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).

Over at the MMORPG site, Indy 21 has updated their developer journal for their upcoming game, 9Dragons. This time, they talk all about the combat system, and how you can pull off the deadliest attacks that the game will allow. The journal gives a whole lotta info on this, so join us as we give you some of the nifty info discussed.

First off, you will start the game with no fighting ability at all. As in nil, none, zip, nada. You won't be able to work a saber, or sword, and not even a staff! BUT, the devs say that you could punch and kick a stray dog. But hey if that gives you kicks, then why not, right? Seriously though, you'll need to learn Kung Fu first before you get to wield a sword or use the other weapons. And to learn Kung Fu, you're gonna have to enroll yourself in a Martial Arts school or seek the help of a Sifu (Kung-Fu guru).

You should also know that all of the clans in the game have a unique form of Kung Fu, and each form serves as a compilation of hundreds of moves that you can choose to create your own attack and defense combinations. Now, if you do well in studying Kung-Fu, you can then progress to...*drumroll*... practicing some more. Hahaha, yep, you still won't be able to pull off the wicked moves you learned, so you really have to do well in training before you can execute those moves in a real battle.

Now, all these info are just primers on the whole combat thingamajig, and it doesn't even touch on the real "delving" into the nitty gritty of kicks and stances, hack and slash action you'll eventually get to do in the game. We strongly suggest you check out the rest of the journal to find out more about 9Dragons' combat system. See the "read" link down there? Just click on it and you're all set.  9Dragons is still currently in beta testing mode but is expected to be released late 2006.

The Martial Arts MMORPG, 9Dragons, is still pretty much in its beta state. This fact though doesn't prevent us from dishing out some of the things you should expect from it so you won't be caught off-guard come its release (which will be during the last quarter of this year). This time, we're going to talk about a new developer journal from the people who are slaving to bring it to the West. By now, you already know that you'll begin your journey as a peasant armed only with big dreams. Often being picked on by the village bullies, you often daydream of ways to fight back.

According to the journal, this is a different twist in MMO land as you don't just grab the biggest weapon around and start punishing the bullies. In 9Dragons, before you become a Kung Fu legend, you must first train your inner "Chi" or energy flow. How do you do that? Through mini-games. Hard part's over? Nah, now that your Chi is finely tuned you must find a trainer and then hopefully a clan might let you join.

Teachers could be good or bad. Some will build you up, others will pull you down. But in this game, what your Sifu (teacher) teaches you depends on the choices you make in developing your character. If you chance upon a really good clan, its leader might even show and teach you some exclusive abilities which will prove to your advantage during quests. Each of the skills you develop belongs to one of the following categories: Active, Smashing, Charged, Finishing, Casting, Rounding, Channelling and Mind techniques.

Now comes the harder part of mastering those learned skills - practice, practice, and even more practice. Each clan has extensive training grounds where you can hone your talents before you leave to follow your quests, again a mentor is there to guide you along the way.

The journal also divulged two of the most important skills you'd have to master- meditation and Lightfoot. Meditation enables you, Kung Fu phenom-in-waiting, to recover your life and Chi after battles. The Lightfoot skill makes your body lighter enabling you to attack or retreat faster.

Truly, this game is for the patient. For the one willing to sacrifice lots of hours to learn, practice, and obtain new Kung Fu skills. It may not be for everybody, but it's interesting plot and gameplay make it stand out among the collective.

Never underestimate the power of a woman - for hell hath no fury like a woman denied entrance to the Shaolin Temple.

According to Acclaim, publisher of the greatly anticipated Asian martial-arts themed 9 Dragon, the Sacred Flower Clan was founded by a "legendary female warrior whose name shall not be known" after the guys at the Shaolin Temple said "no girls allowed." Coming to the perfectly sensible conclusion that since "men rule the world, women must rule men!" (the Clan's motto, incidentally), this unnamed female warrior formed her own band of deadly women fighters.

The women of the Sacred Flower Clan are deadly, but practical; realizing that men cannot be conquered by brute force alone, they have developed special kung-fu techniques that combine seduction (we know what REALLY rules most men), speed and illusion, combined with a thorough knowledge and skill of poisons. Their preferred weapons are daggers and throwing stars.

Here's a deceptively alluring lady - one of the "Sacred Flowers" -  holding a matched pair of what we understand are called "razor wheels."

One can imagine she's not planning to dance the hula with these...