Hi Hi Folks!
I’m sure many who are familiar with the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) WildStar saw this coming… Especially after a lot of the devs that were part of the initial development and active in the community were fired let go several months after the games’ launch. I was definitely on the “hype train” for WildStar before and for some time after its launch. I never felt it was a World of Warcraft (WoW) “Killer”, because putting that notion in your mind is setting yourself up for disappointment. Though I did believe that the game would be a successful MMO in its own right. The game devs didn’t seem like they were trying to outdo any one MMO, just pay homage to what makes MMOs so amazing while also combining those things with a satirical western sci-fi feel.
WildStar is an amazing game. The game is gorgeous, silly, a mind blowing combat system, well though-out game play and dungeons. The dialogue, voice acting, and cut scenes in the game is wonderfully well done as well. It’s also has something for everyone. Aside from just questing and end game content, there’s special missions that take you off of the game’s planet Nexus and has you do special task for unique loot. A couple of them are set on moons that have no gravity and that adds a whole new level of game play. You can own a home and decorate it like crazy not to mention put all types of challenges and things to do around the property your home sits on. Friends and fellow Nexus inhabitants can come and view your home. There’s insane PvP (Player vs Player). The combat design is very dynamic and you can tweak you character in a number of ways mixing that with PvP equals an always varying and addictive experience. There’s also paths that you can choose for you character, that give you a unique way to play the game outside of questing, raiding, and PvP and it’s specific to each path. The paths are Settler, Scientist, Explorer, and Soldier. So for a person like me, I like to spend a lot of my time unlocking maps, building things, and collecting rare loot I chose the settler path. Being a settler lets you build stations that players can use to add boost to their characters as well as buildings that provide events and other special nuggets of joy. The gathering and professions in the game are also extremely well done. There’s no one way to play WildStar.
Yet the game lost a lot of its population not even a year after launch. I think that it only truly failed in one aspect. Advertising. Even amongst the most gamer of gamers they were many of them that had just never heard of the game and probably still haven’t. Some say WildStar also didn’t draw big numbers of new players months after launch because the game is new IP (Intellectual Property); and games like WoW and Elder Scrolls thrive because they’re legacy games (though Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) also went free to play not even a year after release as well). I do think that has something to do with it, but WoW and the Elder Scrolls Series were once new IPs as well. I think where WoW succeeded and continues to succeed is in its advertising. Since the game’s launch, there’s been those little boxes displaying that you can play the game for free for 10 days EVERYWHERE. They also have various adverts that pop up during youtube videos and so many other little things that keep it in your mind and every new expansion they go even harder. The hold extravagant events and they take their advertising to the extreme; for the launch of Warlords of Draenor they put huge scenes with their iconic characters in the world’s most populated cities. The had Thrall’s Hammer splitting open a taxi cab in NYC. Aside from commercials they put extensive signage in stores like Best Buy and Game Stop, and they’re adverts pretty much smother those websites when they’re up. When WildStar launched it did none of this…
Blizzard did it big when Advertising for the Warlords of Draenor Launch!
Even though the game is going free to play I have a renewed hope for the game. I’m not saying it’s a perfect game but it definitely should be one that people at least try…and know of. I hope after reading my article you will give it a try, I don’t think you’ll be disapointed. The folks at Carbine are also giving away some special in-game rewards if you renew a subscription or subscribe to WildStar before June 15, 2015 and remain so and until the game goes free to play. They’re also going to be doing a Closed Beta in preparation for the “re” launch and you can sign up for it here! Either way I hope to see you on Nexus this Fall!
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luvusagi OUT!
My Draken wearing her settler hat 😀