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A History of Korean Gaming

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Table of Contents

HG101 Index

SKC Soft Land
Founded: 1976 (SK group)
Status: game publishing division spun off (1999)
Key People: 허준식 Heo Junsik:
CEO SKC (1989-1993)
안시환 An Sihwan:
CEO SKC (1993-1995)
장용균 Jang Yonggyun:
CEO SKC (1995-1999)
:
Software publishing division chief
하상찬 Ha Sangchan:
Game software team chief (~1996)
:
Game software division chief
Website: www.skc.co.kr

남일소프트 Namil Soft
Founded: March 1995
Status: integrated into Wizard Soft (1999)
Key People: :
Team Leader Antman
:
Team Leader Campus Love Story
:
Team Leader My Bride
:
Team Leader Tragon
Website: none

Wizard Soft
Founded: April 23rd, 1999
Status: fusioned into SNH (March 2005)
Key People: :
CEO (from April 1999)
이용갑 Yi Yonggap:
CEO (from March 2003)
염동균 Yeom Donggyun:
CEO (from January 2004)
임대희 Im Daehui:
CEO (from March 2004)
Jong Tae Yoon:
President Wizard Soft America
Website: www.wzsoft.com (offline)

Profile:

SKC was Part of the SK group, one of South Korea's jaebeol. They became one of the country's biggest publishers in the early 90s next to Dong Seo Entertainment, releasing games by various developing teams like Gravity, Dragonfly, Family Production and many more, as well as masses of international titles. SKC became first known in the gaming world with their official release of Cloud Master for the MSX2 and a coding contest they held in cooperation with Aproman.

The company tried from 1989 to secure PC game licensing deals with overseas publishers, but first failed because of Korea's infamous piracy problem. They finally succeeded a while later, though, and published first US games in June 19911. Some of their more prestigeous licensing partners were Broderbund, Origin (until they were assimilated by EA) Microsoft and Blizzard (Warcraft II and Diablo). From 1992 onwards, they also tried their hands at localization with Prince of Persia and Carmen Sandiego. In 1993 followed an expansion with Taiwanese games by Panda Software and Kingformation, amongst others. With Namil Soft (registered as a brand by SKC in early 19952), they also held a domestic second party developer.

In 1999, SKC spun off the game business, integrating Namil Soft back into the new company3 and forming the new independent company Wizard Soft4. An US subsidiary was established in California the same year, but never amounted to much of anything5. The Korean mother company continued to develop and publish games (last through a partnership with Ubisoft in August 2004) until it was bought out by Letek Communication (whose CEO Im Daehui was also leading Wizard Soft since March) in late 20046 and the two companies fusioned into SNH ("Software & Hardware") on March 17th, 20057.


Games:

개미맨 (Gaemi Man) / Antman - PC-DOS (December 1995)


Antman

Antman

Antman


Cover

Based on a manhwa series by Kim Taehyeong Gaemi Man is another entry in the popular genre of licensed platformers. The game offers three playable characters with different abilities modeled after different insects, but unfortunately it is programmes so shoddily that it's barely playable. The scrolling is choppy, its full of glitches and the controls don't work very well.

During its first three months, Gaemi Man sold 5,000 copies8.



Antman

Antman

Antman

캠퍼스 러브 스토리 (Campus Lovestory) - Windows (June 1997) / Mobile (June 25th, 2001)


Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

The models from the competition


Artwork

Honoring its title, Campus Love Story is a typical dating simulation with a college student for a protagonist. Half of the game takes place visual novel style. Aside from the occasional choice, all that needs to be done here is reading. The choices can actually have impact on how an event plays out and influence the protagonists' standing with other characters. Early on, for example, a group of students goes on a trip, and if the player choses to drink beer with his senior, the character gets drunk and accidentally touches a girl's breasts, which she of course doesn't like one bit.

Every sunday the simulation part kicks in, as the hero can explore the city, try to get jobs, buy stuff or spend his time otherwise. Afterwards there's not much to actually do for the player but to select his main activity for the week and maybe try and call a girl for a date. Even the dating involves little action, as most locations just influence more stats without triggering any events. Only occasionally one gets the chance to pick from a huge list of topics, resulting in a little dialogue and a choice at the end. Given that most of the time the potential love interests will take down his invitations, progress in any relationship is painfully slow.

It's quite puzzling, really, as the individually named guy is one of the more likable dating game characters. Sure, he's still a hopeless philanderer who smells a possible date at any corner, but at least he's depicted as compassionate about his fellow human beings, genuinely triing to help out is friends and showing respect towards the ladies, contrary to the sociopathic jerks of FEW's Booking Man, for example. Reading the novel parts of the game therefore is actually quite entertaining, it's only that there's not much more to it in the "simulation" part.

To promote the title, SKC held a competition were the main prize winners got a real life date with models casted to fill in as four of the female characters from the game9. As one of Korea's first dating sims, Campus Love Story was apparently quite popular, as it spawned a sequel the following year and also a WAP-based remake by Wizard Soft, released June 25th, 200110. Wizard Soft reported a million accesses by 10,000 individual users within the first ten days of service11.


Photo of the dating partners


Mobile Version Artwork



Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

Campus Love Story

나의 신부 (Na-ui Sinbu): Campus Love Story the Next Generation / My Bride - Windos (December 1998)


My Bride

My Bride

My Bride


Advertisement

At the end of Campus Love Story the protagonist had the chance to marry his girlfriend, and My Bride picks of where the former game left. Therefore the game is more of a "marriage simulation" than a dating sim, similar to Ecstasy's Newly Weds.

In the beginning one gets to chose the bride from the four main female characters of Campus Love Story, some of which got dramatically changed for a more manga-esque style. Then the couple proceeds to buy a house and move in. Outside of events the game runs actually in real time, with a seperate window always displaying the house with the visible daytime and weather. One also gets to move around the house in old first person point&click adventure style. The interface, however, is overly cryptic and hard to get into.



My Bride

My Bride

My Bride

개미맨 (Gaemi Man 2) / Antman 2 - Windows (1999)


Antman 2

Gaemi Man 2 was developed by Gravity in cooperation with Namil Soft, and is introduced at the Gravity profile.



Antman 2

내친구 박세리 (Nae Chingu Pak Seri) / My Friend, Seri-Pak - Windows (December 1999)


Nae Chin'gu Pak Seri

Nae Chin'gu Pak Seri


Cover

One would think, if someone gets a world-famous golf champion like Pak Seri to sign for a title, they'd make it a golf simulation. But this game by Wizard Soft and XYZ Entertainment is almost "everything but..." The main game is a sidescrolling action game were Pak's SD likeness demolishes all kinds of animals and robots with her golf club to free the way to the goal. The stages start out straightforward, but branch out into mazes soon. The clunky controls don't lend themselves to platforming very well, which becomes an issue in the 3rd stage, where pixel-perfect jumps are a necessity.

The spaces in between stages are filled by various mini games, in which Seri has to ride a ball-shooting golf cart or play whack-a-mole. There is also one tiny mini golf sequence, and boring golf trivia is displayed in the loading screens.



Nae Chin'gu Pak Seri

Nae Chin'gu Pak Seri

Shayam (샤이암) - Windows (March 15th, 2000)


Shayam

Not much is passed down on Wizard Soft's first MMORPG. Apparently it was set in a postapocalyptic fantasy/cyberpunk world.

Killride is generally regarded as the game's direct sequel, even though it was produced by E-Norisoft with no mentioning of Wizard Soft.



Shayam

Forgotten Saga 2 Online (포가튼 사가2 온라인) / AD Quest - Windows (April 1th, 2001 [open beta]; December 11th, 2002)


Forgotten Saga 2 Online

Forgotten Saga 2 Online

Forgotten Saga 2 Online

Forgotten Saga 2 Online


Poster

The sequel to Forgotten Saga didn't have much in common with the first game. It wasn't even developed by Sonnori, anymore, but in license by staff at Wizard Soft. Nonetheless Forgotten Saga 2 Online enjoyed some popularity. The game ran until February 28th, 2007. Afterwards, many fans seeked out the Japanese version, which survived its Korean counterpart by several years with the title AD Quest.

Character Artwork


Poster



Forgotten Saga 2 Online

Forgotten Saga 2 Online

Forgotten Saga 2 Online

AD Quest

쥬라기원시전2 (Jyuragi Weonsijeon II) / Jurassic Era Primitive War II / Primitive Wars - Windows (May 24th, 2001)

쥬라기 원시전2 : 더랭커 (Jyuragi Weonsijeon II: The Ranker) / Jurassic War II: The Ranker - Windows (November 21th, 2002)


Jurassic Era Primitive War II

Jurassic Era Primitive War II

Jurassic Era Primitive War II

The Ranker

The Ranker


Limited Edition cover

The sequel to the prehistoric RTS by TRiC shows undeniable influence by Starcraft. The result is a much more typical RTS, ressources don't have to be hunted manually, anymore, but are harvested automatically. Soldiers can still pick up meat from killed animals, but is is used simply for healing. Weapons and armor aren't equipped individually, instead once researched give a bonus to all corresponding troops.

The eight merging clans, the most peculiar feature of the first game, also have been replaced by four RTS races in the standard sense. Back are the primitive humans and the Tyrano, which now don't just ride on dinosaurs, but are retconned into antropomorphic lizards themselves. A sorceress unit from the original is expanded into its own race of elves, while the demons are entirely new.

The game has been released in Europe as Primitive Wars by Arxel Tribes. More than a year after the game's release, Wizard Soft has put out the expansion The Ranker.


Artwork


The Ranker cover art



Jurassic Era Primitive War II

Jurassic Era Primitive War II

Jurassic Era Primitive War II

The Ranker

The Ranker

방귀대장 뿡뿡이 (Banggwi Daejang Ppungppungi) - Windows (September 27th, 2001)


Banggwi Daejang Ppungppungi

Banggwi Daejang Ppungppungi


Cover Artwork

"Fart Master Ppungppungi", first aired March 2000 EBS, has to be the weirdest kiddie TV Show ever. The main character is a deformed orange monster doll, who suffers from constant flatulence and likes it. Wizard Soft produced the obligatory kiddie platformer based on the license.



Banggwi Daejang Ppungppungi

Banggwi Daejang Ppungppungi

꾸러기 더키 (Kkureogi Ducky) / Ducky the Perky - Windows (May 2nd, 2002)


Kkureogi Ducky

Ducky the Perky was a CGI animated TV program for kiddies in 2001. Queue Wizard Soft for the uninspired kiddie platformer one year later.



Kkureogi Ducky

공룡짱 쥬키 (Gongryong Jjang Jyuki) / Dino King Juki - Windows (September 9th, 2002)


Dino King Juki

Dino King Juki


Dino King Juki

A mini compilation full to the brim with cutesy dinosaurs. Contrary to what one would expect not a tie-in with any consumerist franchise.



Dino King Juki

Dino King Juki
Unreleased Titles:

Mental Drain (1995)

Eunha Daejeon (1997)

Tragon (1998-1999)

Religio of Jurassic (2002)

References
1. PC World 8/1992, page 63
2. http://www.ineedbrand.com/inc/BrandDetail.aspx?applicationid=4119950002072
3. http://www.jobnews.co.kr/jobdb/detailComInfo.asp?company_id=D4C69A2BB0E7E24A840AE78EB6D2B6E1
4. Amuseworld 6/1999, page 113
5. http://businessprofiles.com/details/wizard-soft-america-inc/CA-C2175758
6. http://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2004120120511602564&type=1
7. http://www.edaily.co.kr/news/NewsRead.edy?SCD=DD42&newsid=02335366576504304&DCD=A00306
8. Gyeonghyang Sinmun March 13th, 1996, page 29
9. GameCom 9/1997, page 37
10. http://www.gameshot.net/common/con_view.php?code=AA00016350
11. http://www.gameshot.net/common/con_view.php?code=AA00017652


A History of Korean Gaming

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Table of Contents

HG101 Index