NCsoft is showcasing PlayNC, a collection of four games that have a very different pricing model than what we typically see. Four games are included in the PlayNC model: Dungeon Runners, Exteel, Soccer Fury and SmashStar. This line of free games is intended to expand their player base, reaching out to players that aren't familiar with MMOs.

These games are free, which means you won't buy a retail box and you won't pay a subscription. There will be payment models for advanced game play and content, but NCSoft has expressed that you will be able to have an enjoyable play experience without paying.

Dungeon Runners is an action RPG that is expected to be released late this year. The art is quite nice, certainly worth more than the free price tag, and the game is procedurally generated, which means that each time you play you will experience a unique variation of the game. As an action RPG, your character will be able to respond to attacks and dodge effects. They've eliminated as much of the 'waiting to play' as possible, with instant travel times, teleports and no death penalities. The demo play was very fast and looked like a fun fantasy RPG.

The second game presented was Exteel, a downloadable mech game that is also free for the basic levels. The character generation for your robot is the most extensive I've seen (which is sure to guarantee hours of char gen fun for young players.) The battle styles was surprising brutal and aggressive, and looked very good. Exteel is live in Korea and while we don't have a release date, it should be out soon.

Soccer Fury is a soccer combat game and takes the sports combat genre to a new level. No one referees, and the action continues until someone scores. The trailer was actually rendered real time by the game and looked very sharp. You can play clean, or play dirty and use street fighting and karate. There is a strong element of cooperation - you form squads to compete. The squads have their own progression tree, where they can excel in highly specialized team attacks. Soccer Fury is due out next year.

The last game shown for the PlayNC platform is a cute tennis game set in a whimsical fantasy world. Basically it's tennis meets cosplay, with extensive costume and accessory options that are built into your characters progression. As you might expect from a fantasy anime tennis game, it's designed to appeal to younger gamers and women, and it may pull in a Nintendo/anime crowd. It's due out in 2007, and is currently in beta in Korea.