Outspark has announced that they are looking for players to help test their new MMORPG tittle, Wind Slayer.

San Francisco – January 5, 2009 – Outspark, a leading entertainment services company that publishes and operates massively multiplayer online games, announced today the closed beta test for its newest game, Wind Slayer. Between January 7th and 14th, players will have a chance to embark on a hero’s journey through hundreds of quests and intense battles to earn experience, treasure and prestige. Outspark encourages gamers of all ages to sign up for a free account and register for the closed beta now at www.playwindslayer.com.

The testing period offers participants the elite opportunity to be one of the first to experience Wind Slayer in its entirety. Participants will also provide Outspark with valuable feedback that will be used to further refine the game before its wider release later this year.

“Outspark offers rides for every type of thrill seeker coming to play in our virtual playground,” stated Susan Choe, CEO and founder of Outspark. “Wind Slayer’s character customization and multiplayer options combined with its side scrolling style and simple controls make the game a perfect fit for all gamers wanting to enjoy a fun-filled crusade with friends they meet in the Outspark community.”

Set on the beautiful continent of Beuritania, Wind Slayer invites adventurers to travel a diverse land filled with everything from beautiful, grass covered meadows and mountaintops to curious villages, dark caves and even an underwater city. Along the way players gain skills, weapons and experience as their characters grow stronger and choose one of the game’s six exciting classes – Warrior, Archer, Mage, Rogue, Monk and Priest.

Additional Wind Slayer Features Include:

* Hundreds of in-game items to customize your character
* Powerful skills and deadly combos to battle foes
* Hundreds of engaging in-game quests
* Intense multiplayer battles with up to 20 simultaneous players
* Beautiful fantasy worlds and captivating visual effects
* Engaging community features including chat, trade, guilds and more

Read more here.

Moving the interface around to make it look different doesn't change the fact that this isn't Maple Story. Bring on the Item Malls and bring on the massive grind.

I was wondering why i never heard of this game befor. Now i know its a remake to maple story and that trailer was the worst advertisment they could have for that game.  and why the F*** are people still making 2d games come on.

The obvious answer to your (silly) question is that there is a market for 2d games.  Its a big industry that nurtures creation in whatever form it may take and welcomes multiple approaches to game creation. There are many 2d games (on all platforms) that are better than the majority of pumped out 3d games and there are enough people who are willing to pay for and play them.

The second answer concerns the issue of development. In addition to all the other development areas, its a lot easier and faster to develop assests for a 2d game compared to a 3d game and you can do it with a smaller team size. 3d assets require a lot of work i.e. modeling, skinning, rigging, animating to name a few. In many cases, creating assets for 2d games can be done by one person in a fraction of the time. In addition, with 3d you are directly competing with the big companies who have giant budgets and resources to throw at development which makes it much harder to compete.

Gamesetwatch.com talks about an article originally printed in Game Developer Magazine about 3d vs 2d and mentions a lot more interesting points about the subject but I think the most important point they talk about is that graphics are not gameplay -- a point you fail to understand.

Dev

A friend of mine only has a fairly weedy laptop and Maple Story and similay 2d Games run fine on it compared to 3D games which dont run too well.

Its a work laptop so I doubt it will be upgraded anytime soon to a 3D worthy machine.

I think the only 2D game I would ever consider playing these days is if it had the words "X-COM" on it.

 Seriously, I can't believe you asked why they still make 2D games. Yes, market is a very good reason. But you have to remember that the graphics are a small thing on the game (it was), and now it is starting to be something more and more important. I think that is really bad in a way because now people don't read care about the story of the game and start to say that old games sucks because of the graphics, I love games with 2D graphics or a bad 3D and I also think it is very nice a game with a good 3D,  they are wonderful. New players they judge the chocolate by the box, if you see what I mean, that is wrong.

Play RPGs, not MMOs, play the classics like FFVII and also (if you have a PS2) try Disgaea The Hour of Darkness. Disgaea is not an old game and developers chose to make it with simple graphics.

Players need to start asking for a better story to make a game more interesting. I'm very tired to see this new formula of getting players.

All I have to say is that this game is going to fail. Reminds me of Wakfu [another BS mmo]

..,.and massive PVP battles? they think 20 people at the same time is massive? They obviously haven't looked at the competition

"graphics are not gameplay -- a point you fail to understand."

oh, but it is in a way.

why better armors look better in many games? why people even go through all trouble to get all those mounts and other useless things in lets say WoW? they do it just because it looks cool. cool looks = graphics. is it not?

besides 3d makes you able to go to more directions than left right or up. you think that doesnt change the freedom of the game?

feeling the whole world of the game is as much gameplay as casting a skill of some sort.

i think its obvious that a game that has better graphics (lets say lotro) makes you feel better in the role youve chosen. unlike lets say some kind of childish and extremely colorful silly game. what does that game really portray? how does it make it look and feel different with same graphics like 100 other games? feeling the whole style, lore etc is a part of gameplay. no wonder so many good mmos not only have good graphics, but they offer you some kind of epic sights. epic sight = reward for your gameplay. as far as i know rewards ARE part of gameplay.

my 2 cents.

oh and as for wind slayers? just read the list of features, search for simmilar matches in your mind and move on. how many times have you read simmilar feature list? a few dozen times atleast.

heh maplestory clone XD

Another 2d game for those pour folks who have crap for a computer.  Back in the day 15 years back 2d was the king,  we called it slider games.  I remember when duke nukem was 3 day however cheesy, then went and brought out a slider game and instantly turned their entire game base off.

I see the comments folks saying there is a market for 2d, well if your 10 years old and like cheesy animation yes you might have a market.   Do you seriously think that anybody over 20 is going to play that game.  I cant see anybody paying for that kind of content, and if they do they are welcome to it, keeps them from lagging my game out.