Funcom's Secret World revealed

Funcom are great. We know this. The studio has brought us The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Anarchy Online, as well as Age of Conan, which hasn't done so well, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a great game.

Originally announced in 2007, and envisioned since about 1998, Funcom's The Secret World -- due for PC and Xbox 360 -- showed promise in its direction, an MMO that eliminates classes and levels, takes place in a modern setting, offers what seems to be almost limitless freedom in shaping one's character, and enough mythology, history, and conspiracy theories to satisfy even the most hungry.

With such ambition, and in light of Age of Conan's less than stellar numbers, some were worrying the game wouldn't see the light of day. Today, Funcom again deters any speculation with some new screenshots from the game, a feature list, and perhaps best of all, a completely killer trailer.

"It is great to finally be able to talk about The Secret World, after several years in the dark," says senior producer and director Ragnar Tørnquist. "The real world is such a rich and fascinating setting for an MMO, and we are able to draw inspiration from ancient history, stories of lost cities and forgotten civilizations, folktales, urban legends, conspiracy theories and pop culture. We are building a game that mixes modern day Earth with terrifying monsters, dark and occult magic, cool weapons and awesome powers - and it's unlike anything you have ever seen before in an MMO."

Normally the term 'MMO' is enough to make my eyes glaze over faster than you can say 'mana burn', but this one, verily, is something else:

Back in May of '07, Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom said this one is for all the fans who want something apart from the Warcrafts and Diablos of the universe:

“We believe there are millions of gamers out there who want to explore something beyond traditional fantasy and sci-fi games. 'The Secret World' is just that – a fantastic new setting that will fuel the imagination of online gamers, and keep players busy for years. We have a golden opportunity to bring something fresh and exciting to the genre, and we firmly believe the game is an ideal extension of Funcom’s MMO portfolio.”

No release date is set yet, but we'll keep you posted as the info comes in, on here and GameGrep. For more info on the game in the meantime, as well as concept arts, check out its profile via the product page you see at the top of the article.