Jet Li, the star of The Expendables, Romeo Must Die and Hero has been chosen to be the face of a new Martial Arts MMORPG called Age of Wushu. Eventually starring in the TV commercial for it that shows off the martial arts skills that made him famous.
Information on Age of Wushu (‘Age of Wulin: Legend of the Nine Scrolls’ in the UK) is a little scarce at the moment, but there is some information out there. For a start they claim that there are no fantasy elements such as World of Warcraft or RIFT. But what exactly is Age of Wushi Well according to the website”¦
“It is based on the classic martial arts novels. Think of a world that reflects the mythological worlds of Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon, Enter the 36 Chambers, and other great classic kung fu films. You throw punches using your inner peace. Whether a player is running up walls, double jumping in the air or running across water – everything looks smooth and well-integrated into the normal range of motion.”
Age of Wushu also claims not to follow the standard levelling idea as a lot of other MMOs. The game dispenses with levels and classes altogether. Instead of choosing from one class or school, you can pick from a number of skills and moves from any of the schools (Shaolin, Emei, Wudang, Tang, Beggar Set, Scholar, Royal and Blissful). These skills might not even come from a trainer in the conventional sense, you could learn a skill simply by giving a beggar some money.
There will also be various types of crafting, PvP (where you can fight over upgradeable resources), Dungeons and raids, even a combat method that doesn’t involve auto-attacks or button-mashing which certainly makes it worth a look. Age of Wushi is due for release at the latter half of 2012
As I say, details of Age of Wushu are a little thin on the ground but there is a trailer for you to take a look at.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfl91V9xoLA]
If you want to know anything about either ‘Age of Wushu’ or ‘Snail Games’ please read the press release below and click on all those little linky things.
Age of Wushu Press Release
LOS ANGELES — June 4, 2012 — International action film star Jet Li has signed a two year contract to promote Age of Wushu, already a popular MMORPG with more than 20 million users in China alone. Snail Games is debuting an early build of its North American version this week at E3.
As the new face of the martial arts MMO, Li will make appearances, be featured in a TV commercial and endorse the game, which features the martial arts style for which he first became famous.
Li began his training in Wushu at the age of eight. Multiple times a national champion in China, he often competed against adults twice or three times his age. After retiring from competition in martial arts at age 19, Li won great acclaim as an actor. He starred in many critically acclaimed Chinese martial arts epic films.
Li’s first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) with Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. He soon advanced from martial arts film star to Hollywood action films. Li stared in Unleashed (2005) with Morgan Freeman, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) with Brendan Fraser.
In 2010, Li starred in The Expendables (2010) with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis. Lionsgate recently brought the same team together to do Expendables II, adding actors Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Liam Hemsworth. That film, now in post production, is due in theatres this August.
When playing Age of Wushu, MMO gamers will be able to guide their characters in the martial arts style of Wuxia fiction, not only delivering kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps and throws but also move around the world with superhuman speed and perform gravity-defying moves including water-gliding, running vertically along walls and flying across rooftops.
About Snail Games USA. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., Snail Games USA is the North American division of Snail Games (Suzhou Snail Electronic Co., Ltd.), a leading developer of MMOs and virtual world experiences in China. Snail Games USA is committed to delivering the highest-quality interactive experiences to gamers.
Official Website | Facebook | @snailgames
About Suzhou Snail Digital Technology Co., Ltd.Named one of the “Top 10 Chinese game developers,” Snail Games is a leading developer of MMO and interactive online games in China. Founded in October 2000, Snail Games’ growing library of titles includes 5 Street, Age of Armor, Voyage Century and Heroes of Gaia. Snail Game’s wildly popular titles are currently sold and distributed worldwide.
Official Website
