“Wildstar Will Blow. Your. Mind”
I’m something of a Renaissance gamer. I play a little bit of every genre, but I ain’t got no particular favorite. Some days I’m more into JRPGs, others I’m all about Platformers. That said, the one genre I’ve never been fully captivated by was the MMORPG. I gave it a shot before, but it never appealed to me. There was nothing grabbing my attention; nothing that said: “You. You there. You must play me.”
I must play Wildstar. I must play Wildstar right now.
I didn’t come to this conclusion out of thin air. No, it’s been a long process of me looking at all there is to offer and going “this is a thing I want more of.” Consider me a part of the hype. Wildstar looks like exactly the type of MMORPG I’ve been waiting for.
So what exactly about Wildstar caught my eye?
The little things that make a house a home
As the player, you can purchase a plot of land in the sky above Nexus –the homeworld of Wildstar — where you can build a house. You can customize your land to your own personal tastes. If you want to deck your place out wall to wall with kitschy crap or if you just want a place to store all your gear, you’ve got the options. In your yard, you’ll be able to add all sorts of things to make adventuring better; whether it’s a workbench to make your own gear, a garden to harvest more vegetables or simply a hub where all your friends can join. You can even create portals to dungeons that’ll give your entire party a buff. From what I’ve seen, the possibilities seem endless to make your house your own.
Combat that actually feels good
Combat in some 3rd perspective games always felt a bit, well, removed to me. I’ve never felt like I was really doing anything other than “clicking things to death.” Responding to enemies was something I did by accident; if I did respond at all. Wildstar changes it up a bit by adding telegraphs to everyone’s actions. Whether they’re your own, your enemies, or your allies, you’ll see a little graphical heads-up to an ability’s area of effect. It’s pretty neat, but more importantly, it’s pretty noob friendly. It makes it so that getting hit or missing an enemy isn’t something that happens “by accident.” As you get better at the game you probably won’t need that telegraph, but it never hurts. All in all, it’s a package that makes combat something I want to engage in, instead of avoid.
The road less traveled by
So, this is what initially dragged me into the spiral of Wildstar. They’ve implemented a Path system for your character. You’ll pick your faction, your race, and your class. Then you get to pick a Path. There are “only” four options (Soldier, Scientist, Settler, and Explorer) but each Path provides something unique in addition to your regular quests. For instance, Explorers will be climbing mountains and spelunking through caverns, while Scientists will be collecting data and discovering mysteries all throughout Nexus. It adds just a little bit of content that makes the game all that more special. I like the idea of the Settler’s Path – Nexus is supposed to be this world full of possibilities and adventure, so content geared towards founding that world and pushing the boundaries of the frontier sounds perfect.
Personality coming out the ass
While the Path system got me intrigued, the personality got me to stay. Every bit of content Wildstar has put out has proven that the people behind it is really passionate about their baby. Nothing about the world feels out of place or tacked on. The art direction is pretty fantastic; I feel like I’m looking at something vibrant and unique. Something that knows exactly what it is and isn’t afraid to show it off. All of the different races (that have been revealed so far) are so intrinsically cool that it kind of upsets me that I haven’t seen some of them elsewhere. Like the Mechari? They’re so badass, it’s unfair. Most of all, it seems aware that personality is what’s going to separate it from the other MMO’s out there and stand out. And, by the gods, is it going to stand out.
I want to play this game so bad it hurts – and it’s not even in beta. I can’t wait to see what Wildstar looks like when it’s done. It’ll definitely be the first (and last) MMO I ever get hooked on.
About the Author
Greg Giannetti A king among men, this miraculous example of perfection graces us with his presence on the internets where he can write about his opinions on things that totally matter. Greg also knows the true secret to life - lots of naps.