The Dawn of the Elementals update is finally (I say finally because the patch has already been implemented on other Perfect World servers across the globe) on Perfect World Philippines and its three servers, Dragon, Tiger and Serpent.

Well, I’m speaking prematurely here. Actually, the patch will be implemented tomorrow, November 23rd, 2009. Obviously, I can’t contain my excitement. Now, if they only launch the Rising Tide patch on Level Up! Games‘ Perfect World Philippines, I’ll be doubly ecstatic. Unfortunately, there’s no going around it.

Perfect World genie stat window

So what should we players of Perfect World Philippines expect from the new patch? Here’s the lowdown from Level Up! Games:

In the endless war between the denizens of Perfect World and the Wraiths, the balance of the world has been tipped. The gods have been absent, Wraiths have been endlessly attacking, and the armies of the Underworld have been rising. The Genies have risen to save Perfect World and begin the return to balance.

The Dawn of the Elementals is the newest Perfect World patch that will expand your gaming experience like never before. In the absence of the gods, the war with the soulless Wraiths has tipped the balance of the world. But ancient forces rise up to save Perfect World and help restore the balance: the Elemental Spirits.

The Elemental Spirits give a new dimension to your adventures. Wielders of the powers of the elements in the Elemental World, Elemental Spirits now provide useful and powerful buffs for players in Perfect World, from weakening your enemies to increasing your speed in battle.

But they are not just allies to aid you in battles. A sinister force has awakened and is working to free itself from its eternal prison, and the Elemental Spirits need your help to rid the world of this menace once and for all.

Misty City was originally a buffer realm between the Elemental World and Perfect World. Evil Incarnate, who once desired to control the city, was trapped within this realm. Now its Wraiths have invaded Misty City to free it in hopes that it will control the city and be free once again.

Misty City is open to all high-level players. Filled with dangerous monsters and bosses, only the strongest of warriors will survive long enough to meet and defeat the Evil Incarnate and restore peace to this realm.

With new quests, items, dungeons and quests, the new age of Perfect World will soon be yours to explore. The Dawn of the Elementals has begun!

For more information about the new patch, check out the official website of Perfect World Philippines.

Post from: MMOtaku

“We are very excited to launch this new game, ad we are confident that this will be the first-person shooter that Filipino gamers will be talking about and getting their action gaming fix from,” said Jane Walker, chief executive officer of Level Up! Games, in a statement.

The only clue that Level Up! has given as to the title of the online game is that it is powered by Valve’s Source engine. What’s Valve and the Source engine, you ask? Why, Source is the most well known graphics and physics engine for first-person shooters. It gives life to Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike, two of the most popular video game shooters.

As for Valve, well, it’s an American video game development company based in Bellevue, Washington. Founded in 1996, the company is better known for its first product, Half-Life, and its star Gordon Freeman.

Between you and me, I think this new MMOFPS that Level Up! is bringing to the Philippines is Sting: The Secret Operations, the first Korean online shooter that uses the Source engine. Doesn’t ring a bell? Maybe some of the game’s other aliases can shed some light. The game, developed by YNK Games of Korea and distributed by YNK Interactive, is also known as Sting Online, Code Name Sting (Japan), and K.O.S.: Secret Operations (North America).

Sting: The Secret Operations from YNK Games

If my hunch proves correct, then Sting will be Level Up!’s second title from YNK, the first being the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Rohan: Blood Feud.

Well, we’ll know soon enough what this new first-person shooter is. Level Up! is scheduled to unveil the game at one of the Philippines biggest online gaming events, Level Up! Live 2009, on November 7th, 2009.

While we’re waiting for that event, let’s check out the game trailer for Sting: The Secret Operations:

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Before I give you the lowdown on CK2rbo, let’s review what has made the first version a hit among online racing game fanatics.

Is it because of the avatars? Crazy Kart offers a wide variety of avatars, or toons, ranging from cute, sexy and cool to strange and funny. The game also allows players to have more than one avatar, a customization feature that some online games sorely lack.

Is it because of the karts? Naturally, since Crazy Kart is a racing game, players can have their pick at the dozens of different kart models available in the Item Mall. While we are on the subject of customization, you might be interested to know that karts can be given custom paint jobs and accessories.

Is it because of the race tracks? Try out the myriad array of race tracks in Crazy Kart and stick with your favorites to rack up those records. Of course, there’s a certain progression when it comes to choices of race tracks. At lower levels, you are stuck with only a handful, but as your character grows, so to will the selection of tracks.

Well, whatever the reason is, one thing is certain: If you like Crazy Kart, you’ll be blown away by CK2rbo.

Some might say that CK2rbo is the same game because it retains much of the features we’ve grown accustomed to in Crazy Kart. I’m sure, however, that there’s more than meets the eye.

For the lucky few who are residing in the Philippines, here’s how you can join the closed beta testing for CK2rbo:

CK2rbo, the evolution of the most played online racing game Crazy Kart, is a massively multiplayer online racing game that allows players to go on head-to-head kart race battles against opponents in more than 5,000 kilometers of various track types using more than 200 mean race machines in all new game modes.

An aspiring CK2rbo CBT player must have an existing Crazy Kart account. If he or she doesn’t have one, register one now at the Level Up! website. Once you have an account, load up at least Php100 (around two US dollars) in Crazy Kart anytime between September 7th and October 7th, 2009.

Voila! You can now access CK2rbo using your Crazy Kart username and password.

Not just yet, though, as the CK2rbo CBT hasn’t started yet. It’s slated for September 15th to October 9th, 2009.

Here, check out the CK2rbo teaser video:

Post from: MMOtaku

If you live in North America, though, you may want to check out Hello Kitty Online through Aeria Games & Entertainment Inc., a US-based online games publisher, which announced the acquisition of the game at the 2009 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco on March 23-27, 2009.

Anyway, going back to the topic, the Hello Kitty Online Founders’ Beta in the Philippines, Level Up! Games has already issued the invitation on its website. Here’s a copy:

Be the First to Experience the Online World of Hello Kitty!

Be the first ones in the Philippines to explore the vast magical world of Hello Kitty Online—visit London, Paris, Beijing, New York, and many other places. Try out unique features such as Farming, Item Collecting and Crafting, as well as the Hello Kitty Online pet system.

Pre-register now! Hello Kitty will send your account details as well as important updates and announcements to you via email.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out, because we’ll only be allowing a limited number into this stage! More details to come in the following days.

There is a catch, however. You have to compose a short essay, not more than 200 words, on “Why I want to be a part of Hello Kitty Founders’ Beta.” Whew! You must really like Hello Kitty Online if you manage to write an essay on the topic.

Personally, although I want to experience playing Hello Kitty Online ahead of everyone else who want a piece of the action, I find composing an essay tedious and think my energy will be of more use writing a review on the game.

Check out previous MMOtaku articles on Hello Kitty Online:

Level Up! Games secures rights to Rohan Online, Emil Chronicle and Hello Kitty

Sanrio, Level Up! ink deal for Hello Kitty Online

Here’s another Hello Kitty Online preview from fellow b5media technology blogger Patrick Quek:

Hello Kitty Online, The Next Realli BIG MMORPG Of Sanrio

Post from: MMOtaku

This “feeling” is heightened every time I catch a glimpse of the videos that Perfect World Entertainment, the North American operator and publisher of China-based Perfect World Co. Ltd.’s games, churns out. Take this, for example:

Yes, Philippine players of Perfect World, that’s what your lowly white and red fairies will eventually evolve into, something North American players call Genies.

Here’s a short description of Perfect World Genies courtesy of Perfect World International:

Before the worlds were created, the universe was in chaos, there were no elements, no creatures, no feeling, and no thought. As billions of years passed, things began to evolve. After the creation of Perfect World, creatures with intelligence appeared. At the same time, the five elements developed thoughts and wills of their own, and finally evolved into mystic beings known as Genies.

Genies are the children of the five elements. They know how to use elemental skills innately and have a basic instinct to maintain the balance between all of the worlds. Genies mainly live in the Elemental World, seldom can they be seen in Perfect World. However, things are changing.

In the endless war between the denizens of Perfect World and the Wraiths (known in Perfect World Philippines as “Souless”), the balance of the world has been tipped. The Gods have been absent, Wraiths have been endlessly attacking, and the armies of the Underworld have been rising. The Genies have risen to save Perfect World and begin the return to balance.

Genies are skilled with the elements, and wield mighty power in Elemental World. However, once in Perfect World, their ability to control elements will be diminished. In order to improve Genie’s ability, you will need to upgrade them by infusing your experience points or leting them eat experience pills.

Okay, enough of that. I’m revealing too much. Suffice it to say that I feel that players of Perfect World Philippines are getting the short end of the stick. Should the wheels of improvement start moving again, you can bet that I’ll be there in that Perfect World to see it happen.

Post from: MMOtaku

What piqued my renewed interest in the game was Ragnarok Online Philippines’ Ultimate Game Guide, which features everything a player needs to know about the game, from characters to stat and skill builds to handy charts that clue you in on what monsters to hunt.

So with book in hand, I set off into the virtual world of Rune Midgard in search of more adventures for my swordie, TikaWaylan. In past incarnations, Tika, a name my wife and I borrowed from the popular fantasy adventure novel series Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, was always a merchant or blacksmith. That was way back in 2003, when Chaos had been the Philippines’ only server for Ragnarok Online, and in the following year, when publisher and operator Level Up! Games opened additional servers to accommodate the game’s growing population.

In Philippine Ragnarok Online’s free-to-play server Valkyrie, TikaWaylan is both merchant/blacksmith and swordie/knight. So with two TikaWaylans roaming the virtual world, a lot of players often mistake us as bots.

My first day back in Ragnarok Online was great. Tika had a relatively easy time transitioning from swordie to knight, thanks in part to the Ragnarok Online Ultimate Game Guide. It’s like cheating, just lifting answers from the book for quests, but in today’s fast-paced world, the faster you level up means fewer chances of getting bored.

Come to think of it, that’s what threw me off the path to greatness in Ragnarok Online. Leveling was—and still is—a chore. In this old school game, grinding is the name of the game, and offers little to players who have a limited amount of time to grind their way to the top. So unlike today’s generation of MMORPGs that allow leveling characters even when the player is away from the keyboard. No, I’m not talking about bots! I’ll tackle this topic in a later posting.

So TikaWaylan the Knight is now in her second job and I plan to play Ragnarok Online in the days and months to come, or until boredom sets in again. There are a few agenda on my Ragnarok Online plate, among these is changing Tika`Waylan the Merchant’s job to Blacksmith and setting both characters on the Path to Heritage.

Many thanks to Mon Macutay, GM Tristan of Philippine Ragnarok Online, for the image of the Ultimate Game Guide.

Post from: MMOtaku

Wait! Before you cast that stone, hear me out (or read about it if you can spare a peek). I got discouraged, plain and simple. I didn’t continue playing Rohan: Blood Feud in the Philippines after the first day of closed beta because of sheer frustration with latency. I watched my character die dozens of times, and that was just inside the training area. She never even got past Level 10.

Now that Rohan Philippines is in open beta, I expect things to run a little more smoothly. Of course, I haven’t tried logging in. I’d hate to end up pulling my hair out in frustration again.

Anyway, for those who missed it, here’s the Rohan Online Philippines open beta announcement:

To celebrate the launch of OBT, we will be launching a new server: Syrephis!

Now you can forge your own legends and conquer the lands of Rohan for as long as you like because OBT will have NO MORE server wipeouts. Accounts and characters created in OBT will continue on until Rohan’s commercial launch.

OBT also includes the much-awaited Item Mall feature of Rohan Online as well as other web services and account linking to My Level Up.

Players may now register new accounts or use existing CBT accounts. Upon linking these accounts to MyLU, they may now use the web services such as change/forget password utilities. Linking accounts to MyLU also allows players to top-up their accounts and assign credits to acquire Rohan Points.

Image downloaded from Rohan Philippines official site. This online game, developed by YNK, is operated in the Philippines by Level Up! Games.

Post from: MMOtaku

Let’s go check out the details of the licensing agreement:

Sanrio Digital and Level Up! Games, the Philippines’ first and leading online games publisher, have announced a distribution agreement to launch Hello Kitty Online in the Philippines.

Hello Kitty Online is the eagerly anticipated official massively multiplayer online role-playing game of the Hello Kitty universe. Under the terms of agreement, Level Up! will publish and operate an English-language version of Hello Kitty Online in the Philippines.

“We are very excited to publish a local version of Hello Kitty Online with Level Up!, the Philippines’ leader in online games publishing. Their proven track record and experience in online gaming will be instrumental in bringing Hello Kitty Online to a young and dynamic new audience,” said Yat Siu, chief executive officer of Sanrio Digital.

Level Up! Games CEO Jane Walker added, “Level Up! Games is delighted that Sanrio, one of the world’s most celebrated brands, has given us the privilege of bringing Hello Kitty Online to our country. We’re confident that, like Sanrio’s well-loved characters, the game will find a special place in Filipino hearts.”

Hello Kitty Online is the official MMORPG based on the popular Sanrio character. The game, currently in its beta stage, will launch this year on a free-to-play model with optional premium upgrades. Players will explore and experience magnificent adventures in the magical and cute world of Sanrio Land as they interact with other players and more than a hundred Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Cinnamoroll, and many others.

The game is one of the few MMORPG titles to target a female gaming audience. Aside from redefining traditional MMO gaming with the inclusion of integrated social media services, Hello Kitty Online seeks to make playing more worthwhile by connecting the virtual world with real charity events. Recently, the beta in-game event called “Food for Friends” asked players to craft and donate virtual items; the event generated hundreds of thousands of submissions and raised USD 12,000 for the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Asian Youth Orchestra.

Wunnerful.

Post from: MMOtaku

As you’ve probably gleaned from the title, Rohan Online Philippines is set to begin its CBT on February 26, and partly due to the hype generated not only by Level Up! Games, publisher of the game, but also by bloggers who want a piece of the action, more and more players seem to be lining up to get accounts—figuratively speaking, of course.

What makes the CBT of Rohan: Blood Feud more interesting is the recent announcement that Level Up! Games will be raffling off a Nintendo DSi and a gaming laptop for the first lucky players to reach Level 20 during the closed beta test. Nummy, eh?

Here’s the official announcement from the Rohan Online Philippines site:

Join the Rohan CBT and win a Nintendo DSi or a gaming laptop

All those who pre-registered for closed beta test accounts AND reached at least level 20 during closed beta will be eligible for the Rohan Closed Beta Raffle.

The mechanics:

1. Just pre-register for your free Rohan CBT account by clicking on this.
2. Play Rohan Online (download it or have the CD/DVD delivered to your doorstep).
3. Level up your character to 20!
4. That’s it! Done! You’re eligible for the raffle draw!
5. Employees and relatives of Level Up! Incorporated (up to the second degree of consanguinity) are disqualified from joining the promo.

Prizes:
1 winner: Nintendo DSi
1 winner: Gaming laptop (specs still unavailable)

Promo Start: February 13, 2009
Promo End: March 11, 2009
Draw: March 13, 2009

Screenshot downloaded from Rohan: Blood Feud Philippines website. Game copyright YNK Interactive.

Post from: MMOtaku

The splash page of the official Rohan Philippines website says it all:

I find this news refreshing as I’m already growing tired of playing on the North American or international server. No, it’s not that YNK Interactive, developer of Rohan: Blood Feud, is doing a bad job at handling the hit online game. It’s just that, as I explained in an entry entitled Playing an MMORPG alone is hazardous to your (character’s) health, I find “playing alone” on an international server tedious. And making friends when you have all these barriers—lingual and cultural come to mind—is difficult.

Well, here’s to a good start. I can’t wait to get on board a great game such as Rohan: Blood Feud, the local version, I mean.

Post from: MMOtaku