Dungeon Fighter Online’s latest update sees higher player levels, new fighting areas
Dungeon Fighter Online (2D-X‘ favorite beat ‘em up of 2009) is receiving a big league content update in “Threshold of Power,” which will be available tomorrow January 27. This major addition ups the level cap to Level 50, and offers players hundreds of new items, dozens of new quests, several new skills for each character class, and new Advanced Avatar Items. Some of the new fighting areas include (courtesy of Nexon America):
Review: FreeStyle Street Basketball (PC)
JCE’s FreeStyle Street Basketball is one of those titles that you simply have to dive into to truly understand why I blew way too many hours of my holiday break glued to a PC. When I told my bud Terry Lewis, editor-in-chief of The Other View, that I was playing a cell-shaded, anime-styled MMO b-ball game, the first thing that came to his mind was a video game version of Slam Dunk. He would’ve been correct except that FreeStyle Street Basketball is incredibly enjoyable whereas the anime most definitely is not.
Mini Fighter Emerges From Closed Beta With New Gameplay Tweaks
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any news about CJ Internet’s MMO action-fighter, Mini Fighter, but things have changed since we’ve interviewed the company back in August. The closed beta has ended, and the game is now open to the public, with a few new tweaks to make the game tighter.
Based on feedback from the closed beta, a number of improvements have been made to speed up loading times for low bandwidth users and improve overall performance. Characters and leaderboards have also been reset, so the only advantage players can carry over from the closed beta is the experience they gained in the game’s various battle modes. Some knowledge from the head honcho:
“We want Mini Fighter to be the most action-packed experience it can possibly be, and we believe that listening to our community is the best way to make that happen,” said Youngjong Jung, President and CEO of CJ Internet. “We invite players both new and old to join the Open Beta and experience the online brawl firsthand!”
That experience could be important, however, because the first Mini Fighter Battle Championship is scheduled to kick off in early January. Players who want to test their skills will be able to compete in three-on-three Team Battles or one-on-one Grand Arena matches, and winners will walk away with up to $4,500 in prize money.
Registration for the Team Battle matches opens today, while qualifying rounds for the Grand Arena matches will take place at the start of the championship. For more information about Mini Fighter and to join the Open Beta, please visit the official website.
Best 2D Beat ‘Em Up 2009: Dungeon Fighter Online
There aren’t that many 2D, sprite-based beat ‘em ups released nowadays, but Nexon America proved that the genre is still a terrifically viable with Dungeon Fighter Online. A mash up of the traditional fist-to-face brawler with MMO and fantasy elements, Dungeon Fighter Online allows you to select one of five character archetypes (Gunner, Priest, Mage, Fighter, Slayer), customize your look and gear, and then take it into the virtual world to scour dungeons and slay many, many enemies (or battle other players in the PvP arena). It’s fast, hard, hitting, and easy to pick up and play – - the mark of a well-designed beat ‘em up.
Review: Dungeon Fighter Online (PC)
Dungeon Fighter Online has been in open beta or a number of weeks now, which has given MMO fans the chance to thoroughly sample the gameplay – - and I’ve been amongst them.
Unlike other reviewable games that are more or less fixed when presented to the public, Dungeon Fighter Online’s MMO roots opens the door to evolving content (something, I suppose, may become commonplace with games of all types thanks to DLC), which renders a review as a snapshot in time. Therefore, take this Dungeon Fighter Online review as version 1.0 of an ever-changing document.
The mark of a well-crafted MMO is the number of hours that it draws from a player, and I can say with truth that I’ve poured more time into Dungeon Fighter Online in the past two weeks than any other game released this year.
Virtual Vox Pop: Would You Pay For Items In A Free-To-Play Game?
Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s pay for virtual items in free-to-pay video games.
On October 31st, Techcrunch’s Michael Arrington proved himself the scariest beast this Halloween season as he accused Zynga (the masterminds behind the Farmville and Mafia Wars games that dominate Facebook) of being nothing more than scam artists that bilk innocent gamers of of their cash. The debate rages on, and as someone who hasn’t dabbled in either title, I’ll leave it for the more knowledgeable persons to comment.
Still, free-to-play games are immensely popular. Dungeon Fighter Online, for example, has over 10 million users in Korea alone, and has seen 2 million players hacking, slashing, punching, and shooting concurrently. When the Dungeon Fighter Online beta opened to the public, I dove into it with reckless abandon, thus experiencing my first free-to-play title (expect a review coming very soon).
GodsWar Online, Maple Story, and Ragnarok Online serve up very solid 2D MMO action without requiring users to spend a dime – - unless they want to. Titles in this genre generate money by allowing gamers to purchase in-game items such as clothing and accessories to customize your character. As I’ve been making my way through Dungeon Fighter Online with my Priest (Solidios), I haven’t been tempted to purchase anything until very, very recently. As Solidios stood in the lobby as I munched on a slice of pizza, I noticed other Priests in fancy-schmancy get ups that, I have to admit, made we want to stand out from the masses. Most certainly these titles prey on our desires to be individuals and/or keep-up-with-the-Joneses, and as i recognize that, I’ve been diligent in keeping my credit card at hand – - but it’s becoming very difficult.
Have you experienced such longings?
Dungeon Fighter Online Beta Now Open To The Public
It’s time to grab your weapon and spells and take to the battlefield.
Today, Nexon America officially opened the Dungeon Fighter Online beta testing to all gamers after months of anticipation. This Neople-created MMO brawler combines the 2D scrapping elements of beat ‘em ups with the fantasy elements inherent to massively multi-player online titles.
Gamers who sign up for the open beta will get a chance to put five character classes through their paces: Fighter, Gunner, Mage, Priest, and Slayer. They can be used in four player quests, or in 1-on-1 or team-based battles.
If you want more information about the game mechanics, check out out in-depth interview with Dungeon Fighter Online’s managing producer, Herb Yang.
Interview: Richard Moon, Lead Producer for Mini Fighter
Who would’ve guessed that 2009 would be the year of the MMO with fisticuffs leanings? Dungeon Fighter Online has been getting plenty of press both here and abroad, but CJ Internet’s Mini Fighter looks to deliver its own spin on hard-hitting, multi-player martial arts action. I spoke with Richard Moon, lead producer for Mini Fighter, about the title.
For those unfamiliar with Mini Fighter, could you please provide some background?
Mini Fighter was first published by CJ Internet about three years ago in Korea and has been well received by the local users since then. On the back of such support, the game has launched commercial service in Taiwan and China, and has started generating revenues. Better yet, it has been made available for mobile phones this year.
In this regard, the global service launch for Mini Fighter is a strong indication of our effort to take the game to the next level. We aspire to reach out and expand our user base across the world to let them share the fun of Mini Fighter.
Mini Fighter has gained popularity in Asia because of many characters to choose from and a wide variety of game systems. I believe such aspects will appeal strongly to users in North America and Europe. We plan to disclose the game systems in stages for the global service so users in the region can catch on quickly.
Interview: Herb Yang, Managing Producer for Dungeon Fighter Online
I haven’t played a MMO since the early days of City of Heroes.
I was unemployed, having been recently laid off after a year’s stint at the now-defunct Sync magazine, and looking for a way to relax between mad rushes to find freelance work. In retrospect, spending $15 a month on a video game wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve ever had, but the grinding, leveling, and character creation helped stave away the jobless blues.
I quickly got hooked. Mornings and evening meant nothing to me as I need “just one more quest” to wrap things up before unplugging. Like an alcoholic, that one extra session was never enough, so after several sleepless nights/days I gave it up cold turkey to maintain my sanity. I vowed never to play a MMO again.
Later this year Dungeon Fighter Online will be available to American gamers, and I’m feeling that cold thing in my stomach again. I spoke to Herb Yang, Managing Producer for Dungeon Fighter Online about the MMO beat ‘em up that has me twitching in anticipation.
Dungeon Fighter Online has just entered a closed beta in the US. How long has it existed overseas, and how popular has it proven?
Dungeon Fighter Online has been fun for millions of players throughout the world and we are really excited to bring it to North America. Dungeon Fighter Online launched in Korea in 2005 as “Dungeon & Fighter” and is also available in China, Japan and Taiwan. It’s done incredibly well: currently, there are over 10 million registered users in Korea. In terms of peak usage numbers, Dungeon Fighter Online has hit two million concurrent users when combining the services for China, Japan and Korea.
Most MMOS that are popular in the US are of the 3D, polygonal variety. Why has DFO taken the 2D route?
One of the most popular MMO games in the US is 2D. It’s called MapleStory, which we brought to the US in 2005 and has been extremely successful here since launch. We’re definitely looking to duplicate MapleStory’s success in North America with Dungeon Fighter Online.
But in addition to having a unique, retro look that comes from the 2D art style, we think the 2D nature of Dungeon Fighter Online actually makes it more accessible than 3D MMOs. There’s a certain degree of navigation and targeting skills required for 3D worlds taken for granted by hardcore gamers and it can be a bit overwhelming for more casual players to the genre. With Dungeon Fighter Online, anyone who’s ever played an arcade fighter from the 90’s will immediately feel right at home as soon as they get their hands on the controls, and can jump straight into the action without facing a huge learning curve. From there on, they can gradually become immersed in all the other RPG and online elements available in Dungeon Fighter Online that any 3D MMO has – at their own pace.
Mini Fighter Adds Punches and Kicks to the MMO Genre
You may have seen preview ads for Mini Fighter here and on other gaming sites, but now the Korean, 2D, side-scrolling fighter MM0 (mouthful!) is headed to closed beta, stateside, on July 23. If you haven’t been following its development here’s a swift primer.
Mini Fighter is a side-scrolling fighter with cutesy, super-deformed characters. Unlike traditional fighters, the battles can be of epic scale; up to 210 combatants can participate in the rough-and-tumble shenanigans. Players can level-up their fighters and compete in a wide variety of modes, ranging from Survival and Tag Team matches to Boss fights and daily Siege Warfare. But it’s not all about the carnage; you can take five from the fisticuffs to compete in a variety of mini-games that test the gray matter.
If interested, you can join the test run by signing up for beta keys on the official website. The downloadble client (PC only) is available today.
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