During GDC, I saw Ragnar Tornquist demonstrate his upcoming Funcom MMO, The Secret World. I should note that I'm not well versed in MMOs, and my experience doesn't extend far beyond a scant few hours with the trial version of World of Warcraft (and many, many hours with Phantasy Star Online and Diablo II, if you count those). As such, I had my doubts about being the best candidate to catch an early glimpse of Funcom's latest project.

After seeing the game in action and learning more about its direction, however, I started to think otherwise. As someone who typically avoids MMOs, it's interesting to see one that abandons the traditional fantasy and sci-fi trappings of the genre. As a gamer accustomed to lavish, story-driven console games, it's wonderful to see an MMO focusing on narrative (with fully voiced cutscenes, no less). No leveling, no specific character classes -- no Orcs? In short, what really struck me about The Secret World is how different it is.