Ntreev USA has recently announced that it would bring Grand Chase to the iPhone with Grand Chase Lite. The free iPhone app, developed by San Diego-based Good Game Productions, is based on the free-to-play action brawler and is set to hit the App store later this month.

Grand Chase Lite

“This is the ideal game for players who enjoy fantasy stories and stat-driven role-playing games, and now they will have access to this type of fast-paced action in the palm of their hands,” said Chris Lee, chief executive officer of Ntreev USA. “Not only will our current players enjoy this mobile Grand Chase experience, but now iPhone gamers who may not have been familiar with the game before will also get a chance to experience this addictive, action-packed game.”

Here’s a breakdown of the features of Grand Chase Lite:

• The Grand Chase online experienced condensed into an exciting mobile adventure.
• Fantasy turn-based role-playing game that is 100 percent free-to-play.
• Choose from three different characters, each from a different class.
• Each character has 20 skills to unlock (once unlocked, players can set up their own combination of attacks).
• Thirty bosses to defeat: play on one star, two stars or three stars difficulty level (complete three stars to collect a special reward from each boss).
• Diverse selection of items per character with 92 unique items for each.
• Quick interactions—play for one minute or five.
• Captivating art design and graphics.

For more information about Grand Chase and Grand Chase Lite, make sure to visit the official Grand Chase North America website and the Good Game Producions website.

Post from: MMOtaku

In its latest announcement, Funcom says that the holiday offer for Age of Conan is unique. I, for one, have to agree. But wait! What exactly is this holiday offer and why does it say “Age of Conan Goes Free To Play … Sort Of” in the headline for this posting?

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer

Well, like Funcom, I’m not kidding either. The holiday offer for Age of Conan does revolve around giving new players the ability to play the game for free and forever, if they so choose. Of course, as in any business promo, there is a catch, and in the case of Funcom’s Age of Conan, there are two.

The first catch is that you need to download, register and start playing the game before January 1st, 2010. You think, “Yeah, cool. I can do that.” Yes, it’s pretty simple, I’m sure. And then the second catch latches onto your eyes like filmy, slimy gunk.

“Our original seven-day trial has been very successful so far … But with the holiday season coming up, this is the perfect time to shake up our trial offer a bit and try out something new,” says Morten Larssen, vice president of sales and marketing at Funcom.

By “something new,” Larssen means: “Everyone who downloads the trial before January 1st will be able to play the first part of the game for free, forever. We are confident that many of those taking advantage of this offer will choose to become permanent players, allowing them to experience all of what the game has to offer, including all the additions and improvements introduced since launch.”

So, yeah, you get to play Age of Conan for free, forever, but only up to the point that your character reaches Level 20. Oh, sure, you can create a new character and play that, but you still can’t move beyond Level 20, much less the Island of Tortage, where your supposed adventures begin.

It’s not as bad as some think. Hey, it isn’t every day that you get to play a subscription-based massively multiplayer online game for free.

To begin experiencing Age of Conan (at least up until your character reaches Level 20), go hie off to the Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures trial download page.

Post from: MMOtaku

“Many of our players are men and women are in the armed forces,” said Jessica Orr, marketing manager for Fallen Earth. “We appreciate the sacrifices they make and we are excited to extend this offer to them.”

The offer, which applies to all five branches of the United States military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard) started on December 8th, 2009, and will run indefinitely.

Currently, all military personnel, particularly those who are avid fans of MMOGs like Fallen Earth, are able to purchase the game through the Fallen Earth online store at a 20-percent discount. To receive the discount, however, one needs to use a .mil or military email address to verify their account.

As an incentive, Fallen Earth LLC is throwing in a Fallen Earth t-shirt for those who avail of the offer during the promo period.

Fallen Earth sentry: Calm under pressure

Here’s a little background for Fallen Earth for the benefit of those who still don’t have a clue as to what this post-apocalyptic MMOG is all about:

We know it started in Asia, somewhere in India or Pakistan. A bunch of locals came down with some sort of virus that killed just about everyone who came into contact with it. Unfortunately, during the early stages, the virus was highly contagious and the infection was all but undetectable, so it spread fast. The later stages of it caused some sort of muscle contractions that looked like dancing, which reminded someone of a multi-armed Hindu god, and so it got named the Shiva Virus. Despite all the technology and wealth available, people died by the thousands. Then the nukes started going off. Not sure who started it or how, but within a few days, a good chunk of Southern Asia was irradiated wasteland. A couple of invasions and some more nukes later, and the whole world pretty much got screwed.

For more information about the game, roll on over to the official Fallen Earth website or take a gander at previous MMOtaku postings on the game.

Post from: MMOtaku

Compared to the Hydra, the mount NDOORS Interactive introduced to Atlantica Online players last September that gave its owner an Attack Power boost of 340-440, a 140-point bonus to Strength and Dexterity, a 200-point increase in Vitality, and a cool 4,200-point hike in Defense, the APU ups the ante with the following stats:

APU: Minimum Level: 70, Attack Power: 350-450, Strength: +150, Dexterity: +150, Vitality: +210, Defense: 4500, Movement Speed Increase: +20 percent.

Powerful, yes, but the APU is so bulky that, personally, I’d have second thoughts about parading in a dungeon inside one. Just to give you an idea of how huge this monstrosity is, I took a screenshot of my character, Cooky, and her Armed Byzantine Elephant beside one:

Atlantica Online APU

Uncool.

If you still want to get one, though, hie off to the Atlantica Online item mall and grab the bauble called Machine Shrine’s Offering. This item mall box contains one of 18 item sets, including of course the APU.

I won’t go into much details of what these item sets are, as I have already detailed most in previous MMOtaku postings on Atlantica Online. Either view those or drop by the Atlantica Online homepage.

Of course, all items in Atlantica Online has a history, and the APU is no exception. Here’s a short background about the mount:

Machine Shrine’s Offering

As Da Vinci was rescued from the Goddess of the Machine Shrine, he emerged with a blueprint in hand. This blueprint detailed an ancient machine, created by an unknown race to battle the wild constructs of the Machine Shrine. Returned to his workshop, Da Vinci has recreated this powerful new weapon. He now offers you the APU, the latest mount to aid you in your quest for Atlantis.

Post from: MMOtaku

In a channeling agreement between Netgame and dme, players in Southeast Asia will be able to play on a brand new server through mobiusgames where they will all begin at the same level.

Hero Online from mobiusgames and Netgame

“As Hero Online has been available since 2006 in other countries outside of Southeast Asia, this will help in developing a strong community with new players who will be learning Hero Online at the same time,” the announcement story from Digital Media Exchange said.

Hero Online boasts five character classes that each have their own special skills and abilities:

The Master of Gunn – Gon, The Ruthless Blade. A contract killer, he is proficient in both long and short-ranged weapons such as the bow and sword. He excels in luring distant enemies close to kill them quickly. His combat abilities are average, but he can develop into a prominent force by hunting or taming animals or mining minerals.

Holy Oracle, The Elegant Mystic. Proficient with the Spear, Rod and Claws, she is excellent in close combat. She has the ability to learn medicine either to cure herself or others, or to attack using poison skills.

The Empress of Bo-Ta, The Piercing Eyes. The legendary sword artist of Bo-Ta Mountains, she mainly uses sword and has the ability to cloak herself. She can develop into a character that uses cloaked attacks or one that detects enemies that are cloaked.

Lord of Strengh, The Overseer of the Sky. He remains neutral in the ultimate war between Zuang and Shaopa. His life revolves only around martial arts. Swings only the Spear, Rod and Axe, he is the most powerful when it comes to combat abilities. Once developed, he can increase individual and group combat ratings.

Descendant of Hyun-Eum Tribe, Majestic Muse. She is the direct descendant and also the successor of the Hyun-Eum Tribe. She is usually a musician who travels around the world and visits taverns to play her instrument and sing. She has the ability to fight with instruments by loading the sound waves with energy to attack. Also, she is fluent with using dual swords. Her appearance is to reinforce and encourage defending heroes to withstand the impending doom.

Hero Online has one special feature that might pique the interest of die-hard fanatics of other MMORPGs: The Bounty System. Under this system, players are allowed to offer bounties for anyone willing and capable of taking down a targeted player.

Of course, Hero Online has its share of instance dungeons, cash shop, crafting system, and all of the usual fare that MMORPGs have to offer.

If you feel you have what it takes to be a hero, hie off to the official Hero Online website in Southeast Asia.

Post from: MMOtaku

According to Netgame, publisher of the game, Cloud Nine garnered a four-out-of-five score from players who participated in the open beta testing that began on November 25th, 2009.

“User reviews show that most players enjoy the unique monster card collection system where they are able to collect cards after defeating certain monsters,” said a press release from Digital Media Exchange, a global provider of online game services based in Southeast Asia.

Cloud Nine characters ham it up for the virtual camera

One cool feature that players are sure to be eager to try out is the unique transportation system in Cloud Nine that involves a cannon. A cannon? Yeah! To move to another location, your character hops into the barrel of a large cannon that catapults them long distances.

“Another feature that is unique from other MMORPGs is the Seven Sign Combo where if a party of seven is able to use seven unique skills, they are able to cast a very strong summoning system,” the statement added.

As to what they can summon, it’s better if you see and experience for yourself in-game.

Another bit of good news is the recent opening of the Cloud Nine cash shop, which adds a new dimension of gaming. All that is left is for the game to go commercial, and this is happening this December.

For more information about the game, hie off to the official Cloud Nine website or check out previous MMOtaku postings on Cloud Nine.

Post from: MMOtaku

So for the past hour, I’ve been scanning the entire patch notes and have found a number of interesting changes. Of course, the most obvious and much-awaited change to Atlantica Online is the introduction of the Druid mercenary, which I featured yesterday. However, I failed to discuss the Druid’s skills and how you can recruit him into your team.

Atlantica Online introduces the latest mercenary: The Druid

Well, as Atlantica Online’s first A-Class mercenary, the Druid is armed with undoubtedly powerful magic, including Forest Prison, which conjures up tress to surround an enemy and prevent them from attacking your formation. Think of it as the Viking’s Freezing Axe or Ice-Ridge Axe but with an extra turn of stun for the main target.

What intrigues me more is the Druid’s two other skills: Beast’s Soul and Enraged Beast’s Soul. The first one is a buff skill that increases the attack power of mercenaries in your formation. The enraged form of the skill, on the other hand, is a combo magic skill that further increases attack power once the Spartan skill War Cry is cast on your team. The effect is you may not hit as much, but when you do hit, you hit hard.

To recruit the Druid into your Atlantica Online team, you need to start the recruitment quest by talking with Raging Wind, an NPC in the new map, Coyote’s Valley. Of course, there are restrictions, among which is the Level 100 requirement.

What makes recruiting and upgrading a Druid much more difficult is the fact that some of the quest items you need to complete the recruitment quest can only be obtained from the Coyote’s Valley dungeon, a new dungeon designed for Squads. Oh, yeah, the Squad System is also new. Under the system, you can form a squad composed of several parties to tackle a dungeon.

In the first squad dungeon, Coyote’s Valley, nine players (5+1 formation, meaning five mercenaries plus one main character each) are allowed to enter. These players must be at least Level 100, although the recommended level to complete the dungeon is 120.

To enter the dungeon, you need a Chief’s Ivory Horn, which can be obtained by exchanging items with the NPC Merchant Mercurius at the Rome Bazaar.

For more information about Squads and Squad Dungeons, check out the complete Atlantica Online patch notes for December 9th, 2009.

Another notable change in the rules of Atlantica Online is the one on formation restrictions. Prior to this patch, you can only have one of each type of C-Class mercenaries in your formation. Thanks to the new patch, you may now retain up to two Beast Trainers, Oracles and Janissaries in the same formation. Talk about power!

There are also changes to the three main characters. Swordsmen will receive less physical damage during competitions, while Spearmen’s attack power in competitions have been increased. The attack power of bow mains, meanwhile, have also been increased (as if bow mains don’t already deal too much damage).

Post from: MMOtaku

The DC Universe Online Animation Contest is version 2.0 of the acclaimed Mass Animation Facebook application and is designed to give DC Comics fans a chance to animate heroes and villains from the DC Universe Online game, which is currently in development by Sony Online Entertainment.

“The DCUO/Mass Animation contest takes a part of the game out of the development studio and puts it in the hands of fans, an empowering opportunity for our community,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “Players will have a chance through qualified contest submissions to be involved with the game’s development at a deeper level than ever before by animation actions for in-game heroes and villains.”

DC Universe Online Animation Contest on Facebook

The DCUO/Mass Animation contest, launched on December 7th, 2009, comes at the heels of Mass Animation’s first project, Live Music, which attracted over 58,000 participants from 101 countries, from Kazakhstan to Colombia. If you take the time to visit the DC Universe Online Animation Contest Facebook page, you’ll see that it already has over 2,000 fans. Not bad for the second day.

All the tools that animators need to collaborate on the project, including the special edition of Autodesk Maya 3D Animation sofware, storyboards, designs and fully rigged 3D models will be provided to contest entrants and accessed through the Mass Animation application on the DCUO Facebook fan page. Participating animators will upload their contest submissions back to the application for viewing, voting and sharing with their friends. New to the contest this year will be the Mass Animation iPhone app, which gives people a new way to view and vote on submissions. Qualified contest winners will receive cash or other prizes.

“This new project really gives us the opportunity to expand Mass Animation into the online game sector, where gamers have already been creating in-game customized assets for some time,” said Yair Landau, founder of Mass Animation. “In 2.0, we are opening the animation process to traditional animators as well as gamers and inviting artists to animate some of the coolest, most classic characters on the planet such as Superman, Batman, The Joker and Wonder Woman. By opening up the contest to gamers and involving them in asset creation, there will be a real sense of connection to the game before it launches.”

To join the contest, you must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry (20 years old if you’re a resident of Japan) and are registered users of Facebook. The contest is open only to the first 10,000 persons who meet the requirements in accordance with the official rules. Those living in Cuba, Burma/Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, the Netherlands, and Quebec (in Canada) are prohibited from joining the competition.

Check out the full set of rules for the DC Universe Online Animation Contest.

Post from: MMOtaku

What makes the Druid’s entry to Atlantica Online exciting is the fact that he’s the only A-class mercenary, the highest classification for recruitable mercenaries in the game. To date, the best mercenaries a player can recruit in Atlantica Online are the B-class mercs: Spartan, Sailor and Elementalist.

Of course, Korea Atlantica Online got first dibs on the new Druid mercenary. Here’s a video of the Druid in action in the Free League:

Oh, and that lumbering hunk of virtual muscle and flesh isn’t the Druid. It’s actually his battle bear.

Atlantica Online Druid

At present, we’ve only seen one skill that the Atlantica Online Druid can use, Forest Prison, which ensnares a row of enemies with vines that drain AP. According to the teaser released by NDOORS on the official Atlantica Online site, the Druid can also buff a row to increase critical and multiple hit rates.

Hmmm, this makes me wonder how the Druid will work in conjunction with bonuses afforded by other Atlantica Online mercenaries like the Hwarang (increase ranged mercs’ attack power and combo rate), the Princess (auto heals ranged mercs and gives them bonuses to defense and accuracy) and the Prophet (auto heals melee mercs and gives them bonuses to attack power and accuracy).

The Druid will be introduced in the next patch for Atlantica Online. I’ll post the patch notes once they come out.

Post from: MMOtaku

“As we grow, we are continuing to expand the availability of Fallen Earth through online channels,” said Fallen Earth marketing manager Jessica Orr. “Digital distributors have become major players in the video game space and this is an area where we are constantly seeking to expand Fallen Earth’s presence.

Grab a copy of Fallen Earth before the zombies do

Of course, all good promotions come with some goodies, and Fallen Earth’s debut on Impulse is no exception. What do you get from purchasing the game through Impulse?

Fancy White Boots: One of the most dashing types of footwear in the wastelands of Fallen Earth, these boots aren’t just for looks. With 31 primary armor against slashing, piercing, crushing and ballistic, 20 secondary aror versus fire and cold, and 10 tertiary armor against acid, radiation, poison, sonic, electric, psionic and disease, these boots will help any player walk through difficult situations. With an additional three percent increase to all saving throws (body, mind and reflex), this footwear is a functional yet stylish necessity.

Snazzy White Hat: Wandering out into the wasteland without the latest in fashionable head gear? Perish the thought! With 15 primary armor, 10 secondary armor, and 5 tertiary armor, this hat is for more than just show. It gets the job done with a +3 to scavenging, nature and geology. Pair it with the Fancy White Boots and you’re set to dominate Fallen Earth. Just don’t forget to keep them clean.

Go check out the Fallen Earth website or previous MMOtaku postings on Fallen Earth to know what the game is all about.

Post from: MMOtaku