Still in Beta stages and it's already going hot - formerly named Granado Espada, Sword of the New World is shaping up to be an MMORPG to be reckoned with. After winning the Korean Best Graphics and 2006 Presidential Award for Game of the Year, this game made by Hakkyu Kim in the fame of Ragnarok Online is starting to win the hearts of other Asian countries. The new title marks its coming to the west.

As fans would know, you have access to a huge lot of 32 characters in the game. Also new to the MMORPG scene, there is the multi-character control (MCSC) that lets the player use three characters at once. Five distinct classes and different stances for each makes for a fresh gameplay experience.

One of the images on top shows a team coming from a high level family. It's quite nice to see that a game with low spec requirements can dish out such pretty places. The character models are pretty good too, compared to other Free2Play games.

Not a believer? Open and Closed Betas are on-going, so just sign up at their site. Hurry up so you won't miss out, lucky Fileplanet subscribers are already having a good time in the fantasy world of Sword of the New World.

  

The newest masterpiece by Hakkyu Kim is taking center-stage at the MMO scene in the U.S., under the wings of K2 Network (oh noes! K2 Network?!?) as the Sword of the New World. From an official press release from K2 Network, they present to the waiting public the sorcerer class of the New World: the Elementalist.

The Elementalist is a magician that taps into three (of the five?) elements in nature: fire, ice and lightning. As with all characters, each stance in the Elementalist upgrades in level by three tiers: possession, evocation and domination.

An uber stance, called the Lord stance, will allow masters of the elements to combine the three elemental powers to wield against the best of enemies. Apart from wielding powerful spells of the three elements, Elementalists are also granted resistances to these elements, making them far stronger against enemies who wield the same elemental power against them.

The Elementalists are slated to be the best ranged DPS classes in the game (with 10 stances and 36 spells), and are a valuable addition to parties in need of serious crowd control. The game should be making its way to your hard drive by May 2007.

Click on Full Article to view some sample screenshots and spell details. And remember, jump this article if you like it!

Word on the 'net is that the first English version of the Koren MMORPG Granado Espada will be ready by May. Granado Espada is the latest project from Hakkyu Kim, the guy behind Ragnarok Online, and has won a few awards including the top prize in the 2006 Korean Game Awards, the Presidential Award for the Best Game of 2006, as well as clinching a prize for Best Graphics.

The localization team for Granado Espada worked on over 61,000 lines of Korean text for the game's latest version, version 2.0. Twenty voice talents also did voiceovers for more that 40 different characters in the game. A lot of attention was paid to each and every detail of the translation, so hopefully gamers who hate poorly translated games will take to the game's English version.

The commercial release of Granado Espada is slated for later this year, while the first English version will be available to gamers in South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on May 17.

In an exclusive interview with Sony Online Entertainment's David Christensen, new vice president of business development and international operations, Next-Gen was able to extract SOE's desire to trace Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft and deliver an MMO champ to be remembered by. Their first order of business was to establish an international footprint.

So while keeping a firm hand on Europe and North America, Sony Online Entertainment glanced over to the other half of the world and saw how much work lay waiting for them.

South America, India, Vietnam and the Philippines were just some of the names mentioned by Sony, after they identified the most active countries where MMO gamers would love to try out new games given the chance

But of course, Sony does have its share of competition. So far, Korean development companies have been also successful with their own local products that had taken Asia and parts of the West by storm. Trying to insert a viable product in the same market to compete with tried-and-tested (and free for the most part) MMOs would prove unnervingly difficult.

Hakkyu Kim's Granado Espada (Sword of the New World) is one such title that has just recently been tapped into by the Asian market following the recent announcement of a closed beta program. It's been gaining amazing foothold on most Asian countries and could become a brilliant Asian WoW by itself.

But Christensen is still keeping positive, claiming that they do have an ability to enter the local markets and not "be competing with several hundred MMOs" that gamers are already hooked into. SOE is currently trying to establish relations with key entertainment and online technology companies.

They already have games in Taiwan, China and Korea, but Christensen remains adamant that it's just "a very small footprint" they they have established on foreign markets. Is it safe to say that the world MMO market should be seeing Sony branded MMO games coming to other countries soon? With Sony's premier focus on catering to low-cost local economies, you could say that.

Last month we told you about imcGames and Hakkyu Kim's announcement that Sword of the New World will be coming to Europe and North America. For those who aren't familiar with the dev company, you should know that they're the same ones who brought us the hit MMO Ragnarok Online. So that factoid alone should give us some clue as to how Granado Espada will play out on your screens.

Anyhoo, the game will feature Multiple Character Control, various gameplay types (PvE, PvP, Family vs. Family (FvF), and City vs. City), multiple character classes and tons more. No word on the release date yet but we heard that the game will have a free downloadable version. If you wanna get more content and gameplay hours though, you can opt to buy the premium boxed edition. So while we wait for more release info to come out, feast your eyes on the screens below and let us know what you think.

More of them screens in the full article!

Publisher K2 Network will be bringing another Korean MMO to American and European shores. From the maker of Ragnarok Online, Hakkyu Kim and imcGames, comes another award-winning MMO for people to get into. Ladies and gents, we present to you Granado Espada, otherwise known as Sword of the New World.

Sword of the New World is set in the 17th century after Europe's land discovery rush. It features baroque-inspired architecture and a Multiple Character Control (MCC) system. The US version will also get a number of unique features, such as character customization with a hundred costume choices and an improved control scheme. Other features to watch out for include:

• Multiple Character Control - Players can level up and control a team of up to three characters at once.
• Gameplay - Players can choose between several types of gameplay in specific arenas: PvE, PvP, Family vs. Family (FvF), and City vs. City (CvC).
• Stunning audio and visual offerings - Period architecture and fashion, great character design, and music gives the game an old world atmosphere.
• Multiple Character Classes - Character classes include Fighter, Wizard, and Scout. Additional characters will be announced later.
• Free Trial and Premium Editions - There will be a free downloadable version. Additional content and gameplay, however, can be acquired by purchasing a premium boxed edition.

A release date has yet to be announced so we'll all have to sit tight. For now, check out these screenshots from Sword of the New World.

Check out the screens after the jump!