Inside Perfect World Entertainment

North American gamers probably aren’t too familiar with Perfect World Entertainment, beyond their association with Runic Game’s Torchlight and the handful of Asian MMOs the company is trying to bring to North America. But this seemingly small MMO company is really quite big in China and analysts that pay attention to the sector (and like to invest money) have got their eyes all over Perfect World, despite its challenges - in China, of course.

Perfect World Co. Ltd. went public roughly 4 years ago and has beaten earnings estimates for most of its existence, carving out its own little niche in the lucrative online gaming space in China. Perfect World is no small player either, with a $2 billion market capitalization and a long-term plan to have a global presence - hence its North American and European operations. In the latest quarter the company raked in $86.4 million in revenue, compared to $55.9 million the same quarter last year. That’s pretty amazing for a company most North American gamers know nothing about.

But the company, like many others that have a business model that relies heavily on the lucrative Chinese MMO market, faces some serious challenges. Those challenges include government oversight and possible censorship of content, a rather crowded field of competitors (CDC Games, Shanda Games, The9, NetEase, etc.) and an unknown level of growth in China. Here and in places like Europe it faces the challenge of getting Western gamers interested in MMOs that are decidedly Asian in style. One secret weapon the company has is the upcoming Torchlight MMO, which will also serve the Chinese market if it can get by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

In North America the company has 3 free-to-play MMOs in operation (Ether Saga Online, Perfect World International, and Jade Dynasty) as well as Runic Games single player action RPG, Torchlight. You can learn more about the company and all these games by visiting perfectworld.com.

City of Heroes HeroCon spawns Real World Heroes

City of Heroes players are decent people, as evidenced by a charity they helped create called Real World Heroes. This six week charity drive will help raise funds for three organizations dedicated to real world heroes and heroic and lofty causes. The charity will also get the support of NCsoft, who will help promote its efforts with the City of Heroes MMO. The idea for a charity drive was conceived by Joel and Karen Garcia, long-time City of Heroes players, after attending the HeroCon 2009 fan event hosted by NCsoft and Paragon Studios, the development studios behind the game.

The charities getting the proceeds from this drive include Child’s Play (an organization created by Penny Arcade creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins donates toys, games, books, and cash for sick children in hospitals across the U.S. and the world), Donate Games (a charity dedicated to funding research and support for children with “orphan” diseases) and Operation Gratitude (a charity dedicated to sending 100,000 care packages annually filled with snacks, entertainment items and letters of appreciation to U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions).

This time of the year is particularly important to charities around the world because it is when people tend to be the most generous and giving. As gamers, we should show the world that are hearts are as big as our dedication is to playing games. I encourage you to check out www.RealWorldHero.com, see the great work they are doing, and get involved.

The missing features of Shiren the Wanderer

Atlus U.S.A. has released new details on Shiren the Wanderer, the upcoming “rogue-like” RPG for Wii - including three online features from the Japanese version of the game will not be included in the North American release. According to Atlus U.S.A. public relations manager Aram Jabbari, “the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer.” He did note that the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc.

While Jabbari understands that these omissions may upset some North American players, he points out that he still thinks the game is a fantastic RPG experience without them. What he does not explain is why these features are being omitted in the first place.

For those not familiar with the game, Shiren the Wanderer is an action RPG that lets you play as a wandering samurai named Shiren, who explores different time periods in a colorful and historic Japan. The North American version of the game offers variable difficulties including a new easy mode that lets new players ease into the game and a normal mode for more seasoned players. Post-game activities will offer additional quests, super dungeons, a tournament, and the ultimate challenge of the Millennium Dungeon, a 1,000 floor dungeon crawl. Players can take control of their party directly or let the game’s A.I do the heavy lifting by setting “attitude and tendency.” Players can also modify equipment through the new Dragon Orb system, giving them with special abilities via more than 100 Seals and use new spells that allow for targeted effects on enemies and more.

Shiren the Wanderer is currently scheduled for release on February 9, 2010. For more details on the game, check out the very first blog entry about it over at www.atlus.com. Check out some nifty screenshots after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

No More Heroes coming to Xbox 360 in Japan

While we’re not sure when or if it will make its way to North America, we do know that an Xbox 360 of No More Heroes is in development for Japan. Developed by Marvelous Entertainment, the Xbox 360 version, roughly translated as “No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise,” will be released on Xbox 360 February 25, 2010 in Japan.

We do not know whether or not the game is a straight port of the original Wii game, nor if it will offer more than just the cursory graphics overall, Xbox 360 refined control scheme and achievements. You can see some screenshots from the game at the Japanese Xbox 360 game page.

One thing we do know from the game page is that it is still a single player game and will feature more cut scenes and voice acting to enhance the bizarre storyline of the original as concieved by Suda51. More information when we have it.

Torchlight two-hour trial released

Perfect World Entertainment is offering a two-hour trial version of Runic Game’s excellent action-RPG, Torchlight. After trying out the game for a few hours, players will then be prompted to purchase the game for $19.99. I can tell you that you don’t need two hours with this game to know that it is a lot of fun and worth a mere $20, but for those that don’t want to believe me, you can grab the demo at torchlight.perfectworld.com.

If you need more proof, you can check out my ill-prepaired and executed review of the game.

Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition dated

Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition will be released on Steam November 26, according to Focus Home Interactive. Blood Bowl is an ultra-violent team sport set in the Warhammer fantasy universe that lets players compose a team of Orcs, Elves, Humans, Dwarves and many other fantasy creatures before jumping into the bloodiest arenas in the realms. The sport game is both strategic and violent and requires tactics, and a lot of self-confidence.

Recently released in Europe where it reached first place on the PC charts, Blood Bowl will be launched in the United States on the Steam digital platform starting November 26. Preorders started on November 19th. A brand new version of the game will be available for American players via Steam. The new version features the original eight races and an additional playable race: the dreadful Dark Elves. The Dark Elves will have their own star player, cheerleaders, and play style.

More details, including a video of this new race , can be found at www.bloodbowl-game.com.

Resident Evil 5 DLC, Gold Edition details

Capcom revealed a variety of details on the downloadable content and a brand new Gold Edition of Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The downloadable content will be released as two new episodes, along with new costumes, and a new mode called The Mercenaries Reunion. The Mercenaries Reunion mode will offer 8 new playable characters and some weapon load outs. The DLC along with the original game will be released at retail as Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition will be available for $49.99 as a single Blu-ray disc for the PlayStation 3 or as a DVD with a token for the downloadable content for Xbox 360.

The first new episode, “Lost in Nightmares, finds BSAA agent Chris Redfield and partner Jill Valentine investigating Ozwell E. Spencer’s hideaway. Spencer, the evil mastermind and co-founder of Umbrella Corporation, has been hiding a new evil deep within the basement of his mansion. Chris and Jill discover this and enter into the catacombs beneath the mansion. To be released at about the same time, are new costume for Chris and Sheva. They don’t do anything other than make you like poretty,

The new mode, reimagining of Mercenaries Mode, gives players new playable characters and weapon load outs which provide additional challenges. Each piece of downloadable content will contain two new playable characters, while the Gold Edition will offer all eight.

Lost in Nightmares and Costume Pack 1 will be released Feb. 17, 2010 in Europe and the U.S. on Xbox 360 and Feb 18 on PS3. The Xbox 360 versions of Episode 2 and Costume Pack 2 will be released on March 3, 2010 in both regions; while the PS3 versions will be released March 4, 2010. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition hits North America on March 9 and Europe March 12, 2010.