Acclaim Games recently showed their moves on the dance floor, err, MMO block, by launching their latest online game DANCE! Online. Bound to be your little tween sister's new best friend, DANCE! Online is a free-to-play MMO dancing game and it will feature top talent and recordings from the Warner Music Group.

According to Howard Marks, "this is by far the closest collaboration any major music label has ever had with an online game". With artists like Paris Hilton and Ashley Tisdale among many others on the Warner recording stable, we bet a lot of people would have fun with this game.

Anyhow, the U.S. open beta for DANCE! Online will be starting this week. Atlantic Records' recording artist Cupid will make a personal virtual appearance in the game. Other artist-related announcements will follow where they will create their own avatar and play the game live online and chat with fans.

The game will feature the artists' latest music and personalized virtual items including artist-branded clothing and accessories. Players can compete to win autographed merchandise and other artist-branded products. Players could use either their keyboards or PC-compatible dance pads for their character to rule the dance floor.

Acclaim Games is proud to announce that they've reached a new milestone in their MMO career: they've garnered over one million registered users in just a little over a year after being reborn as a free-to-play publisher!

Acclaim currently has five online games: BOTS!!, 9Dragons, 2Moons, DANCE! Online, and one yet unnamed top secret MMO title that'll reportedly revolutionize the way MMO games are developed. How? By giving players a chance to actively participate in the devving process. The company will then announce one lucky winner who'll get to direct their own game funded by Acclaim. Cool, huh?

Howard Marks, Acclaim Games' CEO, sends his gratis to all the users who have helped them reach this major milestone. Oh, and news also reached our ears that the open beta for DANCE! Online and 2Moons will be announced by the company real soon so make sure you keep an eye (and ear) out for that.

Star-studded David Perry has a lot of things to say about his upcoming project with Acclaim Games. To those of you who missed it, it's not going to be just any game. Selected applicants will form a new development team and come up with a new free MMO game. The ultimate prize is the chance to be the overall director of the said game.

Perry shared that he has been helping new talents into business for years now. Some of his past projects included helping out at Westwood College and investing a lot of time and effort with his local IGDA chapter. In relation to the "Top Secret" project, he explained,

This is really that concept on steroids, instead of just hosting students and gamers, this way we will all work together and make a game. The goal for the first game is actually just to keep it fun and get something shipped. Then we can see who did what, and who did well.

Apparently, this competition is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. Perry commented that after this, the winner will get his/her own MMO and that winner will be able to invite any talent they enjoyed working with. The director then shared that Acclaim will try to give people as much space as they need in developing the game. He commented,

The design, like before, will be based on voting, with the cream rising to the top. If you need to work on something semi-privately, you can ask the moderator to carve some space for you. So a small group can bang away on an idea and present their results. If I like an idea, I'll make it happen.

Even though it's a free MMO, Perry clarified that participants will still get something out of it. And he doesn't just mean the experience or an entry in their resume. Perry divulged then that there's actually a competition within the competition. Anybody who is capable enough will get a job offer to join his team. And then he added,

They will make royalties off the game. Hopefully they will have a pre-built audience so they will make good money from their first title. If they do a great job on their first title, obviously Acclaim would be dumb to let them go, so a career could be the final prize.

Lastly, Dave Perry commented that they are not trying to make a World of Warcraft clone. He explained that they are trying to push the paradigm forward and doing another WoW will never do that. He believes, though, that a good place to start is in a genre that everone has experienced:

I'm keeping this game simple so we can aim to be done within 12 months. I don’t want to start a 5 year project. I think we will start with something in a genre that everyone has experienced, that everyone has opinions on, and then challenge their brains. What would make this genre more fun? Prepare for plenty of discussion.

Acclaim Games has earlier announced that it is starting a collaborative effort to build the most original MMO game to date with star director David Perry  codenamed "Top Secret."

The game breaks new ground because behind the development of the new game is a competition in itself. Here's how it works- Acclaim will select a group of applicants from its game community to become part of the new game's development team.

Prior experience doesn't matter as Perry claims that the raw talent and passion in the applicants is their main target. The participant who exhibits the qualities needed to make it big in the industry is selected during the process, is declared the winner and gets a  shot to get his life changed.

"This is the only chance I know of to jumpstart a directorship career in the video game industry," Perry says. He also added “Everyone wins. They get to learn how to make professional games, and if they get anything in, they get a real professional credit on their resume.”

Acclaim CEO Howard Marks likened the project to a reality TV show, saying,

'Top Secret' is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We’re giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project.

 

Here's good news for all gamers who have grown to love Indy21's MMORPG, 9Dragons: The Open Beta testing for 9Dragons has just started. The pre-Open Beta announced a few months ago gathered a lot of players, so expect that this time around, there will be even more people to interact with in the game.

In the Open Beta, gamers will be able to choose to join one of the game's six starter clans, to get them started. The choices include the Wu-Tang Clan, The League of Beggars, Shaolin, The Brotherhood of Thieves, The Heavenly Demon Clan, and the Sacred Flower Clan (which accepts only female applicants, by the way).

The first three in the list are loyal to the Emperor of China, while the last three oppose him. There will also be three advanced clans to be added in the game as it progresses, and players will have a choice as to whose side these clans will eventually end up fighting with.

If that bit of news isn't enough, we've got one more for you. Acclaim Games has also announced that 9Dragons will have a dedicated European server, meaning players from Europe will have an easier time accessing and playing the game. We're guessing that this may be their response to the slight problem that  occurred last week, which left players from that side of the globe to momentarily lose access to the game.

Another major thing to note about the game is that its storyline, which is based on China's Ming Dynasty, has been remastered and adapted by Steven-Elliot Altman, a Hollywood screenwriter, so that Western players (read: those not very familiar with China's history) will be able to relate to the game.

So those who still aren't in on the free martial arts-themed MMORPG that is 9Dragons, you better sign up for a free account at 9dragonsgame.com.

Swing it, shake it , move it, make it, who do you think you are? The Spice Girls didn't know jack about dancing, and how confident are you that you can really bust a groove? It's your turn to take the stage and prove that you can really burn the house down. (Burn, baby! Burn!)

Of course, Acclaim Games' DANCE! Online isn't just going to be all about dancing because although it is quite a novel factor in a game, it's still, believe it or not, an MMORPG. Yeah, think of the Draenei dancing their way to the top against other players.

You have to keep in sync with the beat and perfect your dance skills that will encompass a full range of different styles - from smooth ballroom to hardcore breakdancing.

More so, why not try it yourself? Acclaim Games just launched the Closed Beta Test program. All you've got to do is waltz over to the official website (check the "Read" link below) and register. Registry and getting to play the game is absolutely free, but note that slots for the Beta tests are limited. Shake and bake, baby!

Acclaim Games is happy to announce that it has started the Closed Beta testing for the upcoming David Perry-developed MMORPG, 2Moons.

As mentioned in an earlier post, 2Moons was designed exclusively for adult gamers (meaning age 17 and up) as the game features "extreme fantasy violence", and massive dose of profanity - all within an action-packed epic story. The lucky users who were able to sign up for the closed beta (registration began August last year) will be given an all-exclusive AND confidential first look at the game.

But of course, being the chosen ones always comes with certain responsibilities, so they'll also be asked to report whatever bugs, issues, and glitches they encounter in the game so that the dev team can work on fixing these glitches. For those who don't know, 2Moons is based on the book written by Henry Jones, and the game will combine traditional RPG elements and arcade-style combat. So if you're one of those lucky people who successfully registered for the beta, soon you too will be showing "no mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, and no tears for the slain". Enjoy!