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Black Desert rolls into open beta on December 17th
We still don't know hard details on when Black Desert will be coming to the US, but it's not going to happen before the game launches in its native Korea. The game is entering open beta testing in Korea on December 17th, so it means we're that much closer to any launch date information. It will be free-to-play with a cash shop, and it appears to be launching with just four playable gender-locked classes; adding additional classes this late in testing seems unlikely. Steparu also has a preview of suspected cash shop items, which include cosmetic armor sets, dyes, skill point reset items for both players and their mounts, and similar fare. It's about what you would expect, in other words. You can get a sense of the game by checking out the trailer just past the break, showing off some of the variety in the character creator as well as the game's fast-paced combat.
Lost Continent: Why so impatient with ArcheAge?
It's kinda silly, but I feel like giving up on ArcheAge. It's silly because the game launched in mid-September and we're currently in November. The fantasy sandpark does have more than it's share of problems, but logically I know that it's way, way too early to start piling dirt on its imaginary corpse. That said, there are so many MMOs clamoring for my attention nowadays that the idea of being patient with one of them is almost laughable. I'm not alone here, either, as many gamers I know look for the first available reason to leave an MMO and cross it off their to-do list, simply because they're wired to complete tasks and the ginormous glut of games long ago passed the point of overwhelming.
Bless Online offers combat peek in latest trailer
Bless Online's second closed beta is coming up soon, with testing beginning on December 16th and going on until the 22nd. But hopeful testers don't have to wait until then to get a glimpse of the game's combat; Neowiz has released a brief combat trailer that shows off various fighting styles and their accompanying skills. Unlike the official trailer, this one is filled with in-game footage, complete with a peek at the UI. Check out a bow, sword and board, mace, and two-handed axe in action in the video below.
Black Desert posts new screenshots ahead of open beta
The Korean open beta for upcoming sandbox Black Desert arrives next month, and Daum has refreshed the game's website with a ton of new screenshots. They've got lady archers wearing garters, a knight with spiked hair, a castle siege, a leprechaun with a basket of herbs, a strangely sweaty ranger, a butt shot of a girl, a butt shot of a pack horse, sunsets, fishing, and murder -- so it's pretty much everything you'd expect from a Korean sandbox MMORPG. Enjoy!
Civilization Online closed beta trailer features building, battles, and drumming
There's something about a good Civilization trailer that always makes me feel downright nostalgic, and I think that factor is the world music being sung. We've got another trailer in this grand tradition for you to watch today, this one from G-Star covering the upcoming Civilization Online. Civilization Online is currently in Korean closed beta, but from the looks of this video, it's coming along nicely. The trailer shows players working together to construct a bridge over a chasm, build cities, assemble armies, and engage on that most sacred of pre-fight rituals, happy drumming. Check it out after the break!
Master X Master MOBA getting a mobile version as well
It might just be the theme of this year's G-Star: online PC games announcing mobile versions. It's at least true for NCsoft's Master X Master, which should be coming some time after the MOBA's launch. Master X Master is NCsoft's first internally developed MOBA and is being planned for multiple platforms. The mega-publisher is utilizing cloud technology to create a global platform that will run Master X Master and other titles. We've got the new Master X Master G-Star trailer for you to check out after the break!
Bless Online reveals a new trailer for its second beta
The second beta test for Bless Online is coming next month, and the game is currently looking for more testers. Before you throw your hat into the ring, however, keep in mind that testers need to have both a Korean PMANG account and the ability to confirm their signup with a Korean cell phone. The goal here, if you haven't grasped it yet, is to have people from Korea testing the game. But you don't have to be in Korea to see the game's latest trailer. The trailer follows the format the game's prior trailers have established, looking gorgeous without saying a great deal beyond "two groups of people are fighting and some of them die in the process." It is very pretty, though. Jump on past the break if you'd like to see for yourself.
Black Desert's Korean launch lands in December
A new announcement on the official Black Desert website confirms that the sandbox MMO will launch before the end of the year. Beta is expected to launch in the next few weeks. That's the Korean beta, of course. No details on a western launch have been given. Last summer, we learned that Daum would be publishing the game in the west. We've embedded the G-Star 2014 Black Desert trailer and all of the new screenshots -- there's a ton, and they're gorgeous -- below.
Lost Continent: Lucking into a breezy ArcheAge bungalow
My ArcheAge avatar is pretty fortunate. Last Friday night he became the proud owner of a breezy bungalow, which is that big bamboo marine house that you've probably seen in screenshots, videos, and the like. The bungalow's blueprint costs a whopping 300 gilda stars -- i.e., no small amount for a guildless guy like me who mostly duos his way through Haranya. I'd managed to save 250 of the character-bound gilda by doing various dailies over the past several weeks, but I had a few days to go before I'd finally be able to afford the plans. How did I come up with the balance ahead of schedule, not to mention the boat load of materials required to actually build the house? That's an interesting story, and it's another example of how ArcheAge's mechanics are a necessary breath of fresh air in a stale genre.
Lineage Eternal will be playable at G-Star 2014
NCsoft today announced that Lineage Eternal, first revealed back in 2011, will be playable at this year's G-Star con in Busan, South Korea. The third entry in the outrageously popular Lineage series was originally scheduled to head into closed beta this winter and seems to share more in common with Lineage 1 thanks to its isometric view and heavy focus on guild warfare. MMO Culture reports that NCsoft MMO Project HON will likewise be playable and that the company plans to announce a "mystery game" a few days before the con opens on November 20th. We've included the G-Star teaser vid below; it includes quick flashes of Lineage, Lineage II, Aion, and Blade & Soul too.
Lost Continent: It's getting harder to like ArcheAge
ArcheAge fandom is hard. It was initially hard because of the waiting. Consider that we've known of the game's existence since 2010 and that some of us have been playing it in various incarnations since 2011, which is a full three years -- and dozens of gameplay changes -- prior to its official North American launch. Now that we're past said launch, the difficulty has shifted to watching Trion (or is it XLGAMES?) do its best to destroy a promising title via a series of clownshoes decisions.
Samsung brings Korea's elderly a new flip-phone with dual screens
Samsung's Master range of flip-phones for the elderly only launched in May, and already the company is ready with a follow-up. The new Master Dual's biggest new feature is, unsurprisingly, the addition of a 2.2-inch display above the clamshell that complements the 3-incher that's tucked inside. In every other respect, we're looking at a pretty basic device, with a 3-megapixel primary camera, GPS and 2G radios. On the upside, it does have a peace-of-mind feature if you're concerned about your folks, since the phone will alert relatives if it hasn't been used in a set period of time. If you're in Korea and have 300,300 won in your back pocket (around $280) then you can grab one of these from your local branch of SK Telecom.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S now packs speedy LTE-Advanced data
Samsung isn't saving extra-quick mobile data for its smartphones. The company has unveiled a version of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 with 225Mbps LTE-Advanced inside, giving the tablet a very fast connection while away from WiFi. It's enough to grab 421 songs in a single minute, if you believe the official estimates. It's otherwise the same Android slate you've seen before, although that's not a bad thing given the slim profile and super-vivid display. The catch? You'll likely have to move to get one. Samsung has only announced the upgraded Tab S for South Korea, where it will cost 799,700 won ($743). Given that other countries haven't hopped on the LTE-A bandwagon yet, you could be waiting a while before this device (or more likely, one of its sequels) comes your way.
Watch two hours of Civilization Online unfold
Unless you're in Korea, you don't have much of a chance of getting into the Civilization Online beta test, but at least you can enjoy it vicariously! A beta tester posted over two hours of in-game footage of this MMO strategy hybrid. The video covers a wide gamut from the introductory tutorial to horseback riding to building to sieges. There are also plenty of exciting menus and map screens for you to brush up on your Korean as well! Even without knowing the language, one can get a pretty good handle on how Civ Online looks and plays. The advance peek starts after the break.
Lost Continent: This is how you go off the rails in ArcheAge
Are you an ArcheAge tire-kicker who's wondering how to go "off the rails" and trade the game's questpark level grind for some of that downhome sandbox flavor? I'm here to tell you that it's as easy as deciding that you really want to do it. There's no magic button or pre-scripted path, though, because the game is sorta sandboxy.
LG nails the coffin down on plasma TVs
It won't be long before you won't need to auction a lung off in order to buy a 4K OLED TV, which means there's even less reason to buy a plasma than ever before. That's why LG has finally joined Samsung and Panasonic in taking the outdated business out back, shotgun in hand. According to Reuters, the company has quietly told local regulators that the plasma TV lines will cease production towards the end of November, leaving China's Changhong Electric Co. as the last manufacturer in town. Still, we'd certainly expect the price of plasmas to slip downward as the technology heads towards the exit door, so perhaps this holiday season is the ideal time to pick up a bargain.
Go behind the scenes on a Bless cinematic
Remember Bless? It's been a while since we've heard from the Korean fantasy import, but today we learned of a new video that takes you behind the scenes for the making of a cinematic as well as a 1,000-player focus group test slated for the Korean market on November 6th. MMO Culture reports that Bless features "an epic storyline and conflicts between various factions and races which will lead to massive PvP battles." You can view the trailer after the cut.
Graphene circuits double as high-tech temporary tattoos
Someday, you might be able to stick a temporary tattoo on your skin that's wired to light up or act as a display -- one that's made out of hybrid graphene. If you regularly read Engadget, then you're most likely familiar with graphene: It's that ultra-thin miracle material companies and researchers are using to develop tough and flexible experimental devices these days. The hybrid graphene structures used to make these electronic tattoos, however, are lot more stretchable and transparent, so they continue to work even if you fold them or pull them taut. In addition to acting as a tattoo for purely aesthetic purposes, this material developed by Korean scientists from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) have other possible applications. It can also be used as a biosensor to monitor people's health or to make flexible displays and circuits.
Lost Continent: Living a fisherman's life in ArcheAge
Fifteen years ago, I was floundering around southern Florida in a rudderless post-graduation haze. I rented this dinky apartment across US1 from the University of Miami, and my summers were equally divided between a series of forgettable jobs and a series of lengthy fishing excursions around the Keys and out into the Atlantic. The fishing was basically something to do; I didn't dislike it, but neither did I wake up thinking wow, I can't wait to get that gooey chum all over my shorts and bake in the sun for 10 hours. Now, in an odd but enjoyable art-imitating-life moment, I'm revisiting the experience in ArcheAge.
Samsung White wins League 2014 World Championship
Korean pro-gaming team Samsung Galaxy White has taken home the championship title and $1 million prize from the 2014 League of Legends World Championship, developer Riot Games announced today. The team went 3-1 against Chinese team Star Horn Royal Club, dominating their rivals in the first two matches, faltering on the third, and finally sealing the tournament on the fourth. Samsung White's Mata, who functions as the team's support role, won the title of 2014 World Championship MVP, finishing the tournament with 18 kills, 27 deaths and 253 assists. Samsung White lost only two games throughout the entire 2014 tournament, one less than 2013 champions SK Telecom T1. This is the second year in a row that Star Horn Royal Club has taken runner-up. Last year's World Championship totaled 32 million viewers, the highest number in eSports recorded history. Riot has not yet released the numbers for the 2014 World Championship. [Image: Riot Games]
