Secret World Legends

5-9-20 Update: A fix for crashing: go into your steamapps/common folder, then set both SWL.exe files to Windows 8 compatibility. This fixed all of my issues-- crashing issues, that is. The rest of the game can be a buggy mess. *More details in comments...
Y'know, this whole thumbs up-thumbs down thing is unfair and far too limiting ;) I have a love-hate affair with this game that spans hundreds of hours. If I really had to rate it, I'd give it a thumbs-halfway. Because what this game does brilliantly is what makes me come crawling back to it after I've gotten sick of far "better" games. And then what I hate takes over and drives me away yet again like the poor battered gamer I am. In short, I'm a masochist and Funcom's whipping-girl.
What's evil:
* Grind, grind, grind. Cash shop that lessens the grind P2W-style, except you can't win because there's no real PvP. Then more grind after that. Grind until you die.
* Funcom caters to the hardcore crowd that's left and has totally abandoned the amazing story it began. So more grind quests, faction quests you can't do because you haven't ground for years to get red-tier talismans and weapons.
* RNG lootboxes with low odds of dropping anything good. Lootboxes are half of your monster drops. The other half are belts.
* Subscriber status that's only really good for one daily lootbox key and an XP bonus you only need if you suck at games like yours truly.
* Did I mention totally abandoning the story on a cliffhanger?
* Extreme alt-unfriendliness.
* Sabotage missions. Seriously, these have great story but they royally suck with the game's terrible "stealth" and jump controls.
What's brilliant:
* The writing. Seriously some of the best videogame and quest writing in the RPG genre.
* The missions. This game has some of the most creative and immersive quest chains in the MMORPG genre, and probably the genre as a whole.
* The atmosphere is extremely immersive. The OST is phenomenal. Even if the graphics aren't the best, the overall world design is the most consistent I've experienced in any MMORPG. I've jumped out of my seat more than once in Tokyo-- especially in Orochi Tower and that ungodly garage.
* The story and use of occult lore in seamless world-building.
* Probably one of the most solo-friendly and story-player friendly games in the current market.
* Nassir and Saeed, and the rest of the wacky, lovable cast of NPCs.
So I'll keep coming back after yet another game has started out fun then driven me away. I'll roll another alt, deleting one of my precious toons, then Patron myself up for another run through some of the most brilliant and frustrating content to ever be engineered by evil geniuses. I'll laugh and curse and shiver and cower and grind and grind. Then I'll grit my teeth once I hit South Africa and its cliffhanger.
And then I'll pray PSO2 has finally released for PC *sigh*
^Editing: unlike PSO2, SWL does *not* rootkit your system. It's one of the few of a dying breed of games you can play without some 3rd party company undermining your PC's security.

While the Veterans' gripes about lack of new content are certainly right(I myself would like more content) there is still something to be said to new players:
The game is great.
The story it presents is one of a kind and very fun to play through.
Being f2p you can just jump in and have as much fun as you want and quit whenever; the game certainly doesn't need any kind of moneyspending to be fun and difficulty isn't an issue for 95% of content.
I want to point out that if you're looking for a classical MMO SWL might fall short. There isn't any competitive end-game raiding to be done and you'd be much better off if you think of it as a vast single-player game that has coop functions if you need them or want to play with friends. You can grind out gear if you're into that and there is some tough content to be found but that's probably not what will make you stick around.
Take your time exploring the world, dive into some of the most challanging puzzle/riddle quests ever and don't skip any of the cutscenes, there is great stuff to be found here.
Also, should you find yourself in Illuminati headquarters, say hi to Ms. Geary for me, she said I'd get something nice for recruiting new members.

Four thousand hours is more time than I put into raising my kids, game good

You like horror books and movies?
You like Lovecraft?
You like superheroes?
Myths, legends, conspiracy theories?
You want a game with action, stealth, riddles, magic, swords, guns, and more?
Get this game. It's amazing

Best single player campain mmo. Strongly recommended to give it a try. If you like it, I suggest you pay the 13 bucks for a 30 day premium and play through the story mode.
Doesn't quite have the depth in character building that "The Secret World" did, it's been a bit dumbed down, but still very good main story line.

This game has missions that will make you feel big brain when you solves them. The numbers mason, what do they mean? the Illuminati is full of insane people. The combat finally got good. ALWAYS CHECK TOWN HALL.

A truly amazing experience! The lovecraftian horrors that lurk and creep about in this expansive world are incredibly interesting. If you like lore, and reading up on the what and why the world has gone to high hell, this is the game for you. The three mission types keeps things interesting, while the main story is enough content to last months on end. Investigative missions really are investigative; different languages and codes to decypher, schematics to look into, and creative thinking make this a memorable game for sure! Ghosts, cryptids and legends are waiting to be uncovered.