MMORPG enthusiasts looking for some deviation from the fantastic yet gritty offerings of today's popular online gaming scene, pay attention: Square Enix is releasing an MMO of its very own, and it's tailored to fit the tastes of those who want a bit more cuteness and gaiety in their online lives. Soon to be brought to North American shores by OnNet USA is Concerto Gate, a game that promises light-hearted fantasy gameplay with RPG elements, in a world that you can not only interact with but also change with your every move.

That's right - Square Enix, the company behind the epic Final Fantasy series is pulling no punches with Concerto Gate, even if it's not as serious as most MMOs out today. The game promises to have a world that players can not only trek around and battle monsters with, but alter its topography and scenery with every decision they make - with changes ranging from, say, having a hole in the ground to Mordor suddenly sprouting from one's own backyard (bit of exaggeration there, of course). It all depends on the actions of players.

For one thing, knowing that the look and geography of the playing field is literally put in the hands of the player is exciting. After all, current MMOs, while having some of the most beautiful digital scenery there is, often offer little interactivity with them. Sure, you can muck around on water puddles or make tracks in the snow, but they don't really lend themselves into being carved up by players. Concerto Gate seeks to change that.

In any case, it's certainly good that developers are looking to do new things to change up the online gaming scene some. We certainly can't wait to see just how Square Enix' Concerto Gate looks and plays like, even though a public beta's still quite a ways away (first half of 2008, says OnNet USA, publisher of free-to-play online games). And yes, playing Concerto Gate costs you about a whole wad of nothing, so that's good too.

It's cute, it's action-packed, and it involves third-person shooting! We never expected to see a manga-inspired TPS in our lifetime, but the formula certainly works. In fact, we've just got news from OnNet USA about its successful beta test for the game, as well as some announcements regarding contests OnNet's having for the gaming public.

First off, OnNet informed us that it recently concluded its first closed beta, which allowed select players worldwide to come and try the TPS for free. According to OnNet, a second closed beta is being planned this month, so gamers may want to think about applying for the beta while they're at it.

More importantly, OnNet's got two great contests for the game, which adds some incentive for gamers to show their artistic side. First off, the company is hosting a fan art contest until July 5. Winners will get their manga artwork posted on the Manga Fighter homepage, and will also walk away with a digital keychain camera. Just post your entries on the forums here, and you've got yourself an entry submission.

Their create-a-story competition after the jump!

OnNet USA announced today that it has inked a channeling partnership deal with Flyff publisher Gala. Due to the partnership, OnNet USA will be providing Gala with the rights to offer Shot Online, OnNet USA's golf-centric MMORPG, on Gala's gPotato games portal.

"We are happy to have the opportunity to partner with Gala. Their experience in the online gaming industry is extensive and we look forward to this channeling partnership with them", said Kevin Kim, CEO of OnNet USA.

With over one million players worldwide, Shot Online is one of the biggest free-to-play MMORPGs in the world. Players can choose from among 15 exciting courses and are able to play either by themselves or against other players from around the world. The game also has a community feature that allows players to interact with each other in real-time.

With the special "Valentione's Day" Event (again, not a spelling error) as announced previously for Xiah, not only lovers would be able to express their true feelings to that special MMO-someone. Love is definitely in the air, and even the bad guys are going to be that much more generous for the next couple of days.

From February 6 to 19, monsters will have a chance to drop donate special Gift Box and rings for you if you, well, kill them (talk about tough love!):

• +1 Gift Box- Drops from Level 1-25 monsters and can contain: - Stones, crystals, collecting pockets, Force item (+3~+5) Large Hornpipe, Small Hornpipe, selling Tags, rings, chocolate
• +2 Gift Box- Level 25-40 monsters and can contain - Crystals, jewels, collecting pockets, Force item (+3~+5), Five Elements martial arts books (1st), Large Hornpipe, Small Hornpipe, selling tags, rings, chocolate
• +3 Gift Box- Level 41+ monsters and can contain - Jewels, collecting pockets, Force item (+3~+5), Five Elements martial arts books, selling tags, rings, chocolate, Metallurgical Stone
• Enchant Lance(Sky)-Increases Damage by 20% for all characters on your current map for 30 minutes.
• Ring of Defense(Sky)-Increases Defense by 20% for all characters on your current map for 30 minutes.
• Ring of Accuracy(Sky)-Increases Accuracy by 20% for all characters on your current map for 30 minutes.
• Ring of Life(Sky)-Increases Life by 20% for all characters on your current map for 30 minutes.
• Ring of C.Hit(Sky)-Increases Critical Hit rate by 20% for all characters on your current map for 30 minutes

OnNet is also completing this Valentine's season with some chocolate! You can eat as much as you want, and guess what? Each chocolate item you consume will heal you up to 100% HP and MP. Time to stuff ourselves silly. Now if only this was the case in real life...

MMO title Xiah really has a lot of good points working for it. First, it is free. And then the minimum system requirement is rather low, making the game accessible to more people. But we guess the best thing about the game is that it is Asian and the developers are proud of it. We all know about localization and stuff but publisher OnNet USA took a big risk in pushing through with their project.

According to the game's General Manager Daehoon Jang, this is exactly the game's strongest point. Jang pointed out that the genre is quite populated with Orcs and Elves and so they are banking that an Asian MMO will be appreciated. Xiah's Asian nature, as the GM explained, can be seen in the game's aesthetics and gameplay:

The flying feature that exists within Xiah can be described more as levitating and moving as opposed to flying such as a bird would do. It would be more accurately classified as "wire-Fu" as you might have been in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The developers wanted to keep the unique flying feature that many people associate with Asian fantasy motion pictures.

The GM then went on to talk about the game's rather impressive A.I. feature. Players of the game are able to meet from time to time with an in-game character who provides players with answers similar to a FAQ. But more interestingly, the monsters found throughout the game are not aimless, easy targets. Jang elaborated:

Monsters have a built-in feature which recognizes a player's level and experience and respond accordingly. For example, a player may be a high level and encounters a monster. If the monster is by itself, it will not attack the player. Instead, other monsters will be summoned and they will attack the player together.

Jang understands that to be able for Xiah to survive here in Western territories, they have got to prioritize their community. Given that, the GM explained that while the game is an MMO, they've incorporated certain console features in the gameplay and the interface for better usability.

Lastly, improvements in the rather usual guild arrangement are being planned as well for Xiah. GM Daehoon Jang announced:

We have created the unique feature of sub-communities (Guild, party, relation party, teacher-student, and lover) which allows players to choose the type of community structure they feel most comfortable with. This feature is a first of its kind in online gaming. We are in the process of creating a forum and hope to have that feature ready in the near future.

Ever since Asian MMO game Xiah was released for the U.S. market back in November, it feels like publisher OnNet USA has been very busy making this game look and appeal better to Westerners. Aside from combating giants such as WoW and Second Life, Xiah needs to overcome the cultural barriers.

Anyway, it would be remembered that just a couple of days ago, Xiah opened its first commercial service. This, in turn, caused a bit of confusion regarding the game's free-to-play offer. Actually, the said commercial service is just an added feature that gives players the option to purchase at the Item Mall, previously unavailable and some rare in-game items.

Furthermore, Xiah was recently updated to improve on certain features like gameplay and graphics. However, it came to the attention of the game's support team that some of the players are having problems with the update. There have been several reports these past days that the game won't automatically update.

As a response, OnNet USA released today a manual patch to solve the problem. They also mentioned that should more problems arise, players can contact them via the read link below.

Download: [Xiah Manual Patch]

We never thought online golf could be so cutthroat. With a US$ 1,200 cash prize for the winning guild, Shot Online's second Guild Tournament will have guilds stepping up to the tee for a shot at money and golfing supremacy!

From midnight of December 19 to 11:59 p.m. of January 7, guilds in OnNet's Shot Online can enter any course and play to acquire guild points. Your main job is to earn as many points as you can by having your guild go into a golfing frenzy.

The tournament's winning guild will be chosen by the average number of guild points for an individual member of that guild, so guilds with more members will need to earn a lot more points to reach the same average number as a guild with fewer members.

Here are the prizes:

• 1st Place - US$ 1,200
  
• 2nd Place - US$ 600
  
• 3rd Place - 5,000 Cyber Cash
• Lucky Guild - Lucky box for every member of the winning guild, with each box containing rare items
  

Well, what are you waiting for? Grab those clubs, learn how to golf, and play to win!

Xiah announced the launch of it's commercial service. Don't worry, it's still free-to-play. The launch just means that previously unavailable and some rare in-game items can now be purchased in the Item Mall. Players can buy these items with CyberCash. The in-game currency (called Cybercash) can be purchased from the Xiah website. These special items can help improve a player's gameplay.

So far, only 20 special items are available at the Item Mall, but the Xiah support team says that they will gradually add other items like re-distributing points, re-naming, and other items.

Here's a list of said items:

• Clean Water (Large)
• Selling Tag
• Mana Pill (Large)
• Curing Potion (Large)
• Dragon Bone Elixir (Large)
• Eternal Life (Large)
• Mana Pill (Medium)
• Curing Potion (Medium)
• Yao Hammer
• Web Hammer
• Ju Hammer
• Stamp Hammer
• Heaven Hammer
• Dragon Hammer
• Ice Crystal of Life
• Ice Crystal of Accuracy
• Ice Crystal of Defense
• Ice Crystal of Attack
• Large Hornpipe
• Small Hornpipe

Kevin Kim, CEO of OnNet USA says, "We have had many players who have been eagerly awaiting this service. It gives players more of a choice about how to acquire certain items."

Xiah, published by OnNet USA, is a oriental fantasy MMORPG which features all sorts of cool kung fu fighting (We know, we know; this is an understatement).

When was the last time you've washed your golf balls and waxed your clubs? Online, lots of people are stroking their way to victory as the 10th Progressive Open has just started. Shot-Online's monthly golf tournament started December 12 and is on-going until the 18th.

Here, players get to compete against each other in the same class. Beginners stick with beginners, amateurs with amateurs, pros and pros. Courses are randomly selected for the tourney and that adds that much more unpredictability and poses a challenge for old and new gamers alike.

OnNet USA will be collecting the "200,000 NG per try" entrance fees as the pot to be won by the top 20 in each category. Also, one lucky winner will be given a 3x Lucky Box - Putter!

If you're not feeling too comfortable with your ball-thwacking skills just yet, don't worry. There's still going to be another Open this January. You could win the cup there. If you need any practice though, it wouldn't hurt to try your hand in this month's Open.

How'd you like to be on TV? Okay, so maybe it ain't exactly the case, but in celebration of the opening of their GamesCampus.com games portal, OnNet is announcing the start of their Shot-Online Amateur Video Contest.

There won't be any age restrictions for this contest so anybody who thinks they can make the cut are welcome to join. The rules are simple: The video has to have at least one golf-related item in it - golf balls, clubs, courses, or carts are acceptable. Aside from that, contestants are challenged to go wild with their creativity, and are also challenged to send in as many videos as they can - there's no limit to video numbers either.

Winners of this contest may win an Alienware Area-51 7500 Desktop Computer with 17 inch LCD monitor, Microsoft Zune 30GB Digital Media Players, and other prices yet to be announced. We'll announce the details and submission deadline when we get more news on this.

Chris Yamauchi, Shot-Online GM, on the contest:

Many of our users are media savvy and we thought that it would be a fun way to get the Shot-Online community involved with the brand in a unique way.

To those out to score in this video competition, we wish you the best of luck. Click on the Read link for more info about the contest.