By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net

IMAGINE running around a multi-level, 350-square-meter arena holding a laser gun called a phaser and tagging supposed enemies you find hiding behind a dark wall.

For 15 minutes, this high-tech game of tag using specially-made laser-fitted guns allows players (a maximum of 24) to relive a favorite childhood game.

“This is not about war. It’s more a tagging game,” said Maureen Scherrie Delantar, marketing and operations manager of Aslag Philippines’ LazerXtreme Arena, noting that children as young as six years old can play the game without risks of getting hurt.

Here’s a photo I took of Delantar showing the special vest and laser-fitted gun.

And here’s INQUIRER.net multimedia specialist Erika Tapalla interviewing Delantar. Video taken by INQUIRER.net community evangelist Alex Villafania.

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RIGHT now, I’m checking out the casual games at Level Up!’s Be There portal, which is now open for beta testing.

Have just started playing, but one of the games that my daughter Sam and I find interesting is Miam!

Here’s a screenshot.

Anyway, check it out for yourself

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

THE WORLD Cyber Games Philippines 2008 Final is still a month away but the competition is heating up for some of the game titles that are part of the tournament.

Some players have already made the cut to become finalists in WCG for the games Command and Conquer 3 (C&C3), WarCraft III: Frozen Throne, Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Counter-Strike, and the Xbox 360 game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The finalists for each of the games will be bearing down on each other in July.

Meanwhile, there will be tie-breaking competitions on June 7 and 8 at the SM Megamall to find out who else would be moving to the finals at the SM Mall of Asia.

The top four finalists for C&C3 are Edsel Ramos, Kevin Chung, Aldyn Belgica, and Bernard Garcia, who beat eight other players in the game.

The WarCraft III finalists are John Benedict Cruz, Frederick Pe, Tristan Solee, and Ariel Escolano. Solee was the previous WarCraft III Philippine representative to the 2007 WCG Grand Final in the US.

The DotA teams that will move to the finals are Pag-ibig, Mineski, BS, and Flow, which was also the Philippine representative in the Asian Cyber Games in Singapore in 2007. It was Flow that brought the Philippines its first medal in an international gaming competition in 2007.

The top five Counter-Strike teams who will face off at SM MOA are Kinky, Horsemen of the Apocalypse (HOA), WK, What’s New B, and Wanted. Team HOA has been the consistent Counter-Strike Philippine representative for the past six years, though team Kinky is closing in for this year’s tournament.

Meanwhile, the Guitar Hero III finalists are Rafael Formoso, Jose Antonio Cruz, Luis Benesa, Nino Tanseco, and Robin Molas.

Michael Vinluan, general manager of eSports, which is organizing the WCG, said that they have reserved spots in the finals for Cebu and Davao players of CS, WarCraft III, C&C3 and Guitar Hero III.

The semifinals for Need for Speed ProStreet and Virtua Fighter 5 will be held on June 7 to 8 at SM Megamall.

Editor’s note: Video showing Counter-Strike and Defense of the Ancients players duking it out taken by INQUIRER.net community evangelist Alex Villafania.

UPDATE: Editor’s note: Reposted to make corrections.

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

A NEW game publisher has joined the online gaming fray in the Philippines. Eaglegame International Limited will be based in Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong City and will focus on online casual games.

In an interview, Eaglegame marketing and communications manager Rio Encarnado said the Philippine office is a subsidiary of interactive entertainment firm NeteLusion Hong Kong Limited, which focuses on gaming, media and fortune.

NeteLusion also has offices in Singapore, Malaysia and China and is expanding its business in the US, some European countries and other Southeast Asian countries.

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By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

THE ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nation Foundation (AF) is set to launch in July a PC game that aims to provide a fun learning activity to the youth and give them useful information on the 10 member countries of the ASEAN.

AF executive director Filemon Uriarte Jr. presented the ASEAN Quest game during a memorandum of agreement signing between the AF and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Makati City. Uriarte showed a box version of the game as well as the opening cut scene.

Uriarte described ASEAN Quest as primarily a single-player role-playing game where players have to navigate through several, albeit short, levels. There are portions of real-time strategy, trivia, a spy game and even a “build” game. Much of the game focuses on the cultural nuances of the 10 member countries of the ASEAN.

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