The winner of the first Cabal Online comic contest has finally been announced, and the first comic based on the winning plot has also been revealed. More in the full article.

The wait is over! Cabal Online went online in the US a few days ago, in case you haven't noticed. A new patch update is also available, which you can download below. More details in the full article.

Thanks to ch4sethe5un for the tip!

Download: Cabal Online Manual Patch v2

The steady stream of high-quality games as early as the first quarter of 2008 continues, proven by this week's line-up of releases which includes Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, the next Ace Attorney, and Dynasty Warriors 6. A very promising Devil May Cry-esque MMORPG is also on the way, while Need for Speed is in for another lap. The rest of this week's releases await at the full article!

The adventure continues for the European version of EST Corp's Cabal Online with the introduction of the latest expansion, Episode 2 - The War Begins. Further developments of the game will let players experience battles with a new war system, max out the levels of their characters to level 170, explore the realm of Pontus Ferrum, and take on brand new quests.

Details on the latest expansion after the jump!

The folks behind EST Corp's MMORPG Cabal Online have announced in a recent press release that they will be doing away with subscription fees for the Euro version of the game. The change in the game's business model will take effect at the end of June. Here's a snippet from the press release:

Replacing the old system will be the new Free to Play service and new Premium services. All players will also be able to buy a range of items, bonuses and special features from the new Item Shop using CABAL Cash. Already several items have been introduced, including pet monsters, travelling hover boards and armours; with more promised in the coming months.

Please note that this only applies to the European version of the game, although we figure that if it proves to be successful, the North American version (which has been out of the final closed beta for a while now) could very well become free-to-play too.

 

The Warcry Network is reporting on one online gaming company that wants players to do something unique if you're one of their subscribers and have been banned from playing for one reason. They just want your blood.

Before anyone starts screaming out "OMG Emo Goth MMO people," here's the kicker about this company. Apparently, the Chinese online company known as Moliyo will reactivate closed or banned game accounts in Cabal Online in exchange for donations for a blood drive. Here's the info that Warcry got from Pacific Epoch:

Chinese online game operator Moliyo has announced that it will reactivate closed (banned) game accounts for its licensed 3D MMORPG Cabal Online if the players donate blood in a donor drive on March 18, reports 17173.com. Moliyo cut off 120,000 game accounts in early March because the accounts were using plug-ins (automated software). Moliyo will unlock game accounts for blood donors within three days. Game players may also receive special Cabal Online game accounts by participating in the blood drive.

While the drive has already come and gone, it's an interesting way to get people to participate in good causes. Our only hope is that they didn't let just anyone donate, because some people might be too sick to give their blood to begin with. For instance... what if Hakkar gave his blood, right?

The MMORPG Cabal has already gained a huge following in its Asian hometown and as of now, it's still trying to find the same success in Europe. In that journey towards sweet success, certain problems may arise and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much obstacles you encounter, it's on how you handled them.

That's why we understand when Cabal's European publisher, Game-Master announced that the game's payments system would be temporarily closed. Why in the world would they cut off money from the game? To earn more moolahs of course. The payment system would be temporarily closed to add a new payment provider and allow direct payments from Paypal.

It would be closed today from 8 a.m. GMT until 11 a.m. GMT. They didn't give a concrete time as to when the new payment system would be launched, but they did promise that they will inform their gamers when the work has been completed.

You take pride in being called as a "hardcore gamer." But deep inside, you're feeling a bit bored already with Second Life and your cheat-plagued WoW character? What should you do, back out? Please don't, or at least not yet. You may have one more option left aside from that. Try Cabal Online. You have nothing to lose because it's still being offered for free.

ESTSoft, together with Games-Masters.com, is calling all current and past players to try 10 days of free game play. According to them, this is to "strut" the new features of the game as well as the much-improved payment system through WorldPay (I though it was free?).

Also, Games-Masters would like everyone to know that they already replaced the "Invite a Friend" option with a long-term system. "Now, if players invite a friend, they will receive double the existing free game play with 2 weeks being added to their account," reads the official statement of the game's developers.

Lastly, Games-Masters teamed up with graphic cards supplier PowerColor, and started a new competition among Cabal players. The objective is relatively simple: be the player from each server who collects the most PowerColor cards in the time allowed (until January 31, 2007). The prizes are as follows:

• 1st prize: 1x PowerColor X1950 PRO
• 2nd prize: 1x Blue Astral Bike
• 3rd prize: 1x Astral Board

It seems that the developers are all out this time for Cabal Online. Remember, it was last month when the game was announced for the European market. Despite these efforts, it remains to be seen if an Asian MMO will pick up a huge Western fan base.

After gaining popularity on the Asian market, EST Corp's MMORPG finally announced the debut of Cabal Online in Europe by Games-Master.com. The hit RPG will be available only in Europe, along with extra contents which includes a detailed 3D rotational field maps of Cabal Online's areas like Port Lux, Forgotten Ruin, Undead Ground and others.

Players would also be able to enjoy up to four hours of action and adventure in Cabal Online's new dungeons such as the Tower of the Dead 1 and 2, and Ruiina Station. Extra maps has also been provided in the game, along with new class-specific armor sets, earrings, bracelets and other accessories.

Furthermore, Games-Masters.com is offering a free seven-day trial to new players when they sign up to Cabal Onlinee now. So if wanna know what the Asian buzz on Cabal Online is, check out the free trial offer now. Also, check out more screenshots of the game here:

More screens after the jump!

The sun is supposed to rise in the east and set in the west (at least that's what I heard from Jacky Chan and Owen Wilson), with the Far East's pride, Cabal, setting its sight on Western horizons, will it shine, or will it set prematurely? European MMO-publisher Game-Master is quite optimistic that the EST Corp, a Korean MMO developer, creation will be as popular in the west as it currently is in the Asian market.

To achieve this goal, Cabal is set to be very gamer-friendly, having zero entry barriers for both first-time gamers and late-starters. Also, a rich number of intriguing quests and challenging missions are said to merge well with the general plot to form a coherent story.

If you're thinking this one may be too "light" for your "hardcore" gaming skills, think again. With time-limited dungeons, perplexing puzzles and traps, and realistic action scenes, the brains behind this project promised that even the most accomplished online gamer will find this one very challenging. Having low system requirements without sacrificing too much of the graphics, Cabal is indeed quite promising.

A closed European beta test is set to begin this coming 26th of June; its debut should be expected any time soon. For now, take a look at these screens to see if this game will suit your western taste.