Officially teased some weeks ago, NCsoft and Carbine have debuted their latest MMO WildStar at Gamescom 2011. Initial reactions from the gaming press are that of pleasant surprise despite the game looking somewhat different than most had expected. Adopting a distinct cartoon aesthetic akin to Pixar/DreamWorks animations, the game takes place on Nexus, a planet which once hosted the most power race in the galaxy until they mysteriously vanished.
Carbine Studio has pooled talent from a number of successful MMO devs including the creators of Everquest, City of Heroes, Warhammer Online, Free Realms, and even World of Warcraft. When the team started the project almost three and a half years ago they wanted to build a game which would reinvent one of gaming’s most diverse genres.
One way this may be achieved is through WildStar’s unconventional class system. Instead of select from a small pool of archetypes such as melee fighters, ranger, and spellcasters, players will instead choose a job which will ultimately determine their playstyle. For instance, explorers will be tasked with tracking uncharted territory and soldiers pitted against any alien creatures. Collectors and builders are also playable, the former acting as a research class with builders focusing on social quests.
It’s initial appearance may be off-putting to some, but Carbine is promising that it will be one, if not the, most hardcore MMO experience on the market. It has yet to be confirmed whether the game will be free-to-play or follow a subscription model, though the latter seems more likely.
Kevatron400
Wowzers trousers, that looks awesome. Love the concept and art style. Really hope it’s as revolutionary as they want it to be. If there’s anyone who can shake it up, NCSoft have my trust.
TSBonyman
Gameplay aside, visually it reminds me of Jak and Daxter. I’m tempted but i’m guessing it won’t be on consoles?
mugsybalone
Like the style of this one, be interesting to see how it develops, whether it has the substance to match it.
cam the man
Could only watch the 1min 38 secs of the video. every time I tried it froze. Look quite good from the bit I saw.
Kennykazey
It looks awesome, too bad it’s most likely not going to be on consoles and that it’s most likely subscription based. Makes me wish it was a different genre.