August 2008 Archives

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- A video game convention scheduled this month hopes to encourage growth of the video game industry in Asia, its organizer said. "We would like to see the competitiveness of video game industry in Asia-Pacific to the level similar to the ones in Europe, Japan and the US. We believe competition would bring positive results to the industry, where everyone would strive to make the best game and provide the best game services," said Leipziger Messe International (LMI) Asia Managing Director Joerg Zeissig about the upcoming Game Convention Asia (GCA), the Asian adaptation of a major European video game conference. LMI is organizing the GCA. Zeissig said Asia Pacific needed a platform for the industry to grow, which resulted in the creation of the GCA. However, he said that the GCA will not become a copycat of the European Game Convention. “We would like to see the competitiveness of video game industry in Asia-Pacific to the level similar to the ones in Europe, Japan and the US [and] have GCA [become] the arena where all gaming companies will gather [to] showcase their products and services," he said in a reply to questions from hackenslash. GCA is set to happen on September 18 to 20, 2008 in Singapore's Suntec Exhibition and Convention Centre. This would be a follow-up to the first GCA event also held in Singapore last year. Zeissig also acknowledged that Asia's video game industry is far different from the European and American market since it is the online multiplayer games that dominate the Asian region. This obvious difference makes it more challenging for developers to create games that target this specific market. He added that the LMI aims to "inspire" young gaming companies and publishers from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. LMI recently set up an office in Singapore in preparation for the upcoming event, as well as to push through with other projects in the region. Zeissig said that speakers for the event would include Nexon CEO Joonmo Kwon, Crytek founder Cevat Yerli and renowned video game designer Peter Molyneux. Electronic Arts and Maxsoft Online will showcase new products. Replay Interactive will show off new games from developers THQ and KOEI.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MAKATI CITY -- Filipino fans of Electronic Arts (EA) NBA game franchise may have to wait until the end of the year or even early 2009 to play NBA Street Online, executives said. EA Asia executives confirmed that the game is currently in beta testing in South Korea, where EA's co-developer, Neowiz, is located. EA Asia Vice President and General Manager Christopher Thompson told reporters that the Philippines will be one of only four Asian countries that will do beta testing of NBA Street Online. The other countries are Korea, Taiwan and China, where basketball has good following. The game will be published in the Philippines by iPlay, a joint venture between IP e-Games and GMA-New Media Inc. Thompson said Asia's online gaming business has been growing steadily creating a viable opportunity for the EA to expand its market reach. The NBA game franchise is perhaps the most significant sports-related video game in the Philippines. EA Sports' NBA Live series -- and incidentally, the NBA 2K series from rival Sega, are the most played console-based basketball games. Many of EA's sports games also feature in-game advertisements. IPVG CEO Enrique Gonzalez said these would be one of the approaches for NBA Street Online, though their main marketing focus could come from other online and offline schemes. NBA Street Online is based on the NBA Street Homecourt game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. It can be played with up to three online players. Instead of simulating real-world basketball moves, the game emphasizes heavily on tricky ball handling and acrobatic shooting techniques. Players can create their own fully customizable avatars but it is planned that players can also play as or against game versions of NBA basketball stars. The game will also have support for console-style controllers, instead of mere keyboard configuration. Despite having various graphical innovations, NBA Street Online will only require a minimum Pentium 3 processor, 512 megabytes memory and about 128 MB video card.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines will be hosting the International Tekken 6 Grand Finals on November 3, organizer Timezone Philippines told hackenslash. Ana Cardenas Benitez , marketing officer of Timezone Philippines, said the Tekken 6 local competitions have also been moved to later dates. The registration period will start from September 1 to 15 at several Metro Manila Timezone branches. The pre-finals will be held on September 27, she said. The participating Timezone branches are Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3, Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, SM Megamall, Market Market, TriNoma, Robinsons Metro East, Gateway, Robinsons Ermita, Greenhills, Robinsons Galleria, Mall of Asia, Waltermart, Metropoint and Cash 'n Carry. The national finals will be held October 28 at Ayala Glorietta 4 Activity Center. There would be three winners but the grand champion will compete against the top players from New Zealand, Singapore and Australia. The top Filipino player will win a Vivitar video camera, P3,000-worth of Timezone gift certificates, P5,000 of electronic gift certificates, and various Timezone giveaways. The second placer will win a Vivitar digital camera, P2,000-worth of gift certificates from Timezone and other items. The third placer will go home with an Apple iPod Shuffle , P1,000 of Timezone gift certificates and various items. Ana Cardenas Benitez said each branch would only accommodate up to 32 players. She added that there would be no age limit for the participants though there will be a participation fee of P150. For the mechanics of the contests, Benitez said participants can also check the Timezone website or visit participating branches. Benitez added that some representatives from Tekken 6 developer Namco will also be visiting the Philippines for the contest. Tekken is the most popular 3D fighting game franchise in arcades as well as the PlayStation consoles, matched only by the side scrolling fighting game Street Fighter. The game is in its sixth iteration (7th, including a PlayStation Portable version, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection) and its roster of playable character has grown to 41.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided the office of Philippine game development company Anino Games Inc last August 22 for alleged software copyright infringement. The raid resulted in the seizure of 36 computers that were installed with alleged illegal copies of several applications from software developer Autodesk Inc. Among the pirated software that were supposedly found were 3D Studio Max 2008, 3D Studio Max 9, AutoDesk Maya 8.5, AutoCAD 2008, AutoDesk Maya 2008 and Combustion 4. A complaint was filed at the NBI's Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) by AutoDesk, a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The group has been promoting the use of original software and seeking prosecution against alleged copyright violators, BSA said in a statement. Anino, the first commercial game development firm in the Philippines, is a member of the Game Development Association of the Philippines. The group's president, Gabriel Dizon was unavailable for comment as of this writing. Anino Games President Niel Dagondon confirmed the government raid. In a statement given to INQUIRER.net, Dagondon said the company "has always been willing to work with AutoDesk" to help companies like them find viable solutions. Dagondon also implored the BSA to help them instead of attacking them. Such attacks, he said, could force other development firms to either close down or "resort to undesirable means." “[A]ttacks such as these are damaging not just to Anino and its staff but to the entire Philippine creative and outsourcing industry in general. This has a negative effect not only to Anino's operations but to the reputation of Philippine offshore service providers as a whole composed of dollar earning companies whose clients are mainly based abroad," Dagondon said.

By Jennifer Tan Reuters SINGAPORE -- Jet-powered cars, aliens, moon colonies and robots. To many, this is the stuff of science fiction. But for Electronic Arts Inc creative guru Will Wright, they represent some of his most obsessive pursuits and the seeds of inspiration for his hotly anticipated video game, Spore. Launching Sept. 7, Spore allows players to create empires and civilizations across galaxies, populated by creatures, buildings and spaceships. Atlanta-born Wright, a bespectacled, mop-haired alien obsessive who builds robots for research purposes, said Spore was inspired by the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program. "I believe there are other intelligences out there, and the closest is several galaxies away," said Wright, 48, who grew up building model cars and dreaming of space travel. The launch of Spore comes at a critical time for loss-making EA, which is battling Activision Blizzard Inc. for preeminence in the fast-growing $28 billion-a-year video games market. Evan Wilson, analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, describes 2009 as a "do-or-die year" for EA. Though the consequences of Spore's failure for EA are uppermost in analysts' minds, Wright is widely seen as up to the task. A seminal figure in the games industry, observers tend to reach for superlatives when they assess his importance to the company. "Will is the Albert Einstein of the gaming business -- no one else is pushing boundaries like he is," said Geoff Keighley, the host of GameTrailers TV, a specialist web-based video games review. "He is right up there with Shigeru Miyamoto in terms of his contributions to the gaming industry," Keighley added, referring to Nintendo Co Ltd's legendary games designer who created many of the firm's smash hits like Donkey Kong. Wright developed his blockbuster game The Sims while at Maxis, the company he co-founded and sold to EA in 1997. The Sims, where players create home environments in which characters did mundane tasks like cooking and moving furniture, surpassed expectations and went on to sell over 100 million copies. Version 3 is in the pipeline and it, along with Spore, is among a raft of new games seen as critical to EA's future as it struggles with tepid sales and flagging interest from gamers. There are no guarantees, as Wright knows to his cost. His most striking flop was The Sims Online, a multi-player version of The Sims that never caught on and was shut earlier this month. "He clearly didn't understand what makes those kinds of games work well, so The Sims Online was a pretty serious failure," said Timothy Burke, a cultural historian at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Spore itself has not been without its share of challenges. First announced in 2005, it was originally slated for launch in 2007. Spore's strong pedigree bodes well for sales, says Colin Sebastian, analyst at Lazard Capital Markets in San Francisco, though he acknowledges it is not yet clear if Spore will see Wright reproducing his best form. "It's too early to say if Wright is a one-hit wonder," he added.

By Alexander Villafania

MANILA, Philippines -- “Perfect World” might be associated with game publisher Level-Up! but its maker, Beijing-based Perfect World Co. Ltd, is also dealing with another Filipino game publisher, IP e-Games, to launch a new massively multiplayer online role playing game.

In the latest first half of 2008 financial report of IP e-Games parent company IPVG, the company revealed that Perfect World Co. Ltd has tapped IP e-Games to operate "Zhu Xian" in the Philippines.

No other details about the partnership or the game were given in the disclosure.

Perfect World Co. Ltd already has a partnership with Level-Up! in the Philippines for the MMORPG "Perfect World." A quick visit of the company's website showed several other titles that it developed, one of which includes "Zhu Xian."

According to the site, the game's influence was a widely popular Internet novel of the same name. The game itself will delve heavily on the Chinese martial arts culture set in a fantasy world. Characters will have martial arts skills, obtain magical weapons and treasures.

A trailer was also posted in YouTube.com.

By Alexander Villafania

INQUIRER.net

After a month of hype, entertainment software publisher EagleGame has commercially launched the rhythm game Highstreet 5 on August 15.

EagleGame has made available the game's top up cards that come in P20, P50 and P100 denominations. Each of the denominations have corresponding in-game amount values ranging from 80 cash points to 420 cash points. These can be used to buy items from the in-game item shop, which was also activated during the commercial launch.

In an interview, EagleGame Marketing and Communications Manager Rio Encarnado said the company will be activating the social networking section of Highstreet 5 "very soon."

"We're still converting the social networking interface from Chinese to English. It'll surely be launched within this quarter," Encarnado said.

The social networking aspect of Highstreet 5 is one of its two major selling points. Players can upload photos, edit personal profiles and add blogs to their virtual avatars. There is also a video chat component to allow users to see friends and other users online.

Meanwhile, the rhythm and dance part of Highstreet 5 also has its own unique features. There are four types (hip hop, locking, popping and reggae) of street dance styles that are taken from real-world dance steps. These were done using motion-capture and then translated into virtual dance steps.

Encarnado also said there are dozens of songs available in the game, with new ones to be added gradually.

By Alexander Villafania THE NBA video game series from Electronic Arts Sports may perhaps be the most popular sports title in the Philippines. iPlay, the casual games joint venture of e-Games and TV company GMA, is taking the title even further to the online gaming market. iPlay invited technology and gaming journalists to attend the launch of NBA Street Online, which is reported to be the first massively-multiplayer online sports game of EA's Canadian development branch. Details have been withheld until the local launch date but from what has been gathered, EA co-developed the game with a Korean firm, Neowiz. One Taiwanese company, Gigamedia Limited confirmed in July that it will be distributing the game in China. The existence of the game has only been confirmed through press releases though EA's official sites have not disclosed the game. Nonetheless, the NBA Street franchise is well-known game for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, with the latest console version, NBA Street Homecourt, to be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. The console game versions are all three-on-three multiplayer basketball games that are set in public courts, thus the name. Not surprisingly, NBA Street Online could compete directly with Freestyle Online, the first online basketball game in the Philippines distributed by e-Games rival Level-Up! which is also a three-on-three game played on public basketballs courts.

By Reuters SEATTLE -- Sales of video game hardware, software and accessories in the United States rose 28 percent in July from a year earlier, boosted by continued strong demand for Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii console, recent data from research firm NPD showed. Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 outsold Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 game console in July, selling 224,900 PS3 versus 204,800 Xbox 360 machines in the United States. The Wii outsold both systems combined, tallying 555,000 units sold during the month. The top selling game in July was Electronic Arts' "NCAA Football 09," which debuted during the month. It sold nearly 400,000 units in the United States.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- Singapore-based video game distributor New Era Digital Interactive Media Inc. is refreshing its business in the Philippines in measured steps, as it prepares to introduce two online games in the coming weeks. The company is also preparing to launch two "huge titles" that will target gamers in Internet cafes, the company said. Allan Carbonell, newly appointed New Era Digital Interactive Media country manager, told hackenslash that the company will introduce the virtual social networking game Habbo, owned by Finnish firm Sulake Corporation, soon. The game, which plays like the first Philippine online game OZWorld, uses configurable avatars to represent account owners. Players can open their own pages called Habbo Homes and customize these with widgets, stickers and backgrounds. They can also form group pages where members can lounge. Just like any other social networking sites, Habbo has “virtual hotel rooms” where players can communicate with other avatars. Habbo is touted as one of the most popular social networking sites. It has over 100,000,000 registered users worldwide with 9.5 million unique visits per month. Most users are between 13 and 18 years of age. Carbonell said New Era will distribute and promote the game in the Philippines but the game will be hosted in Singapore. "By September we're introducing prepaid cards for players of Habbo. These will be in denominations of P50 and P100. These will allow them to buy items and virtual furniture but the game itself will be free-to-play," he said. Apart from Habbo, the company will also distribute boxed online game, called "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures," which is similar to online game "Guild Wars" already distributed in the country. Carbonell said that the company is in the process of opening up an office in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. By September, the company will be announcing two "big titles" that will be available through Internet cafes, though these games will be available by the end of the year. "New era is coming in measured steps. We don't expect our initial games to make a huge impact but before the end of the year, we're introducing these big games," Carbonell said.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- Online game publisher Mobiusgames started on Tuesday the closed beta test of its latest online role playing game Dekaron, developed by Korean company GameHi. In an interview with hackenslash, Mobiusgames Marketing Director Eric Roceles said they have already allocated "several thousand" player accounts for the closed beta test (CBT), which was announced in July. He said the closed beta game will be the full version that will test for bugs. "The CBT will take two weeks, after which the open beta test will start. This will happen for another two to three weeks, then the commercial launch could be in late September or early October," Roceles said. Dekaron is largely a 3D hack-and-slash game similar to Mobiusgames' previously launched title MU Online. It has five character classes (Azure Knights, Sagita Hunters, Incar Magicians, Vicious Summoners, Segnales, and Bagi Warriors) with different skills and attributes. The game is set in a fantasy medieval planet called Trieste. One of the main features of the game is its Emoti Motion, which allows characters to have different emotions when interacting with other players. Roceles said Mobiusgames is confident that Dekaron will be a hit among role-playing game players. On the other hand, he said they are expecting some migration of gamers from MU Online to Dekaron due to its more robust gameplay. "It can't be helped but it doesn't mean MU Online will be gone. In fact, we're already working on new activities for MU Online. Yet we will still provide the best gaming experience for our players," he said. Roceles said Dekaron will also be the first massively multiplayer online game that will be free-to-play. MU Online is still subscription based though the other games under Mobiusgames are already free-to-play. These include the casual games Gong, Gundbound, and Rakion.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- While the Philippines is hoping to win a medal in the Beijing Olympics, a Filipino has already brought home a medal but for a different competition. Luis Benesa won a silver medal in the Microsoft Xbox 360 game "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" at the World Cyber Games (WCG) Asian Championships held in Singapore on August 8 to 10. Benesa beat China, Vietnam and Korea to reach the semi-finals. He was beaten by a player from New Zealand for the top spot. The 18-year-old Ateneo De Manila University student is the first Filipino player to win a silver medal in an international competition of WCG, and the second overall to win a medal. The first medal the Philippines garnered was a bronze medal by the five-man team Flow playing Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients in last year's WCG Asian Championships. This is also the first time Benesa competed in an international gaming competition. He was second place in the WCG Philippines competition after Rafael Formoso who will compete in the WCG Finals in Germany in November. The rest of the Filipino contingent to this year's WCG Asian Championships did not make it to the final rounds. The Philippine contingent is composed of players for Virtua Fighter 5, FIFA 08, and DotA. Mike Vinluan, general manager for WCG Philippines organizer eSports, said the group is proud yet surprised that a young player for a new game that they introduced would take home a silver medal. "This is a step closer to a gold medal. Hopefully, we win one either in this year's WCG Finals or next year,” Vinluan said.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines – While the Philippine contingent for the Asian championship of the World Cyber Games is currently training on their own, they promised to play hard in this year’s global competition, an executive of the World Cyber Games Philippines organizer eSports said. The teams are now playing against players from other countries in the official Asian championship website. Michael Vinluan, general manager of eSports, said the players are now training "within their natural grounds" where they are most comfortable. The Philippine team will be competing in WarCraft III: Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Guitar Hero III, Virtua Fighter V, and Need for Speed: ProStreet. The country's representative to DotA is Team Mineski, which is composed of Rhymel Olete, Jose Silva, Jr., Ronald Robins, Kendrick Sy, and Rovic John Perez. The Philippine team for DoTA has already been set for Group C, along with Indonesia and Malaysia, according to eSports. Filipino player Israel Magante will represent the Philippines in Need for Speed: ProStreet. He is matched up against Japan and Malaysia in Group D. Guitar Hero III Philippines representative Luis Benesa will compete against China and Vietnam in Group D. Philip Ortiz will fight against Japan and Thailand in Virtua Fighter V. Vinluan said the Philippine team is set to leave on Thursday to get ready for the competition, which starts August 7 in Singapore.

By Agence France-Presse BANGKOK--Copies of the GTA were taken off the shop shelves in Thailand on Tuesday following news about a teenager allegedly killing a taxi driver in a copycat crime. The New Era Interactive Media company, the only legal distributor of the games and software, expressed regret over the incident on its website. "We have stopped selling Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and inform all legal vendors to withdraw the game from their shelves," the company said in an online statement. "The company will not import GTA 4 (the next in the series) to distribute in Thailand," it added. The company also warned people to be careful about the types of computer games they buy and urged friends and relatives of gamers to watch their behavior closely when playing. A Thai teenager incensed that he could not afford to play the violent computer game GTA robbed a taxi driver and stabbed him to death in his cab, police said Monday. The 18-year-old male high-school student whose name was withheld was arrested on Sunday after police found the bloody body of a 50-year-old Bangkok taxi driver slumped in his car. "He confessed that he committed the crime because he had copied it from the game he played," Bangkok police Captain Veerarit Pipatanasak told Agence France-Presse. The teenager was charged with robbery and possession of a weapon, and could face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted, Veerarit said. "He wanted money to play the game. His parents, who work as civil servants, did not have enough money to give him," he added. Instead, the teen spent his 500-baht ($15) allowance on two knives. The Grand Theft Auto computer game series, which has sold about 70 million copies, has come under fire for its graphic depiction of casual violence, drug dealing and prostitution.