Cavite & Paranaque Ragna Rally!

Don't you just hate it when political candidates cover the entire city with their faces? Nevermind that they probably had their faces photoshopped and morphed to make them look like celebrities. Anyway, I'm sure some of you will eventually find one of these tarpaulins either at an internet cafe or a street post (LOL). When I said before that we will make Ragna Rally look like an election campaign, I was dead serious! One of the sales personnel here at Level-up also just informed me that they are now sending the sample ballots out to the field. Hopefully you guys can get a copy of the flyer. One more time people... PORING FOR PRESIDENT! Wahahaha.

The Ragna Rally at Paranaque was intense. A lot of good guilds from various servers competed in the BTA Tournament. The most noticeable ones were Team Apocalypse, Team Guildless (Coalescence), and Team Hyksos. These were powerhouse guilds in the Chaos Server and it looks like they had their game faces on. At the end of the evening, Team Guildess prevailed, clocking in at an amazing 1:37! They employed an Assassin Cross - Paladin Combo, and they were able to wipe out the MVPs (Dark Snake Lord, Amon Ra, and Detardeus) in record time.

Cavite was more bloody battle. Out of the 14 teams that entered, only 1 team was able to survive the MVPs. Yes, you read right. 13 other teams were obliterated by the MVP Trio. Most of them fell to the LOV-MS combo of Detardeus. Anyway, the winning team was actually Apocalypse, who came all the way from Paranaque the night before. Talk about dedication, eh? Their trip was well worth it! Not only did they win the Cavite leg, they unseated Team Guildess. They are now the time leader with a record time of 1:27. If no else beats their time, they will win 10,000 PHP and a MJLONIR godly item!

On a side note, Community Manager Wintertsuki also raffled away great in-game prizes and Ragnarok Merchandise allthroughout the event. Other the the BTA Tournament, there were also activities open to everyone like the Upgrade Challenge. Basically you upgrade an item of choice and if you make it to +8 - +10 you get in-game prizes. Players will be using blessed eluniums and generated headgears provided for by the GMs in Sakray Server.

The RO team now has their sights set on the beautiful islands of Visayas. We will be having a major Ragna Rally event at Voyager Internet Cafe at Cebu City. For more details on the event schedule or mechanics, just head on over to the Ragna Rally Website.

By the way, you can check out the latest LU Yosi Break Session here.

Tomorrow I'll post a very special interview. We'll be talking to my girlfriend of 6 years on how hard it is to have a gamer for a boyfriend. Wahahaha!

Cheers!

Ragna Rally Website now UP!

The much awaited Ragna Rally website is now up! I'd like to thank the creative team of Level-up for putting together such a funny flash intro. If you have ever played Ragnarok, please DO NOT miss this chance to view the site.

Visit the RAGNA RALLY website NOW!

Btw, I just got back from the Ragna Rally in Paranaque. I'll post the pictures and list of winners this weekend when I have time. For now I have to rest because we are going to hit the road again tomorrow morning for the Ragna Rally in Cavite.

Rok on people and I hope to see all of you at the event!

Level-up Presents... O-zine '07!

Cosplay: contraction of words costume and play. It's a subculture based on japanse anime, manga, and more recently, games, mmorpgs, and movies. It's also a gathering of enthusiasts who showcase their costumes, take photos and join contests. - Pablo Bairan, Cosplay Expert

Attention all anime fans and gamers! Level-up Games is co-presenting O-zine Fest '07! O-zine fest is one of the biggest cosplay events in the Philippines and it will take place at the SM Mega Trade Hall on April 1, 2007. We're hoping to see hundreds of talented anime fans duke it out in the catwalk to determine the top cosplayers in the country. Just to show everyone how talented Pinoys are in cosplaying, check the best female winner of the Level-up LIVE Cosplay competition. She came in dressed as Moonlight Flower!

*Photo courtesy of cosplay.ph

But wait... there's more (Lol)! Other than the cosplay competition, there will also be side events. Check out the list below for the tentative contests that you can join:

Anime Trivia
• Art Contest
- 7 to 12
- 13 and above
• Cosplay Competition
- Doujin Cosplay
- Individual Cosplay
- Group Cosplay
• Eating Contest
- Azuma's Bread
- Chouji's Potato Chips
- Gohan's Gohan
- Naruto's Ramen
- Mirmo's Chocolate
- Ryoma's Ponta Drinking
• Karaoke Contest
• SD Gundam Kit Comp.
• Speed Drawing Contest

Level-up will being giving goodie bags as well to cosplayers who dress up as any Level-up character. I'll post more details on this one when I get the final mechanics from GM Lilith. :)

By the way, let me plug for a good friend of mine. Pablo Bairan, also known as Nethermir, is the first level 99 Knight in Chaos Server. That dates back to 2003-2004. After his Ragnarok career, he's been very active promoting local cosplay events and he's also part of the team that made the cosplay.ph website. Please feel free to check the website out. It has a photo gallery of cosplay events in the Philippines and you can also get useful tips on how to make your own costume.

Good luck to all the Cosplayers who will join and I hope to see everyone on April 1!

LU Elevation - Davao Segment

*Thanks to Doctor for this video

TO THE TOP WITH LEVEL-UP!

This was our battle cry when we went to Davao for the trade/media launch last February 23, 2007. Despite the schedule being tight and rather unforgiving, we were still able to have a good time. Just to show all of you how hellish our schedule was, check this out:

February 23, 2007
10:40AM - Flight: Manila to Davao
1:00PM - Arrival at Davao
1:00PM - 1:30PM: Lunch at Marco Polo Hotel
1:30PM - 4:30PM: Meeting with ICAD (Internet Cafe Association of Davao) Officers
4:30PM - 5:00PM: Rest and quick shower (@_@)
6:00PM - 12:00AM: Level-up ELEVATION Trade Launch @the Venue
12:00AM - 2:00AM: Very late dinner

February 24, 2007
10:00AM: Wake-up and go to airport (wah!)
10:40AM: Davao to Manila

Because of the schedule, you'd think Davao wasn't so far from Manila. Nevermind that they are at the opposite ends of the Philippines. I actually talked about this with our Sales Director, Apol Dionglay. When he was still working for other Multinational companies, he would go back and forth from Hong Kong or even Singapore on the same day. You can't help but admire dedication like that.

Anyway, more about the event. The actual launch was really jam-packed. More than 400 players and cafe owners went to the launch. Our venue was almost twice as large as the place we used back in Manila! The stage was awesome, and the production staff was also great. I felt sad for the band though. How can you expect a crowd dominated by 80% male to start dancing - especially since the girls in the crowd were also a bit old (cafe owners). Hehe.

After the event we were all hungry. We boarded the vans and went to Colasas which had OMG delicous BBQ and chicken. The entire team pigged out. Wahaha! I think we spent more than two hours there just savoring the food and finally getting a break from our day.

That's it for Davao. The next morning I overslept. Fortunately our Marketing Services Manager, Jake, woke me up (thanks man lol). We got into the van, went to the airport and went home.

Maraming Salamat Davao!

Ragnarok Event: Ragna Rally '07!

Ragna Rally ’07 is a major nationwide event that aims to gather Ragnarok players, old and new, under one roof. Inspired by the 2007 May elections, we’ve spiced it up a bit by adding a “Poring for President” flavor, making it more relevant to everyone. Don’t be surprised to find tarpaulins, posters, and even sample ballots promoting Poring for President at your nearest internet café!

So what is in it for players who attend the Ragna Rally? The main event is the BTA Mjolnir Cup Tournament! This isn’t your normal BTA because the national champion will win a godly item: a brand new Mejinguarde! Regional champions also stand to win rare and powerful in-game items like Vesper Cores.

We also have the Ragna Raffle! The GMs are going to give away dozens of premium items, merchandise, and in-game stuff for everyone who attends the event. We will also have a special raffle for players who buy top-up cards at the event.

Ragna Rally ’07 promises to be one of the biggest events this year! We will be having a Rally every weekend starting next Friday! However, before we go full blast, we’re going to have a tune-up rally on the following dates:

March 2, 2007
Netaphor Internet Café, Paranaque
5PM-11PM
BTA Registration 4PM-6PM

March 3, 2007
ESF Computer Center, Cavite
1PM-7PM
BTA Registration 12PM-2PM

(MAP to follow)

For the mechanics of the activities, please visit the Ragna Rally section of the Ragnaboards here.

Don’t forget to bring 100 PHP for entrance fee. You will get a 50 Top-up Card and a raffle stub for the Ragna Raffle. See you there! Rok On!

*Map and I-café address to follow

MMORPG: Warhammer Online

I just got back from Davao. The people and the place was great, but our schedule was really unforgiving. We left Manila via Cebu Pacific on Friday at around 12. The flight was relatively okay since I was seated at the middle lane where the emergency doors were. Both the middle and front seats were the only places that had legroom. So I was really able to relax and even cross my legs while reading a book that I brought along with me. Anyway, as soon as we landed we immediately checked in to our hotel and met with the Internet Cafe Association of Davao (ICAD) officers at Marco Polo Hotel. The meeting lasted till 4:30 PM and we had 30 minutes to rest up before going to the main event, which was the trade launch. After a quick shower we went to the venue and the party lasted until 12. We went back to the hotel sometime past 2am and we woke up at 9am to go to the airport to fly home.

Wah.Talk about having a hectic schedule! Anyway, more details and pictures sometime this week when I get the pictures from one of my officemates.

Anyway, I was surfing YOUTUBE and found a few trailers on Warhammer. I'm not a fan of the board game but it looks like I'll be playing the online MMORPG when it comes out. It's so brutal XD

Warhammer: Dawn of War


Warhammer: Mark of Chaos


Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning


Hope you guys enjoyed the videos! I'll be posting more details about Perfect World tomorrow. I was able to get my hands on the City Battle guide from the Perfect World Brand Manager, O'neil Buena (thanks man). I'll try to summarize it and post the details here.

LU! Elevation: Media and Trade Launch 2007

Level-up Games, the leading local online gaming company, launched their new content for the year during their media/trade launch show entitled "Elevation" last February 9, 2007 at C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan City. The venue was jam-packed, with more than 500 Internet Cafe owners and media reporters trooping to the event. Top brass of Level-up and ePLDT, together with the Brand Managers for the new games were also on-hand to mingle with the crowd and to answer questions for the press.

The event was hosted by Level-up Darling, Iya. Rock-reggae band, Sidhi, tore the house down with their originals and cover songs of U2 and Bob Marley. The roof almost exploded later on in the evening when The Dawn took the stage and sang their immortal song "Salamat" and eventually did a cover of U2's "Elevation".
The new updates announced were the following: Ragnarok Online Hugel Patch - March, Fly for Fun V7: Cloud Crusin' - April, and Rising Force Episode 2 - Summer. The new games being released are: Perfect World - June, Silk Road - February, and the most anticipated game in Asia, Ragnarok Online 2 - Sometime this year.

The event was definitely a huge success! Thank you to everyone who went. For more pictures, just check below:

Level-up Babes dancing with Studio 23 Mascot

Moi being interviewed by Studio 23 Mascot

Moi getting pawned by one of the bouncers (LOL)


That's it for now. More posts about Perfect World tomorrow.

Rok On!