April 2008 Archives

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net THE NEXT Open Gaming Meet has been set on May 10, Saturday at the airconditioned cabana on the rooftop of Residencia 8888 at Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center. "We usually hold the OGM on the first Saturday of the month, but to give a breather to us, since we had the last one on the third week of April, we're holding it a week later," said Victor Cabazor, one of the organizers. "The OGM is an informal gathering of tabletop games enthusiasts from various groups to try out new games and/or play favorite games, be it boardgames, miniature war games, RPGs (role-playing games), card games, or board wargames, with friends, new or old," Cabazor added. An entrance fee of P50 will be charged to help the organizers with the rental of the cabana. Simply inform the front desk upon arrival that you are going "to the tournament at the penthouse" to gain entry to the building.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net LIKE previous movies based on Marvel comic book characters, the first film about a particular Marvel superhero is an origin story. The goal is to come out with a film that mostly stays true to the comic book version to satisfy longtime fans, while also appealing to a new audience unfamiliar with the source material. This is a formula that has been wildly successful for some Marvel films (i.e. "Spider-Man" and "X-Men"), though some have been less than spectacular (i.e. "The Punisher" and "Daredevil"). "Iron Man," Marvel Studios' latest comics-to-Hollywood production and also its first self-financed film, follows the same formula, and thankfully this is a movie that will satisfy fans without melting the brains of the uninitiated. Marvel Studios tapped the directorial services of Jon Favreau, who made sure that the audience will care about the characters even without having read the comic books. It helps that the talented Robert Downey Jr. plays the role of fictional playboy billionaire industrialist Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man. This review will of course contain spoilers, so those who would like to watch the movie without knowing anything about the plot should stop reading. The movie starts with Stark, whose company designs state-of-the art weapons for the US military, being kidnapped by a group of terrorists in Afghanistan. In a flashback, we learn that Stark is in Afghanistan to demonstrate his company's latest weapon, the Jericho missile system. The terrorists now want to force Stark to create a Jericho missile for them, using parts from Stark Industries weapons that they have gathered. Instead, Stark makes his first armor, which he uses to escape. His imprisonment makes Stark realize the full extent of the death and destruction his weapons are wreaking, and in his first public appearance he announces that he is shutting down his company's weapons division. After the board of directors opposes his decision, Stark fashions two new armors, the last one carrying the more familiar red-and-gold color scheme of the comic book version of Iron Man, which he uses to battle his former captors who have overrun a village. It is here that the full arsenal of the Iron Man armor is seen, as Stark uses a variety of weapons, particularly the repulsor blasts that come out of the palm of his hands. He uses a rocket launcher attached to his arm to destroy a tank, while a shoulder-mounted multi-barrel gun shoots several enemies at once with pinpoint accuracy. Iron Man's armor is also tough enough to absorb the blast from a tank round, and he is also shown outmaneuvering fighter jets. Unfortunately, Obadiah Stane (played by Jeff Bridges), who was the partner of Stark's father and who headed Stark Industries before the younger Stark took over the reins, turns out to be the villain in this movie. He manages to get hold of the plans of the first Iron Man armor Stark used to escape the terrorists as well as the remaining pieces of the armor, and orders the scientists at Stark Industries to create the behemoth Iron Monger armor. (Editor's note: The armor wasn't referred to by the comic book name Iron Monger, though Stane has a line early in the movie about the company selling weapons because they are "iron mongers," just as Stark initially did not refer to himself as Iron Man until after he saw the headline of an article that used this moniker.) This sets the stage for Iron Man and Iron Monger, with Stane inside controlling the armor, to face each other man-to-man and iron-to-iron. Apart from the special effects (the movie tapped George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic to do most of the digital effects in the movie, and visual effects master Stan Winston to create the Iron Man costume), the film makes sure that audiences will enjoy watching the characters. Downey gives a good portrayal of Tony Stark, though Downey injected a welcome dose of sarcasm. There is also a lot of comic relief in the form of Jarvis, Stark's artificial intelligence program (as opposed to the butler in the comic books), who clearly matches Stark's attitude. One particular toy in Stark's arsenal is a fire-extinguishing robotic arm that Stark keeps berating due to the machine's over-enthusiasm in extinguishing even the smallest fires while he tests his rocket boosters. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the caustic but dependable Pepper Potts. The movie versions of both Stark and Potts stuck true to their comic book sources as Potts and Stark have always had a strong sexual tension, much like James Bond and Miss Moneypenny. Meanwhile, Terrence Howard plays a good role as Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, who always gets into debates with Stark but remains loyal to him. In one part of the film, Rhodes sees the Mark II suit in Stark's mansion and seems to consider wearing it, but then says, "Next time." This is a reference to his wearing the War Machine armor in the comic book series, and indicates the possibility that War Machine will be part of the next Iron Man movies. As you can see, Favreau made sure the movie has plenty of references that comic book fans will recognize, and in fact Favreau himself has a small, if not recognizable role in the film as Stark's driver Happy Hogan, who is his longtime friend in the comic book. The legendary Stan Lee, who was one of the creators of the original comic book Iron Man, of course also makes a cameo in this movie, as he has in other Marvel films. So does S.H.I.E.L.D. (Editor's note: The movie also has a reference to longtime Iron Man foe the Mandarin, in the form of a line referring to the foreign fighters aiding the terrorists as the Ten Rings. In the comic books,  Mandarin is a villain who has ten actual rings, each with a different power.) All in all, Iron Man is a good popcorn movie filled with much-to-be-expected action sequences and special effects. While some might just watch it for the visual treat, the movie also features good performances from the actors, a smoothly flowing storyline and lots of humor. It surely deserves a sequel.

By Erwin Oliva INQUIRER.net UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video taken by INQUIRER.net technology reporter Erwin Oliva. A FILIPINO startup has announced its entry in the free, advertising-based mobile game market in the country, as it offered at least 800 Java-based downloadable games for free to local subscribers, its chief executive officer told hackenslash Monday. Ubersoft Inc. CEO Vince Yamat said the company was betting on the increasing demand for free mobile phone games that are currently offered at premium prices of about P30 to P50 per game by local service providers. "This is something disruptive," said Yamat, as he pointed out that mobile phone games contribute a significant amount to the total revenues of mobile phone networks. With mobile phone browsing cost going down, the Filipino-owned company believes that advertising-supported games will attract not only subscribers but advertisers wanting to target local mobile phone users. To date, Ubersoft has several international advertisers on board, according to Yamat. The free, downloadable mobile games are accessible via the startup company's Swoopin WAP (wireless application protocol) site. Handsets should be able to run Java-based games to download the licensed titles from the startup. "So our service is really web-based, although it uses WAP," Yamat said. Asked how big the market was for Java-based games in the country, Yamat said the figures for the mobile games were not yet clear because they were often lumped with other value-added services. But he is convinced that this unexplored service in the country will soon fly. Among the games offered are Mobile Aquarium, Rollercoaster Rush, Origami Tulip, Arcade Pool, and Top Gun: Air Combat, plus different versions and difficulty levels of Sudoku, origami, and poker games. Players of these games only need to pay for mobile connection cost while downloading an unlimited number of games. Downloaded games are stored on the phone. Yamat said a similar service was also launched in Japan.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net THE RAGNAROK World Championship (RWC) will be held for the first time outside South Korean developer Gravity Inc.'s motherland, and it will be here in the Philippines at Level Up! Live 2008 to be held at the World Trade Center on October 18 and 19. "We are flying in 10 teams from different countries. It's going to be the first international online game tournament to be hosted by the Philippines," said Jake San Diego, Level Up! marketing director. This announcement was what San Diego was referring to in an earlier article when he asked Ragnarok players to "stay tuned" for a development that would "raise the bar in online gaming in the country." The RWC will run alongside the grand finals of the other games of Level Up! namely, Rising Force Online, Perfect World, Flyff and Freestyle. Level Up! will hold the Ragnarok Philippine Championship, which usually takes place at LU! Live, two weeks ahead of the event to determine the representative members.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net UPDATE: Editor's note: Reposted to correct errors and add information. "WE weren't expecting it, really," said Carlos Nazareno, recounting what he felt when informed that the game UFO Capture: Barnyard Abduction" was chosen as the winner for the Asia Pacific Region's User Group contest. He didn't even know that there was a second round of judging. "I thought, when we placed sixteenth in the first contest, that was it, wala na, we gave up. Then I was contacted and well, surprise!" The game was created by Nazareno and his friends Jojo Cunanan, who handled the art, and John Tiangco who did the concepts and playtesting. Incidentally, the same people were members of Team Fuchikoma in the recently concluded Pinoy Indie Games competition. Their game was chosen as one of the top 20 from the 356 submitted by the members of Playyoo.com from all over the world. The contest was sponsored by Adobe, the owner of Flash and Flash Lite. The first judging was based on algorithms, with the number of views and downloads as the arbiter. The second was from votes by members of the User Group. There were also categories for the Americas and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). They bested the main contest's top winner Samir, an Indian national, for the User Group prize. UFO Capture: Barnyard Abduction reached its highest position during the contest at tenth and even became pick of the day. UFO Capture: Barnyard Abduction is a hybrid time pressured collection and puzzle game. You are an alien in a ship trying to abduct as many farmers and livestock in the time allotted while crop dusters try and ram you in an effort to stop you. Collisions with the planes deduct from your time, while completing set combinations of farmers and/or livestock add to your time limit and score. So what did they win? "We won $5,000 worth of prizes," Nazareno said. Flash Lite is a relatively new technology it was highly successful in Japan and is now being pushed elsewhere. It is pre-bundled in newer Series 40 and Series N Nokia Phones. You can check the full list of winners here.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net THE FIRST Filipino online video game rental service is expanding its business to become a full-time online retail shop for video game-related products.  Gamehopper has an extension site for its online retail service, simply called GH Store (site coming soon as of this writing). The GH Store will sell game titles, consoles and other video game-related peripherals. In an interview, Gamehopper co-founder John Paul Ramos said their online retail business will start in early May and will provide deliveries to buyers in the Philippines. "We already have a credit card facility so that buyers can purchase directly from us, and pay the corresponding shipment." The GH Store could use the same nationwide courier services it taps for its video game rental service, such as LBC and Air21. Ramos noted that they could also sell to offshore buyers though there would be added taxes and duties. Ramos said they are already setting the pricing for the products they would carry on their site. Ramos explained that the concept behind the selling service is largely due to demands from GH rental service members for them to sell products. In fact, some players "request" from GH to buy consoles and video game accessories through them. "It was just a matter of time before it happened," Ramos said.

LEVEL UP! has set the date and venue of its annual gamer community gathering, Level Up! Live. "This year it will be held on October 18 and 19 at the World Trade Center in Pasay," said Level Up! marketing director Jake San Diego, "We will still hold it at the World Trade Center to make it as comfortable as possible for our players." The event will be called Level Up! Live: Rise of the Gaming Gods! "LU Live is actually a testament to how popular online gaming has become in the country," San Diego added. "Aside from providing the best content possible, Level Up! also holds community building initiatives in real life via LU Live." "It's where the players of Ragnarok can exchange stories of their experiences with the players of Flyff and now with those who play Perfect World. It is a phenomenon in itself." San Diego added that they "are actually asking all of the Level Up! players to stay tuned for an announcement in the next few days, that would raise the bar in online gaming in the country." This announcement, he said, will be related to LU Live. Relly Carpio, INQUIRER.net

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net THE LATEST installment of Lineage II, Asian Media Development Group's fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is set to patch on April 22 according to an announcement by Rio Encarnado, marketing events manager of Asian Media. The new patch, called Kamael, revolves primarily around the new one-winged race named Kamael. Lineage II is currently in its Interlude version and will be upgraded to Kamael on the said date after the weekly server maintenance scheduled from 0000 to 0600 GMT. The Kamael patch is 1.6GB larger than the Interlude patch. The patch is available as an FTP download at ftp://ftp.lineage2.ph/L2Installer_KamaelCT1.5.rar Free installers are also available at any one of designated pick-up points. The game launcher will automatically patch past 0600GMT of April 22nd to upload the content. This option is recommended to those who have a good Internet connection, as the patch is a large file. The installer can also be delivered by Asian Media free of charge by simply e-mailing them at installers@asianmedia.ph for Philippine players, and at cs.l2@cube-asia.com for Singapore- and Malaysia-based players. The e-mail must have the subject "Request for Kamael DVD installer" and contain the following complete information: full name, contact number (preferably a landline), complete address, zip code, and country code (PH, MY or SG). For installation instructions, click here.

NEUTRAL GROUNDS will hold a World of Warcraft Tabletop Tournament on April 27 at their Robinsons Galleria branch on the third level of the Expansion Mall. This constructed format tournament will have an entrance fee of P200. Registration is from 10-11:30 a.m., and early registrants will have the chance to win one of four World of Warcraft shirts in a raffle. Late registrants will suffer penalties to their standing in the tournament. Round 1 will start at 12 noon. Redemption Cards are not allowed. You may check out the Neutral Grounds site for more details.

THIS just in: Digital Media Exchange has announced that it is bringing the free-to-play Extreme Action massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Dekaron to Southeast Asia, after signing an agreement with Korean developer and publisher GameHi Inc. Here's the press statement:

Dekaron, one of the leading free-to-play based MMORPGs developed by GameHi in Korea, is scheduled to launch open-beta service within the first half of this year in Southeast Asian markets through dme’s online game publishing division Mobius Games. With the Southeast Asian launch of Dekaron, the game is now serviced in 65 countries around the world including North America, Korea, Japan, China, and Europe. Seung Hun Baek, GameHi chief technical officer, said, "GameHi is proud to announce the partnership with Digital Media Exchange Inc., Southeast Asia’s leading game publisher who will service Dekaron in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. GameHi has taken one step further in expanding its global presence; this partnership allows Gamehi to initiate a new era of MMORPG in the Southeast Asian MMO market." Scott Countryman, CEO of dme, commented, “The viral growth of the US version of Dekaron in Southeast Asia supports the suitability and demand of this title in our territories. We believe game performance, lack of local support, high pricing, and payment challenges have held Dekaron back from realizing its true potential in the market. The mobiusgames team has many loyal Dekaron players and we are excited to partner with GameHi to bring this great game to the growing online game market in Southeast Asia with a mobius layer of premium services."

VIVA HOT BABE Jennifer Lee is, well, a hot babe heh :) But did you know she's also an avid gamer? Jennifer was a special guest at the Timezone Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 competition. In this clip, she talks about some of her favorite games. Interview conducted by hackenslash reporter Relly Carpio. Video taken by INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales.

CONTRARY to stereotypes, women do enjoy playing video games. Four girl gamers who are part of the team behind Playground, the country's newest gaming magazine, talk about what sets their publication apart from the competition and why gaming is more than just the games. Interview conducted by hackenslash reporter Relly Carpio. Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net THE WORLD Cyber Games 2008 Philippine preliminaries has been set and new games have been announced, according to organizer E-Sports Philippines. As stated on the official WCG 2008 website, the new games that have been included as part of the competition are Command and Conquer 3 for the PC and Guitar Hero III for the Xbox 360. The winners of these games will be sent to compete in the WCG 2008 Grand Final in Cologne, Germany in November. Counter-Strike 1.6 and Warcraft III: Frozen Throne remain as favorites in this year's WCG competition. Meanwhile, three other games will be included for the WCG 2008 Philippine preliminaries. These are Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients for the PC; Need for Speed ProStreet, also for the PC, and Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360. Winners in these games will compete for the Asian Cyber Games 2008 finals to be held in Singapore. Incidentally, some games that were part of previous local competitions were excluded. These are Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360, and Age of Empires III, FIFA and StarCraft: Brood War for the PC. E-Sports will be conducting preliminary contests at SM Megamall from May to June, culminating in the Philippine finals from July 10 to 13 at the SM Mall of Asia.

A SECOND year student at the prestigious Seisou Academy, a school where students specializing in music are considered elite, Kahoko Hino is the typical nondescript student studying in the general education stream. She has also never laid her hands on a single musical instrument in her life. Video provided by Animax.

CHECK out this video courtesy of Animax, and follow the adventures of twin brothers Thor and Rai, who are kidnapped and abandoned on the harsh prison planet Chimaera.

CHECK out the April issue of GAME!, the gaming magazine of our sister company Hinge Inquirer Publications. Here's more info from the GAME! team:

Soar higher with GAME! April issue's FlyFF Version 11: Destination Azria. FlyFFers, be ready to face the challenges that await in the forgotten land of Azria and know the essential items, skills and changes in Roikas.Read the continuation of RF Online's latest patch, Crimson Dawn. Enjoy reviews on the best-selling games out now, from Devil May Cry 4, Pro Evolution Soccer, and Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Try alternative GAME!ing with GAME!'s latest section level-up featuring non-electronic games. Welcome to the world of Arkham Horror, a board game based on the Call of Cthulhu mythos. Win a Titleist backpack, Adidas eyewear or an Oakley Oildrum for your summer getaways in GAME!'s April raffle. Teleport to the nearest bookstore and grab a copy of GAME!. Don't forget the 80 pesos for your copy, alright? For suggestions, comments, advertisements & promos, email us at editors at gamemagazine dot ph.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net MAGIC: THE GATHERING is set to release its Shards of Alara set on October 3. This is their large set, and was code-named "Rock" during its development process. The tagline for the set is "Five worlds share one fate." The first of three in the Shards of Alara block, this set will have 249 unique cards. Pre-release events are slated for September 20-21, with previews beginning at magicthegathering.com by the first of September. Bill Rose is the design lead with Devin Low as development lead. Magic: The Gathering is the most successful collectible card game (CCG) in the world, and is the basis for most of the newer CCGs in the market today. It boasts of over 6,000 different Magic cards and six million players in over 75 countries in the world.

HERE'S a video taken by hackenslash reporter Relly Carpio. Niel Dagondon, CEO of Philippine game developer Anino Games, talked about the company's relocation to a bigger office and its new projects for 2008. He shared that Anino Games is developing games for the Nintendo DS and that these new titles will come out within the year.

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net SHANGHAI, China--Intel and Epic Games have announced a contest for aspiring gaming developers to create modifications or "mods" for the PC version of Unreal Tournament 3. Developers can create mods in various categories including environments, characters, weapons, vehicles and game play. The "Make Something Unreal" contest carries a $1 million prize, including an Unreal Engine 3 license as grand prize. Other prizes include Intel software development products and Velocity Micro PCs, using Intel's Dual Socket Extreme Desktop platform running on Core 2 Extreme quad-core processors. Judging will begin this June and grand prizes will be awarded next year. Contest mechanics can be found at www.makesomethingunreal.com

THE HERO from Hell is back in action. Check out this ""Hellboy II: The Golden Army" courtesy of Solar-UIP Philippines. Did you love the first movie? And are you looking forward to this sequel? And have you read the Hellboy graphic novels and books? I've got to admit that I'm relatively new to the world of Hellboy, after enjoying the first movie, and have just begun saving up for the graphic novels. So let me know which ones you'd recommend.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net A WANGAN Midnight Maximum Tune 3 limited edition poster, signed by the arcade racing game's creators, has been put on auction by Timezone Philippines for the benefit of Children's Hour. The bidding will run until 6 p.m. Philippine Time (10 a.m. GMT) of April 15. For bids and inquiries, contact bid master Weng Mingoy at wengm@timezone.com.ph or call Aileen or Nedz at +63 2 9147142. The winning bid and bidder will be announced on April 17. International bids are welcome. Only 100, 000 copies of the poster were made and this is the only one in the Philippines. It was brought by the three Bandai Namco executives that visited the Philippines to judge the recently concluded Timezone Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 competition. The poster of the Devil Z racing the Blackbird was signed by all the creators of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune, the tuner car driving simulation arcade game created by Bandai Namco. Raffy Prats (in photo), president and general manager of Timezone Philippines, announced the opening of the auction during the event. Kazuhiro Maeda Game Design Section, Creative Department; Yoshikazu Takenaka, major programmer; and Casey Utsunomiya, assistant manager, International Sales Section, International Sales were the executives who brought the poster. They are also members of the team behind the arcade game. The auction started with an initial bid of P2,000 ($50), and as of this writing is now at P10,000 ($250). Children's Hour is a grant-giving organization that funds programs committed to protecting the welfare of disadvantaged Filipino children. They raise funds by inviting individuals, employees, and companies to donate at least one hour of their earnings once a year.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net UPDATE: Editor's note: Added video. THE FINALS for Timezone's Maximum Tune 3 competition was held Monday in front of their Glorietta 4 branch. The finalists from their branches all over the metro trooped and went head to head in randomly selected maps. The winners are Anton Veloso, 20, of Team C.R.O.W., as overall champion; Mark Edward Blanza, 20, also of Team C.R.O.W., first runner-up; Carlito Abellana, 27, Team Akuma, second runner-up; and Loy Joseph Quitain, 17, as fourth runner-up. Here's a photo I took. In the front row are (l-r) Quintain, Veloso, Blanza and Abellana. In the back row are (l-r) Timezone Philippines president and general manager Raffy Prats; Viva Hot Babe Jennifer Lee; Kazuhiro Maeda of Bandai Namco Japan Game Design Section, Creative Department; Timezone Philippines business development and marketing manager Lelet Volfango; Takenaka Yoshikazu, major programmer for Bandai Namco Japan; Timezone Philippines operations manager Ronald John Lucas; and Casey Utsunomiya of Bandai Namco Japan, assistant manager, International Sales Section, International Sales. The three special guests from Bandai Namco Japan, who are members of the development and design team behind Maximum Tune 3, watched as the kids pushed their creation to the limits. Here's a video interview I conducted. Utsunomiya graciously translated for his colleagues throughout the event and the interviews. They were very happy with what they saw during the eliminations and finals. He specifically mentioned that Takenaka was very pleased with the participants as they played the game because he was the one who designed the courses, their shape and the control programming of the cars and their artificial intelligence. Executives of Timezone Philippines and the special guests, including the Bandai Namco judges and Viva Hot Babe Jennifer Lee, played an exhibition round in between the eliminations and final rounds.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net THEY'VE been fans of Hasbro's Transformers toys and cartoons, but now they've had a change of heart and embraced the GoBots. TransFormers Philippines is now GoBots Philippines, complete with a logo and slogan change: "We changed our name, we changed our fandom, we are no longer Transformers Philippines…" and a link to http://transformersph.blogspot.com Of course, there's more to this than meets the eye. TransFormers Philippines is playing a week-long prank starting today, April Fool's Day. In an interview with hackenslash.net, TransFormers Philippines  moderator Azrael Coladilla said the prank is targeted at the more specialized fans of the GoBots, a short-lived cartoon and toy series that was itself a minor success. He said they also did an anti-Transformers prank last year when the site "shifted allegiance" to the Decepticons, led by the evil Megatron. Like the Transformers that came after them, the GoBots involved a war between two groups of alien robots, the Guardians led by Leader-1, and the Renegades led by Cy-Kill. The cartoon and toy series only lasted from 1983 to 1986, compared to the Transformers line that started in 1984 and spawned a series of cartoons as well as last year's live-action movie. Coladilla said the Philippines has a small group of GoBots fans that has always wanted to have its own online community. "We do this prank every year but it doesn't mean it's only for laughs. We're actually planning to have a GoBots Day soon to feature the toys and cartoons owned by some of the fans," Coladilla said. Still, Coladilla said the TransFormers Philippines community will remain as it is and will continue to feature all toys and cartoons related to big robots and mecha. Of course, it will still be a Transformers world.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net A FEW days after announcing its acquisition of Cabal Online, IP e-Games, the online gaming arm of IP Ventures Group, has now disclosed it has bagged the license to publish the first Japanese-made massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the Philippines. IP e-Games has entered into an online game license deal with Japanese media company GDH K.K. (GDH) through its group company GONZO Rosso K.K. (GONZO Rosso) to publish Pandora Saga in the Philippines. It has been available in Japan since February 2008 and was developed by HEADLOCK Inc. IP e-Games has scheduled the release of Pandora Saga this summer. "The GDH group will continue to actively promote and further expand the online gaming business in Asia through GONZO Rosso. By harnessing our partnership with IP e-Games, we hope to pave the way for the release of the title in multiple Asian territories," Shinichiro Ishikawa, GDH chief executive officer, said in a press statement."With this title and partnership with GDH, IP e-Games is positioned to introduce high-quality games and animation to the Philippine market, as well as other countries in Southeast Asia," Enrique Y. Gonzalez, chief operating officer of IP e-Games and chief executive officer of its mother company, IPVG. According to the press statement, Pandora Saga involves three warring nations, with players "fully immers[ing] themselves in massive battles, using unique skills, siege weapons, horsemanship and a host of other features."