Gee, why am I not surprised? Seriously now. I’m really not surprised that massively multiplayer online role-playing games is still the preferred genre of online games fanatics despite the fact that popularity of online fighting or battle games and music and dance games is picking up.
Here’s the lowdown from China-based online games portal 17173:
According to The Eighth China Online Game Market Survey, most Chinese players rated MMORPG as their favorite game genre, no matter their ages. For players whose age fall between 19 and 25, the percentage is lower, at about 78.3 percent. They are more for online battle games.
As …read more

Whew! What a year! Indeed, it’s been one hell of a ride for me and, hopefully, for MMOtaku’s loyal followers. What started out as a mote of light in fellow b5media Technology Channel blogger Jayvee Fernandez’s brilliant mind is now a good—not yet great (that has yet to come)—source of news for massively multiplayer online games in Asia and those made in Asia.
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 …read more

Okay. Right after this I’m gonna stop writing about Level Up! Live because it’s making me a bit sick. Find out why here.
Anyway, overall, it’s been an amazing event, what with all the powerpacked competitions that occurred. Let’s count ‘em: Ragnarok World Championships, RF Online Novus Elite Squad, Perfect World Phoenix Council Wars, Fly For Fun Heroes of the Dragon Emblem, and Freestyle All Stars ‘08.
That’s five online games and five competitions, with the Ragnarok World Champions topping the list because it’s on a global scale, with a dozen teams from 20 different countries. Whew!
Sigh. To wrap up, I’m here …read more

After three years of operation in Europe and North America, Rising Force Online is finally closing shop, permanently it seems. Go check out the whats, whens, whys and hows in the official announcement from Codemasters, the game’s operator in the two areas.
It is with much sadness that we announce our intention to close the European and North American RF Online game servers operated by Codemasters.
Our license for RF Online is due to expire shortly and, unfortunately, despite several weeks of negotiations with CCR, the Korean developers of the title, we have not been able to reach an agreement to renew …read more

The other day, I wrote about my frustration over not being able to play Rising Force Online because of a faulty client. Yesterday, I spent the entire day offline. The day off would have been great if it had been an active choice. But, no, I was forced to stay offline because I had to download the latest patch for Perfect World.
It took a whole day to download the patch? Not exactly. I started patching around 2 p.m. The Perfect World patcher finished at 1 a.m. Yes, the patching process sucked, big time. Level Up! Games, Philippine publisher of the …read more

It’s not that I don’t want to play, it’s just that I can’t. The installer I downloaded months ago, dubbed RF Online: Crimson Dawn gives me a flawed version of the game. How flawed? Well, let’s just say that after I click on the desktop shortcut, the launcher won’t, well, launch.
Too bad, really. I hear Level Up! Games, publisher of the game in the Philippines, has just opened a new server, Calix, and implemented some major changes in-game, including the wiping of inactive guilds and the patching of the gold dupe bug, among others, that caused havoc to RF Online’s …read more

Maybe the title of this post should be “Why can’t I have my cake and eat it too?”. There lies the greatest dilemma of an MMORPG addict. Oh, sure, I can play all the online games I want, whenever I want to, but don’t really have the time to play them. At present, I’m totally engrossed with Perfect World, an online game published in my corner of the world by Level Up! Games.
New developments in the local MMORPG scene are, however, diverting much of my attention to other games. Take Rising Force Online, or simply RF Online, for example. Now …read more

As of this writing, Level Up! Games, the Philippine publisher of hit MMORPGs like Ragnarok Online, Fly For Fun, and Perfect World, is patching Rising Force Online.
Here’s the official announcement from good friend Mon Macutay, a manager at Level Up! Games:
The eagerly anticipated patch of RF Online Philippines, Episode 2, Part 2: Crimson Dawn, is set to go online anytime today (February 26, 2008). We’re going to have a slightly extended downtime as we prep the servers and test everything before we give the thumbs up for the “New Beginning” in Novus.
Whew! Fortunately, I’ve already downloaded the patch a couple …read more

I have this habit of revisiting some of the MMORPGs I’ve played before.
A couple of weeks ago, I reinstalled Granado Espada (after a horrendous three-day download marathon) and had a blast playing my family, The Estrangheros, again. It was short-lived, however, because my anti-virus program kept blocking or deleting X-Trap, the game’s supposedly anti-hacking program.
I’ve resolved to continue playing Granado Espada in spite of the problem. I can’t play AFK (away from keyboard), though, so it will be a long grind for my young family. I’m sure to enjoy every moment of it. Granado Espada is still, after all, one …read more

If this is the second look at the MMORPG Rising Force Online, where’s my first look at this Korean gaming masterpiece?
Rising Force Online, or simply RF Online, was launched in the Philippines about two years ago by Level Up! Games, the online game publisher that brought the highly acclaimed Ragnarok Online to the shores of this small archipelago.
Back then, I was searching for a new online game to play after several failed expeditions in the world of Rune Midgard and the topsy turvy solar system of R.O.S.E. Online, or Rush On Seven Episodes.
RF Online fitted the bill. So into the …read more