As part of our 'Atlantica Online in October ' promotion, NDOORS has agreed to write four developers journals  for exclusive publication at Allakhazam. This week, Kim Tae Gon, Producer of Atlantica Online chimed in on the goal to make Atlantica Online a 'unique experience'. The Journal entree -- which is primarily about the turn based combat system (that can be loosely defined as a 'console RPG-MMO hybrid') is well written and by an individual that knows the industry, and has a clear focus as to what he wants his game to be.

Getting Turned On

Atlantica's Turn-based Combat System

When we first started working on Atlantica, one of our foremost goals was to create an online gaming experience that was unique.  In a genre dominated by games that seek to emulate their most successful competitor -- I think you know the game I'm referring to here -- we took it on as our duty to present the gaming world something new and fresh.  At the heart of Atlantica, you find the turn-based combat system. This adds a level of strategy that we believe is seldom found in today’s MMORPGs.

Unlike most online games, where you control a single character, a large part of a player's "character" development in Atlantica actually revolves around finding and hiring various mercenaries to fight alongside you.  When entering a fight with a monster or another player, you find yourself in charge of  moving not only yourself, but up to eight additional other characters that you have picked up during your travels.  If you think of these mercenaries as your friends, then your strength and effectiveness becomes largely about who you know.

This week we have five new exclusive screenshots from a dungeon that is set in one of the many areas based around real world locations. This week we're on our way to Japan to visit the Shogun Castle of Death. If you saw the exclusive wallpaper we brought you earlier in the week, you'll recognize the setting and some of the enemies that await you. Venture inside -- if you dare!

Enjoy the latest exclusive screenshots and be sure to view the rest of our Atlantica Online gallery.

Over the next month Allakhazam will be bringing you a new exclusive Atlantica Online wallpaper every week in preparation for the games November release. This week our wallpaper is original concept art with a dark and mischievous appearance. Check out the wallpaper and if you haven't already given Atlantica Online a try, download the client and jump into open beta!

Available in multiple resolutions ( 1024x768 - 1280x1024 - 1600x1200 )

To download every size, please click on the preview image below!

The NDOORS team has released nine new Atlantica Online screenshots from beta. Scheduled for release in  the first part of November, this 'Free-to-Play' MMORPG is looking good!

You can see our entire gallery, including the newest shots, right here .

With the November launch of Atlantica Online right around the corner, our coverage is just getting started.  For the entire month of October Allakhazam will bring you the most in depth Atlantica Online coverage around. Our glimpse today is the first of many exclusives that we'll be unveiling over the coming weeks.

We have for you an exclusive look at some of the content that you can expect to see as a new player within an hour of starting the game. As you can see, it doesn't take long for the action to start.

Enjoy the latest exclusive screenshots in our ever growing Atlantica Online screenshot gallery.

It's here! Open Beta has officially started and so has your chance to win more than $30,000 in cash and prizes. Click here to learn more about the contest. If you haven't downloaded the Atlantica Online beta client please check out the official download guide .

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Sept. 24, 2008 - NDOORS is giving gamers the opportunity to win cash, gaming hardware and in‑game items while they try out the strategic, turn-based MMORPG Atlantica Online. Open beta testers will have multiple chances to win through participation in the game's PvP arena called the Free Leagues.

Individual prizes range from cash to game systems such as the Nintendo Wii and electronics like the iPod Nano. The value of the prizes will scale up as the total number of participants in the Free Leagues increases, up to a $10,000 cash prize if 30,000 players participate. Players who reach Level 20 and fight in the Free Leagues will be eligible for random drawings during the course of the beta. Free League participants can also compete for cash and prizes in single-elimination PvP tournaments. The random drawings and tournaments will be held when each of the milestones for players in the Free Leagues -- 5,000; 10,000; 20,000 and 30,000 players -- are reached.

The open beta phase of Atlantica Online starts in a few hours and we couldn't be more excited here at Allakhazam. During the beta NDOORS will be running a contest and giving away more than $30,000 in cash and other prizes depending on the level of participation. More information to come on that later, for now, prepare for open beta!

The Atlantica Online open beta commences Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Saving Time (PDT) . We can't wait to see you all in the Atlantica world.

For people who took part in the closed beta, you must first ready your computer by removing all previous Atlantica program files on your hard drive, prior to downloading and installing the updated client. Click here for more on these details.

Once you begin playing in the open beta, you will have to start anew your quest for the fabled lost civilization of Atlantis and your plans for global domination via your guilds. There was a wipe at the conclusion of closed beta - except for the benefits promised earlier to closed beta participants. You can see those benefits in detail in a previous announcement by clicking here . 

Over the weekend NDOORS hosted the 'North American Regional Final' to decide who will go on to the Game & Game World Championships in November. The competition was fierce and in the end, it all came down to two friends battling it out. Check out the events that transpired last Saturday, September 20th in Southern California.

Josh Eaton must really like Atlantica Online. He was willing to drive more than a thousand miles, from   Longmont, Colorado, to take part in the North American regional final of the 2008 Game & Game World Championship (GNGWC) in Southern California.

"It's a great game, and I figured I'd get a chance to play and see how I rate against other top players," said Eaton, during a break in the competition, which was held on Sept. 20, at the Cyberia Internet Café in the city of Gardena.

The GNGWC is a tournament for the world's top online gamers, with regional finals winnowing down a field from across the globe into a few elite players. The top competitors from Europe and Southeast Asia have already been selected, with players from South America, Korea and Japan still to be determined. They, plus the top two North American finalists, will all then gather in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 4 for the GNGWC Grand Final to vie for the title of world champion. In 2008, the games in GNGWC competition include Navy Field, Silkroad Online, Shot Online, and Atlantica, which begins its open beta on Sept. 24.

The Atlantica Online team has graciously sent us nine new screen shots they've released for their game which is still in closed beta.

You can see our entire gallery, including the newest shots, right here .

Over the last couple of months we've been bringing you updates on the upcoming NDOORS title "Atlantica Online". We've gathered dozens of screenshots, some of which are exclusive to Allakhazam. With the upcoming launch, just around the corner, we'd like to take the opportunity to show you some of the great things we've gathered.

Check out the Atlantica Online section of Allakhazam and don't forget - it's not to late to try the game for yourself before it launches, even invite your friends to earn special rewards!

Atlantica Online is coming. Are you ready?