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Zu Online: The Blood Demon's Assault coming December 27th
Expansions are no fun with just one or two new features, which is why Zu Online is bringing a dozen of them to bear with its new update. On December 27th, this martial arts MMO is planning to launch The Blood Demon's Assault, and Zu Online players will have their hands full. The Blood Demon is a big bad who was slain in battle but lives on as a malevolent spirit. In an attempt to return and rule over the three worlds of the game (physical, celestial and ghostdom), the Blood Demon has ordered his troops to conquer the vital Hexad Region. Fortunately, the good guys got wise to his plan and are marshaling their own armies to forestall his return. Blood Demon's Assault includes new instances and systems for players to master, although IGG has even more planned than the company is telling. The update has been in testing for months now and should prove to be a nice belated Christmas gift for the community.
Free for All: Why I play free-to-play
I hid in waiting under a soggy sheet of cardboard for the past three days with stale Cheetos as my only nourishment. I had but a single target, who finally exited his house with bleached skin, a red fuzzy head and blurry eyes. As he stood at his front door trying to shoo away the sun like a vampire, I made my move. At last, I thought, Beau's spirit hood will be mine. By the time I was well into a Keanu Reeves-style flying scissor-kick, I realized an important tactical error. It wasn't the horror-filled eyes of a man who had spent too much time indoors staring at a computer screen that I was looking into, but the fierce come-get-some eyes of a teenager with spiky, dyed hair who was practicing his karate moves. Had I thought beyond simply looking cool as I made my attack, I would have realized I spent every ounce of energy I had to pull off the insane leap-kick that actually looked more like what you'd expect: a tired, wet, dirty, malnourished geek hop-skipping and shouting gibberish through a yard with a piece of cardboard stuck to his back. The three-day diet of stale Cheetos did not give me enough fuel to defend myself from the brutal pummeling that the pint-sized Bruce Lee gave me. It turns out Beau lived in the house next door. He had seen my wild display and subsequent beating, so he came out to help me. He invited me into his house to let me clean myself up, extolled the dangers of trying to live out movie fantasies, and offered to let me write his column for a week. It wasn't a spirit hood, but it was a very nice gesture. The dog-shaped cookies were a nice gift too, although I don't know why he snickered every time I ate one. No. The above tale really didn't happen, but Beau is letting me write his column today so I can tell you why I love to play free-to-play MMOs.
Zu Online adds PvP arenas to the mix
Free-to-play MMO Zu Online is finally jumping onboard with PvP arenas, releasing information on "Soulfight Altar" and how the new area will affect PvP.Overall, Soulfight Altar will be removing many of the items that has made Zu Online's PvP experience into an unbalanced mess. Some epic level equipment will be getting a resistance decrease while teleportation tablets will have absolutely no effect in Soulfight Altar, denying losing players the ability to quickly flee.Scattered throughout the zone will be limited time power boosts as well, such as invisbility and regeneration pickups, allowing the tide of battle to be turned by the appearance of a single boost.Fighting in Soulfight Altar will award new soulfight points, letting successful players grab a variety of equipment, including epic level armor sets.
The Daily Grind: Do you like cel-shaded MMO graphics?
From the simplistic to the detailed, we've seen more and more MMOs with cel-shaded art entering the market in the last while. Dream of Mirror Online, Zu Online and FusionFall have all launched already and are using a slightly less demanding variant. Champions Online will be coming out later this year and seems to be using a more detailed version versus the others out there. Some people really enjoy cel-shaded animation, preferring the animated cartoon look it gives. Others can't stand it because it means you can often lose certain physical elements due to poor shading, so your avatar winds up looking more 2-d than 3-d. (Sometimes referred to as 'losing your nose' when looking at a head-on view of your avatar facing into the light and the nose disappears due to no shadowing.) Of course, realizing this is ultimately a matter of personal taste - we wanted to ask. Do you like cel-shaded graphics in MMOs? Is it a fresh, fun way to see a new world? Perhaps you like the idea, but think the execution needs work. Does the 'losing your nose' thing drive you bonkers? Or do cel-shaded MMO graphics just not do it for you at all?
Zu Online gets a new look, new server
IGG has just launched a new website for Zu Online, their cel-shaded martial arts MMO. The revamped site features an animated video introduction to the storyline with comic book panel transitions, fitting the anime style of the game itself. The free-to-play game is set in an ancient and mythical Sichuan and has an active community, perhaps even moreso in light of the situation facing its real-life locale.Hot on the heels of the site revamp is Zu Online's new server launch, slated for June 6th. The new server coincides with the game's second anniversary. IGG announced that this new server is needed to accommodate the growing population of Zu Online, as well as to improve the game experience for fans of the title. Via MMORPG
Zu Online community mourns earthquake victims
As most people have heard by now, a massive earthquake struck the Sichuan province of China four days ago, killing 12,000 people and leaving as many as 18,000 more missing. The colossal tragedy shocked not only the Chinese, but all the people of the world.Players of the Chinese MMO Zu Online were no exception. Without any prior planning, they collected together in the game's wuxia fantasy setting -- the mythic past of the the very region struck by this week's terrible disaster -- to mourn those lost in the earthquake, and to pray for their families.A Zu player put together a tribute video, cross-cutting between footage from the in-game memorial service and photographs from the media coverage of the disaster, and posted it on the game's official forums. It's a noble tribute to the deceased. Watch it if you feel compelled.[Via MMORPG]
First Impressions: Zu Online
Do you like anime? Do you crave Kung-fu? Do you salivate over anything with "Naruto" in the title? If so, Zu Online might be a game for you. Zu Online is the latest free-to-play game to come from the Internet Gaming Gate (IGG), a prolific MMOG developer. It seems this crew launches a new MMO every month. What does that mean for the masses of players out there? Well ... good and bad news. I decided to take a little tour of Zu Online by giving it a few hours of my time. What I found might surprise you.
IGG receives $4.5 mill in investment capital
Internet Gaming Gate (IGG to its friends), who you may recognize as the company behind such free to play MMOs as Myth War Online, Zu Online, and Tales of Pirates, has announced that they have received a new chunk of funding to the tune of $4.5 million USD from an investment capital firm to expand their operations. Having only launched in 2006, IGG has already put out an impressive number of titles and boasts a user base of over 3.5 million. If we had any doubts about the efficacy of the free MMO business model, this vote of confidence has to quell those doubts at least a little.The funding was provided by IDG Technology Venture Investments, a subsidiary of the International Data Group, a body whose primary goal is to link Silicon Valley to the burgeoning Chinese technology market through the use of venture capital.
Open beta for Zu Online starts tonight
If you're looking for a game with a Chinese-wuxia-esque twist, you'll be interested to know that Zu Online will enter its open beta testing phase this evening at 8:00 PM EST. Poke around the official website for the client download (which can even be acquired via BitTorrent, if that's your sort of thing!) and for instructions for the actual launch when it comes. All the old alpha accounts are getting wiped just prior to the beginning of the new phase, so the servers will be a level playing field for new players. If you're not familiar with the game: it's a Kung Fu MMO which features player flight and group-oriented story quests as major selling points. It also has a really neat, stylized cell-shaded look -- something that when you think about it seems like a really good match for the genre.Animated, story-driven Wire Fu -- how can you possibly go wrong with that?
Zu Online showcases the Holy City
With the alpha closed and lips zipped on IGG's Zu Online, the developers have released some info on one of the major focal points in the game, the Holy City. I think it's important that game makers give the public information like this, teasers if you will, about what they can expect in the game. Without these tantalizing morsels, how can we build anticipation for their product?The Holy City is comprised of two main sections that seem to be divided geographically. Because the city is so massive, there are several Ride Guardians stationed throughout the city that will let you travel from place to place with speed and style. Judging from how pretty the map is, I can imagine this city will be breathtaking.
Zu Online end of alpha
Development is chugging along for Onwind Digital's newest MMO offering, Zu Online. They recently closed their alpha testing to make way for bigger and better things. The players, it seems, are having a ball playing the game, and let the developers know that they particularly enjoy the game's unique storylines and responsive controls. Now that they have concluded their end of alpha event, "A Happy Ending to Alpha," we will eagerly await news about what is next to come from this beautiful MMO.
Zu Online alpha test goes live with 'big rewards'
Zu Online, a new, free fantasy MMO being developed by Onwind Digital and brought to the 'states by IGG, has entered its alpha test. Sporting a unique and surprisingly stylistic hand-drawn style, Zu is heavily-steeped in Chinese mythology, shirking the typical elves and orcs fare for a focus on Buddhist monastic tradition.Their website, which is curiously hard to navigate and chock full of good old fashioned engrish, claims that "hundreds of thousands" of people applied to be part of the alpha, and only five hundred made it in. Those lucky few will get an added treat from Onwind and crew this weekend, as all alpha testers will receive a princely 30 gold!And hey, for a free game, it sure is pretty. If they work on localization a little bit more, Zu Online could very well be a hit . We'll see.
