NHN Games, a large Korean MMO developer and publisher has a game in beta test called Archlord in which players compete to rule the realm, for a month at a time. The game, is scheduled to release in the third quarter of 2006. On this side of the Pond, Codemasters (who will be releasing their first MMO, RF Online, in February) has signed a deal with NHN to handle distribution in North America and Europe. "The game?s world, Kantra, is fantastically realised with stunning visuals, created using Renderware, and the game features incredibly atmospheric in-game audio recorded by the world famous London Symphony Orchestra. ArchLord will also introduce one of the most advanced and complex PVP combat systems ever in any MMO, which utilises sprawling free battle areas and special guild battlefields that enables players to battle in fearsome guild versus guild battles." This copy is clearly a clever paraphasing of the material printed on the back of every game box released in the past 5 years, and yet, it fails to identify the setting of the game world. This prompted a journey to http://www.archlordgame.com/ where a splash screen depicting a fellow in a medieval helm resides. No other information regarding the game is available.
The announcement can be seen here.
It is an interesting premise for a system, but the "advanced and complex PVP combat system" had better be on par with the likes of Lineage 2, otherwise the game concept could devolve into a grief-fest like no other. At this time, there are a number of ultra-popular MMORPGs in the Asian market that none of us cowboys have even heard of. It will be very interesting to see how well the game-play translates. In the past, MMO compatibility between the East and the West has been limited to select Blizzard and Square Enix titles.
What powers will an Archlord have? Will he tax the land? Will he ride a fantasic steed? Will he have a palace? Will there be an Archlady? Will she breathe the fire of a thousand dragons over the villages of the land? Will she have special gear or spells? Or will the Archlord just call everyone a noob while running around the palace in his underwear?
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