Perfect World International

If you're an avid player of Perfect World International, February 15th will be the day that it all goes down. That's the launch date for the game's latest expansion, Descent, which brings along a variety of improvements and upgrades to the game. Despite the low implications of the name, the expansion will be focusing on high-level conflict, with a new zone open to players of level 95 and up to explore. Said zone includes new quest hubs, two new dungeons, and of course several new pieces of equipment.

Progress through the zone will also bring characters into contact with the three Orders, forcing players to choose between the Orders for special character perks and improvements. Even without membership, however, each class will be gaining some new and unique skills that should alter the current distribution of abilities rather than reinforce existing roles. If this sounds right up your alley, check out the full expansion trailer just past the cut, and mark your calendar in advance.

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Despite the name, Perfect World International has always been fairly national after all. Or at least, it's been limited in the sense that unless you can read the game's English text, you're going to have a hard time navigating it. Fortunately for players in Latin America, Aeria Games is currently in closed beta testing for a Spanish version of the game client, complete with all of the game's content and free expansions to date.

The official site for the Spanish version is up, along with registration options for players hoping to take part in the testing and refinement of the title. We've also received a few preview screenshots of the game in its current incarnation, although ironically enough none of these screenshots features text in any language. If you're hoping to be able to play the game in a language other than English, keep your eye on the localization of this title in the coming months.

[Source: Aeria Games press release]

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We're kicking off starting zone week here on One Shots with an image from Perfect World International. Massively reader Ryan says:

Here's a night-time shot of my Seeker in Tellus City, part of the Earthguard starting zone in Perfect World International. I've always thought the moon glow and huge stone faces make for some gorgeous adventuring in the evenings, not to mention the scenery included when you cruise through your home port attached to a kite!

It's starting zone week here at One Shots. First impressions are a big deal, so many developers put a lot into that first zone you see. Show us a screenshot of your favorite starting zone -- add your name and a little bit about the image, send it in to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll feature it in this week's One Shots!

In our opinion, the best birthday parties are the ones where the visitors get presents too. Hey, we're going out of our way to spend an afternoon putting up with a half-rate clown and a rapidly deflating bouncy castle -- we've earned it!

Perfect World International subscribes to this theory (well, not the clown, thank goodness), and so is handing out lots of free gifts for its third anniversary starting today. The anniversary celebration kicks off with several in-game events, veteran rewards based on how long since you first registered for PWI, and 24 days of double XP, spirit and drops that starts today. Players who log in from the 2nd through the 4th will automatically be entered for the giveaway pack, which includes a cool giveaway package with a Barbarian Tiger Statue and a Logitech keyboard.

An anniversary is a great time to renew vows -- or make new ones -- which is why Perfect World International also has added a Chinese-themed Phoenix Nest Wedding Chapel into the game.

Product Manager Derick Chan took time out of throwing confetti and blowing a birthday horn to praise the community: "We owe all of the game's success to the fans that have helped it grow and plan to reward every single player regardless of how long they have been with us."

As most of readers of my column realize, I love the Star Wars franchise, and I will pretty much play any game if it has that label on it. However, I am not just a Star Wars fan, I am also a big MMO fan. Well, at least I like the idea of MMOs. Ultima Online blew my mind when it came out over a decade ago. I had been glued to my TV and Nintendo until I saw that I could play a game that simulated living in the Ultima universe. Since then I have tried out nearly every major MMO to hit the web since then -- which brings us to today.

Choose My Adventure is a chance for Massively readers to guide one member of the writing staff on an adventure in a game of the readers' choosing. For the next six weeks, I want you to choose my adventure for me. As I mentioned, I have tried nearly every major title in the last decade, but I haven't necessarily spent a lot of time in all of them. After the break, I will describe some of the games that I believe will be great for this task, and you can choose one for me via poll. Then, as a special bonus, on Friday at 6 p.m. EDT I will introduce you to each of the games on Massively's Livestream channel.

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MMO industry efforts to rebuild Japan continue, as free-to-play titan Perfect World Entertainment is lending its considerable weight to the cause. The firm is donating 50% of the proceeds from special cash shop items to the ongoing Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief drive.

Players of PWE's games can pick up a little something extra for their characters while simultaneously making a donation to the Red Cross. The promotion runs through April 13th and features a variety of items in games including Battle of the Immortals (bag expansions), Ether Saga Online (ancestral crystals), Forsaken World (star of hope), Jade Dynasty (meditation orbs), and Perfect World International (super inventory stone).

Perfect World Entertainment is always busy. No, seriously -- these guys and gals do not sleep. They now publish nearly 10 titles and show no sign of stopping. Their newest and largest title, Forsaken World, just hit open beta at the time of this writing, so we thought it might be a good idea to ask a few questions of the developers.

We tracked down PWE's Clifton Chu, product manager for Forsaken World, to give us some info on the new game and the company's MMO presence. If you have been excited to play it or any of the other titles in the Perfect World lineup, 2011 is going to be a very good year for you. Not only can you try out every title on its roster, but you can do it at your own pace. No subscription fee also means that you'll have more money to blow in the cash shop. Hey, everyone needs vanity items!

Click past the cut to read the interview!

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Perfect World International, the largest game in Perfect World Entertainment's free-to-play MMO stable, is set to erupt with enormous world-changing goodness. On March 2nd, the game's largest expansion, Genesis, is nearing launch. We've checked out the expansion in earlier developer diaries, but today we have a video showing off the many changes players can expect, all in one tasty, ready-to-devour package.

In this video, the game's Product Manager, Clifton, and Community Manager, Steven, sit down to tell us all about the myriad things that will be coming to the game on March 2nd. The Earthguard race will emerge from the underground; players can pick up Runecrafting to buff their weapons; and even new dances will be added to replace some of the older ones. (Those are apparently so embarassing that Clifton and Steven are loath to put them on camera!) For active Perfect World International players, a huge rollback of Territory Wars to pre-nerf is coming as is a full map reset, which will open up the season for one heck of a power-grab. Finally, we also get a look into the upcoming guild bases, which players have been wanting for quite some time.

You'll find the newest dev diary video behind the break, ready for those who want to check out more on Perfect World International's upcoming Genesis expansion.

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Guild bases are on their way to Perfect World International, and the new functionality is the latest in a long line of updates scheduled to go live with the Genesis expansion on March 2nd. In terms of mechanics, the bases are instanced and feature four wings: an armory, an alchemy lab, the Manor of Justice, and the Heavenly Vault. Each wing offers different buffs, unique quests, and guild-only exclusive content to make your PWI experience all the more memorable.

The guild bases also feature a fifth room, the Hall of Loyalty, centrally located between the four wings and home to more quests, trivia activities, and unique rewards. If all that isn't enough for you, guild bases also boast an area dedicated to raising monsters that can be hunted for experience and spirit.

Head to the official Perfect World International blog for further details.

Perfect World International, brought to us by Perfect World Entertainment, is a beautiful game -- I'll give it that. I am not sure whether the newbie area I was playing through (which consisted of a race of mermaid- and mermen-type creatures) is newly made or recently redone, but the scenery, special effects, and characters are downright gorgeous. While near-realism (with a huge touch of pointy fantasy) is definitely not my favorite art style, I can see how much hard work went into the game. Props to everyone on the team!

Still, a beautiful game does not guarantee a fun game. PWI is obviously very successful and boasts a massive population, but does that translate to a friendly community? I wonder, also, what the average age of players is. I would put hard-earned money (playing video games, so it's fitting) on the table and say that the numbers would surprise us. In fact, that could sum up a lot of how I felt about PWI while I played it: surprised -- a lot of the time.

Click past the cut and I'll tell you more.

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Perfect World Entertainment has unveiled a sparkling new trailer for Genesis, the latest expansion for its free-to-play Perfect World International MMORPG. The clip features just over a minute and a half of gameplay footage and shows off a ton of new content. First up is a glimpse of the new Earthguard race, followed by a montage of the new Seeker and Mystic classes in action. There's also a look at some of the new summonable pets as well as interior shots of the expansion's new faction bases.

The new Genesis content will be hitting the PWI live servers on March 2nd, and in the meantime, you can get a sneak preview of all the juicy details after the cut.

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For some people, one character per game is pretty much their hard limit. That way they can level up, see almost all of the game's content, and only have to worry about gearing up once. For others, a new game just represents a chance to roll even more alts! Some are for crafting, some are for roleplay, some for raiding, and there's almost always that one inevitable bank and auction house mule. Today's One Shots comes from someone who was more the former but has crossed to the alt-tastic dark side recently in Perfect World International. This image comes to us from a player going by SiSSY LaLa, who writes in: "I almost never make alts, but I finally decided to make one and check out the Tideborn in Perfect World International. I was very intrigued by the interesting city decor. I hope my main doesn't get jealous of my time away."

When you're running around in your MMO of choice this weekend, why not grab a screenshot and send it along to us? We love to see what you're all up to -- and it's easy to do. Just email your image to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll share it with the world and give you the credit.

Just when you thought it was safe to wander back into Perfect World International, the time foretold by elders is coming. In the game's upcoming expansion, Genesis, the land will be torn asunder, leaving all in darkness and confusion. Along with this world-shattering event, two new classes will emerge, ready to help lead denizens of this fantasy game back into the light. Of course, before that can happen next month, there's tons of work to be completed on the back-end. Creation of new art, music, quests, animations, armor, and more.

That's why the team at Perfect World Entertainment have offered an interesting teaser trailer for Perfect World International's upcoming Genesis expansion. Rather than reiterating specifics of the storyline which are easily readable on the main site, the team has instead opted to give players a behind-the-scenes look at all the hard work the team is putting in. From character modeling and rendering to music, motion-capture, and more, it offers a refreshing look at the operations of the studio. You can check out the video behind the break or head over to the Perfect World International site if you want to see the Perfect World one last time before things change.

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The devs at Perfect World Entertainment are busy little bees, and today they've brought us a pair of videos to show off what's new in two of the company's flagship free-to-play titles. First up is Forsaken World's second dev diary video, and in it, PWE marketing director Jon Belliss shows off the fantasy epic's eight playable classes as well as the 14 secondary occupations that make up the job system.

Not to be outdone is Perfect World International, and its upcoming Genesis expansion will be featuring the usual expansion suspects such as a new race, new classes, new zones, and more. In addition to all the new content, PWE is throwing some fluff into the mix via a slew of new character dance emotes that amp up the style and complexity of the game's existing moves. All of the game's original races will be able to perform the maneuvers, and many of them will be activated via special clothing sets.

Check out the Forsaken World dev diary video and a sneak peek at a new Perfect World International dance after the cut.

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