Nexon America may not be a company that many hardcore gamers are aware of, especially in North America, but they are a company you should be aware of. Nexon has dominated the free to play market for the last 15 years and is probably best known for Maple Story in North America. To put things into perspective, numbers for the popular Zynga facebook game FarmVille are usually estimated around 80 to 100 million users. Nexon’s Dungeon Fighter Online has around 200 million players and has set records by having 2.2 million concurrent users playing at the same time. With that kind of a user base, Nexon is definitely a company you should be paying attention to.
Dungeon Fighter Online
The biggest game in the world was released in North America back on June 9th of this year. The best way to describe it is as a 2D beat em up on a massive scale. Players choose from one of six different classes, but will eventually level up and pick a sub-class. Like other MMOs you will find additional weapons, armor and clothing. Additionally, you can purchase additional cosmetic items via micro transaction. These cosmetic changes help differentiate you from other players you see online.
While the game can be played as an individual, later dungeons become extremely difficult and are easier to tackle in as a group. Groups of up to four players may team up and crawl through a dungeon together. Alternatively you might fancy some PVP action. Competitive modes include one vs one, team vs team, elimination or brawl. Nothing like old school button mashing to prove you are the better gamer.
Dungeon fighter is certainly a unique MMO that seems to touch a nostalgic nerve. Its certainly worth an afternoon, especially if you miss arcade style beat em ups. We were assured that there was a compelling story behind it with a twist at the end, but I’m not sure most of us will notice it.
Vindictus
By far the most brutal of the games Nexon showed off at E3 was Vindictus. Built on a modified version of the Source engine, it was also the best looking. Parties of up to four can enter dungeons together and up to 8 can join together in a raid. Like all MMOs, teamwork will be key and players take the traditional tank, damage and healer roles.
There are some pretty impressive physics in Vindictus not usually seen in an MMO. You can pin enemies to walls, at least temporarily, to gain an advantage during a fight. At least some portions of the environment are destructible and the broken pieces can be picked up and used as weapons. The most impressive moment involved a mage forming some sort of golem from debris that had accumulated after a fight. It was the most visually impressive moment I saw from a free to play MMO at E3 this year.
Despite the impressive visuals, this was the least impressive of the Nexon games. Where the other two felt like they carved out their niche, Vindictus just seemed like a dark and gritty version of something I’ve seen before, albeit for free this time. Even so, there are not a lot of “mature” MMOs out there, especially in the free space. Vindictus is expected to be released in Q4 in North America.
Dragon Nest
Dragon Nest is an action RPG with a focus on high speed combat and combo attacks. While not expected to come to North America until next year, it became available in Korea this past March. It has a distinctly Asian art style that is a lot brighter and more cheerful then Vindictus. While it takes place in a 3D space, it has more in common with Dungeon Fighter in that the action is fast paced and there are lots of numbers flying around as you damage your enemies.
There are four classes in Dragon Nest: the Warrior, Archer, Cleric and Sorceress. You must utilize your strengths within your group to not only defeat enemies, but solve puzzles as well. The environment will again be important as bouncing enemies off walls or cliffs will be key to chaining combos.
Many MMOs are passive and involve targeting enemies and then managing the abilities you use, typically attacking only a few enemies at a time. Dragon Nest is far more action packed. While Dragon Nest won’t be available in North America until next year, you will want to keep an eye on this one.
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