E3 '10: Nexon Booth Roundup

MMO fans are probably already familiar with Nexon, but if you're not, they're a Korean company that produces some of the biggest free-to-play MMO games. Maybe you've heard of a little something called Maple Story? Well, the company's booth was touting the release of the uber-popular Dungeon Fighter Online in North America, along with a couple other titles. Dungeon Fighter Online has over 200 million users worldwide, and is said to be the biggest MMO in the world. It's basically an over-the-top 2D beat-em-up meets MMO. It has a fun, anime art style with tons of customization options for the different classes. You can explore the RPG storyline alone, but since it's an MMO, you're probably better off playing with some friends. Up to four can play at a time, and you're going to want some backup on those later dungeons! And if all you want to do is beat the snot out of people, they offer PvP as well.

They were also showing off Vindictus, which was made with a modified Source Engine, and is due out later this year. It's a 3D hack-n-slash with destructible environments that can also be used as weapons. Of course, the armor is also destructible, so you're gonna want to keep an eye on that, otherwise you'll find yourself facing off against a giant boss in your skivvies! Nexon is calling it "brutally elegant," and I suppose the graphics are pretty nice, and the fighting can get a little brutal. Although in my hands-on time with Vindictus, I found the controls awkward, since it doesn't use FPS controls. A and D turn you left and right, which kind of threw me. It also didn't help that I basically took over a PC that someone abandoned just before the boss fight, so I didn't really have much time to warm up and get used to the controls before facing off against a giant wolf-thing. After dying a couple times, someone else joined my game, and together we were able to defeat it.

I figure I found those controls awkward because I'd just finished a comfortable playthrough of their other MMO on display, Dragon Nest. There, A and D are used to strafe, as Nexon believes it to play more like a shooter than an RPG. I don't know about that, but I definitely found myself drawn more to Dragon Nest's younger-skewing art style. It's cuter, but there's still plenty of violent combat to go around. I played through a few levels as a female elven archer, it seemed, and had a grand time with it. Monster design is also somewhat cute, but nicely done. The demo I played was unfortunately solo, so I can't say how the multiplayer experience works. Dragon Nest won't be out until 2011, but I honestly don't know if I'd get it, because I doubt my PC will play it with a frame rate above a crawl. It's awful purty! See for yourself!