Review - some tips for upgrading at the end
I am an MMO Snob. What does this mean? I love the idea of MMOs and have loved the idea since it first was given a name (I beta tested Ultima Online). However, I am really picky about game play and the vast majority of MMOs because of how the stories and quests are laid out I believe I would prefer as single player. Like I said a snob.

The Secret World
Is an exception for me. It uses similar MMO mechanics, but the way the story is laid out and the reasoning behind why there are many of people running around just works for me in this MMO. Also it has a one of a kind atmosphere and story. If you are a fan of Horror, Urban Fantasy, Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends, and the Supernatural then this MMO has all of that. There is no other game out there (including single player) that quite catches this atmosphere. I'd love to play some of those if they existed.

This MMO can be played solo for the most part, or with a group. There are some side DUNGEONS that you need to group up to play (they are cool) but, they are optional.

The game has basically three varieties of quests. It has your standard quests you'd expect from MMOs with killing something, fetching something, delivering something , etc.

It has sneaky quests where the goal is to destroy or sneak around.

It has these puzzle quests... and yes they are TOUGH and intended to be so. Many of them you couldn't solve on your own unless you happened to be a genius biblical scholar. However, the game has a browser built in or you can even launch a browser outside of the game. It is intended that you use web pages and such to help you solve these puzzles. They are COOL. I doubt anyone could solve them all without searching the web. There are also numerous sites offering walk throughs that are helpful in this. You can pound at them and try to solve them and then when you start to get frustrated enough you are thinking about stopping go hit a walk thru and continue on, or you can use the Walkthroughs to power through these quests and still experience the story and vicariously feel as though you solved them. It leaves this to the player's choice, so they work well.

They recently updated the game so special currency you could only earn through PvP you can get just playing the game in general. This is used to purchase nifty special items.


If you hate MMO mechanics that might wear on you like it does for me.

If the atmosphere and story appeal to you though you may find that it is easy to overlook that like it is for me.



UPGRADING EXISTING ACCOUNTS
Once you purchase this you'll get a new steam key.
I get the key by going to LIBRARY then GAMES then Right click on The Secret World and click View CD Keys. Click on the ulitmate edition. Click copy to clipboard. Go to the Secret World website and login to your account. In the lower left corner is a KEY REGISTRATION area... put this key there and click register... then scroll to the bottom of the page again and tell it GO to apply it to your account... then scroll to the bottom again and click CONFIRM. You can then purchase any of this stuff for 0 in the in game store.

My older Review
The mechanics in this game are not anything earth shattering. If I were basing this review on that alone this would get a downvote from me. However, it has a very cool atmosphere, and a great story. It is unique from that perspective and in my opinion is worth the price of entry just to enjoy some of the environments and stories.