I'm curious what things you think are contrary in wildstar? I play the game a lot and I have my own opinions about what works and what doesn't, but I was wondering what you specifically were talking about.
i am extremely fond of the early leveling experience that i’ve seen so far -- environmental hazards using the same telegraphs that enemies use so you learn before you face hostile enemies what to watch out for, the little pop-ups saying things like “hey, this quest mob is gonna be tough, so why not try using your class ability?”, the path system so if you like lore you can go scientist and if you like exploring you can pick explorer, etc. overall, there are a lot of good design ideas here, and it seems designed to get away from a typical themepark MMORPG experience while not straying too far from its roots (to maintain a sense of familiarity).
that, in conjunction with other quests designed to introduce you to the game’s world and story, make things like the level-up noises and dudebro-style menu pop-ups (”This is the Character menu screen, so you can see your stats and how much ass you’re kicking!”, “OH SH(BLEEP) YOU LEVELED UP! WAY TO GO, CUPCAKE”) all the more jarring, same with the HARDXCORE attitude that quite a few of the developers sported during the game’s beta and early marketing.
i haven’t gotten to endgame myself, being a baby player that messed around with the trial and bought the game for cheap from humble bundle, so i can’t speak much for the endgame that other people haven’t already commented on, though i do think ever even considering launching with hard 40-man raids was a really bad idea. there’s a reason those went the way of the dodo within the past ten years, and i don’t understand what they hoped to accomplish by making you require 40 skilled players to go through the hardest stuff.
while i appreciate the game’s cartoony aesthetic and wackiness (not the level-up announcer, but things like NPCs saying silly things and the general animation style), i really have to wonder who the executives thought this game was appealing to with its in-game lore encyclopedia and condescending level-up sound effects? it seems like a case of mistaken identity. individually, either of those could fit in a game and potentially see success, but it seems bizarre that they both occupy the same video game