nhn-games
Latest
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?
Soul of the Ultimate Nation heading back to Webzen
First we heard that NHN, running under ijji.com, would be transferring control of Huxley back to its developer Webzen here in North America. Now, news has reached us that NHN has decided to follow suit with the other Webzen game ijji.com has held for the last year -- Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Thankfully, those who are a part of the world of SUN need not fear: Plans are underway to make sure that all active characters are transferred smoothly between hosts. (Those of you who tasted the banhammer are SOL, even on the new host.) The cash shop in Soul of the Ultimate Nation is already closed; character transfers are already open and will continue until January 21st, 2011. For those who have already set themselves up to make the jump, Webzen's SUN servers will be online as of December 15th, ready to welcome veterans and new players alike. If you choose to opt out of the transfer altogether, ijji.com is offering a pro-rated refund of cash shop items that your character may have had before the 22nd of November. For more details, check out the detailed FAQ on the ijji.com site.
Archlord to transition from Codemasters to Webzen
Codemasters, while best known for running Lord of the Rings Online in Europe, was never a one-trick pony. While many people have been adventuring through Middle Earth, a brave few gamers were still calling the realm of Chantra, the continent of the archlord, their home. Sadly, however, all things must come to an end as Codemasters will be shutting down their service for Archlord.However, this is not a game sunset, but a game transition. Codemasters has failed to come to an agreement with NHN, the Korean developers of the game, to continue their service. NHN has transferred operation over to Webzen instead of Codemasters. If the images of Huxley and Soul of the Ultimate Nation just popped into your head, then you have indeed remembered the correct Webzen.This transition will move all character data over to Webzen's servers, making Webzen the go-to spot for almost everything Archlord related. What hasn't yet been confirmed is if item data will be transported with the characters as well.Archlord has shut down new account creation until October 2nd, when everything will be transferred over to Webzen. For the full details of the transfer, or if you want to make a new account, check out Webzen for all of the gritty details.[Thanks, Adam and Doran!]
Karos Online opens signup for closed EU beta
NHN have announced the start of signups for the closed European beta of their fantasy game Karos Online. While the beta is due to start later this month, the company has already opened a forum to enable discussion about the game. Set in the world of Asmara, the player takes the role of a hero who trying to become the legendary Karos warrior. Anyone interested in signing up, should head over to the official site. The closed beta will also see NHN announce more detailed information about the game, specifically its dual dungeon system. One is an 'event dungeon' which is limited to five players and sees the dungeon itself adapt to decisions made in combat. The second is a 'maze dungeon' which allow unlimited parties but is far from static. NHN says that the walls will move and shift round, disorientating players as they move further into the dungeon. As players level, these dungeons will become progressively more complex and include boss fights. The English version is due to be launched in Autumn 2009 with German and Turkish versions to follow.
