So, there is finally going to be an update for Gunbound North America (the one at ijji.com) which will basically be the same thing as the one that arrived at GBWC (the international one), but with slight differences.
Quote (ijji.com)
Gunbound: Season 2 Opening
April 28th - Gunbound catapults into a new area!
Dear Gunbound Users,
It is our pleasure to announce that on April 28th, 2008, ijji.com will officially begin our service of Gunbound: Season 2.
What is Season 2?
Gunbound: Season 2 is the title given to one of the grandest set of upgrades ever added to the Gunbound service. Gunbound's classic gameplay remains true to mobile riders old and new, but in Season 2, we're adding twists that will make the game a totally new experience for everyone!
Here's a rundown of the new content:
New Game Mode: Powerball!
Powerball is a new gameplay mode where the winning strategy lies in freely controlling your position on the map to acquire Powerball items which fall from the sky. Keep your weapons upgraded in order to inflict damage and win!
New Forces:
Season 2 features three new Moon Disk Forces: Mirror Force, Black Force, and Joker Force. Now you'll have to think more on your feet and try shots you've never tried before!
New Expendable Items:
Dozens of new Expendable items will add variety to your games, customize your experience, and give you boost when needed.
New Background Music:
Gunbound's cheery, upbeat soundtrack gained some new additions to its playlist!
April 28th Maintenance:
On Monday, April 28th, at approximately 6:00pm - 9:00pm Pacific Time, we'll be bringing down the Gunbound: Revolution servers and the gunbound.ijji.com website for spot maintenance. This maintenance will last approximately three hours. During this time, the Gunbound Service will be unavailable while we perform the update.
When the update is complete, enter the game and rejoin the new and improved service! Say hi to a few of the GMs as we'll be on monitoring the game and welcoming everyone back.
For more in-depth information, and to listen to and download the new BGMs, please check out our Gunbound: Season 2 countdown page at the following link:
http://event.ijji.com/gunbound/season2/newgamemode.nhn
We look forward to starting a new era of Gunbound with you all!
It looks fairly good, the additional of power ball and more forces ought to make the game more interesting. They'll also get rid of hundreds of avatars from the shop, meaning it won't be as clustered, and lucky you if you have a few of the deleted avatars (there's no official list for the items yet).
My only concern is about the expandable items. Basically, they're items that you purchase at the shop and use in game to gain an edge over your opponent (akin to the regular items that you pick before the game starts). The main problems lies within the fact that most of them are only available through the usage G Coins (cash for those not used to GCs), which means people with money to dump on Gunbound may get an excessive advantage over non-paying ones. I'm not very worried as there are a few decent ones that are gold only (such as the one that provides a shot 1 delay if you use shot 2), but some of the G Coins only are very strong (such as the ones that can allow you to use items during a black hole, or limit the usage of such for an opponent).
But, all in all, I am glad they decided to update the game. 'Bout time.
Are any of you joining in/playing again/quitting with the arrival of Season 2?