Let's hear it from Candycoated!!!: SUMMER 2010 = best time for an MMORPG with an ocean-feel

Want to have a taste of the Age of Exploration?

Do you want to act as an adventurer? or a soldier? or maybe a trader? then engage in combat, exploration, and trade in-game.

The wait is over! "Uncharted Waters Online" will be available to gamers in North America, and Europe this Summer 2010.

A little backgrounder:

Uncharted Waters is a popular Japanese video game series produced by Koei as part of its Rekoeition games. In East Asia, the series has a large cult following, but has not received much recognition oustide the region. The series has benn compared to Sid Meier's Pirates! in gameplay and theme. It is a simulation and CRPG series dealing with sailing and trading.

In the games, the player takes up the role of a captain (also called commodore in some translations) and manages a seagoing fleet to participate in trades, privateering, treasue hunting, exploration, and plain piracy. Even though the series is largely open-ended, there is still a loose plot which requires the player to follow certain paths, and deviating from these paths may stall the progress of the story.

The first game in the series "Uncharted Waters" was released on MSX and NES in 1991, and Sege Mega Drive/Genesis and Super NES in 1992, with the SNES version known as Super Daikoukai Jidai in Japan. The English versions were also released in the same years respectively. The game was ported to PC, as well.

Another game in the series was "Uncharted Waters: New Horizon" which is also known as "Daikouka Jidai II" in Japan, this game is perhaps the most famous of the series. Even though an English version exists, it still has not managed to achieve the mainstream popularity Pirates! had. There is only a relatively small following outside of East Asia.

Also set in the 16th century, this game is a sequel to the first title and was released for NEC PC-98, SNES and Mega Sega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It was the last part of the series to be ported for PC. It also saw releases in 1996 on Sega Saturn and Playstation in Japan exclusively. The Super NES version recenlty appeared on Nintendo's Virtual Console in Japan on March 17, 2009 and in North America on April 6, 2009.

Another in the series was "Daikoukai Jidai III: Costa Del Sol" released in 1996 on PC, this title was the first to depart from the formula and engine of the series, The traditional focus on story was removed in this game, and some character customization is possible, if only purely decorative. There are two player characters from Portugal and Spain. Although the differences between them are mainly mechanical, the role-playing element was greatly reduced. Unlike most games in the series, this game was never released for consoles; it was only released for PC, working under Window 2000.

Moreover, "Daikoukai Jadai Gaiden" was a side story released in 1997 on PlayStation and Sega Saturn after New Horizons, the game uses the same engine and focuses on the story of two characters instead, further upon the loose plot that ties the series together.

Next was "Daikoukai Jidai IV: Porto Estado" was the fourth game in the series and was released in 2000 for both PlayStation and PC under Windows 2000 and XP. This game returns to the previous formula, although its open-endedness has decreased and the engine has been updated. This title is plot-wise unrelated to the series that ended in Gaiden. Porto Estado is known for its fine art and high-quality illustrations.

Then "Daikoukai Jidai IV: Rota Nova" was released by KOEI in March 23, 2006 for the PlayStatioon Portable and Nintendo DS. This is a remake of Porto Estado for handhelds.

In 2007, KOEI annouced the release of mobile "Daikoukai Jidai 2" (English: Mobile Uncharted Waters II). The game is a port of the original game for both iMode and Yahoo Mobile capable mobile phones in Japan.

Keeping up with the online gamers:

Uncharted Waters Online offers much of the same gameplay experience seen in the single player games in a multiplayer environment. Players of the single player series will be well aware of similar concepts such as Missions, Adjutants, Investments, and National and Pirate NPC fleets.

Country bounderies have reappeared, however the concept of time is non-existent. The storyline is important to unlocking new areas in the game.

The game introduces a 3D-environtment with DirectX 9.0c capabilities. As any MMORPG, the game features fleet operations (party-system), companies (guilds), player-vs-player combat, trade, adventure, and poker, and large-scale factional warfare. As well, the game offers a single player storyline and player-vs-environment quests.

Uncharted Waters Online La Frontera

"La Frontera" is the name of the expansion pach for Uncharted Waters Online released in Japan on 8/30/06. The expansion includes new areas and a new gameplay extending the "age of discovery" into its maturity of the 16th and 17th centuries. The 1st chapter for the expansion is entitled "Aztec", in which "a new adventure begins" as players "seek out the legend of El Dorado". Succeeding chapters will be released later containing even more areas and gameplay.