I wanna play Granado Espada

One of the things I've decided this year is to get my hands once again into gaming.

This morning, I attended a press conference of club member IPVG who is set to release Granado Espada (GE), the full 3D MMORPG created by Hakkyu Kim, father of the Korean hit, Ragnarok Online.

GE is set in a detailed gameworld that reflects the 17th century and New World colonial exploration where technological tools of that period fuse with magic and wizardry. GE was developed by Hakkyu’s game development company IMC Games and have put in a whopping US$56 million into the creation of the MMORPG.

It utilizes the latest 3D technology and sound effects that rival the best in the industry today in terms of quality. Music was composed and produced by soundTEMP and world renowned DJ Tiesto (hailed as world’s no.1 DJ). Every zone has its own unique playlist and the music further adds to the intensity of each battle scene.

GE recently won the Korean gaming industry’s most prestigious prize – the Presidential Award for Best Game of 2006, at the 2006 Korea Game Awards, as well as the Technological Award for Best Graphics. Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH) is the regional distributor of G.E and through its partnership with IPVG, the Singaporean online game operator will be able to expand its reach further in the region.

Granado Espada’s other highlights include:

• Multi-Character Control (MCC) system - a key feature that sets G.E. apart from the rest of the MMORPGs. It enable players to control 3 characters simultaneously, a first in an MMORPG.


• Recruitable Non-Playing Characters (RNPC) - RNPCs play a key role in the world of Granado Espada. They possess certain skills and stances that are not accessible by the regular user-created characters, and therefore will prove to be a powerful asset to the family.


• Stance System – By adjusting their characters’ stance, gamers can effectively attack monsters with different skills using the same equipment.

The game will be targeted at the premium market – players who are waiting for World of Warcraft. The international server closed beta testing will commence this February, while open beta testing will happen this March.

I applied for the closed beta testing and hope to be accepted.

Tunog Pinoy Star Search Grand Finalists

The final line-up for the first ever Tunog Pinoy Star Search singing competition for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong is now complete. Organized and managed by locally-listed company IPVG Corp (PSE: IPVG) on the Konek Pinoy information service platform and accessed exclusively through a leading phonecard provider in Hong Kong, ten aspiring singers will compete in the Grand Finals to be held on January 28, 2007 at Chater Road, Central in Hong Kong. Filipino TV and radio celebrities will attend the event as special guests and judges.

The Grand Finalists who hail from the various regions in the country are as follows:

• Elija Clave
• Irene Aquino
• Julie Ann Jereza
• Elvira Manacmul
• Mary Jane Corpuz
• Erwin Yumul
• Lowelin Addu
• Marina Torcuato
• Erlyn Guillermo
• Ruzziel Lumibao

New votes for the top 10 finalists are now being received and will end at 5pm on January 25, 2007, three days before the Grand Finals.

Launched last August 2006, two winners were selected every month from hundreds of participants who used their phonecards to record their songs. Their entries were aired on the weekly Philippines Tonight Show (PTS) on Metro Plus AM 1044 radio. Listeners were invited to cast their votes for their preferred contestant also using phonecards. The contest attracted close to 400 aspiring singers and about 350,000 votes were received during the elimination periods.

As a run-up to the Grand Finals, the top 10 finalists will be featured and interviewed in the upcoming weeks on the Philippine Tonight Show. Listeners of the show will also be able to phone in to give their prediction on who will be the first Tunog Pinoy Star Search singing champion. Under the rules of the contest, the winners will be selected 60% based on public votes (made through phonecards) during the period from 11pm Friday 22nd December 2006 to 5pm on Thursday 25th January 2007, while the remaining 40% will come from the panel of judges based on the live performances at the Grand Finals.

The Grand Finals will be aired live in Hong Kong by Metro Plus AM 1044, an afternoon weekend radio programme. Philippine residents can also tune in by logging on http://www.metroradio.com.hk/1044metroplus/, January 28, 2006 – Sunday at 3.00 pm. Winners of the singing contest will receive fabulous prizes, including a recording contract with Viva Records. Mechanics and details of the competition are available at all major phonecard outlets in Hong Kong.

Ituloy AngSulong IPVG!

Other news:

• IPVG Revenue Grows 723% in Q3 vs Q3 in previous year