Today marks the one year anniversary of the launch of The Secret World. The occasion is being celebrated by an in-game event through July 8th featuring new world bosses in every zone and all kinds of bonuses to experience, ability points, and skill points.

I haven’t had a chance to play yet, but I’m looking forward to tackling the new bosses and taking advantage of the doubled AP. Gonna see if I can finish a few more decks.

Funcom is also making the game temporarily free to play for anyone who has ever played one of their games, so now is a great time to give the game a try. I don’t know if this will work for a fact, so take it with a grain of salt, but since Age of Conan is totally free to play, one might theoretically be able to sign up for it and then download TSW. Don’t hate me if you waste time trying this, but I thought I’d mention in case anyone out there really wants to give TSW a shot.

I also think I’ve still got some buddy keys lying around if you want a more reliable way to try the game. These won’t allow you to play for as long as if you were to take advantage of the anniversary event starting today, but if you like the game and buy it after I refer you, I’ll get some nice veteran’s rewards.

Drop me a line on my contact page if you’d like a key. Make sure to include the email you would like to receive the key at.

It’s been a rocky first year for The Secret World, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the future, and I greatly look forward to what the next year will bring. This game has exceeded my expectations in every way, and it gets better with every new update.

Onward to Tokyo!

Review: “Past Is Prologue”

I’m not sure how to rate this episode. While it isn’t labelled as part one of two, it’s obviously just the first part of the season finale. It feels a bit thin and unfinished, but I guess that’s to be expected since we haven’t seen the whole story yet.

“Past Is Prologue” sees tensions rise in Defiance on the eve of the mayoral election. The Tarrs hatch an elaborate scheme to discredit Nolan and Amanda, putting Alak in danger in the process. Meanwhile, an experiment by Doc Yewll accidentally uncovers a new clue to Irisa’s past.

This episode gives little cause for complaint. There are no obvious holes in the story or especially weak moments. It’s another case of nearly every character getting a moment to shine — even Kenya, for once.

But it is extremely clear that this is only the setup for the next episode. So “Past Is Prologue” really just feels like watching the first half of an episode. We haven’t seen the climax yet — only the build up. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to list that as a fault of the episode, but that does prevent it from being terribly exciting.

On the plus side, I am curious to see where this will all go. I’m definitely interested in learning more about Irisa’s past. I also find myself wondering what the future holds for Alak Tarr. Is he going to end up being as ruthless as his parents, or is he going to turn away from their wicked ways?

Also, at the risk of giving away a bit of a spoiler, seeing Datak Tarr get kicked in the face felt good. Very, very good.

Overall rating: 7.3/10