The sci-fi MMO gets a summer release date.
There seems to be a humor deficit in gaming. Whether it’s due to the repetitive nature of games or the popular grimdark aesthetic, there aren’t many funny games outside of a few stand-outs. Even still, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an MMO that tries to be humorous, outside of WildStar, that is. Speaking of which, the quirky-looking sci-fi MMO from NCsoft and Carbine Studios is officially going live on June 3rd.
Aside from the tone and style, there are a few mechanical differences that make WildStar look interesting. While it’s got the standard Guild Wars 2-style telegraphing and dodging, you have to manually aim all of your skills. That means that while your enemies can miss, so can you. And yes, it does have a monthly subscription fee, but you can also purchase game time using a tradable in-game item, very similarly to how Eve Online works. For more details, check out our write-up over at WarCry, where Jon Prosperi has actually spent time with the game.
If this is a game you’re looking forward to, you can pre-order it and also net yourself a rocket house. Exactly what a rocket house IS, however, we don’t know. Presumably, it’s a form of housing, with rockets. You’ll also get access to the beta weekends, and get to play the game three days before it goes live for all the other plebs on the internet. Whether you buy it now, or wait until launch, WildStar will retail for $59, and require the standard $15 a month subscription. I guess between this and Elder Scrolls Online, we’ll get to see if the subscription MMO will survive into 2014.
