NCsoft, the Korea-based MMORPG publisher, wired over its financial performance for the third quarter (Q3) of the company's operating year 2007. With sales from Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage II, and City of Heroes/Villains, NCsoft observed a net income of US$ 11.2 million (KRW 10.1 billion).

Despite a slight dip in income performance, NCsoft noted a Guild Wars sales rise of 57% overall, thanks to the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North in Europe. Lineage II has also seen modest increase in sales, and the publisher expects a better financial outcome by Q4.

Behind the awe inspiring music of Guild Wars and other spectacular hits like Company of Heroes, The Elder Scrolls III and IV, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic, Supreme Commander, and many others is Jeremy Soule.

IGN sat down with the musical genius behind upcoming Guild Wars: Eye of the North to squeeze some juicy info out.

Not everyone can acquire Soule's musical prowess, unless they show some serious dedication. "From my earliest days, I would write musical notes on virtually anything my hands would touch. My school teachers noted that even some of my math assignments contained notation scribbled at the edges," he said.

It's not a well known fact, but many of those working for ArenaNet actually came from Squaresoft (before the merger that created Square Enix). At the time, Soule was the only American composer Squaresoft trusted. His compositions brought Secret of Evermore to life. Soule testified:

When I started in the business in 1994, I was fortunate to have landed in a team at Squaresoft that comprised of some of the best and brightest programmers, artists and game designers in the business. Everyone was so new to games yet so enthusiastic.

Years later, many of these talented wiz kids ended up working at ArenaNet with just as much passion as before, although with a huge increase in experience.

When asked if he would honor his fans with a concert series, Soule confirmed that something is in the works. Sounds like there's a very big chance we'll hear the man manifesting his skills on stage; if any word on Soule spearheading an orchestra surfaces, we'll make sure to keep you posted.

A little earlier, we brought you an interview with another Guild Wars: Factions team, Finlandia's pride, the Irrestible Blokes. There's a potentially deadly rival on the far side of Eurasia, waiting to take them on (and any other challengers): Korea's "The Last Pride," or "EvIL." Judging from some of their responses to NC Soft's questions, it's probably safe to say that this group is planning to take no prisoners, give no quarter nor show any mercy.

One of the strengths of EvIL stems from an interesting cultural trait that separates East and West: while Westerners cherish their individualism, those from Asian countries focus on group efforts and co-operation, often sacrificing immediate individual needs and desires for the greater good of the community. Is there a lesson here? Read on and decide:

Q. Who in your guild designs the team builds you use, or is it a group effort?
"We cooperate with each other rather than having one leader make all the decisions. Because we've played together for a long time, we pretty much know each other's strong points and weak points."

Q. How much time do you guys spend practicing together?
"Three to five hours. We schedule practice time weekly so that every member can participate."

Q. Does the guild usually use the same core players for all of its competitive matches, or do you switch out often?
"We always play with the same core members."

Q. Is there anything special you do to prepare for a big event like the GWFC?
"Nothing special, but we are a little bit excited."

Q. What guild do you think is your biggest competitor heading into the GWFC in Germany?
"Esoteric Warriors [EW]. They have a long history, and we can feel their force. This always makes us nervous when we play with them."

Q. What guild's performance has surprised/impressed you the most during any of the seasonal playoffs?
"Sacrament Of The Waooru [SotW]. We were surprised that they defeated American teams even though the game has just been introduced in Japan. It's too bad they can't participate in the competition, but we are pleased to see Treacherous Empire [TE] again."

Q. What was your philosophy behind choosing the builds you have run so far?
"Strong trust and confidence in each other. Our builds would never work without such things."

Q. Did you choose your build to play to your team's strength, or what you felt was your foe's weakness?
"We are trying to remove our weaknesses one by one through a lot of communication to become ultimately unbeatable."

Q. Which match do you feel was the most interesting/challenging for your guild?
"Every match is important to us because a single loss could keep us from the top."

Q. What has been the "highlight" moment for your team?
"We don't like skills and builds that are only popular in a specific season. If everyone uses the same builds, the game will be boring. We are thrilled when we beat strong opponents using our own style."

Sounds like these guys are serious. Their focus and determination is admirable, however, we hope - for their own sake - that they never become "unbeatable." After all, part of the thrill of the game is the risk and possibility of losing. Were the Last Pride indeed become invincible, they would that Guild Wars would become dull very quickly...

Despite their rather British-sounding name, "The Irresistible Blokes" are actually from the Land of the Suomi, Finland. As the Guild Wars: Factions World Championship draws near, the folks at NC Soft have been featuring interviews with participating guilds, grilling them about their practice drills, strategies and build philosophies.

While anyone could walk off with the trophy at this point, the Irresistible Blokes would seem to be real contenders. Here's the interview - decide for yourself.

Q. Who in your guild designs the team builds you use, or is it a group effort?
"Group effort. Each of us is used to playing certain classes, so best results come when everyone gives their opinion on their best classes."

Q. How much time do you guys spend practicing together?
"Our goal is to play four days a week, a few hours per day. Sometimes we play more, most of the time less."

Q. Does the guild usually use the same core players for all of its competitive matches, or do you switch out often?

"We only have about ten active players and a few semi-active players. Core classes like Monks and Warriors are played ninety-nine percent of the time with the same players."

Q. Is there anything special you do to prepare for a big event like the GWFC?

"It's the best time of summer here in cold Finland" [blogger's note: Finland is as far north as Alaska, so the Suomi are enjoying sunlight almost 24 hours a day] "so we're playing even less than normally! Hopefully we can practice some before the event."

Q. What guild do you think is your biggest competitor heading into the GWFC in Germany?

"There are no weak guilds in GWFC, but to name a strong one—The Last Pride [EvIL] is very good in important games."

Q. What guild's performance has surprised/impressed you the most during any of the seasonal playoffs?

"No big surprises so far. Mostly Harmless [MH] impressed us in the last playoffs with some nice gameplay, though."

Q. What was the guild's philosophy behind choosing the builds that they have run so far?
"Attack is the best defense. A mobile build with the ability to split effectively is a good way to fight many guilds out there that are prepared to fight eight-versus-eight."

Q. Did you choose your build to play to your team's strength, or what you felt was your foe's weakness?

"What we've found out is that we play our best when playing a build that meets our strengths rather than using counter builds".

Q. Which match do you feel was the most interesting/challenging for your guild?

"Every playoff game is a challenge; you should never underestimate the guilds that got into the top 16 of all the guilds out there. They're there for a reason. The game we enjoyed most was the Season 3, Round 2 game against No Clue [emt]."

Q. What has been the "highlight" moment for your team?

"The win against Clan Kgyu [KGYU] when our GWFC spot was secured."

The Guild Wars Factions Championship ("GWFC") series will be held in Leipzig, Germany later this month. It's open to all players, and there is over $100,000 (USD) worth of prizes at stake for the top ten guilds. More information is available at the GW website.

Guild Wars: Factions, the smash hit followup to Guild Wars, is a mission-based game set in a fantastic 3D world known as Cantha, an Asian-inspired continent. Cantha is where new and existing Guild Wars players join an epic quest to defeat an ancient evil and help save empire torn apart by war.

A good, updated map is essential to any military operation and Cantha Map v1.7 is the latest version of the whole continent of Cantha. The continental map (in jpeg format) features:

• High-resolution images
  
• Cloudless view
  
• Brighter/High-gamma
• Properly labeled undercity
  
• Neutralized town-ownership
• Properly marked conquerable towns
  
• All missions using the Master's Reward icon

Download: [Cantha Map v1.7]

Can't get enough of the game? Feast your eyes on this new wallpaper from Guild Wars: Factions. This features a female Assassin with the Jade Quarry in the background.

Guild Wars: Factions is so far the newest expansion of Guild Wars for this year (though we're still waiting for "Nightfall" to be announced officially) where existing characters from the original game can explore the world of Cantha. Guild Wars: Factions has been giving players new adventures through coop quests and PvP battles.