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Philippines-based online game publisher Mobius Games recently announced the Southeast Asian launch of Franktown Rocks! 

 

The browser-based game, which is available in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, plays like a toned down massively multiplayer online game with several mini-games.

 

There are also mission-based activities within the virtual world. 

 

The main goal, however, is to play in a virtual band complete with a set of instruments such as lead guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, and drums.

 

Users can also purchase ePoints to buy certain items such as skateboards, special clothing, and entering locked parts of the map.

 

The game is developed by Brainwave Studio LLC based in the US.

 

Mobius Games President Scott Countryman said in a statement that Franktown Rocks! will be the first among new games that will be using Mobius Games’ ePoints system.

 

MANILA, Philippines--“DOTA, or any role-playing game for that matter, may be fun, but it won’t be able to teach you the skills you need for your first job, or for higher education.” This was the message of AKYBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel during the commencement exercises of the University of the Philippines Cebu College, a copy of which was sent to media. Hontiveros-Baraquel said that online games should be treated as an addictive game and should be played in moderation. “You may protest and extol the virtues of being Mogul the Axe for five hours, but unless you are in the brink of developing gaming software and needs the game to test your theories, then play DOTA or any RPG in moderation,” she said. Hontiveros-Baraquel spoke against online games during a part where she told graduates about the skills necessary to find jobs, as well as the means to survive the current economic situation. Instead, she stressed the need for the graduates to take up a sport to remain physically fit. Nevertheless, Hontiveros-Baraquel praised the availability of online search engine Google.com for being an “oracle” that allows people to search for specific topics. She added that Google is also more efficient than the Philippine government’s own Department of Labor when looking for jobs. “What’s true with Google is somehow true with life. There are certain keywords that we must learn to live by. The more we hone our keywords, the better the search result is,” she said.

LOCAL game publisher Z-Zone believes that casual gaming business is not profitable even as local online game publishers are introducing more casual games these days. Z-Zone, which publishes the online games SkyBlade: Sword of the Heavens and the recently launched Oversoul, is not looking to launch any casual gaming titles anytime soon. It intends to focus on massively-multiplayer online games (MMORPGs). Z-Zone Vice President for Marketing and Operations DJ Reclamado said casual games are less appealing to some gamers because of the current economic situation. Reclamado said gamers would rather play MMORPGs that require less purchases of special items since these can be gathered from playing the game. Casual games usually require players to buy more items to become stronger. He said 2009 is not a good year for casual games, as players are buying less to save up for more important purchases. “Casual games are about simplicity of game play. Players only get satisfied when they play for a while and the result is immediate. MMORPGs provide satisfaction during longer periods and they can think of better strategies,” Reclamado said. For now, the company is focusing on promoting OverSoul, which is also developed by Magics Co., the same Korean developer of SkyBlade. Oversoul started its beta test late last year and has gone commercial in March. The game has been localized to include ancient Filipino names and places to give players a more local feel.

IP e-Games has finally launched the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) Zhu Xian Online in the Philippines. Beijing-based Perfect World Co. Ltd developed this game. It is also the same group behind Perfect World Online, also published by Level Up! Games. This is the first time that e-Games introduced an online game developed by a Chinese company. Its previous games are all developed by Korean game companies. ZX Online is currently in “closed-beta” and will go on open beta during the first quarter of 2009. Closed-beta means the game is only open for selected or limited number of players who are often invited. ZX Online is based on a popular Internet novel of the same name. It features elements of a Chinese mythological love story, which involves Zhan Xiaofan, a man from the Righteous group was betrothed to Lu Xueqi. However, Zhan loved Biyao, the daughter of their enemy, the Heretics. Their rivalry is put aside as the Righteous and the Heretics are attacked by monsters and demons from the Middle Plain. ZX Online has received several awards in China, including recognition in the Baidu Top 10 Outstanding Online Games. ZX Online Community Manager Bea Navarette said the game the local publisher is deploying is the international English version, which will not require a lot of translation. Like many MMORPGs, ZX Online features a battle system, pets and mounts, flying and a "3D pathing" option, where players can just click on a location in the game's huge map and will automatically take characters to the designated point.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET MAKATI CITY, Philippines -- Game distribution firm IP E-Games announced that it will become the local distributor of online game NosTale. The company will also become the payment gateway for Philippine players, utilizing its top-up cards. Korean company Entwell Co., Ltd. developed NosTale, which stands for The Tale of the Nomads of Silver Spirit. Despite its cartoonish, kid-friendly design, NosTale is considered a massively-multiplayer online game instead of a casual game. In an interview, Sonny Carlos, IP E-Games Product Manager for NosTale, said the game's server will be hosted in Korea while E-Games will provide a payment service for players in the country. Carlos said the game will target a younger generation of players. "We wanted to introduce something different in our MMORPG line up, so we decided on NosTale," Carlos said. NosTale features many of the same features found in MMORPGs including quests, party systems, item shops and chat. The online game is a story-driven adventure divided into four Acts. Players start out as an ordinary Adventurer. Later, they can be a Swordsman, Archer and Sorcerer they reach a certain level. Once a class has been reached, players can then select a "specialist card" to give their character new and unique skills. Another unique feature is the Mini Land, which is the player's own "home" where items can be stored. The Mini Lands can also be adorned with other objects, such as a house, lamp posts, trees and others. E-Games has activated a local website for NosTale players. NosTale international publisher Servex Co. Ltd. has also appointed E-Games as its global server distributor in the Philippines.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- It may sound like the fabled land of the Rohirrim in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Rohan Online, however, is not related to it but it does have the same elements of medieval fantasy. Rohan Online is the latest massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that game publisher Level Up! Online is introducing in the Philippines. The game is similar to most hack-and-slash online games and features six character classes, the Humans, Elves, Half Elves, Dhans, Dekans, Dark Elf. There are also male and female models for each class. Each of the classes have unique roles and attributes, some are close quarter combatants, some are long range fighters, while others are more balanced types. These character classes also own unique weapons and items. Some can wield two-handed weapons like the Human Knight. The Elf Archer for example can use bows more efficiently than the rest of the characters, while the Dhan Assasins can use stealth weapons to kill enemies quietly. Another unique feature of Rohan Online is its “Forge” wherein items of the same type can be forged together to bring out a more powerful weapon. However, the Forge feature also has a success and failure rate so players have to be aware what item they expect to create when forging. But the most unique feature of the game is “Revenge.” Unlike in most MMORPGs where low-level players are beaten during player-versus-player fights, Rohan Online's Revenge system allows "losers" in PvPs (player versus player) to take revenge against their antagonists once they have increased their levels. They could even bring their entire party to strike back at the opponent. Revenge is indicated as an icon in the interface of the game showing the name of the person who beats the character. Once the player decides to take on the antagonist, the player clicks on the icon and is automatically teleported to the area of the opponent. Think of it as "resbak" in an online environment. Level Up! Philippines has not announced when the game will be made available. However, more information can be received from Rohan Online's official international site.

Editor's Note: Corrected quote and dates. By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net AFTER almost a year, online gaming publisher MyGame.ph will be introducing its first massively multiplayer online game. The game, Fiesta Online, is also the company's second game after Special Force Online. Fiesta Online, developed by Korean firm Ons On Soft [spelled as is] is also a fantasy-adventure game set in the world of Isya. A battle ensues between the primal force called Legel and gods that he created to watch over the land. There are four character classes in Fiesta Online: the Mage, Fighter, Cleric, and Archer. Each one has special attributes and special items. In an interview, MyGame.ph Marketing Manager Paul Buencamino said they will be starting closed beta testing in the middle of October for at least two weeks before moving on to open beta testing. "Commercial launch could be in mid-November. We're still perfecting the game," Buencamino said. The game will be primarily targeted at younger generation of players from ages eight to 15, but Buencamino said the game will still be playable by adults. The graphics is in full-3D and "cartoony" giving the impression that it is kid-friendly. The button configurations are also fairly simple with large, easily identifiable icons for different aspects of the game. Buencamino said that it was time for MyGame.ph to launch a new game to cater to a different market. He said that their first game, Special Force Online, has been enjoying a good player community of around 150,000 per day.