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Van Helsing And The Universal Monsters To Star In New MMO
Ever since 2004's action flop, Van Helsing, Universal hasn't done much with their various popular monster creatures (let's ignore The Wolfman). Apparently that will change next year, as the film studio brings all of their most iconic monsters to the world of video games with a new MMO.
This new title is being developed by SEE Virtual Worlds and will include a tons of Universal monsters, including Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. Players will face off against the monsters in "celebrated scenes based on the series of horror films." Announced locales include Dracula's Castle, the Lagoon, and the freakin' Vatican. I wonder if anyone has informed the Roman Catholic church of this.
If you've never heard of SEE Virtual Worlds, don't be alarmed. This is only their second planned project. Earlier in the year, they announced that they are also developing a Michael Jackson-themed MMO called Planet Michael.
Like Planet Michael, the Universal MMO will "combine a revolutionary cash economy with cutting-edge graphics." As best I can tell, that "revolutionary cash economy" means a free-to-play game where you can purchase items with real money. SEE Virtual Worlds CEO Martin Biallas also promises "deep, immersive social gameplay."
I'm definitely skeptical about this project, but a horror-themed MMO is a unique idea at least. And hey, it's probably the closest we'll ever come to a Castlevania MMO. Both Planet Michael and the unnamed Universal monsters MMO are planned to launch in 2011.
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