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Webzen puts Arctic Combat on ice
Longevity in free-to-play games is odd. Some seem to last forever while others barely make it to one year. Arctic Combat was well on its way to the one-year mark after launching in December of last year, but Webzen has announced that the game will be closed completely as of September 2nd. The gradual shutdown started on August 2nd, with the item shop and downloads disabled, but service will continue for players still in the game until September. Players looking for compensation will receive money for use in other Webzen titles and are eligible to pick up special compensation packs in several other titles, including MU Online and Allods Online. Direct refunds are not offered. Our consolations go out to all players and staff members affected by this shutdown. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Continent of the Ninth Seal unveils the Demonisher
Playing a Shaman in Continent of the Ninth Seal just got a touch more interesting, as Webzen has unveiled the Demonisher, a new class advancement available to players who follow the shamanic ways. The Demonisher is a long-range and melee attacker who uses an orb to initiate magical attacks. Demonishers have a wide range of abilities at their disposal, including evasion tricks, powerful offensive volleys, and a transformation skill that increases movement speed and the power of some attacks. Demonishers also offer debuff skills for use in groups. The addition of the Demonisher isn't all that Webzen has planned this month. To celebrate C9's first anniversary, the studio will hold a number of special events on July 24th. These include in-game giveaways, massive online competitions for real-life peripherals, and the chance for new players to start a character at level 20. Check out the demonisher in action after the break. [Webzen press release]
MU Rebirth begins beta sign-ups
Never get to attached to an upcoming game title in this industry, as it can change at the drop of a hat. Webzen has renamed MU Chronicle R to the somewhat-less-unwieldy MU Rebirth and announced that the title is now accepting sign-ups for its closed beta test. MU Rebirth is a remake of MU Online with a heavy PvP emphasis. The level cap will remain at 400, although Webzen says that it is significantly speeding up the leveling process so that players will hit that number in two hours. Yes, you read that right. This plays into the "rebirth" feature, which allows players to go back to level 1 while retaining gained stats. The closed beta test of MU Rebirth will run from July 3rd to the 10th. Webzen will be hosting a global PvP tournament during the test, although details for this contest are forthcoming. [Source: Webzen press release]
E3 2013: Webzen teases Mu Chronicle R and other titles
At this year's E3, Webzen was hyped to chat about its lineup of games, though it was close-lipped on many of the details. C9 players who remember the extreme dungeon exclusive Massively had a few weeks back are about to get a little more good news in the form of a spoiler: Sorry, but you don't get to actually kill the new boss, just reseal him. Then on June 27th, Webzen plans to announce details on a new adaption of Mu Online currently codenamed MU Chronicle R. Unlike the current Mu, the new game will focus on leveling up and PvP. To promote future bloodshed, Webzen will be holding global tournaments with cash prizes after the game is released. The update will happen across the globe, and in order to prepare for this, Webzen plans to recruit game masters from each region and reward the top GM with prizes. In addition, once the URL has been released, people who "like" the game's pre-launch Facebook page will be entered into raffles that award prizes like an Alienware gaming laptop, Wcoins/gPotato currency, and... apparently some sort of mystery prize. Really, that's all we can say about this till the 27th! The team also teased work on Archlord 2, MU 2, and a mobile Mu game (not a port but a brand-new game. We don't know whether it's related to Chronicle R). Finally, Webzen's MMOFPS Arctic Combat will be seeing another patch hopefully in July.
Massively Exclusive: A look at C9's new 'extreme' dungeon
Continent of the Ninth Seal is preparing to unleash a raid to end all raids tomorrow. Webzen is marketing Bardiel Seal as an "extreme dungeon" that will send innocent players to their doom as they fight three new raid bosses: Molleck, Creios, and the Rebecca twins. Despite the raid designation, Bardiel Seal only requires four level-62 players to tackle. If the bosses are downed, the game will reward the victors with some of the best armor to hit C9 yet. The fourth and final boss of the dungeon will be patched in next month. To celebrate the release of Bardiel Seal, Webzen is handing out a reward package for returning players. Get a first look at the dungeon in the gallery and trailer below! %Gallery-186634%
Continent of the Ninth Seal adding raid mode, new dungeon
Webzen has announced that it's adding a four-player "raid mode" and a new dungeon to its Continent of the Ninth Seal action fantasy MMO. The company's press release highlights something called an Extreme Dungeon which houses three "dangerously difficult" bosses and appropriate rewards for defeating them. Continent of the Ninth Seal features four classes (Fighters, Shamans, Hunters, and Witchblades) each of which give way to more advanced subclasses with plenty of combat combos to explore. C9 boasts traditional MMO PvE as well as 16-player PvP matches. Check out the Extreme Dungeon teaser after the break, and look for the new content on the live servers on April 24th. [Source: Webzen press release]
Arctic Combat giving away gamer gear to celebrate latest update
In its first major content upgrade since the game's December 2012 launch, Webzen is announcing a new multiplayer mode for its World War III MOFPS Arctic Combat. Arriving April 18th, the new 4-player co-op mode is said to bring together hardcore and more casual FPS gamers with new maps, weapons, and an upgraded AI system. Plus, Webzen will host a series of giveaways in the near future. Be sure to check out the trailer right after the jump, and watch the game's Facebook page and the official website for more info soon. [Source: Webzen press release]
Gpotato's Sevencore meets an early demise
Despite recently seeing the first of what players hoped would be a string of new content, gPotato's new title Sevencore announced today that it will be closing its doors. A forum post says that the game "has proved to be less attractive to players than anticipated and thus [it's] become unprofitable for the developer to be continued as a game." The developers hope to transition active players by undertaking the following: Reimbursing all gPotatoes spent between the 1st of February and today as well as between 30% and 75% of purchases prior to this date, Closing the in-game shop with immediate effect while considering making all shop items available for free, Keeping the game open until the end of April, Boosting experience gain and running events during the final period of the game, and Encouraging players to migrate to other gPotato games with special enticement packages. This bad news comes on the heels of the news that Webzen recently purchased gPotato and Gala-Net. Perhaps the purchase will breath new life into the developer after it showed a dip in quarterly sales when compared to the last year.
Jukebox Heroes: Soul of the Ultimate Nation's soundtrack
Yes, you're seeing the header graphic correctly; Howard Shore is the powerhouse behind Soul of the Ultimate Nation's soundtrack. Yes, it's that Howard Shore -- The Lord of the Rings guy (not to mention all of his dozens of other film score projects dating back to 1979). How this smallish MMO was able to attract the likes of Mr. Shore I have no idea, but we're faced with the reality that the game did and this exists. Other than doing a little double-take when I first found this out, I'm really cool with it. I love it when well-known movie composers dip into video games, such as when Harry Gregson-Williams branched out to do several of the Metal Gear Solid titles. Shore's works are really distinctive and give SUN a sound that's far more "professional" than many of the game's contemporaries. That said, it's not the best score I've ever heard. It's quite noisy and pulls a little too much from the LotR films. Sometimes composers crib their own works (Harry Potter's music is John William's shameless ripoff of his own Home Alone soundtrack), and that's just how it goes. Let's take a look at an MMO scored by a Hollywood bigshot, shall we?
The Firing Line: On Destiny, Tribes GOTY, and Ghost in the Shell
It's been a pretty eventful week for online shooter news, and The Firing Line is back to help you catch up on all the tidbits you might've missed. Since we've got so much to cover, what say we skip the usual game journo intro puns and get right to it?
Allods Online's 'biggest endgame expansion' to launch in March
Gala Networks Europe has announced the largest endgame expansion for Allods Online coming March 12th to all American and European servers, including German, French, and Polish servers. Titled Lords of Destiny, this expansion will bring eight all-new astral allods with new six-man dungeons for each. The public test server will open later this month, giving interested players the chance to try the content out beforehand. Check out our gallery below showing off 11 new screenshots for the expansion. [Source: Gala Networks Europe press release]%Gallery-91331%
Webzen buys 100% of Gala-Net, gPotato
Webzen has announced that it is acquiring MMO publisher gPotato as well as its parent company Gala-Net. According to Reuters, the transaction date is February 15th, after which Webzen will hold 100 percent of Gala-Net's shares. MMO Culture notes that Webzen has already said hello to gPotato customers by publishing Continent of the Ninth Seal on the company's portal. A translated Gala PDF document indicates that the company's second quarter sales for the fiscal year ending in March 2013 were down over 43 percent from the same quarter of the previous year. gPotato is known primarily for publishing Allods Online, Aika, and Sevencore in the west. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us.]
Archlord combines Zian and Gracia servers
The world of Chantra is about to get a lot cozier: Archlord will undergo a server consolidation on January 30th that will combine the Gracia and Zian servers. Gracia characters that have been accessed since July 1st, 2012, will be merged without any transfer requests, but players are encouraged to check the eligibility of their character transfers. Prior to the merge (and ensuing epic battles), players will be supported with free cash shop items and will be able to celebrate the combination with "various events." The first Archlord (and guild members) after the consolidation will be rewarded with unique items. [Source: Webzen press release]
Continent of the Ninth Seal now playable in Europe
Continent of the Ninth Seal has officially launched in Europe. The action MMO was developed by a Korean company called Cloud 9 Studio, with some assistance from noted free-to-play firm Webzen. In Europe, C9 falls under gPotato's publishing banner, and it's now available for play via Gala Networks' servers. C9 features FPS controls, an extensive combo system, and both PvE and PvP gameplay. Massively's had hands-on time with the game on a couple of different occasions, so have a look if you want a preview of what you'll be facing in the world of Tampera. [Source: gPotato press release]
The Firing Line: Arctic Combat hands-on
Poor Arctic Combat. It's not that there's anything majorly wrong with Webzen's new 8v8 shooter. It's actually a fun little diversion. Unfortunately, it went into open beta close to PlanetSide 2's launch, which means that a lot of PC shooter fans are probably still embedded on Auraxis and unaware of AC's existence. I first saw the title at last summer's E3, where the PR folks at Webzen and the devs at Battery Studio were kind enough to let me get some hands-on time with a pre-beta build. Fast forward six months and I found myself messing around with the open beta and launch client this week. I also found that my opinion of the game is largely unchanged.
Arctic Combat celebrates its official launch
Arctic Combat, a multiplayer online tactical FPS, has moved out of open beta and has officially launched for Europe and North America. A new game mode called Rocket Only has been added as a special launch treat. Guess what the special twist is about Rocket Only? Yep, you can use only Rocket Launchers! A new map has been added specifically for that game mode. Just in time for launch, Webzen is kicking off the second championship tournament for Arctic Combat Veterans. Applications for the tournament will open up soon, with the qualifying round scheduled for early January. Skip below the cut to check out Arctic Combat's trailer. [Source: Webzen press release]
Free for All: Killing monsters in my undies in C9
Calling your game an "unrivaled action RPG" is a pretty daring thing to do. After all, we play in a market that offers games like Vindictus, TERA, Dragon Nest, and Dungeon and Dragons Online. Action-based MMOs are nothing new, really, but they do seem to become more extreme with every new title that comes out. Where Vindictus goes for dark realism and DDO strives for classic gameplay, C9, aka Continent of the Ninth Seal, goes for over-the-top combos and incredible boss battles. It delivers on its promises for the most part. I've played pretty much every action-based MMO on the market, and so far, the bold claims seem true: Nothing rivals C9's loud, combo-liscious approach to combat. Not all is perfect, of course, but most of the issues I had with the game resulted from art design or customer service. Those areas might be easier to fix than a boring game.
Free-to-play Arctic Combat 'borrows' one of Counter-Strike's maps
The new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a few old Counter-Strike maps included, and that's just fine, given that it's all in the same franchise. But Webzen's free-to-play shooter Arctic Combat has apparently taken some inspiration from Valve's classic as well. PC Gamer notes in the video above that the "Sand Storm" map, included with the game, bears a striking similarity to de_dust2, a map that any CS player will immediately recognize. As PC Gamer says, a few of the dimensions are off and a few crates have been moved, but from that opening spawn ramp down to the middle chokepoint and the side hallway, there's no question this is a very familiar map. Arctic Combat is currently in closed beta, though once Valve catches word of this, you might not see "Sand Storm" playable any longer.
The Firing Line: Defiance, Arctic Combat, and other E3 leftovers
Ah, home. A full-screen monitor, a fridge stocked with Diet Sunkist, plenty of columns to be written, and my own vehicle! Public transportation doesn't agree with me, folks, as I learned last week at E3 in Los Angeles. I also learned a lot about PlanetSide 2, a little about DUST 514, and tidbits about Defiance and something called Arctic Combat. For this week's Firing Line, I figured I should pay a little lip service to those last two. And we'll also recap some of this week's crucial online shooter news. To the cut!
E3 2012: Hands-on with Webzen's C9 and the Witchblade
So let's talk about C9. I suppose we should start with its full name, which is Continent of the Ninth Seal. It's a 3-D fantasy action RPG for PC, and it's developed by a company called Cloud 9 Studio. Webzen is handling global publishing duties, and the firm also hosted the E3 shindig I attended yesterday in order to get some hands-on time with the game. Action combat is all the rage in MMOs nowadays, and C9 has it down pat. Tab targeting is conspicuously absent. Combat is all about reaction time, situational awareness, dodging, blocking, and chaining together ridiculously powerful combo attacks. Is it an MMO? As ever these days, that depends on whom you talk to. For its part, Webzen calls it an MORPG (leaving off the first "m" for massively), and the game focuses primarily on PvP and small-group PvE.
