MMORPG.com's Joe Iuliani has been spending some time trying out IGG's ZU Online and today he files this preview report.

Character creation begins with choosing your Zu mascot. These mascots are based on the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Besides having a cute and cartoony mascot you also benefit from the fact that, “during the blessed hour of you mascot you will get twice the result for half the effort”. This can be an important factor when choosing your mascot. I went for the one from the year I was born, then l I realized that it did not corresponded to the times I played. Lucky me.

Next you choose your faction. The factions are more of a training philosophy. It appears that all factions use the same common areas. A quick summary of the factions are:

• Tai: The Power of the Element
• Wu: Renascent Energy
• Xun: Soul and Faith

There are bonuses and penalties to the faction you choose. I haven’t found what they are yet. But during this selection stage it is mentioned rather clearly...

Finally you choose the clan (character) you would like to be.

The characters of Zu are imbued with fantastic physical and magical abilities. Players can choose from your “standard” gaming classes: tanks, casting, dps, healing and summoning.

Check it out here.