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Perfect World is back to the Kung Foo! dojo
Back in February (yes, we know it's hard to remember that far back) Perfect World Entertainment announced that it was pulling the highly anticipated martial-arts MMO Kung Foo! out of beta. The game's developers believed the game needed some rehabilitation to recover from some devastating injuries inflicted by the opinions of the beta testers. Today, the game zen masters have announced the free-to-play RPG has re-centered its qi and is now known as Legend of Martial Arts. The game now features an all-new look and feel, not to mention a variety of new quests and content. LOMA is also pleased to announce a new race called the Reavers, who, of course, have a brand new starting zone. Closed beta for the new design starts on November 24th. Each player who who helped out in the Kung Foo! beta will receive not only an automagic invitation to the closed beta but also a Gold Prize -- an item that grants one day of double XP -- for his or her first character created in open beta. For more detail check out the official Legend of Martial Arts website.
Kung Foo! Announces Closed Beta Reboot
Kung Foo!, the much talked about free-to-play MMO from Perfect World Entertainment, has been moving through the beta phases, and now they are ready to announce: no Foo for you! While it won't be one year, rather than move forward when they feel the game isn't ready to do so, they've opted to "reboot" the closed beta phase of the game later this year with better localization and a new expansion. While it's a bit of a disappointment by fans who are more than ready for launch, keep in mind that a rushed game full of problems is often more frustrating in the long run than a delayed game that has had most of the wrinkles ironed out. The closed beta servers will come down Tuesday, February 16th, and the Kung Foo! team will begin working to implement player feedback and preparing for the reboot to come, and they intend to go out with a bang -- take a look at the full announcement here.
Kung Foo! offers up new trailer and beta
As if a world promised to be "100% rat-free" wasn't enough to make you want to visit this strange new land, the folks at Perfect World Entertainment have released a shiny new trailer very much in the keeping of Kung Foo! This new commercial video shows off all manner of crazy things that you can look forward to when stepping into the world of Foo. That's right -- it's just chock full of Foo, and all for you! If you haven't taken the time to find out more about Kung Foo!, then be sure to check out the trailer after the break. With the recent death of Dungeon Runners, we're really glad to see another light-hearted MMO that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Kung Foo! closed beta event
If you've been involved in a beta over the last several weeks and haven't been boldly going where no gender-neutral-pronoun has gone before, you've probably been taking a look at Kung Foo!. Statistically speaking. Maybe you're in on the Hello Kitty Online: Rise of Cthulhu beta testing, we're not sure. Anyway. If you have been testing Kung Foo! recently, you'll be familiar with the volume and intensity of events that the community team has been organizing to keep the beta tests as engaging as possible. In preparation for Closed Beta 2 next week, they've announced another testing event... and the rewards are cold, hard cash. Well, cold, hard, item-mall cash. Which is still a nice freebie. The servers will go live for Closed Beta 2 on January 26th, 4 PM PST (7 PM for those of us running on EST), and the event will start an hour later at 5 PM PST on Realm 4. The official blog for Perfect World Entertainment will update this blog entry with a screenshot hinting at where the GM is hiding. Be the first to find him, and you win $50 worth of Zen currency. Easy money, isn't it? And a perfect way to get more excited about the game's launch when testing starts.
Perfect World Entertainment announces Battle of the Immortals
Perfect World Entertainment is working overtime. Not content with their current stable of games or the positive press that's been getting drummed up for their upcoming comedy game, Kung Foo!, they've just announced a new addition to their lineup. The official developer blog for the company announced that Battle of the Immortals is on its way, complete with a number of screenshots of characters decked out to the nines in epic armor. So, what will the game actually play like? Well... that's an excellent question, one that the announcement largely sidesteps altogether. We know that the game is being developed by Perfect World Entertainment's Shanghai studio instead of their more conventional Beijing studio, and that it's supposed to play very differently than their eponymous flagship title. However, no actual gameplay elements are discussed beyond a statement that implies the game may well have a strong PvP focus, and the frequently restated factor that the game promises to be high-energy. On the flip side, the screenshots look excellent (unless you really don't care for the more exaggerated Eastern aesthetic) and PWE certainly has a solid track record for its free-to-play games.
Kung Foo! events and activities for final week of CBT
The Kung Foo! closed beta test is wrapping up soon (it ends January 20th), and Perfect World International are planning to finish with a series of fun community events to thank those who logged in to help out. Since the servers will be wiped before open beta, why not throw some cash around, right? Players will be receiving Foo Funds upon logging in after the latest maintenance period, so they can hit the mall and gear up for the events. The first event is a fashion party, a chance to be a little silly and show off some of your new costumes from the mall, not to mention meet some of your fellow closed beta testers. Friday will be a bit startling if you're unprepared, because monsters will be appearing ... somewhere. Where and when is a bit of a mystery, so be ready. (Maybe smack them with your teddy bear backpack.) Finally, while it's true that the servers will be wiped after the 20th, closed beta testers will get a few gifts to carry over into open beta. Everyone will receive a Lolligator transformation tonic that lasts 30 days after its first use, and anyone reaching level 40 will get a Sweet Wolf pet. So enjoy the last week of closed beta, and get ready for the crowds coming in open beta!
Foo for you: We have Kung Foo closed beta keys
Remember last week, when we persuaded you to be a hero by tweeting some Kung Foo puns that could make the baby Jesus cry? Well good news, Massively.com readers! Our bribery with Muse tickets has paid off! By the powers invested in us by Jason Varden and the rest of the Perfect World Entertainment team, we declare you all to be heroes just for reading our site! Huzzah! So what does getting to be a hero get you? Well it gets you one of 4,000 closed beta keys for Kung Foo, the only MMO not afraid to make fun of itself (and your sister.) All you have to do to claim your key is follow this link to our key site, press the button to get a key, and voila! A key will be delivered to your eyeballs, where it must be taken to the Perfect World closed beta key site for activation. Log in with your Perfect World account, stick in your key, and you'll be fooing it up in no time flat. Massively.com and Kung Foo. Making you a hero every step of the way (while simultaneously making fun of your sister.)
Kung Foo! creators talk about all things Foo
Kung Foo!, the snarky new offering from Perfect World International, went into closed beta yesterday. At first glance, the free-to-play game is yet another clunky, anime-styled fantasy game full of ancient Chinese cliches, so what makes this one so different? Product Manager Craig Beers and Guest Writer Devin Grayson spent some time discussing this with MMORPG.com, but if you've seen the trailer, you already know the answer: Kung Foo! takes everything you recognize as standard-issue for most MMOs and satirizes it. "You name it, we make fun of it," Grayson says. For longtime MMO players, the game promises to be a fun twist on the same old tank-healer-nuker-fight-the-monster-and-move-on style that we've all grown used to. The interview gives a look at the thought processes behind the creation of Kung Foo!, and a few hints on what you can expect from the game. Take a look at the full interview here.
Don't be a foo, tweet to be a hero (and get closed beta keys for Kung Foo!)
Do you want to be a cool hero? As cool of a hero as the guy in the picture above? Or, even better, do you want to be cooler and more heroic than that guy? Yeah, we know you do. Well, you have two options. One of those options involves investing more money in rhinestones than the dude above, which is close to impossible. The other option, the more feasible option, if you ask us, is to get a hold of your tweety page and try to get the attention of Perfect World Entertainment's Kung Foo! twitter account. You know, the MMO that puts the FU in FUN? (We can't take the credit for that one. That was all Perfect World.) What the staff from the new kung-fu parody game is looking for are catchy one-liners/puns involving the #FOO hashtag. You know, things like "Give me #FOO or give me death" (not that funny) or "Get #FOO or get out!" (more funny.) Get their attention with an awesome one-liner, and you get to be a hero! Totally better than that guy! And if you're a hero, then you're totally heroic enough to deserve a closed beta key for Kung Foo! It's like a two-for-one deal! Or, hey, you could always go over and register for the Kung Foo! closed beta like a mundaneinite. We'd do that, but we've been told if we pass some Muse tickets to Perfect World's Jason Varden, we get to skip the closed beta scrutiny line. So excuse us, suckahs, we're skippin' 'da line!
Perfect World Entertainment asks you to "find the hero in foo" with upcoming MMO
Perfect World Entertainment has announced an upcoming free-to-play MMO, and it looks to be crafted by a team with a delightful sense of humor. (This is almost certainly thanks in part to guest writer Devin Grayson) Kung Foo! describes itself as "a fun MMO that parodies everything from Kung-Fu movies to game shows." and urges you to "embrace the foo in you." We'll skip the "I pity the foo" jokes and just say that this game does not look like your standard hastily-churned-out, manga-style free-to-play MMO. With promises of things like "needy and ungrateful NPCs by the truck load" and "100% rat reduction in lowbie zones," Kung Foo! seems to offer a game that offers all of the standard MMO fare with a humorous twist. Whether it be PvP, mounts, crafting, pets, or extensive character customization, Kung Foo! seems to have covered all the bases at first glance. Take a look at the teaser trailer after the jump and see if you agree that Kung Foo! is worth a look.
