Filed under: Blade & Soul

If all goes well, NCsoft's Blade & Soul will be making its public debut in July. That's the good news; the bad news is that the launch will be confined to Korea for the time being.

The company recently announced in an earnings call that the title is on track to go into open beta testing by June and then launch this July. There's some hope at NCsoft that the release of Diablo III will grow the potential gamer audience in the country, an audience that could be attracted to Blade & Soul come this summer.

Currently the game is in closed beta, with the next round of testing commencing on May 22nd. ThisIsGame reports that Blade & Soul has stirred up controversy with testers due to a vitality system that limits how fast a player can advance his or her character.

Looking for some more Summoner gameplay after that pet reveal last weekend? Korean MMO website ThisIsGame has you covered with a new Blade & Soul preview video. We get to see three minutes of combat footage, including plenty of killer kitty-cats and spell-casting action. The video quality isn't the greatest, but it's definitely interesting to see the Summoner in action for an extended period.

NCsoft has also released a new one-minute qinggong trailer. The clip shows several Blade & Soul avatars in all their wall-running, high-flying, gravity-defying glory (and this time it's a high-quality embed). Check out both videos after the break.

[Thanks to Tym for the tip!]

There's nothing that South Korean gamers love more than hot-blooded PvP, which is why they went bananas to see NCsoft's Blade & Soul's player-vs.-player combat live at the recent Soul Party 2.

In two filmed videos by ThisIsGame.com, testers give the game's intense, kinetic action a workout during a 20v20 PvP match. The characters' full range of motion is on display in these clips, as are their various methods of impaling, soul-sucking, and fireballing opponents.

Blade & Soul recently announced its adorable Summoner class, which will be playable when the game heads into its third closed beta test on May 9th. And yes, you have our full permission to stay up past your bedtime to watch the following PvP bout.

NCsoft has released a new trailer for Blade & Soul's Summoner class. As you might expect, the Summoner is a pet-handling heroine who relies on her animal companions for much of her utility. What you may not have expected is the form those animals will take.

Prior to this particular trailer, Blade & Soul has gone with a fairly serious high-fantasy approach to its world and character design. Thanks to the Summoner pets, the cuteness factor has gone through the roof. Don't take our word for it, though. Head past the cut and see for yourself.

[Thanks to Blade&Soul Fan for the tip!]

NCsoft is loath to talk about its Blade & Soul martial arts MMORPG here in the West, so we have to rely on third-party fansites and Chinese/Korean translations for most of our info. The latest such comes courtesy of MMO Culture, and it features an interview from a recent Tencent Games media event with a couple of newsworthy notables.

First up is the fact that upcoming Korean and Chinese Blade & Soul beta phases will feature the new Summoner class. Not much is known in terms of class specifics yet, but the site says that it boasts an "easier" and "more relaxed" playstyle than other classes.

The interview also touches on Blade & Soul's business model and its impending release. Despite the fact that NCsoft titles like Aion and Lineage II have recently committed to free-to-play in North America, the firm isn't talking about any particular Blade & Soul payment model just yet. Finally, MMO Culture reports that Blade & Soul "is currently near the end of the development phase for commercial release," and given the lack of info on a Western client, we expect said release to be exclusive to the Chinese and Korean markets for now.

Guild Wars Insider has the scoop on the confirmation of a Guild Wars 2 console version at some point after the game's PC client goes live. The source is an NCsoft earnings call, during which a couple of console-specific statements were made.

The call also mentions beta testing for the upcoming fantasy game. "In March and April there will be large-scale testing for GW2; depending on results of testing a finalized commercialization schedule will be determined. [The] console version will be launched separately from [the] PC [version] at a later date," the fan site reports.

NCsoft also says it will be considering "seasonality factors" when determining "final commercialization" for both Guild Wars 2 and Blade & Soul. Head to Guild Wars Insider for more, including audio of the call.

As I've well established both here on Massively and elsewhere, I'm somewhat of a nut for video game music. Whereas others might collect vintage hair metal tracks or the latest Justin Bieber opus, I'm always digging through obscure (and not-so-obscure) official soundtracks to games like Wipeout and Kirby. Video game scores can be right up there with the best that the film industry puts out, and the fact that they tie into personal experiences that we've played through can lend them sentimental weight.

So for the next two Perfect Tens, I scoured all the MMO theme songs that I could get ahold of in an attempt to formulate a list of the very best. It was originally slated to be just one list, but after an hour or so of listening to tracks and having friends and fellow staffers weigh in on the subject, I knew it was impossible to keep it there.

Two important things to note for this list. First, I wanted to keep to just the title/login screen tracks so that I wouldn't be working on this for the next 2.5 years. Second, unlike most past Perfect Tens where there's no significance to the order of the list, in this case we're going to have a genuine countdown to the best MMO theme song of all time. And I expect to take no flak about it, do you hear me? Good. Let's begin.

More Blade & Soul closed beta info is making its way around the web, and the latest bit of interesting comes courtesy of a lengthy zone preview video posted by the folks at Blade & Soul Dojo.

The whopping 35-minute clip takes viewers on a journey through the game's Dragon Forest zone from the recent Korean closed beta phases. The zone provides content through level 20 and features a remarkably diverse set of environments despite the fact that its name conjures images of your typical fantasy wood.

There is quite a bit of forest footage, of course, but there are also long stretches of pristine beach set off by towering cliffs, not to mention quaint fishing villages, spectacular waterfalls, and an archetypal dojo complete with dragon-adorned columns and various acolytes. The video is blessedly free of the modern rock soundtracks that typically accompany fan-made uploads; instead, it features snippets of Blade & Soul's original orchestral soundtrack. Feast your eyes (and ears) after the cut.

If you weren't fortunate enough to get into Blade & Soul's recently concluded Korean closed beta event, Steparu has the next best thing in the form of a lengthy review supplemented by several hi-definition gameplay videos.

While it's worth noting that some of this information may change prior to release -- to say nothing of the differences between the Korean client and what we're assuming will be a localized Western version -- there's still lots of interesting info to digest. There's the good (visuals, combat), and the not-so-good (linear exploration and lots of zoning), and the review is one of the more comprehensive hands-on pieces covering NCsoft's upcoming martial arts MMO. Head past the cut for a couple of videos and then click over to Steparu to read the author's impressions.

Blade & Soul's second Korean closed beta test is winding down, and ThisIsGame.com has cornered a couple of NCsoft devs for a quick interview about the upcoming martial arts MMORPG. Project director Jae Hyun Bae and director of system design Sung Jin Hwang talk about everything from the latest class reveal (the Summoner) to mobile platform and social networking tie-ins to the game's extensive character customization.

Said customization is "almost unlimited. NPCs in the game are actually made by not modeling but customizing each. Blade & Soul will provide the most free customizing system ever so far," according to the devs. It's somewhat unclear as to whether this customization will take the form of character skills and abilities or physical differentiation via body types and personalization options.

It's also worth noting that some of the article's information may have been lost in translation, and if your Korean language skills are up to the task, you can read the full original text on ThisIsGame's main site.

Blade & Soul's closed beta phases are a tough ticket for American game journalists, but luckily many of the Korean testers have been capturing their experiences and uploading the videos to YouTube.

MMO Culture has collected a few of these choice morsels, and there is a range of gameplay on display including more Assassin class combos and abilities (this time in a game context instead of a promotional clip) as well as quite a bit of dungeon-crawling footage.

The videos, which you can view after the cut, show a mixture of solo and group play in a couple of different environments. While most of the clips are around 10 minutes in length (or under), there's quite a lot to take in if you're unfamiliar with the martial arts MMO. Blade & Soul is being developed by NCsoft and is currently undergoing its second Korean closed beta test. The company has yet to announce plans to market the title in Europe or America.

Say what you will about NCsoft's mysterious Blade & Soul import, but it certainly brings its share of eye candy to the table. MMO Culture has posted a new video featuring the martial arts MMORPG, and the clip centers on the nimble Assassin class and its deadly array of combos and fighting abilities.

The video runs under two minutes and is basically a series of one-on-one combat vignettes. If your Korean language skills are up to the task, you might be able to decipher the various intertitles and subtitles that accompany the presentation. If not, you can still get a feel for how the class is going to play thanks to the footage, which you can view in its entirety after the cut.

We haven't heard much about Blade & Soul of late, but the Korean martial arts MMORPG from NCsoft is still alive and kicking. The game's second closed beta phase starts August 29th, and according to ThisIsGame.com, the invite-only testers will have a new zone to explore.

The Great Desert looks to be the primary stomping ground for CBT2, as the dastardly villain who killed your master at the beginning of Blade & Soul's story has fled to the region and is leading players on a merry chase through the game world. In terms of gameplay proper, the Great Desert is said to feature 10 instanced dungeons, but beyond that we don't know much about it as of yet.

We'll bring you more info on the new testing phase as soon as it becomes available.

Today's entry is a newcomer to One Shots, courtesy of Yuurei:

Here's a screenshot from the upcoming martial arts game Blade & Soul. It's a lot of fun; I found myself wandering around, enjoying myself while looking at this game's beautiful landscapes and light effects.

Here's my character's encounter with some tall bird - maybe a crane? Seeing them looking at each other, I start to wonder which one is supposed to be the animal; the staid and calm bird, or the wild, bored child. Not to mention her ears and tail. Maybe they both have their own part of humanity? This MMORPG is incredible, so I'd like to show everyone the very nice job the developers did. Enjoy!

Next week's One Shots theme is Some Assembly Required, and yes, it's a little nod to Massively's newest column. If you'd like to participate, send your best screenshot of content that you've created to us at oneshots@massively.com. It can be a house you built, an item you crafted, or anything you like as long as it came from your two (virtual) hands. Include your name, the game, and a little description of the image, and we'll feature it here on Massively!

How about a little Blade and Soul info to cap off the workday? We thought you might like that, and MMO Culture has helpfully clued us in to a brief interview with the game's development team that was conducted at a recent Tencent Games event.

The piece delves into the martial arts title's multinational backstory, and despite the fact that Blade and Soul is decidedly Korean, there will be a large Chinese influence on display in the finished game. Blade and Soul's Qinggong system is also addressed, and while every race will have access to the wall-scaling super-speed abilities, it will be limited with respect to character level. Qinggong will also see future iterations beyond its current implemenation as a form of fast travel, with the interview hinting at airborne skill-casting to "make players feel like they are real martial arts pugilists."

Finally, there's a blurb or two on the game's classes (six confirmed) as well as a western-influenced focus on individual character progression. MMO Culture has also embedded two new Blade and Soul videos, and you can find those after the break.