Sword of the New World: Granado Espada

Korean MMOs are an entirely different beast to western MMOs, in every single way. It’s not just the difference between the background lore and the attitude of the players, the difference is manifested in the graphics and types of character classes available; the title of the game and the overall art direction.

Korean MMO players are different too, being much more hardcore and…involved in the game, on the whole. It takes a higher level of obsession than most western gamers are prepared to offer.

Still, developers are still keen to try and bring the two cultures together and capitalise on how fashionable Korean gaming culture is becoming in some circles. imcGAMES is one of the companies which is trying to do just that, led by the creator of Ragnarok Online, Hakkyu Kim. Kim’s latest attempt to try and draw out the Korean level of obsession from western markets comes in the form of Sword of the New World: Granado Espada.

So, is Sword of the New World a legitimately decent game or is it simply yet another cutesy MMO to be populated by WoW rejects and RPGing acronym addicts? Is the fact that it’s free to play a clever marketing tool, or a useless and pointless effort to hook otherwise stingy players? These are the questions we want answered, so we set forward to try and find out just how grand this espada really is, or something.

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Deep in The Caribbean…

So, we noticed that you were starting to drift off a bit until you read that last paragraph, so we’ll just reiterate the above in case any snoring Susan’s missed out on it; Granado Espada is free to play. Kind of.

You see, while the game is free to download and try out, there are some restrictions. Free playing characters can only ascend to Level 20 for instance and they are unable to trade with other players, while those who play the premium version are under no such limitations. Premium players and those who buy a retail copy however can experience the full game and are given a few nice extras at the start of the game. Some more money, an extra character – the usual type of thing.

No matter whether you play the free, retail or premium downloaded versions though, the game always starts the same.

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First of all, players must build a family name and then create a single lead member to play with. Available classes are incredibly rudimentary, limited to the usual wizard, fighter, scout, priest and archer sets (but with priests called Elementalists and archers called Musketeers) and a choice between genders. Players can also choose between three sets of clothing for each class and gender, but beyond clothing there is very little initially available by way of customisation.

On the plus side however, the character creation stage is an excellent taster of the graphics to come. Each character’s attire is extremely detailed for an MMO and some of the choices are really quite beautiful. Without getting too effeminate for an otherwise gruff and manly games journalist, some of the baroque-influenced dresses available for the female characters are actually quite startling and beautiful.

With a character designed, gameplay begins and players are quickly dumped onto a merchant ship at sea. There’s no introduction to the story, which is essentially a fantastical re-telling of the discovery of America, and the whole point is that players must try and carve their own fate and adventure in this new world.

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HOME MADE 家族 – 君がくれたもの 2007.1.31

Wishing on a star

I gaze up at the sky each night
and find the brightest star.
It’s always waiting there for me
so close, but yet so far.
The star winks in the evening sky
and reaches out to me.
It magically appears each night
for all the world to see.
I’ve closed my eyes and made my wish
of hopes, and plans, and dreams.
And then, one day I got my wish
for I finally met you.
So now whenever we’re apart
I find that same bright star.
It makes me feel so close to you
no matter where you are.

Nothing

well..ive been in the house all day ><

The Warlords

its going to be an AWSOME movie ><
starring; Jet Li, Takeshi Kanashiro, and Andy Lau

wanna watch it so bad!!

Sandunguan

the new komik book series in the Philippines…Looks awssome but reminds me of X-Men hehe.(Look theres a Wolverine look alike character there lool)I dont know al the characters,all i know is Sandata hehe

Sandata

one of the awsome characters in the new famous comic series in the Philippines called “Sandungan”

9 Souls

Touching on basic social issues such as loneliness and alienation, Toyoda’s film chronicles the daring escape of nine prison inmates. Their plan is not only to escape collectively, but also to find a treasure hidden inside a time capsule near Mt. Fuji. Their dream of finding a stash of money dissolves, however, when they learn that no such fortune exists. The get-rich-quick premise only serves as the groundwork for the real drama, a more human one, which unfolds slowly.

During the first half hour of the film, the director portrays the band of outlaws as a rowdy and goofy gang. But the tone of the movie turns when he begins to unravel the human tragedies and broken dreams that are buried in each individual’s soul. Toyoda tells a compassionate and at times heartbreaking tale of how his nine protagonists deal with their fate and uncertain futures. As the film progresses, so does the viewer’s empathy for each of the fugitives—the murderer, the thief, the robber, the drug dealer, the porn king, the terrorist, and others.

Each escapee has unfinished business they want to take care of, and the chance to set things right is the real treasure they’re searching for, though not all of the nine narratives resolves itself happily. Director Toshiaki Toyoda, who also wrote the script, doesn’t justify the crimes and mistakes of his lovable gang of anti-heroes. In most cases, he doesn’t explore why his protagonists committed their crimes, although he gives clues as to what might have driven them. Instead, he combines his heart-wrenching storylines with a mellow rock soundtrack and slow-motion camera shots that serve to emphasize the humanity that’s still alive in each one of his characters.

The cast is outstanding. While it’s difficult in the beginning to keep track of all the characters, during the course of the film each one emerges as a unique, and often eccentric, individual. Even the most abhorrent of them, played by veteran actor Yoshio Harada, discovers his kindness when he looks out for the weakest link of the group, Inui (Takuji Suzuki), who suffers from seizures.

Despite the drama, there are several bizarre, surreal, and amusing elements in the movie. In one memorable scene, the group discovers a strip joint in the middle of nowhere. The establishment serves as a haven for the gang members, who, for the first time, have a chance to reflect on their lives. This is also the moment when Shiratori (played by the wonderful Mame Yamada), who was born with dwarfism, reunites with his soulmate—a gorgeous showgirl to whom he donated one of his kidneys so that she could live a normal life.

Life

Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn’t matter. I’m not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for.

Darker than black

Now that the first season of Heroes has ended, the withdrawal symptoms may start to set in. The symptoms may not be so bad however for those who are watching the current run of Darker than Black.

A mysterious territory known as Hells Gate appears in Tokyo. At the same time, a load of people with special powers also appear known as Contractors. The sort of powers they possess are abilities like summoning fire, ice, electricity, making objects explode at will, summoning rain clouds, hijacking other humans/animals bodies and the one which really reminded me of Heroes is the girl who can locate other Contractors just by touching water – but only Contractors who are actually near water…

The main character is exchange student Li Shunsheng by day and Contractor-who-summons-electricity by night. Li works for an organization whose current aim seems to be helping other Contractors who are either being used or being tracked down to do naughty things.
Apart from Li’s group, there is the gorgeous Misaki Kirihara – a policewoman and her team investigating the current Contractor situation.

The most recent episode is EP8 and watching the characters with their ‘Hero’ type powers has been rather interesting so far.
The excellent animation/production is by BONES (Eureka Seven) and the incredible atmospheric music is done by none other than Yoko Kanno (GITS, Cowboy Bebop). Most recommended to those who are not watching this.
Folks in Japan can catch this every Thursday night at 1:25AM on MBS >