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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>Wii sales start slow in Korea</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/wii-sales-start-slow-in-korea/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/wii-sales-start-slow-in-korea/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/wii-sales-start-slow-in-korea/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/wii/" rel="tag">Nintendo Wii</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/123_25183.html"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="0" height="291" border="0" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/wiikorea1.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /></div>
A report from the <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/123_25183.html">Korean Times</a> states that the Wii has sold a lackluster 35,000 - 40,000 units in its first month on sale, falling below the Big N's expectations. The problem apparently lies in Nintendo's strict regional coding, which doesn't allow gamers to play the much larger non-localized game offerings from outside Korea without ... um, modifications (which <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/nintendo-europe-say-no-to-mod-chips/">Nintendo frowns upon</a>).<br /><br />Don't feel too bad for the Wii. According to Korean game magazines, the Xbox 360 only sold 150,000 units during its first year, while the PS3 sold around 50,000. Meaning, despite not being the blockbuster it is in other regions, the Wii is still on the path of becoming the top selling (now-gen) console in the country.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/wii-experiences-lacklustre-korean-sales">GI.biz</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/123_25183.html>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/wii-sales-start-slow-in-korea/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1212448/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/wii-sales-start-slow-in-korea/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>korea</category><category>nintendo</category><category>sales</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-06-02T10:25:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>South Korean president gifted with mother of pearl Xbox 360</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/south-korean-president-gifted-with-mother-of-pearl-xbox-360/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/south-korean-president-gifted-with-mother-of-pearl-xbox-360/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/south-korean-president-gifted-with-mother-of-pearl-xbox-360/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.fareastgizmos.com/other_stuff/bill_gates_gifts_xbox_inlaid_with_traditional_korean_motherofpearl_to_korean_president.php"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/so-kor-prez-mop-360-490.jpg" /></a></div>
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has commissioned 100 Xbox 360s adorned in the traditional Korean mother of pearl, with at least one of them going to South Korean president Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae on May 6, according to <a href="http://www.fareastgizmos.com/other_stuff/bill_gates_gifts_xbox_inlaid_with_traditional_korean_motherofpearl_to_korean_president.php">Far East Gizmos</a>. Given the conole's tepid reception in the region (although it did just receive a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/">price drop</a>), we wonder if the president will be able to find any local Xbox Live friends. <br /><br />Regardless, that's still one of the classier case mods we've seen, and certainly more aesthetically pleasing that the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/18/feed-your-discs-to-the-alligator-skinned-xbox-360/">Croco-360</a>. Let's just hope the system doesn't become one massive, red-ringed paperweight.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/19/bill-gates-gives-mother-of-pearl-clad-xbox-360-to-south-korean-p/">Engadget</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.fareastgizmos.com/other_stuff/bill_gates_gifts_xbox_inlaid_with_traditional_korean_motherofpearl_to_korean_president.php>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/south-korean-president-gifted-with-mother-of-pearl-xbox-360/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1200057/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/south-korean-president-gifted-with-mother-of-pearl-xbox-360/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>case</category><category>korea</category><category>lee-myung-bak</category><category>mod</category><category>south-korea</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-05-19T19:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Microsoft drops price of Xbox 360 in Asia</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/xbox-360-sales-up-40-in-UK-after-price-cut/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="0" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/03/xbox360standard.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Microsoft has dropped the price of its Xbox 360 in four Asian markets: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan (via <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&amp;sid=aPVnmYFcu28g&amp;refer=technology">Bloomberg</a>). According to Microsoft executive Jeff Bell, price reductions in Europe caused sales of the hardware there to <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/xbox-360-sales-up-40-in-UK-after-price-cut/">almost double</a>.<br /><br />Here are the price drops reported by region:<br />
<ul>
    <li>Hong Kong: An 11 percent drop</li>
    <li>Singapore: A 20 percent drop to S$499 (US $366)</li>
    <li>South Korea: A 5.1 percent to 369,000 won (US $369)</li>
    <li>Taiwan: A 17 percent drop to NT$10,360 (US $340)</li>
</ul>
According to a Microsoft spokesperson in Taipei, the Hong Kong and Taiwan price drops will come today. The Singapore and South Korea price drop confirmations came from separate emails with no confirmation as to the effective date.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&amp;sid=aPVnmYFcu28g&amp;refer=technology>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1180655/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/microsoft-drops-price-of-xbox-360-in-asia/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>asia</category><category>china</category><category>hong-kong</category><category>korea</category><category>microsoft</category><category>singapore</category><category>south-korea</category><category>taiwan</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-04-29T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Korea getting its Wii on April 26</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/korea-getting-its-wii-on-april-26/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/korea-getting-its-wii-on-april-26/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/korea-getting-its-wii-on-april-26/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/wii/" rel="tag">Nintendo Wii</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.nintendo.co.kr/Wii/wii/thebody.php"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="0" height="291" border="0" align="top" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/wiikorea1.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /></div>
The official <a href="http://www.nintendo.co.kr/Wii/wii/thebody.php">Nintendo Korea site</a> states the country will join the chorus of global Wii worship on April 26, 2008 for 220,000 won ($225 USD). The console will launch with eight titles, including <em>Wii Sports</em> (not included in box), <em>Wii Play</em> -- one of the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/13/february-npd-industry-sales-hit-1-33b-xbox-360-still-trailing/">best selling pieces of "software"</a> in the US -- and puzzle adventure game <em>Zack &amp; Wiki</em>.<br /><br />The launch happens a little over a week before Children's Day, a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/">popular gift-giving holiday</a> in the country. We'll have to wait and see if the Wii can pull Koreans <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/15/nyt-presents-south-korean-gaming-culture/">away from their computer screens</a> -- and <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/starcraft-ii/"><em>Starcraft</em></a> -- long enough to try out some console gaming.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://gonintendo.com/?p=40152">GoNintendo</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.nintendo.co.kr/Wii/wii/thebody.php>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/korea-getting-its-wii-on-april-26/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1166526/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/korea-getting-its-wii-on-april-26/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>console</category><category>korea</category><category>wii</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-04-14T14:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Hellgate: London finds success in Korea</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/hellgate-london-finds-success-in-korea/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/hellgate-london-finds-success-in-korea/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/hellgate-london-finds-success-in-korea/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/action/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/online/" rel="tag">Online</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/mmo/" rel="tag">MMO</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.videogamer.com/news/11-04-208-8016.html"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/hellgatelondon_logo.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /></div>
Last year's launch of Flagship Studios' <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/Hellgate/"><em>Hellgate: London</em></a> was not exactly what we'd call a family album moment, its release plagued by client crashes and enough bugs to have the Orkin man calling for backup. Still, one person's trash is another's treasure, as Bill Roper and company have announced that in the two weeks since the Korean launch of the <em>Hellgate </em>beta more than a million accounts have been registered. According to Flagship, this makes the MMO the most successful online game launch in Korea in the past three years.<br /><br /><em>Hellgate</em>'s beta officially kicked off in Korea on January 15, and according to Korean online game tracking service Gametrics, the game quickly found an audiences with gamers in PC Cafes, ranking ninth among online games, fifth among RPGs, and was the most popular beta being played. This was followed by a commercial release on February 22, a launch that Flagship boasts achieved "record sales," though it's a record that we're pretty sure will<a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/starcraft-2/"> be broken soon enough</a>.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/hellgate-london-finds-success-in-korea/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1164635/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/hellgate-london-finds-success-in-korea/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>beta</category><category>flagship</category><category>flagship-studios</category><category>flagshipstudios</category><category>hellgate</category><category>hellgate-london</category><category>hellgatelondon</category><category>korea</category><category>mmo</category><dc:creator>Jason Dobson</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-04-11T09:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Sega shuts down Korean offices, cancels Yokohama arcade plans</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/sega-shuts-down-korean-offices-cancels-yokohama-arcade-plans/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/sega-shuts-down-korean-offices-cancels-yokohama-arcade-plans/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/sega-shuts-down-korean-offices-cancels-yokohama-arcade-plans/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/arcade/" rel="tag">Arcade</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18054"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="0" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/03/segasammyholdingslogosjs.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
<a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/08/sega-sammy-losses-bring-layoffs-arcade-closings/">Hard times have fallen</a> on publisher Sega Sammy, who has <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18054">announced the closing of a subsidiary office</a> based in Korea, as part of a "global business optimization" in the wake of massive financial losses.<br /><br />The "global business optimization" will also affect Sega Sammy in Japan, where plans for a $330m arcade in Yokohama have been canceled, after an initial $227m investment in the purchase of land. At fault is the coin-operated amusement side of the company's business, which is <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/07/namco-bandai-blames-wii-for-arcade-closures/">suffering in Japan</a> at the hands of the home console market. At least Sega Sammy continues to hold its head up high, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/06/sega-were-not-interested-in-a-buyout-thanks/">denying any potential for buy-out</a>.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18054>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/sega-shuts-down-korean-offices-cancels-yokohama-arcade-plans/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1153533/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/sega-shuts-down-korean-offices-cancels-yokohama-arcade-plans/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>korea</category><category>sega</category><category>sega-sammy</category><dc:creator>Scott Jon Siegel</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-03-31T15:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Report: Wii coming to South Korea by May 5</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/wii/" rel="tag">Nintendo Wii</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/03/123_20735.html"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/03/skoreaflag.jpg"  alt="" /></a></div>
We've <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/wii-comes-to-china-south-korea-in-2008/">known for a while now</a> that Nintendo was planning to bring the Wii to <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/15/nyt-presents-south-korean-gaming-culture/">PC-gaming mecca South Korea</a> some time this year, but recent word has it that the system may be hitting the country's shores sooner than later.<em> The Korea Times</em> is <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/03/123_20735.html">reporting</a> that Nintendo and Activision recently registered two Wii games each with Korea's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Rating_Board">Game Rating Board</a>. The paper speculates this move means Nintendo Korea is looking to launch by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_day#South_Korea">Children's Day</a> on May 5, a <a href="http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=408337">popular gift-giving holiday</a> in the country. Though there's no official announcement from Nintendo, we can't think of a better holiday to launch for a system known for kid-friendly games like <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/metareview-super-mario-galaxy-wii/"><em>Super Mario Galaxy</em></a> and <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/06/psa-resident-evil-4-wii-not-censored-in-north-america/">Resident Evil 4</a>.<br /></em><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/03/123_20735.html>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1142916/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/report-wii-coming-to-south-korea-by-may-5/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>asia</category><category>foreign</category><category>korea</category><category>launch</category><category>market</category><category>nintendo</category><category>south-korea</category><dc:creator>Kyle Orland</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-03-18T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Starcraft II: Zerg video and info dump</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/11/starcraft-ii-zerg-video-and-info-dump/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/11/starcraft-ii-zerg-video-and-info-dump/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/11/starcraft-ii-zerg-video-and-info-dump/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/mac/" rel="tag">Mac</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/strategy/" rel="tag">Strategy</a></p><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="490" height="418">	<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> 	<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31707"/> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31707" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="490" height="418"></embed> </object></center>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Kerrigan">Queen of Blades</a>' return in <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/starcraft-ii/" style="font-style: italic;">StarCraft II</a> slowly approaches -- very, very, slowly approaches. Following the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/">release of the Zerg race trailer in Korea</a> (<a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/">naturally</a>), a non-shaky-cam version can now be enjoyed (above). We've also posted videos of Zerg gameplay footage after the break. <br /><br /><a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/858/858364p1.html">IGN</a> has a list of Zerg units and buildings currently known and <a href="http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&amp;t=630141">Blizzard</a> has also posted a lot information in its forums. Finally,  <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159435&amp;type=game&amp;sec=VIDEOS">GameVideos</a> has footage of the Hydralisk burrowing and the Mutalisk in action. For those desperately waiting for a <em>StarCraft II</em> release date, more information is expected to hit later this year at <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/blizzcon">BlizzCon</a>.<br /><br /> <center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="490" height="418">	<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> 	<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31704"/> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31704" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="490" height="418"></embed> </object></center> <center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="490" height="418">	<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> 	<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31705"/> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=31705" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="490" height="418"></embed> </object></center><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/11/starcraft-ii-zerg-video-and-info-dump/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1137379/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/11/starcraft-ii-zerg-video-and-info-dump/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>blizzard</category><category>korea</category><category>starcraft-2</category><category>starcraft-ii</category><category>starcraft2</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-03-11T18:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>StarCraft 2's Zerg finally revealed</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/strategy/" rel="tag">Strategy</a></p><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="490" height="473" id="gamevideos6" align="middle"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="play" value="true"><param name="loop" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="wmode" value="window"><param name="devicefont" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="salign" value=""><param name="movie" value="http://gamevideos.com/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D17918%26ordinal%3D1205152641248%26adPlay%3Dfalse" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> <embed src="http://gamevideos.com/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D17918%26ordinal%3D1205152641248%26adPlay%3Dfalse" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="window" devicefont="false" id="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" name="gamevideos6" menu="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="473" width="490"/></object></center>The biggest news about <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/StarCraft2/">StarCraft II</a> </em>so far has come to us from Korea, and today is no exception (man, we're so jealous, Koreans get all the breaks) with the introduction of the Zerg race at the Grand Intercontinetal Hotel of SamSeongDong in Seoul.<br /><br />Besides the above shaky-cam trailer, Blizzplanet has harvested tons of screenshots and information for you to rabidly consume <a href="http://www.blizzplanet.com/news/2179/">right here</a>. There's also a long video of Zerg gameplay which you can see right after the break. So, what's the word, <span style="font-style: italic;">StarCraft </span>die-hards? Do you approve?<br /><br />[Thanks, Foetoid]<br /><br /><center><object width="490" height="404"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FQoBnKa-e4E"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FQoBnKa-e4E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="490" height="404"></embed></object></center><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.blizzplanet.com/news/2179/>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1135939/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/starcraft-2s-zerg-finally-revealed/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>blizzard</category><category>korea</category><category>starcraft-2</category><category>starcraft-ii</category><category>starcraft2</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-03-10T08:45:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Huxley returns from the abyss with video</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/huxley-returns-from-the-abyss-with-video/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/huxley-returns-from-the-abyss-with-video/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/huxley-returns-from-the-abyss-with-video/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/firstpersonshooters/" rel="tag">First Person Shooters</a></p><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="490" height="473" id="gamevideos6" align="middle"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="play" value="true"><param name="loop" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="wmode" value="window"><param name="devicefont" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="salign" value=""><param name="movie" value="http://gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D16727%26ordinal%3D1197912605941%26adPlay%3Dfalse" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> <embed src="http://gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D16727%26ordinal%3D1197912605941%26adPlay%3Dfalse" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="window" devicefont="false" id="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" name="gamevideos6" menu="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="473" width="490"/></object></center>We hope this doesn't make us negative people, but we had basically written MMOFPS <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/Huxley/">Huxley</a></em> off after not hearing much about it for more than a year. Now though, it's made its (semi) triumphant return from the grave with a new video captured in the Korean-developed game's closed beta accompanied by a truly, almost epically excruciating techno soundtrack. <br /><br />What we see so far is a pretty, frenetic shooter in the vein of a <em>Painkiller </em>or <em>Unreal</em>, that seems just a tad bit uninspired. That said, we don't know how the MMO elements are playing into it, as what we have here is straight-up action. What say you? Has your interest been piqued? Or have the last, dying embers of your desire for <em>Huxley </em>been fully doused?<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/16727>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/huxley-returns-from-the-abyss-with-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1064856/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/huxley-returns-from-the-abyss-with-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>huxley</category><category>korea</category><category>webzen</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-12-17T15:40:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Square wins plagiarism case against Korean music video</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/square-wins-plagiarism-case-against-korean-music-video/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/square-wins-plagiarism-case-against-korean-music-video/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/square-wins-plagiarism-case-against-korean-music-video/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps2/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 2</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/psp/" rel="tag">Sony PSP</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/rpgs/" rel="tag">RPGs</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/fashion/" rel="tag">Fashion</a></p><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3i2b2de0172fdbe9137679e8ceeda4715d"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/12/nocutandpaste.jpg" alt="" /></a>Imitation isn't only the sincerest form of flattery, it's also the most legally actionable. At least it is to Square Enix, which recently <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3i2b2de0172fdbe9137679e8ceeda4715d">won a plagiarism case</a> against South Korean music video producer Fantom to the tune of 16 million won (approx. $17,400).<br /><br />The case centers on the video for the song <span style="font-style: italic;">Temptation Sonata</span>, in which live actors recreate a scene from Square Enix's animated movie, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/adventchildren"><span style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children</span></a>. According to a judge for the Seoul Central District Court, the video "illegally used 80% of the storyline, setting, characters and their styles of dress and their demeanors," from the movie scene. We're not sure how the judge came to such an exact statistic, but who are we to argue with such an official sounding pronouncement?<br /><br />A comparison of the videos (both viewable below the break) shows much more than a passing similarity between the two, and Square was definitely within its rights taking legal action. That said, we have to wonder what Square Enix felt it had to gain from a court case. Is this video really hurting the company's ability to milk insane amounts of money out off the <span style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy</span> franchise? Does seeing the video makes someone less likely to buy a copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Advent Children</span>? What's next, a legal case against the makers of <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/04/final-college-fantasy/" style="font-style: italic;">College Saga</a>? We just hope the negative PR associated with this case is worth the massive $17,000 pay day Square Enix made off of it.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><strong> Scene from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children</strong> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KApFSPaYmbw&amp;rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KApFSPaYmbw&amp;rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> <br /><br /><strong> Music Video for Ivy's "Temptation Sonata"</strong> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6m01X8Qzkw&amp;rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6m01X8Qzkw&amp;rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3i2b2de0172fdbe9137679e8ceeda4715d>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/square-wins-plagiarism-case-against-korean-music-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1060150/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/square-wins-plagiarism-case-against-korean-music-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>advent children</category><category>AdventChildren</category><category>court</category><category>enix</category><category>final fantasy</category><category>Final Fantasy VII</category><category>final fantasy7</category><category>FinalFantasy</category><category>FinalFantasy7</category><category>FinalFantasyVii</category><category>korea</category><category>law</category><category>legal</category><category>plagiarism</category><category>square</category><category>square enix</category><category>SquareEnix</category><dc:creator>Kyle Orland</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-12-11T14:45:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Kart Rider open beta (finally) begins in North America</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/kart-rider-open-beta-finally-begins-in-north-america/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/kart-rider-open-beta-finally-begins-in-north-america/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/kart-rider-open-beta-finally-begins-in-north-america/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/driving/" rel="tag">Driving</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/online/" rel="tag">Online</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://kart.nexon.net/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/kartrideropenbeta.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
South Korean racing phenomenon <em>Kart Rider</em> has finally entered its public beta phase in North America, with <a href="http://kart.nexon.net/">its colorful official website</a> allowing players to sign up and download the game client (Windows only).<br /><br />For those not in the know, <em>Kart Rider</em> is a cel-shaded racing game heavily (and we mean <em>heavily</em>) inspired by Nintendo's <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/mariokart"><em>Mario Kart</em></a> series. Players purchase upgrades and cosmetic features for their characters, and go online to race and compete. The <em>Kart Rider</em> client is completely free, and the developers, Nexon, earn all their revenue through virtual item purchases on the official site. The revenue model must be working for them, as Kart Rider is one of the most profitable games in South Korea, directly competing with Blizzard's mega-hit <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/starcraft">Starcraft</a></em>. We'll have to wait and see if the game can make the same kind of impact in the States.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://kart.nexon.net/>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/kart-rider-open-beta-finally-begins-in-north-america/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1005091/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/kart-rider-open-beta-finally-begins-in-north-america/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>kart-rider</category><category>kartrider</category><category>korea</category><category>nexon</category><dc:creator>Scott Jon Siegel</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-10-04T05:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Master Chief vs. dinosaur, Halo 3 marketing in Korea</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/01/master-chief-vs-dinosaur-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/01/master-chief-vs-dinosaur-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/01/master-chief-vs-dinosaur-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/firstpersonshooters/" rel="tag">First Person Shooters</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><center><object width="490" height="404"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ldn5m-vMLwA"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ldn5m-vMLwA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="490" height="404"></embed></object></center>What you will see above, and after the break, are allegedly <a href="http://www.halo3.co.kr/main.html">official</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Halo 3</span> <a href="http://www.halo3.co.kr/episode/list.asp">marketing videos</a> in Korea. It's, um, different ... like the part where Master Chief punches a dinosaur in the head and the back of his armor falls off. After the break you'll see what happens when someone dressed like Master Chief poses motionless in a Korean mall and springs to life. That's actually more funny than weird, but totally not what we expect from Microsoft marketing.<br /><br />As we all know, Korea has a very strong gaming culture, although it mostly <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/15/nyt-presents-south-korean-gaming-culture/">revolves around the PC market</a>. Console gaming isn't as popular, but maybe videos like this help? Our Korean translator has been missing since the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/"><em>Starcraft II</em> announcement</a>, so we have no idea what's going on in these videos. We can fully accept that Korean culture is very different from US culture -- this point made clear in the video after the break as the guy in the Master Chief costume is standing in the middle of a mall with a gun. We could see something like that sparking an incident on the local news here.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/08/31/some-scary-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/">X3F</a>]<br /><br /><center><object width="490" height="404"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q60IHr9SS4Y"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q60IHr9SS4Y" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="490" height="404"></embed></object></center><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.megatonik.com/2007/08/30/halo-3-marketing-korean-style/>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/01/master-chief-vs-dinosaur-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/979171/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/01/master-chief-vs-dinosaur-halo-3-marketing-in-korea/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>halo3</category><category>korea</category><category>korean</category><category>marketing</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-09-01T15:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Sony kiosks hit Korean theater, bank</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/13/sony-kiosks-hit-korean-theater-bank/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/13/sony-kiosks-hit-korean-theater-bank/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/13/sony-kiosks-hit-korean-theater-bank/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps2/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 2</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/psp/" rel="tag">Sony PSP</a></p><div align="center"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/koreaps2.jpg" /><br /></div>
<br />When Nintendo put <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/13/outdoor-wii-osks-in-london/">Wii kiosks outside</a> in the cold of a London winter , we thought it was a little nutty. When Sony put a PS2 in the lobby of the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/sony-to-market-ps3-at-english-national-opera/">England National Symphony</a>, we thought things couldn't get weirder. Well, those crazy foreigners are at it again. This time it's Sony Korea setting up PS2 and PSP kiosks in movie theaters and a PS3 unit in a bank.<br /><br />AVING USA has <a href="http://www.aving.net/usa/news/default.asp?mode=read&amp;c_num=53166&amp;C_Code=02&amp;mn_name=news">pictures</a> of the "ZAM ZONE" in Seoul's MEGABOX multiplex, which feature rows of systems set up in front of comfortable-looking stadium-seating-style chairs. The "Bank Zone," on the other hand, comprises a single PS3 and HD monitor with a leather chair in the corner of a Shinhan Bank branch in Seouls' <a href="http://www.coex.co.kr/eng/">COEX convention center</a>.<br /><br />We can see the appeal of playing a few games when you're out at the movies, but the bank? Do people really feel the urge to have a high-end gaming machine nearby when waiting to deposit checks? Are businessmen going to take time out of their busy schedules for a quick game of <em>MotorStorm</em>?<em> </em>We tend to doubt it.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/001946.html">Insert Credit</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.aving.net/usa/news/default.asp?mode=read&amp;c_num=53166&amp;C_Code=02&amp;mn_name=news>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/13/sony-kiosks-hit-korean-theater-bank/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/964007/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/13/sony-kiosks-hit-korean-theater-bank/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>korea</category><category>SCEK</category><category>sony</category><dc:creator>Kyle Orland</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-08-13T13:58:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>80GB PS3 launches in Korea</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/80gb-ps3-launches-in-korea/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/80gb-ps3-launches-in-korea/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/80gb-ps3-launches-in-korea/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://ruliweb.empas.com/data/rulinews/read.htm?num=15482"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/06/ps3-korea-launch-pic.jpg" /></a></div>
Sony just launched an 80GB version of PlayStation 3 in <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/Korea/">Korea</a>. The console will also have a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/">video on demand</a> service in the country. The console reportedly costs 518000 won (approximately US $558).<br /><br />Those interested in checking out the launch party can see a gallery <a href="http://ruliweb.empas.com/data/rulinews/read.htm?num=15482">at Ruliweb here</a>. Three hours prior to launch, the crowd isn't nearly as big as the console's release in other regions, but bear in mind South Korea gamers are not too keen on consoles, showing more fondness for MMOs, <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/Starcraft/">Starcraft</a></em> and other titles playable at internet cafes. And to be fair, the crowd does grow to a respectable size at the zero hour.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/06/16/the-ps3-launches-successfully-in-korea/">PS3 Fanboy</a>, <a href="http://www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=78556">Forums</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/80gb-ps3-launches-in-korea/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/920937/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/80gb-ps3-launches-in-korea/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>korea</category><category>sony</category><category>video on demand</category><category>VideoOnDemand</category><category>vod</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-06-18T20:54:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Korean PS3 gets video-on-demand</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/news/6171398.html?om_act=convert&amp;om_clk=newstop&amp;tag=newstop;title;4-"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/05/ps3vod1.jpg" alt="" /></a>Earlier this week, Sony announced plans to launch a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/24/xbox-360-video-download-service-sees-microsoft-succeeding-other/">video-on-demand service</a> in South Korea this June, simultaneously releasing an <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/29/sony-files-for-80gb-ps3-says-there-are-no-current-plans/">80GB PS3 model</a> to cater to the happy downloaders. Negotiations with telecom companies are still underway, but an anonymous spokesperson from Hanaro Telecom seemed confident they would strike a deal with the giant.<br /><br />Sony has no public plans to bring the VOD service to North America or Europe, but we have two words to say about that: test market. The <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/06/hd-movies-tv-shows-coming-to-xbox-live/">Xbox 360 Video Marketplace</a> is already well-established in the US, so it's likely Sony will use Korea to whip their service into shape to compete worldwide.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6171398.html?om_act=convert&amp;om_clk=newstop&amp;tag=newstop;title;4->Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/903067/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/korean-ps3-gets-video-on-demand/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>korea</category><category>ps3</category><category>sony</category><category>videomarketplace</category><category>videoondemand</category><category>vod</category><dc:creator>John Bardinelli</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-05-24T09:29:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>EA invests in The9</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ea-invests-in-the9/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ea-invests-in-the9/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ea-invests-in-the9/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/online/" rel="tag">Online</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/mmo/" rel="tag">MMO</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14014"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/04/ea-and-the9-logo-mash.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/ElectronicArts/">Electronic Arts</a> has acquired a stake in Chinese publisher <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/The9/">The9</a>, Gamasutra reports. The US-based publishing powerhouse will have 15% of the The9's common stock, which amounts to US $167 million. The two companies also announced a licensing agreement that makes The9 the sole publisher of <em>FIFA Online </em>in mainland China.<br /><br />EA had previously <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/10/ea-denies-reported-investment-in-the9/">half-denied</a> reports of an investment, saying that at the time there was "no signed agreement with The9." Rumors of an investment date back to at least <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/25/ea-names-new-president-of-asian-operations/">September 2006</a>. EA Asia Online president Hubert Larenaudie stated that he believes this is "another significant step" in building EA's presence in Asia. <br /><br />It is unclear how this arrangement might affect The9's relationship with EA rival Vivendi, who licenses the massively popular <em>World of Warcraft</em> to the publisher.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14014>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ea-invests-in-the9/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/900801/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ea-invests-in-the9/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>asia</category><category>china</category><category>ea</category><category>electronic arts</category><category>ElectronicArts</category><category>fifa</category><category>fifa online</category><category>FifaOnline</category><category>korea</category><category>soccer</category><category>south korea</category><category>SouthKorea</category><category>the 9</category><category>The9</category><category>vivendi</category><category>world of warcraft</category><category>WorldOfWarcraft</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-05-21T15:59:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>You think you're excited about Starcraft II?</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/strategy/" rel="tag">Strategy</a></p><center><object width="425" height="400" align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gamevideos6">
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<param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> <embed width="425" height="400" align="middle" src="http://www.gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://www.gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D11662%26ordinal%3D1179620863539%26adPlay%3Dfalse" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="window" devicefont="false" id="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" name="gamevideos6" menu="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></center><br />We know that the announcement of <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/StarcraftII/">Starcraft II</a></em> has all but caused the internet to explode, and we admit to being totally stoked enough by that <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/">intro trailer</a> to describe ourselves as "totally stoked" in a public forum. But can you imagine what it must be like in Korea? Seriously, can you imagine? It would be like people in the United States finding out that there was a sequel to <em>American Idol</em> that would also power their cars. We thought on this Starcraft Saturday it might be helpful to remind you how it looks when an entire culture hovers near the brink of insanity and is subsequently pushed off.<br /><br />Watch the above video, those are 10,000 people waiting for <em>the announcement</em> of the game. Watch <a href="http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=1475790&amp;cl=2760806">this feature</a>. If you can get past the extremely energetic host, you can see an American guy wishing that he had been born and raised in Korea so he could be a "rock star" ... of <em>Starcraft</em>. Read <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8135470&amp;publicUserId=4549175">this blog</a> to get 1UP's James Mielke's first-hand account of the madness. Our question to you: Do you pine for a culture like that of Korea, or are you happy losing you mind in the privacy of your own home?<br /><br /><a href="http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=1475790&amp;cl=2760806">Watch</a> -- Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Gaming in Korea<br /><a href="http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8135470&amp;publicUserId=4549175">Read</a> -- BWI Live Blog From Seoul, South Korea<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/899899/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/you-think-youre-excited-about-starcraft-ii/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>blizzard</category><category>korea</category><category>starcraft</category><category>starcraftii</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-05-19T21:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Blizzard announces Starcraft II, Korea implodes with joy</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/mac/" rel="tag">Mac</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/online/" rel="tag">Online</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/strategy/" rel="tag">Strategy</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/mmo/" rel="tag">MMO</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788627p1.html"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/05/starcraftii_logo_425.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
It all lead up to this: <a href="http://www.starcraft2.com/"><em>StarCraft II</em></a>. After months of <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/">speculation</a> Blizzard announced today at their World Wide Invitational in Korea that their next big project is <em>StarCraft II</em> for PC.<br /><br />Blizzard president Mike Morhaime says, "With<em> StarCraft II</em>, we'll be able to do everything we wanted to do with the original <em>StarCraft</em> and more ... We recognize that expectations are high following the long-running popularity of the original game, but we plan to <a href="http://www.starcraft2.com/faq.xml">meet those expectations</a> and deliver an engaging, action-packed, competitive experience that <em>StarCraft</em> players and strategy gamers worldwide will enjoy." Meanwhile, IGN's man in Korea, Charles Onyett <a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788627p1.html">says</a>, "SC2 looks, at least visually, strikingly similar to SC1 - both in unit and map designs."<br /><br /> This has been Blizzard's longest gap between releases. Blizzard had a consistent two-year release schedule (not including expansion packs) since 1994 with the original <em>WarCraft</em>. That streak was broken in 2006 when <em>StarCraft: Ghost</em> was <strike>killed</strike> <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/25/blizzard-postpones-ghost-to-evaluate-next-gen-consoles/">indefinitely postponed</a>. Although no release date has been given for <em>StarCraft II</em>, hopefully gamers won't have to worry about another installment of the series being "postponed."<br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/">Starcraft II (PC/Mac)</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/342013/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/sany0022_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/339780/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/hpim4919_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/339777/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/hpim4926_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/339776/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/hpim4890_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/starcraft-ii/339775/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/08/hpim4917_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><br />[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]<br /><br /><strong>Update:</strong> Here are some higher quality videos care of Game Videos.<br /><br /><object width="420" height="405" align="middle" id="gamevideos6" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000">
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<param value="#000000" name="bgcolor" /> <embed width="420" height="405" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" menu="true" name="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" id="gamevideos6" devicefont="false" wmode="window" scale="showall" loop="true" play="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D11667%26ordinal%3D1179601695483%26adPlay%3Dfalse"></embed></object>  <br /><br /><object width="420" height="405" align="middle" id="gamevideos6" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000">
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<param value="#000000" name="bgcolor" /> <embed width="420" height="405" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" menu="true" name="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" id="gamevideos6" devicefont="false" wmode="window" scale="showall" loop="true" play="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;src=http://gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D11668%26ordinal%3D1179601604472%26adPlay%3Dfalse"></embed></object><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788627p1.html>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/899388/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/blizzard-announces-starcraft-2-korea-implodes-with-joy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>blizzard</category><category>diablo</category><category>korea</category><category>sc2</category><category>starcraft 2</category><category>starcraft ii</category><category>starcraft2</category><category>StarcraftIi</category><category>warcraft</category><category>world of starcraft</category><category>wow</category><category>wwi</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-05-19T03:16:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Rumor: Starcraft 2 possible, but Blizzard's hiding something</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/" rel="tag">PC</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/simulations/" rel="tag">Simulations</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/competitive-gaming/" rel="tag">Competitive Gaming</a></p><a href="http://teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=52433"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/04/kerrigan0425.jpg" alt="" /></a>TeamLiquid has <a href="http://teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=52433">apparently translated</a> a post from a Korean website which <a href="http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?id=95251&amp;category=102">claims</a> that "according to the game developers," Blizzard will announce <em>Starcraft 2</em> at Blizzard's World Wide Invitational (<a href="http://www.blizzard.com/press/070307-wwi.shtml">WWI</a>) to be held in South Korea. If you've paid any attention to Korea and <em>Starcraft</em> you'll know it's no joke over there. Our "hardcore" gets air quotes compared to Korea's <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/gaming-plague-sweeps-south-korea-at-least-1-million-infected/">hardcore</a>, which should actually have just been written in all caps, bolded and italicized. Although we have absolutely no idea about the legitimacy of this <em>Starcraft 2</em> information, we do know that there is a megaton announcement planned around May 19.<br /><br />Speaking with Joystiq, Blizzard wouldn't confirm <em>Starcraft 2</em>, but said they are planning on making a huge announcement at the WWI. <em>Starcraft 2</em> had previously been <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/16/blizzard-exec-hints-at-starcraft-2-world-reels/">hinted</a> by Blizzard's VP of business development. Obviously announcing <em>Starcraft 2</em> in Korea is only appropriate, as matches are held in stadiums, carried on television and are practically a national sport. This way, Blizzard can announce the next <em>WoW</em> expansion at min-E3 and then save the <em>Diablo 3</em> announcement for BlizzCon. So if sometime around May 19 you suddenly feel a disturbance in the force and millions of people screaming, that's just South Korea imploding from the news that <em>Starcraft 2</em> is coming.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29004&amp;">EvilAvatar</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=52433>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/882599/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/rumor-starcraft-2-possible-but-blizzards-hiding-something/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>announcement</category><category>blizzard</category><category>korea</category><category>starcraft</category><dc:creator>Alexander Sliwinski</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-04-26T01:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item></channel></rss>