WildStar Preview

NowGamer is offering another preview penned by UK game magazine GamesTM, and this time it deals with Carbine Studio's upcoming MMO WildStar, which is "seeking to drastically redefine the way an MMO is played", at least according to the article. Here's a sampling:
Characters will comprise traditional races and classes, but also have agendas in the game world an unexplored, mysterious new planet called Nexus known as '˜Paths'.

It's clearly an attempt to capture and crystallise exactly what motivates players of all abilities, interests and availability of free time to join in with MMOs, allowing idiosyncratic gameplay styles to be more uniquely celebrated in quests.

The three races shown so far; the huge, rock-like Granuk warrior, the lithe, rabbity Aurin and the standard human, can be aligned with any of the game's classes.

Three of these have been revealed thus far, too. The warrior is self-explanatory of its class in most other games; pretty lo-tech, with a massive sweeping sword and a high level of power to back it up.

There are are a couple of power crystals to imbue the warrior's physical powers with extra effects, but by the very nature of the class, it's likely to stay pretty straightforward.

The Esper is the support, magic-using type, equipped with psychic powers such as summoning phantom swords to fly at opponents. More balanced, and clearly following the traditional Rogue template is the Spellslinger whose abilities lie mainly in firearms, which can be charged with all manner of magical powers to enhance their projectile properties.