Black Friday is a good way to take care of your friends and family, but perhaps not so good for internet buddies. After all, you may just be fellow guild members in an MMO, or close enough to want to give a gift, but not actually buy it and mail it out. If you and your online friends play one of Nexon’s free-to-play MMOs, then you’re covered.

Nexon has just announced that the cash shops for Combat Arms, Dungeon Fighter Online, MapleStory and Mabinogi will all have sufficient discounts and sales in each shop. Each games’ cash shop sale will be different though.

Combat Arms will have a Black Friday sale running from November 27-29, 2009…

Want to get involved in Nexon’s free-to-play MMORPG Mabinogi? It’s a great time for it, what with the massive Pioneers of Iria expansion just added into the game and a lot of previously premium content suddenly becoming free.

Of course, with that expansion came some important decisions. Now there are three different races for characters to pick from – humans, giants and elves. Each race plays differently, and depending on which you choose, you could end up an unknowing pawn in an ongoing war.

So today we’ll take a close look at Mabinogi’s three races, to help newcomers and returning veterans better understand what each has to offer. We’ll tell you how to get your free elf and giant character cards, then go through basic information on all three races. When you’re done, you may want to look back at Gamertell’s previous Mabinogi guides…

If you’re a frequent Gamertell reader, you may be thinking, “Wait, Mabinogi was already reviewed!” That’s true. However, that was before the massive Pioneers of Iria expansion that Nexon unleashed on February 26, 2009.

Previously in Mabinogi, the game would be updated in bursts called Generations. Each Generation would tend to have a storyline and new features, which would gradually be rolled out in Seasons. So it wasn’t uncommon to hear players referring to the game in terms of Generation 2 Season 2, or G3S1. Got a bit complicated, and confusing for newcomers.

Nexon decided to shake things up, and instead of continuing that pattern and picking up with Generation 4, launched Generations 4, 5 and 6 all at once in the massive Pioneers of Iria expansion. That wasn’t enough for the company though – it also decided to make a substantial amount of previously premium content free.

If you haven’t been playing Nexon’s free-to-play MMORPG Mabinogi, February 26, 2009 may be a good day to start. On that day, Nexon is releasing Pioneers of Iria, a massive expansion pack that combines Generations 4 – 6 in one massive pack. As we discussed before, this means all new skills, the new continent of Iria and the elf and giant races will be added into the game.

It gets better – the Mainstream Storyline Quests from Generations 1 – 3 are now all free. Previously, to take part in the main storyline quests, you’d have to pay for one of the four Premium Services (Advanced Play Service, Extra Storage Service, Nao’s Support Service or the Fantasy Life Club). This means only select users could become Paladins or Dark Knights. In addition, you could only transform into a Paladin or Dark Knight if you were using one of those services.

Also, you can now rebirth for free. Rebirthing a character, that is basically starting over at level one, back at a younger age again, is essential if you wanted to level up skills and abilities. Previously, you had to purchase a $7.90 Basic or $9.50 premium character card…

Ever since the mysterious symbol appeared on the Mabinogi page, players have been speculating that it is a sign from Nexon that a new Generation and update to the game is fast approaching. Well, it’s true. It is an update, but it’s more than just an announcement for Generation 4. Instead, it is the foreshadowing of a brand new expansion, called Pioneers of Iria.

As you can guess by the name, which includes the new continent of Iria in the title, the focus of the expansion is going to be on the adventures, races, sites and skills that can be found in Iria. If you like to focus on Generations, then you can consider Pioneers of Iria to be Nexon’s way of giving the players Generations 4, 5 and 6 all at once…

A new year means new experiences, and that seems to be especially true for Nexon’s Mabinogi. There’s a new event to take part in and a brand new pet package available. In addition to that, there’s also a hint at things to come.

The hint is most perplexing thing – it is a strange glyph (pictured at right). There’s no other information about it, other than an image. However, players are speculating that it is a sign that Generation 4 of the game is about to begin. The timing seems about right for a Generation change as well, when you think about it.

There’s also a Treasure Box Event going on again that will last until January 29, 2009. This means that when you’re fighting monsters, you may see them drop ordinary or premium chests. You may even see monsters also drop ordinary chest keys, which you can use to open an ordinary chest. Premium chests can only be opened…

Ah Nexon – just when I’m starting to get weaned off of Mabinogi by some other game, or due to just general boredom, you lure me back in with shiny new features or items. The holiday season has come to the free-to-play MMO, and it seems like there’s a Christmas spirit in the air. Aside from some spiffy general updates to the game, like the ability to own castles and houses, gestures for paying players, party boards, guild battles, a postal system and some guild updates, there are also some limited, special Christmas and wintery events, items and pets.

First of all, the events – frankly, there’s a staggering amount. Its a good thing people will be getting some days off soon, because they’ll need the spare time to take advantage of these new quests. The first event is Santa’s Requests, and it lasts from now (December 18, 2008) until December 28, 2008. Five Santas are scattered throughout Mabinogi, and they have some serious issues. If you help them out, you’ll get socks and cards you can trade in for gifts. A GM Housing sale is also being held from December 19 to January 6, 2009, so if you’re looking for a cheap home with low taxes, stop by the residential areas in Sen Mag and Dugald during this time…

Nexon has a special treat for all you MMO fans this Thanksgiving (2008) in the form of a selection of in-game events, item discounts and more.

From today (November 26, 2008) until December 3, 2008, Combat Arms players will be treated to a 20% discount on certain items in addition to access to a collection of discount packages including the Golden Mei Package which includes the mercenary Mei and the gold-plated AK-47.

As of yesterday (November 25, 2008) and through until December 5, 2008, Mabinogi subscribers will also be granted 5% off absolutely everything in the Item Shop. A sale will also be held on November 28 from 10 a.m., during which one exclusive item will be sold every two hours.

Finally, starting on November 28, 2008, and finishing on November 30, 2008, MapleStory players will be able to purchase…

Okay Nexon fans, head over to 7-Eleven during your lunch break or after work. Why? They’ve teamed up with the mini-mart chain to offer special Nexon game Slurpee cups and Nexon game DVDs during the “Where You Play for FREE” campaign. If you get a 22 oz Slurpee in a Nexon Slurpee cup, you’ll be able to get a virtual prize code, that you can redeem for perks or privileges in Combat Arms, Mabinogi, MapleStory or Sugar Rush. (Sorry Audition fans.) The promotion lasts while supplies last.

The best virtual prize is has to be the spot in the closed Sugar Rush beta. (You also get three virtual 7-Eleven items for your characters if you choose that prize. The Combat Arms prize comes with a 7-Eleven hat and a supply case with a free weapon. MapleStory players can choose a 90 minute 7-Eleven double experience point card as their gift. Mabinogi users may get the cutest in-game items – 20 Slurpees for your avatar to enjoy…

If you’ve ever dabbled in one of the many free-to-play massive multiplayer online games, you’ll know that each one celebrates real world holidays in their own way. Halloween is no exception, with many different games from Nexon, Aeria, Joymax, IGG, GameMasters.com, GamesCampus, Outspark, Gametribe.com, Ntreev and OGPlanet all hosting special events to coincide with the holiday season.

So, to make things easier on you, Gamertell has looked throughthe MMOs from the above publishers and compiled a list of the spooky happenings in select MMOs. Most of these events last until shortly after October 31, 2008, but many MMOs are hosting multiple Halloween events with multiple expiration dates…