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E3 2013: Snail Games' Black Gold and Age of Wushu
Snail Games showcased two new MMOs today at E3: Black Gold and Age of Wushu. The two games have more than their parent in common; Black Gold utilizes the Age of Wushu engine. Set in a fantastical steampunk world, Black Gold is a mish-mash of colorful fantasy elements and grunge-ridden steampunk inventions, as we found in our hands-on with the game earlier today. Each faction within Black Gold (fantasy or steam faction) has three races of its own. The steam faction holds humans, dwarves, and vampires (what steampunk MMO would be without vampires?), and on the fantasy side you'll find more humans, a cat-like race, and a shape-shifting barbarian race. It might be a little limited in race selection, but maybe character creation will be just as interesting for the players as it is in Age of Wushu.
E3 2013: Hands-on with steampunkish Black Gold
The folks over at Snail Games had several computers set up at E3 this year to allow the press to play their next MMO, Black Gold. The concept is simple but relatively uncommon: steampunk vs. fantasy. I guess you can say RIFT tried its hand at the trope with its Defiants and Guardians showdown, but it wasn't taken to such an extreme. Black Gold is more like Aztec elves with magic powers vs. an apocalyptic survivalist society that's living off of steam power even though they have telephone poles. While the game has some really cool art and concepts, the pre-beta demo I got to try was sadly lacking in options. I spent about 20 minutes in the morning trying an Isenhorst human with a rifle, then spent the last hour of E3 day one with still more BG.%Gallery-191249%
It's a steampunk dwarf on the new Black Gold website
Steam will rise, boundaries will fall, at least according to the newly minted Black Gold Online website. In case you couldn't tell from the tagline and the massive monocle-sporting dwarf on the header, Black Gold is a new steampunk MMO. It's brought to you by Snail, best known in the west as the publisher of martial arts sandbox Age of Wushu. The site boasts a couple of video clips, a few screenshots, and some very basic information about the game's open world. Currently the race/class and story sections of the site feature "coming soon" placeholders, but we expect to learn quite a bit more about the title during our demo at E3 this week. [Thanks Paul!]
Snail Games to show off Black Gold, Age of Wushu expansion at E3
Snail Games has a busy lineup in store for next month's E3. The studio will use the expo for several reveals, including a steampunk MMO, a dance-off MMO, and an expansion for Age of Wushu. The steampunk title is Black Gold, which is set in a fantasy universe where industrial technology and magic are at war (yes, it has giant mechs vs. dragons). It will have six races and six classes, although the classes will also have subclasses to allow for interesting combinations. Black Gold is set to begin closed beta testing tomorrow in China and Taiwan. Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua promises to deliver new content starting in July, although Snail Games has yet to go into specifics as to what that content might be. The dance MMO is called Music Soul and features nine game modes that pit boogieing players against each other. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Black Gold Online features 300 square kilometers to explore, dynamic events, and more
Snail Games may be best known for Age of Wushu, but that may change later this year as the company's Black Gold Online makes it way west. The steampunk fantasy title recently received a website update and a feature listing in its native China, and MMO Culture has translated the details. Those details include 300 square kilometers of explorable landmass, two factions, six races, and 18 classes. The game will also feature dynamic events of some sort, as well as faction wars and cross-server PvP. Action combat is on the menu, too, as are a variety of mounts including "mecha suits," anti-air tanks, flying dragons, and more. We've embedded a six-minute gameplay trailer from late last year just past the break.
Snail to show off Black Gold steampunk MMO at E3
We've written about Black Gold Online in the past, but the upcoming MMO is decidedly more interesting on the heels of publisher Snail Games' successful Age of Wushu launch. The company will show off its Wushu follow-up at E3 2013. A new post on the firm's website says that players can look forward to 3000-plus dynamic events as well as "actions that can change the game world itself." Avatars can "change forms" in combat and and "drive giant armors," all while exploring a unique world blended from sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk elements. Would you like to know more? There's a fresh trailer just after the break.
New Black Gold trailer features fly-through footage, combat, and more
Every six months or so, Snail Games reminds us that it's working on a curious steampunk MMORPG called Black Gold Online (not to be confused with Black Desert from Pearl Abyss). MMO Culture reports on a new trailer featuring the game's Chinese client which features plenty of fly-through footage, combat action, and a brief glimpse at the character creation interface. The game has been announced for territories including China, Russia, and North America, but thus far no beta phase has materialized. Check out the three-minute gameplay clip after the cut.
Black Gold Online reveals debut trailer
It's been almost half a year since we last heard from Snail Games' in-development steampunk MMO, Black Gold Online, but if you've been holding out for some more steamy, punky goodness, then you're in luck. The studio has finally released the game's debut trailer, which takes players into the heart of the major conflict of the Black Gold world. For the uninitiated, the game ultimately boils down to nature vs. technology, which is represented by an ongoing war between two as-of-yet unnamed factions. On one side of the battle, we have the Nature-Loving-Hippie faction (composed of the bear-like brutes, the feline kosh, and plain ol' humans), and opposing it is the Nature-Hating-Industrialist faction (made up of dwarves, vampires, and steam humans, whatever that means). The object of their war is control of a rare resource known as black gold (no, not that black gold), which is capable of granting great power to those who possess it. That's about all we know for now, though, so while we wait for new information to pop up, busy yourself by checking out the video after the cut.
Black Gold Online alpha footage released
A good steampunk MMO is sort of a holy grail for some of us Massively folk, so we're excited to bring you the news of another one in the works. Black Gold Online is the title in question, and it's currently being developed by Snail Games. If that name doesn't ring a bell, consider that the firm is behind the upcoming Age of Wulin Wushu free-to-play martial arts MMO. According to MMO Culture, Black Gold will pit two rival factions against one another in a struggle for control of a world divided between nature lovers and technologists. We don't know a whole lot of gameplay details yet, but we'll keep our eye on this one. Don't forget to check out the Russian server alpha footage after the cut.
Nikon's ritzy D60 Black Gold edition DSLR seen in the wild
We've seen Pentax put the Midas touch on a few of its DSLRs before, but Nikon? In a rare effort to draw attention to its D60, the outfit has evidently unveiled a "Black Gold" edition which merely adds a few niceties in the way of revamped trim. In other words, you'll see no upgrades on the camera that aren't cosmetic, and unless you're really into that gilded look, you may not even appreciate the Gold Edition strap, logo'd box, gold shutter button / strap lugs and the shiny new D60 badge. Is $50 too much to ask for those puny tweaks? Answer with your wallet, please.[Thanks, Bo]
