| 3DS Circle Pad Pro Bundled with Resident Evil: Revelations Posted: 22 Apr 2012 07:11 AM PDT  Nintendo has announced the Circle Pad Pro — the name we suspected would be used in the west for the 3DS add-on — will be made available in Europe alongside Resident Evil: Revelations early next year. Revelations will be sold both on its own and in what’s described as a special, limited edition bundle that includes the Circle Pad Pro beginning on January 27. The device consists of a plastic dock the 3DS can be placed in and adds a circle pad onto the right side of the system. Its existence was first rumored in August, and despite initially being dismissed as ridiculous by many, it was confirmed shortly thereafter. It’ll be particularly useful to Japanese gamers picking up the 3DS port of Monster Hunter Tri-G, but also to those playing Revelations or any number of other supported games. Revelations, even on its own, will cost a premium due to it shipping on a 4GB cartridge. When it’s released on February 7 in the United States it’ll cost $49.99 — and that’s without the Circle Pad Pro, which has still yet to be confirmed for release here but will undoubtedly be out before long. In Japan the Circle Pad Pro costs almost $20. No matter where you live, it requires a single AAA battery to operate. Check out hands-on impressions from September for a better idea of what to expect from the device. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/news/3ds-circle-pad-pro-bundled-resident-evil-revelations |
| Codename K (CN) Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:20 AM PDT 
As mentioned in my previous post (link), China MMO developer and publisher ChangYou revealed a number of titles which are in development, including “World of Shadowbane”. While the China gamers are all awaiting Tencent’s Blade Soul China server, rivals such as NetEase announced Dragon Blade (link), which will take on the mammoth. While ChangYou did not publicly issue the challenge, “Codename K” certainly looks like a viable competitor for now.
Developed using CryEngine 3, the same machine used for ArcheAge (link) and Warface (link), “Codename K” is based on a popular internet fantasy novel in China, hence expect heavy eastern oriental designs to the game. CryEngine 3 will allow much better visuals and more life-like interactions with objects, such as destroying trees and armor getting burnt when hit by fire spells. Environmental changes such as weather and seasons are implemented as well. Aerial combat is also mentioned, though there is no in-depth details at this point of time.
And yes, “Codename K” will feature non-target action combat, with an emphasis on chain combo attacks. Unlike games such as Mabinogi Heroes with an instanced world, “Codename K” will feature a vast open world like World of Warcraft’s. More information is expected to be released at ChinaJoy 2012, happening at end July.
Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/codename-k-cn-changyous-answer-to-blade.html |
| Cyphers (KR) Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:19 AM PDT 
Remember how Miyuko’s cosplay for League of Legends (link) crashed a website due to overload traffic? The member of cosplay group Spiral Cat’s is now back to dressing up as a MMO character again, this time from Nexon’s popular 3D arena game, Cyphers. Miyuko (blue) is cosplaying as Trixie, while her group mate Tasha appears as Hotaru. Let’s looks at the characters’ game trailers first.
And below are the cosplay pictures. More photos can be found at my Facebook page. While Spiral Cat’s hail from Korea rather than the cosplay nation of Japan, they are really doing an awesome job portraying various anime and game characters over the past few months. 
Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/cyphers-kr-cosplay-cats-are-back.html |
| Former NCsoft staff jailed for Lineage III leak Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:19 AM PDT 
[More info] After months of legal battle between NCsoft and Bluehole Studio, the developer of TERA, the Korean court officially charged a group of ex-NCsoft staff working on Lineage III with leaking confidential information with regards to the project. In the statement, the Korea court recognize that NCsoft poured much funds and manpower into the development of Lineage III. NCsoft also took measures to make sure only the important project members get hold of all information, hence the group which leaked the information out us no doubt guilty of the said offense.
The court also reprimanded the group for “stealing” software codes of Lineage III from NCsoft, going to a rival company and storing the information in the computers there. In 2009, legal charges against part of the group were dismissed by the attorneys and they escaped jail terms. However, after an appeal, the higher courts mentioned that the appropriate punishments were laid out. 
A former NCsoft staff, presumably the mysterious “ringleader” and product director who left first and asked the rest to join him, is sentenced to 18 months of jail time, with 2 years of suspended sentence. 1 of his former staff, the development team’s manager, is sentenced to 8 months of jail time, with 2 years of suspended sentence. 2 more staff are each fined 10,000,000 and 7,000,000 Korean Won.
There will be another high court case coming up soon, which is the one between NCsoft and Bluehole Studio. Note that the court case mentioned here is against the former employees, not the company which they joined. NCsoft is suing Bluehole Studio a massive 6,500,000,000 Korean Won for economic losses. Bluehole Studio has been ordered by the court to pay NCsoft 2,000,000,000 Korean Won so far, which was later debunked. For more information about this case, please click here. Update: A timeline of what happened over the past few years with regards to the case. 2006 September: Leak first occurred when the NCsoft executive told a Japanese gaming company about the details of NCsoft’s business plans, including Lineage III. The Japanese company did nt invest in the game, but a separate wealthy individual investor did. 2007 February: NCsoft first alerted the Korean police about the business leak 2008 August: NCsoft filed a civil suit in Korea. 2008 December: NCsoft formerly filed a claim against the executive involved 2009 June: 5 people were found guilty of leaking NCsoft secrets in the first criminal court, with 1 found innocent. 2009 December: After another criminal court session, the final accused was found to be guilty instead. 2010 January: Civil court ordered 4 of the accused and Bluehole Studio to pay NCsoft 2,000,000,000 Korean Won for losses. 2011 January: Civil court dismissed previous ruling, stating Bluehole Studio will not need to pay for the damages. 2012 April: Criminal court found all accused guilty, with a final verdict due from the civil court. Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/former-ncsoft-staff-jailed-for-lineage.html |
| Aeria Games announces Waren Story Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:15 AM PDT 
[Beta signup] Looks like Aeria Games is stocking up on PvP-focused online games these few weeks. Previously, it was announced in Korea that the publisher will be hosting DK Online for the English market (link), and today Waren Story is confirmed. If you remembered, the developer of Waren Story, Alt1 Games, apparently tried to self-publish the game in North America back last year, which was eventually shut down in November despite the cash shop being operational.
Back then when I personally played, it was laggy, buggy and with no visible management at all. Under Aeria Games, hopefully Waren Story is fixed internally of the errors and undergo a better management process. We shall see once a Closed Beta date is confirmed! The official press release is attached below. 
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Apr. 17, 2012
– Dust off your old vendettas and inject some blood back into your
feuds. If you have a friend you've been wanting to go medieval on, the
time is now. Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, announced today that closed beta registration has begun for Waren Story,
a new 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game
(MMORPG). Featuring an epic adventure and intense PvP warfare, the
game's striking scenery and imaginative detail will sweep players away
to an exotic medieval world. The continent of Waren is divided,
and a dark force is stirring in its polluted western lands. Players must
choose the path of Warrior, Gunner, Archer, or Brawler and then explore
the unique array of devastating skills each class has to offer. These
heroes will engage in deadly battles, slay nightmarish beasts, and
recruit powerful allies in their quest to restore order to this troubled
land. "Waren Story brings a unique combat and skill system to an immersive fantasy adventure that will appeal to core gamers" says Producer Lucas Gunn. "With
riveting animations and massive PvP battles, this MMORPG will challenge
players to overcome obstacles at every step of their journey." Players
prepare for battle through character customization options with a
unique array of weapons and armor at their disposal. As these heroes
traverse an endless series of monster-infested plains, they will face a
menagerie of dangerous and fascinating creatures. However, the combat
here is only the tip of a very long sword; the game's robust PvP system
takes full advantage of its riveting animation, offering a variety of
thrilling combat modes. In Waren Story, there's no such thing as
the daily grind—each minute in each battle is an entirely new
experience, as players battle equally skilled—and equally deadly—fellow
players. Waren Story will require a client download and
with all Aeria Games titles, it will be free-to-play. Interested players
can lean more and sign up to participate in the upcoming closed beta
test at: http://warenstory.aeriagames.com. Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/aeria-games-announces-waren-story.html |
| Aeria Games secures investment from major company Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:15 AM PDT 
Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/aeria-games-secures-investment-from.html |
| Blade & Soul (KR) Posted: 22 Apr 2012 04:13 AM PDT 
[Source] The 2nd fan event, Soul Party 2 (1 took place last year), for NCsoft’s Blade Soul took place yesterday. As expected, there were many activities and even Korean girl group Secret was onsite to reveal the music video collaboration video (link). Which is really full of awesome by the way. An exhibition 20 Vs 20 PvP match was also held, with the players divided into the Team Black and Team White. ThisIsGame was on hand to record a couple of videos of the intense match. I read that Team White won 2-0.
Before I forget, Blade Soul’s development team also sent a few of its representatives into the match. And NCsoft’s founder and CEO, Mr Kim Taek Jin, is once again spotted mingling in the crowd. For as far as I know, he has always chose to blend in at various events, even at G*Star events as well. 
Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/blade-soul-kr-soul-party-pvp-footage.html |
| Halo 4: The Community Preview Debate, Part Two Posted: 21 Apr 2012 07:10 PM PDT What’s so terrible about DmC? People sure were angry when Capcom revealed this Devil May Cry prequel/reboot last year. Not having particularly followed the series myself, I found the outcry a little baffling. Sure, it was being outsourced rather than being developed internally by Capcom, but the studio responsible for it is Ninja Theory, who have yet to make a poor game; on the contrary, their work — particularly the recent sleeper Enslaved: Journey to the West — have been quite nicely received by critics. In the end, the complaints mainly seem to boil down to the fact that protagonist Dante suddenly has dark hair and a coif that look an awful lot like that of Ninja Theory’s boss, Tameem Antoniades.
OK, so maybe it’s a little self-gratifying. But still, I have to ask: What’s so terrible about DmC? Now that I’ve had the opportunity to play DmC for myself, I have a hard time imagining that any fan of Devil May Cry fan wouldn’t enjoy Ninja Theory’s take on the franchise. Yeah, Dante has become something of a self-insertion character, and he’s a cocky twerp; but his brashness is offset by a delirious combination of over-the-top silliness and over-the-top action game excess. One moment, Dante is answering the door of his trailer home in the nude; the next, a massive demon is attacking and the hero dresses himself in slow-motion by free-falling through the air into his clothes. (Conveniently placed hovering free-fall objects such as slices of pizza manage to preserve his modesty to the viewer through an increasingly improbable sequence of events.) There’s a real sense of tongue-in-cheek absurdity to it all; were these events to simply flash past in a moment, they’d seem frivolous. Instead, they drag on just a little too long and become just a little too ridiculous, and that clearly deliberate excess amounts to a knowing wink at the audience. It works.  Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187011 |
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