Codemasters has just announced the release of the ArchLord graphic novel. You've played the game, so why not read all about it as well? Created in collaboration with TOKYOPOP, the graphic novel is based exclusively on ArchLord's lore and set in Chantra’s past. Readers will get to follow the adventures of Leon, a descendant of the legendary Nathan Manas, the founder of human civilization in Chantra and renowned for mastering the power of the legendary Archons.

"The manga is an incredible compliment to the game, delving into the personal lives of characters that exist in the backdrop of the multi-player world," said TOKYOPOP Editor Luis Reyes. "It examines the mythology of ArchLord in a way that draws game enthusiasts closer to the overall story."

"The partnership with TOKYOPOP and the creation of the ArchLord graphic novel just goes to show that ArchLord's popularity is growing outside the normal boundaries of the MMO gaming audience," said Adam McGowan, Product Marketing Manager for Codemasters Online Gaming. "This is a testament to the depth of game play offered and means that ArchLord will continue to capture the imagination of both gamers and manga comic fans in the future."

The ArchLord graphic novel is already out in North America. You can grab one from most major book stores in the U.S. for US$ 9.99. A European launch is also in the works.

   

More images from the graphic novel after the jump!

Software distributor Soft-World International, the largest in the Chinese market, has filed a lawsuit worth US$3.78 against popular games-maker Square-Enix. Demanding the return of a royalty payment, Soft-World alleges that Square-Enix failed to fulfill its obligation as stipulated in a 2004 contract regarding the distribution of one of the latter's MMORPGs in Taiwan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

According to the contract, Square-Enix was supposed to supply the company with the relevant source code for the MMORPG. Having failed to do so, the distribution of the game became problematic, thereby incurring losses for Soft-World.

Soft-World International currently handles Chinese language versions of popular MMO's RF Online, WoW and Ragnarok Online amongst others. Square-Enix, on the other hand, is a  Japanese producer of video games and manga, and is best known for its console role-playing game franchises, including the Final Fantasy series and the Dragon Quest series.

Square-Enix is yet to issue a comment regarding the lawsuit as of press time.

We recently read an interview with Kyle Rowley, Liaison Officer of RF Online. Here are the juicy parts just for you.

RF Online is an MMORPG like no other. If you're unfamiliar with this title, let us brief you on a bit of a backgrounder before we start. The game is set in a distant galaxy, Sector Novus. On planet Novus, there are three distinct factions that has been at war for generations.

Accretia Empire are made up of cyborgs. Conquest and destruction is their motivation. They have the most destructive weapons in the game. Expect the Terminator on steroids with this group. Bellato Union. Exceptional engineering skills. Builders of the most advanced weaponry and buildings in the sector. They're mainly a merchant and engineering class. Good for gamers with a penchant of making money. Holy Cora Alliance. The spiritual race. Basically, magicians and the lot comes from this group. The characters that make this more than just another scifi game.

With all the scifi MMOs going around, RF Online has the cool mix of traditional fantasy and sci-fi, combined with the biggest PvP systems in the MMO. These happen every 8 hours. The community love seems to be another experience everyone should enjoy.

So far, the game developers have been pleased with the UK market and have been adapting the game to suit their needs. Since the game was originally created for Asia, Western gamers had to adapt to a new style in MMORPGs like evolving characters to their personal taste. There's also a slight change of gameplay aspect as there are some aspects allowed in this game that is currently frowned upon by other games.

However, there seems to be an issue with  Realm balancing. It's something that the developers are working on right now. They're in the process of getting feedback from the players and will be doing something about really soon. Unfortunately, the physics engine of RF Online will still remain as it is. Come on, this takes place in another galaxy, with different physics, right?

For the future, they're looking to hook up with some Manga events. They're also expecting a Giga4/Final Update. It'll have new content, 24 new battle dungeons, the "Dark Hole" - a multizones battle dungeon with 12 stages, guild vs. guild, guild town sieges, high level content for level 45+, a new area called Elan Plateu, and a new in-game sport called Circle Zone Scramble. Digital Distribution is already available for gamers through RF Online keys via the Codemasters website. They're also looking forward to connecting with Direct2Drive for future patches and expansions.

With all these new expansions coming to RF Online, it's time to try it out and be part of a great MMORPG.

Japanese "anime" or "manga" characters - with those pixie-ish faces and HUGE eyes - who can resist 'em?

There are few mainstream 3D MMORPG's that feature anime characters, but 2D MMO anime games are fairly popular with younger players in Asia. The advantages to such games of course is that they can be played on older machines, requiring far less in terms of processing power and RAM.  One such game is Endless Online. This anime MMO takes place in a fantasy world with a wide range of possibilities for the player, ranging from being a hero that saves the world from fire-breathing monsters, to being a fabulously wealthy merchant - or just living a simple life as an everyday citizen.

The publisher, Layered Technologies, has issued an announcement to all EO players that a mandatory upgrade is now available for download. EO players will need to download this upgrade and install in order to continue with the game. The upgrade can be downloaded for free at the EO website.