MMORPGs are an interesting beast. Its more than a video game genre, It’s more akin to being a completely separate hobby on its own. I have played a ton of MMOs and most of them are bad, but the ones that do a great job it makes me love the genre. WildStar on paper sounds pretty fantastic when it comes to MMOs. Though “on paper” isn’t why we shell out the loot to play these games is it? So is it worth it?
Visually, WildStar has a nice aesthetic that is pretty cartoony while still painting a fantastic world filled with aliens, robots, and bunny people. To accompany the neat art style comes a wonderful score that always keeps you excited during epic battles.
The gameplay is a mix of classic MMO fair and some new ideas. The actual combat uses a lot of telegraphs. Telegraphs are summed up as “red stuff on the ground where bad things will happen” so really that means no tab targeting in combat. This will make a lot of people cheer and I’m sure some people cry. It makes for the combat to be fast paced and almost twitchy as opposed to the “tab, 1,2,3 repeat” feeling. This makes PvP seem VERY chaotic, but once you get it all down and learn to dodge attacks, it is a lot of fun.
There are six classes that can learn a ton of abilities. These abilities are used to customize your character to fit your favorite play styles. It’s incredibly easy to swap abilities in and out to fit better with the situation between battles. Want to use a lot of crowd control? Need a self heal? Want more damage? You can change on the fly.
Along with the classes there are paths. These paths add something else for your character to do in the world of WildStar. The scientist scans life forms and can hack into some computers. Adventurer does just that and finds the furthest corners of civilization. Settler builds buff stations all over the place so other players can get helpful buffs. Soldiers do quests that focus on battles. I played as the scientist and found it fairly enjoyable. You get a flying robot that follows you around and scans things. Its great to learn about the game’s world, Nexus. I’ve also been able to unlock doors by hacking the computers. Its a fun way to add a fun spin to typical MMO mechanics.
The questing isn’t anything new to be honest. A lot of its very more of the same. They have done a little bit to streamline it to some degree. In many games, If you do a quest for someone, you have to run all the way back to turn it in and get the next quest. Thanks to the power of SCIENCE, upon completing most quests you will get a radio call from that person and he will go ahead and give you the new quest in the chain. That is definitely a plus even for the same ho-hum quests. Regardless the questing areas look fun and alien. The monster designs are pretty silly and frightening depending on what they were going for when creating them.
There is also a housing system that is INCREDIBLY detailed and addicting. Everyone get’s their own plot of land. You can build a main house as well as put up crafting stations, places to gather materials, as well as unique things that can often generate quests. Along with that, there are tons of items you can get to decorate your whole area to make all sorts of wacky things. It’s really quite genius.
WildStar doesn’t do a whole lot of things different, but it does most of it well. It’s a fun game with a lot of charm, whimsey, and explosions. If you like any of those things in a sci-fi setting, this is definitely the game for you!
Pros
- Great Visuals and Soundtrack
- A lot of class customization
- Player Housing is addicting
- Combat is a blast
Cons
- Dungeons are SUPER difficult without proper communication
- Questing can be dull
- Lots of running
