind people that left you there, cos they provided you with a backpack containing meager medical supplies and a torch. Gee thanks!!! You then have to survive. Off you go.

Seriously, that is all you get in the way of equipment and guidance (and that guidance is courtesy of me, not the game). Not tough enough for you? Ok. You have to worry about getting eaten by zombies, which I assume you already guessed. But you also have to worry about hunger and thirst. If you don’t eat and drink at regular intervals, you will die. Oh, and hyperthermia. You may note that I didn’t mention food, drink or a nice jumper being in your backpack.

Not to worry. There are plenty of towns around, where you can find everything you need. Unfortunately, this is also where the zombies hang out. They do tend to avoid the vast areas of woodland between the areas of ex-habitation, but good luck finding what you need to survive out there! So all you have to do is sneak into an area plagued with zombies and find a weapon, ammo for that weapon, food, drink and anything else you may find useful. Like a map and compass.

Oh, did I forget to mention that? When you spawn (arrive) your location appears on the screen (in a blink and you miss it kind of way). But unless you know the map (or brought the right copy of Arma II that has a paper map with it [like me... smug grin]) you are kinda lost. Unless you find one, there is no in game map. And even then, it doesn’t show you where you are on it. I know! It’s almost like it were real life!

Assuming that you survive your foraging, and find everything you need, your problems are not over. You get through your provisions and ammo supplies at a reasonable rate. So you need to find more. Also, there are other people in the same situation as you. And not all of them are friendly. You are as likely to be shot by another survivor coveting your precious supplies as be eaten by zombies.

On my first play, the tension was palpable. Creeping around a town, skirting zombie infested areas, trying to find something to eat, drink and defend myself with. But the real cause of actual fear was when I encountered another player! The zeds are a given. They see or hear you, they are going to try and eat your face. They notice you and you’re for it, or have a fight on your hands. But other people??!! Are they hostile? Are they going to play nice and then shoot me in the back of the head? It seriously adds a new level of tension to an already tense game!!! You’ve seen The Road, right?

Day Z is an Alpha mod. This is one that is in the earliest stages of development. So don’t expect huge amounts of content. Don’t get me wrong; what has already been done is absolutely superb. But what I have mentioned is pretty much all you get. Wander around and try to stay alive. Ok, there are vehicles and a huge map to explore. But it is essentially all ‘sneak about, find stuff, hide and/or run screaming!’

This is by far the best that I have ever encountered at what it tries to do. But this is all you are going to get, for now. Bohemia Interactive (the guys that released Arma II) have spotted potential here. Maybe due to the fact that there are roughly a million people playing it worldwide at present. They are going to release the mod as part of the next official Arma II release. But I have also heard a whisper (which, as yet I haven’t been able to confirm. But it sounds legit) that it is currently being developed as a stand alone release.

The Good

It is HUGELY atmospheric. Hugely! Creeping around, hearing the moans and shuffling of the undead is really unnerving. Not having a huge supply of ammo is a refreshing pain in the arse. And it is the most convincing horror survival simulator that I have ever come across. Oh, and it’s dead pretty too.

The Bad

It’s bloody hard. The official site shows the average life expectancy. Currently (at time of typing) an hour and a half!!!! It is way easier if you get together with a bunch of buds and watch each other’s backs. Solo is a nightmare. Teaming up with strangers can be rewarding, but is dead risky.

Also, it is of limited appeal. Once you get bored of trying to survive, or mercilessly picking on other players, there is nothing more to do. But like I said, it’s an Alpha mod and it’s free. This may be a bit of a harsh call, but like Mr. Haverhill says… If you put it out there, we will compare it to everything else that is out there. That said… It’s an Alpha and it’s free!!

Oh, and there are melee weapons available (I’ve had a crowbar and a fire axe in my time). But you cannot use them for melee attacks. Perhaps I should rephrase that. I could not use them for melee attacks. I’m told that you can. But, to be honest, I kind of lost my bottle and ran screaming. Getting hit, hurts (duh!). Incidentally, the running screaming is a tactic I have used to good affect many, many times. Even after some nice guys kitted me out with a couple of nice guns and some camo (yes, the bald guy in the above pic is me).

The Ugly

There are two points that really bug me about this game… um… mod. And another that is merely an irritation.

Firstly, and this is nothing to do with the Mod, the interface is a bloody nightmare. It is the worst FPS (first person shooter) interface that I have ever encountered. But this is down to Bohemia, as it is all part of Arma II… not Day Z. But if you play Day Z, you use the interface. Half the keys don’t seem to do what they suggest they should. Hell, you can’t even lean to look round a corner unless you are holding a gun.

Secondly, connecting to a server is a complete pain. I have had several occasions of sitting there for getting on for 15 mins while it slowly loads, only to be dropped and have to start again. Some other servers I have been straight in. There does not seem to be any reason to it. Hell, I have sat in front of my computer for nearly two hours trying to get onto a server!

I have to keep repeating to myself, it is only an Alpha, it is only an Alpha!

Finally, the irritating one, installing it is a bit of a bitch. There are many variations of Arma II and Op Arrowhead available. This is a good thing. It gives you flexibility. But took me a while to work out what I needed to buy to play Day Z (yes, I bought it just for the mod). And once you have done this, you need to make sure that the right updates, patches and mods are installed. And with the various options available, this is tricky. That said there are some great guides on the web. And once it is done, it’s pretty easy to keep on top of.

All in all, this is an exceptionally good mod. There are huge irritations involved, but it is not a commercial release. If it were, I would be shitting on it from a great height. But for what it is, what you get is far and away above what I would expect, or have encountered in the past.

[NOTE: If I were comparing this to commercial releases, I would only give it a 5.5/6. But it's not. So it gets a...]

Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars

It’s true! It’s all true! Everything you have read, everything you have heard. Every shadow you thought something was lurking in, every bump in the night, every feeling of being watched. It wasn’t your imagination.

People tell you that these things don’t exist. But they do. And here you will meet them face to gristly face.

There are two sides to the world we live in. The world we all know. The safe and comforting world where undead creatures don’t leap from the shadows and try to eat your face, where the outer gods don’t show up and seriously ruin your day. And there is The Secret World. A world where governments cover up all of the things that would make us hide behind our sofa’s. Where shady organisations battle against the unknown (and each other) for power. And it is in this Secret World the game takes place. You are a pawn of one of these secret organisations. You dance to their tune. But it’s up to you to find out what that tune is.

Aside from the machinations of these globally dominating powers, you will have to deal with undead creatures from the depths of the oceans, luckless citizens that have been infected with the ‘filth’, demons and creatures that defy description. And none of them seem to like you much.

Fortunately, you don’t have to face them unarmed. Because you have been stung by a bee. I kid you not. Obviously this was not your run of the mill bee, but we are straying into the realm of spoilers. Suffice it to say, if you have been stung by the right kind of bee you can kick some serious arse.

The Secret World is a refreshing step in the evolution of MMO’s. But is it worth your time, effort and the reasonably hefty subscription fee? Especially as there are so many others out there to choose from. I’m not sure yet. I’m not an easy sell. But so far I’m kinda loving this one.

Ok, what makes it different… First up, it is set in the modern world. All the others I have played are fantasy or Sci-Fi (or died before they really existed). Secondly, it is horror based. Yes, many others have claimed to be so . But this one really is. And finally, it is kinda different (and I have played a lot of it).

You get to join one of the three major factions in the game. The Templars (Order and goodness), the Dragons (Chaos and naughtiness) or the Illuminati (Capitalism and conspiracy theory). But other than the back story and a bit of flavour (and minor in game stuff), it has absolutely NO impact upon the game. You occasionally do Faction missions, and the flavour of these really fill out the story of your chosen faction. But other than that, there is no real impact upon the game. Except for PvP (player vs player). You fight for your faction in the battle for world domination.

After character creation, you do the usual newbie intro shit. The tutorial level is a nice introduction to the world. It shows you enough to play the game, but not enough to understand it. And this is a beautiful taster of what to expect. The Secret World is one of mystery. Every step you take offers you glimpses into a world much more complex, that exists around you, but you have never truly experienced before.

Once you get into the real world (there are several levels of intro, faction hub and transportation hub, none of which are irritating), you are thrown into genre heavy nods. The initial stages of the game are heavily influence by the Cthulu Mythos and Stephen King. In fact the works of Lovecraft hold sway in this world, and this is one of the major reasons I am revelling in it. But there are many other, less in your face, nods to that which has shaped the worlds we love to immerse ourselves in. I am not going to throw out spoilers, but the Twin Peaks thing at the Motel and the James Herbert references (which I may have imagined, but I’m gonna run with) really made me smile a lot. And they were not the whole.

So, you get to beat down zombies and a bunch of minor denizens that resemble those from the Cthulu mythos. This is good. Is this enough? Ok, the Filth (think Alan Wake and you’re not far wrong) and suggestions that there is more going on, and you get a small insight into the world they are throwing at our feet.

But is it fun?

Well, at the moment… Hell yeah! I was so bored of hitting Orcs with a pointy stick. Now I get to shoot undead in the face with a shotgun. But if shotguns aren’t your bag, you also get assault rifles, pistols, swords, fists, sledgehammers, and three different kinds of magic. And if what you are using doesn’t float yer boat, you can try something else. You are not locked into anything, and you don’t lose any of what you have already learned. In fact, if you play for long enough you can learn everything. Which is nice, but will take you quite a while. And by ‘quite a’, I mean ‘a REALLY big’.

As for the missions… I could wax lyrical about these for hours. But I won’t. A hell of a lot of thought has been put into these. Most other MMO’s I have played have pretty standardised missions. Not here. Yes, there is a certain amount of similarity… because there has to be to a certain extent. But one type of mission that I have never encountered before are ‘Investigation’ missions.

These provide you with clues. You then have to solve the clues. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Many of the clues refer to things outside the game. Things, assuming that you aren’t an all knowing planet brain, you will have to search the interweb for. Fortunately they provide an in game browser for just this purpose. One that goes to the real interweb, not a home grown in game imitation. A mate and I put our sizable brains together, and it still took us well over an hour to solve the first one. If this doesn’t sound like fun you can always skip them, or utilise one of the guides that people have already flooded the web with. But my advice… don’t. They are seriously good fun. Having to actually think in one of these games is really refreshing.

If you are new to MMO’s you may find it a bit overwhelming. It seems to have been designed challenge MMO fans. If you are coming to it fresh you may struggle. But don’t let that put you off. It is not insurmountable. And much fun can be had simply running around doing the missions that are thrown in your face (and it does neatly lead you from place to place without feeling like your are being lead by the nose). But to advance beyond (much past) the first region, you will have to dabble with advancement (learning more abilities). But fret not. There is a bit of in game guidance (decks). And there are plenty of guides on the web, and people in the game are (for the most part) really helpful.

If you are an old hand at MMO’s you may find it a bit of a challenge, but I refer you to everything I said in the previous paragraph. Think you are superior to newbies? TSW is a bit of a leveller.

But all in all, it is seriously good fun. It is a rich environment with buckets of nods to the genre we love (I grinned lots at the sign on the offices of a professional ‘Horrorist – part time’), and is hugely varied in content. I would challenge any game head to not find something they enjoy in it. And is a cornucopia for horror fans.

The Geek Bit

If you are not an MMO player, you may not understand all of the references in this bit. I would explain them, but I really can’t be arsed.

First up, there are no character levels or classes. XP earns Ability Points and Skill Points. You spend them where you want to create your own build. AP are used to buy abilities (the things you use to hit, heal, buff or debuff shit). SP are used to raise your ability to use stuff (weapons or kit). And there are absolutely no restrictions. And sadly, very little in game guidance about this. Thank heavens for the interweb.

The beauty of this is you can craft the build you want. The down side is that there is a vast array of what you can choose. And I mean VAST!!!

You can carry 2 weapons, and all of the abilities are linked to one of the nine weapon classes available. On top of that, you can only equip 7 active (hitty or healy) abilities and 7 passive (just kinda sit there and do stuff on their own) abilities. So you have to pick the few abilities from the dozens (as in multiples of a dozen) of abilities you can choose for each weapon class that compliment each other. This is no mean feat, and will keep the number crunchers happy for many an hour. For the rest of us, we can just go for the ones that make pretty sparkles and big bangs.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good? Funcom have tried to do something different. The no levels thing is refreshing. And no classes means you can create the build you want. You are not tied into a predefined form. And if you don’t like what you are, you can change it (with a bit of work). The world is great. If you want to blat through and kill loads of things, you can. But if, like me, you want to immerse yourself in the mythos… you can do it in spades. Each NPC will waffle on for ages (if you click on the dialog options they provide). These are not compulsory, and don’t really provide much mission related info. But they do help set the pace and the idiom of the game. It’s not all about running around and hitting things. It is also about immersing yourself in the world. They have spent a lot of time crafting character and depth to the universe. This is where you will find it (in the none essential dialogue, I mean). And wandering around exploring has more reward than just seeing pretty landscape. Oh, and the crafting system is absolutely fantastic (and used in missions). There is more, but I shall move on…

The Bad? Funcom have tried to do something different. As I said, I applaud this. But it is kinda complicated. The tutorial missions teach you how to play the game. But there is so much more than playing the game. Old hands of MMO’s (like myself) will suffer a real culture shock when it comes to the advancement system. It does work, but it takes getting to grips with. And trying to work out if you can cope with ‘instances’ (group ‘dungeons’)… Levels made it easy. TSW‘s none level approach, not so much. New MMO players may well feel completely swamped. It is not an insummountable hill to climb, but I would not envy a complete newby to this game (unless you have people like me to tap for assistance (I am willing to help, but if you bug me too much…)). Oh, and the subscription. You get the obligatory one month play free (for your £30 quid game purchase). But after that it’s £12 a month. That is pretty fuckin’ steep in my book. All the others are about £9. Is this to keep the kids out? This I like. But I’m poor.

The Ugly? Um… Well, not so much. If you are an old hand at MMO’s there are differences that you will have to get used to (some abilities are based on your target, some on which way you are facing). If you are fresh on the scene, it is likely to be a bit confusing. But it does not seem to be intended for people who want things neatly layed out on a plate for them. And there are plenty of guides on the interweb to help you through stuff.

But what is the gameplay like?

Well it’s an MMO. So we are talking third person, click on a bad guy and hit buttons to hurt him (other than when the buttons just shoot in the direction you are facing). But the variety of ‘standard’ quests are above and beyond anything I have previously encountered. You have your ‘go here and kill so many of these’, but there is so much more. You also have your sabotage missions. You need to go somewhere and do something, but killing everything that moves on the way may well screw you sideways. It’s not a Metal Gear or Splinter Cell stealth mission. But it is a nice change from ‘if it moves, kill it’. And there are investigation missions. Killing things is not the point. You need to follow the clues and solve the problems. And many of them are not obvious. I’m not talking the wander about clicking on everything until you find what works, cos the world is big. That method would get old very quickly. These need thought. Occasionally (very) cryptic, but not unbeatable. But after playing one, you will spend a lot more time looking at what you run past, and this adds huge depth to your enjoyment of the environment. But the depth and scale of the missions varies greatly. There are long sweeping story based ones, medium lengthed NPC based ones, short ‘picked up in the field’ ones. Hell, if I covered everything I’d be here for a week (and you’d get bored). At the risk of over enthusing… these are the BEST thing in the game. As hinted at, I have played many MMO’s. These are the most inventive, refreshing and fun missions I have played in many years.

This being the modern world, you’d expect the facilities that we have. And so you are given. There is an in game web browser. Not some dodgy in game intraweb. The proper thing. The first clue based mission I came across mumbled something about seasons and a year(no spoilers here). I googled it on the in game browser, worked out what they were getting at and solved it. Shit is not handed to you on a plate in this game. You don’t get big arrows pointing to every solution (some, yes. All, no). And for this, I’m kinda falling for the game. Actually, that is not true. I have already fallen for it. You don’t know morse code? And we have yet another reason God invented Google.

Some of the investigation missions are being raved about as the best MMO experiences that some people have had. And I’m inclined to agree.

All in all, this is a long awaited kick up the arse for MMO’s. SWtOR was hugely anticipated, but kinda failed. The game didn’t support the hype. This one had no hype (that I caught, I found out about it less than a week before release). But right now, I’m kinda hooked.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars