First off, I’d like to thank MMOtaku’s avid readers, those who visit the blog every day, those who come and go for a dose of MMORPG news, reviews and what-have-yous, and those who have dropped in just to take a gander at what we have to offer. Without your constant support, MMOtaku would have floundered a long time ago.

Second, I’d like the acknowledge the inputs and help of several key people in the life of MMOtaku. To Mike Leaño, former b5media Video Games Channel editor, for putting trust in my abilities to bring the blog to life; to PJ Punla, pioneer blogger and player of Granado Espada Southeast Asia, for showing me that love for video games extends beyond playing them; to Siege Malvar and Alcarcalimo, for keeping me on my toes, a constant reminder that MMOtaku does have readers who crave insights on MMOs available in the market today; and to Joyce, my wife, for being the rigid wall off of which I throw my ideas to see if they stick.

Third and last, I salute the growing online games industry in Asia for giving us topnotch games (yes, despite Mike Leaño’s opinion that MMOGs developed in Asia are, ehem, excrement. These games are getting better, and they’re grabbing the attention of MMOG players in different parts of the globe.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I give you the best of MMOtaku:

November 2008
Granado Espada SEA pioneer pooh-poohs IP e-Games’ ‘mishandling’ of game
Zhu Xian: I came, I saw, I … got disappointed
Endless fun with Perfect World character customization

October 2008
Beach Volleyball Online: The latest craze
Florensia: Kill-stealers and other dregs of society are moving in
RF Online to go offline in November

September 2008
E-Games clamps down on Cabal botters
Perfect World: Bots popping out of the woodwork
NBA Street Online: Soon, real soon
Requiem Bloodymare: New race, yes, but what’s there to like?

August 2008
MMO Etiquette: Stop poking me!
Granado Espada fails to please Chinese market

July 2008
9you crushes Audition shutdown rumor
China’s online games market: 147 million players!
Dragon Nest: The King of MMORPGs

June 2008
Perfect World inks deal with IP e-Games
Requiem Bloodymare launched
Perfect World: Jump hack? Stop crying wolf

May 2008
MMO Etiquette: Pay it forward
Fly For Fun Penya Hack!
Khan Online Philippines bows out

April 2008
Philippines to host Ragnarok World Championships
In this part of the world, MMORPGs and cosplay go hand in hand
Pandora Saga to grace Philippine shores

March 2008
Fantasy Westward Journey online posts 166 million concurrent users
They’re cute and cuddly, and they’re coming to your PC
Not so supa anymore

February 2008
RF Online Crimson Dawn is now online
Blog post on Perfect World clan too hot to handle?
Third job classes coming to Ragnarok Online
Blog post on Perfect World clan’s struggle stirs hornets’ nest

January 2008
GigaMedia bags license to operate Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Reign of Revolution: No rules, just power
Counter-Strike Online to give other online shooters a run for their money
Top Ten Thursdays: Best MMORPGs in the Philippines

December 2007
China’s Perfect World claims strong presence in Asian MMORPG capital Korea
What’s in a(n MMOPRPG) name?
The Vista Trap: How to make your Asian MMOs work on Microsoft’s latest baby
FlyFF Philippines launches Volcane Legends
MMO war: Korea versus China

November 2007
Craving for a slice of Zhu Xian
Asian MMO, meet world

Screenshot taken by Joel from the online game Perfect World, developed by Beijing-based Perfect World Co. Ltd. and published in the Philippines by Level Up! Games.

Post from: MMOtaku

Well, I got my answer in the form of videos. Not just any videos, but tributes from a few players, nay, Khanatics, to the virtual world that had been their second home.

Join me in viewing their sad farewell:

Post from: MMOtaku

Sigh. It’s sad to see another MMORPG go to waste because its developer suddenly stopped, hmmm, developing it. First, it was Rush On Seven Episodes Online, more popularly known as Rose Online, not it’s Khan Online.

Frankly, the news that Level Up! Games, Philippine publisher of both games, shut down Khan Online didn’t come as a surprise. Last year, when I was still editing a local online gaming magazine, we were asked (nicely, of course) to scrap a feature on the game. I didn’t receive any explanation for the request, but I got the picture, especially since it came at the heels of the sudden closure of Rose Online.

Here’s an excerpt from Level Up! Games’ open letter to Khan Online players that explains the decision to shut it down:

We would like to give our heartfelt thanks for the unwavering loyalty and support you have shown us for the past three years. Such display of devotion towards the game and its community exemplifies the true spirit of a real Khanatic—hardcore and loyal!

Khan and its community have seen its fair share of changes and cool events throughout these three years together … Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

After much thought, our management has decided to discontinue the contract for Khan due to the lack of developer support, no new content, and patch fixes for in-game exploits or bugs.

It pains the Khan team to have to say farewell to all of you as the journey thus far has been very enjoyable. However, some things must end for new beginnings to take place.

By new beginnings, Level Up! means the campaign to convince Khan players, fondly called Khanatics, to migrate to another online game, Perfect World.

Hopefully, this come-on comes with a guarantee that Perfect World will last longer than Khan.

Post from: MMOtaku