Sword of the New World: Granado Espada (Free Trial)

[vurt]

I've seen very little about this game round these parts, but it's taking Korea by storm and with good reason. GE feels like a cross between a Final Fantasy and Lineage 2 with most of the gay weeded out. It officially launched this week in North America and it's "free2play" until level 20. You can get it at Swordofthenewworld.com.

You control 3 characters at once, which sounds retarded, but works very well. Though you can do everything manually, the AI handles your guys for just about everything. It takes the game from cumbersome and annoying to manageable and fun!

There are 5 initial classes, but it comes out to be tons more. Each class has many stances (the fighters, for instance, have 18). Stances are like sub-classes, each with their own skills, talents, and passives. Outside of the initial classes, there are unique player characters (UPC's) that you can find and use in your 3-man groups. These UPC's have their own stances, items, and talents. Between all the classes, stances, and UPC's, there are thousands of possible combinations you can roll with.

I stole these screenshots from Khorum, who posted about this game in the MMO Hi Res Screen Shots thread. This is probably the best looking MMO I've seen, and it's not very demanding either. Its graphics are probably technically on par with LOTRO, but the artwork is absolutely fantastic. These Koreans pulled off the whole European colonial/imperial age very well, and I can't believe how good it all looks moving.





Here's a youtube trailer I found. For some reason, the animations seem to get a little choppy in this video; I think this may be from some earlier beta version or something, because it honestly runs smoother on my computer.



This game isn't for everyone, but everyone should give it a try. You'll know whether you like the game by level 20, so there's no harm in trying. It's the first game I've subscribed to since quitting WoW a year and a half ago, and I've played a whole slue of MMO's in the meantime. I posted this here because I very nearly missed it in that obscure thread and I really think it deserves more attention.

Fake Edit: I did a search before posting and found this other thread about the game. And you know what? I'm still posting it here because fuck you that's why. If you don't like the game, fine, but let other people decide for themselves.

[Vatoreus]

It's a good game for sure. 20 free levels is pretty good, figuring you can fill all your available slots up w/ lvl 20 characters. It really does feel like a mix between Final Fantasy and Diablo 2. The music score is amazing as well. It's a little daunting to get into at first, but if you take your time and figure out each step, it'll come to you. No real tutorial, so that's a bit of a let down.

[Wodin]

Is it still set up such that a Melee + two healerbots is basically unstoppable?

[vurt]

Originally Posted by Wodin

Is it still set up such that a Melee + two healerbots is basically unstoppable?

Beats me. Sure is fun though.

[Mist]

This game is ruined for me by the fact that hairstyles are class dependent.

[Zindan]

Replace one healer with an elementalist and you'll be unstoppable, unless your melee is using a Polearm, but that takes awhile to get too while the elementalist starts off with a strong AE.

[Goliath]

How am I the first one to notice that the blonde sitting on the steps is actually sitting on an invisible cushion? Unacceptable.

[Kodylan]

Originally Posted by Goliath

How am I the first one to notice that the blonde sitting on the steps is actually sitting on an invisible cushion? Unacceptable.

Maybe she just farted?

[tad10]

How customizable are the UPCs-other chars? Are they essentially just other player characters or are they more like GnH minions?

[Draegan]

I think someone described it as each other character is like FFXII where you level and gear each one up separately.

[Digits]

Hey, look, it's Hello Titty Adventure Online: The Schoolgirl Chronicles.

Does your gang actually feel more powerful than a single character, or is it basically a flexible class system? Can you clear a dungeon with one other gang? The concept is good, but I don't see how it makes any difference at the end.

[Glaive]

So, obvious question here:

What's up with the screenshots all being of female characters? Can you actually not play a guy?

If so, I think it's interesting that they specifically designed a game for manginas.

[Kodylan]

Originally Posted by Glaive

So, obvious question here:

What's up with the screenshots all being of female characters? Can you actually not play a guy?

If so, I think it's interesting that they specifically designed a game for manginas.

Nah, you can make male characters.

[PerritoBites]

You can play male characters....

[Goliath]

This is all rather funny.

From the Hello Titty Adventures: The Schoolgirl Chronicles to the "Can you not play a guy?" "What's up with all the female screenshots?"

The Japanese are a funny people. How ironic that they seem to crave the opposite sex more than any other people on the world, yet have the smallest means to engage in said activity. I guess this is why we have anime and Hello Titty Schoolgirl Chronicles amirite?

Seriously though, they design the female characters wearing un-necessary stockings and garters going right up with fluffy schoolgirl skirts and thongs, it is kind of bizarre.

Anyways, sorry to derail the thread.


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