NETGAMES UNLEASHES THE ENGLISH EDITION OF MIRINAE’S FLAGSHIP 3D ONLINE GAME

Mirinae | Manila -- Online gaming provider and subsidiary of ePLDT, Netgames, heightened the excitement in the local online gaming industry as it introduced the English edition of Mirinae Entertainment's flagship online game this November.

Called "KHAN: The Absolute Power," Netgames has licensed the distribution of game in the Philippines. "KHAN" is set in the Thirteenth Century when the Mongol Conqueror Genghis Khan was on the verge of reuniting the entire Eurasian continent. Khan embarks on diverse quests and battles of heroes against monsters and evil enemies. With a stunning 3D visual spectacle that is first and unique in the Philippine online gaming industry, Khan takes the gamers to the exotic locations of inner Mongolia where the battles are fought by Genghis Khan and his alliance of Heroes. Khan's alliance consists of the Knight "The Indestructible Shield"; the Micko "The High Spirit"; Necromancer "The Brilliant Harmony"; Sorcerer "The Blade of Crystal"; and Assassin "The Secret Shadow."

"Netgames is very excited about Khan. We are optimistic that its (Khan) launch will significantly expand the market of local online gaming as more gamers discover and fulfill the ultimate gaming experience in Khan," said RJ Maclang, Sales and Marketing Director of Netgames.

Aside from advanced 3D graphics, Netgames boast of other special features which make the Khan gameplay absolutely involving and entertaining. One can actually see his or her character evolve from its basic beginner looks to the more mature and sophisticated look emitted by higher-level players.

"Each character goes on into its own metamorphosis," says Game Master JB Montano. " At the start of the game, a character would look very simple. After a few stages of leveling up, the character undergoes a gradual change, similar to a caterpillar forming its cocoon. The higher level you go, the more beautiful your character gets," he added.

One of the wonderful features of Khan is its unique party system advantage. Unlike other gamers where people can level up by themselves, Khan boasts of an elaborate partying system, which encourages people to make new friends within the game. "Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses," explains Game Master JB Montano. "Our game is a social game. Although it is possible to play by oneself, no character in the game is completely self-sufficient. In order to maximize the enjoyment gamers can get from the game, we suggest that they go out and make new friends, join parties, guilds and eventually form alliances with other guilds during siege wars. This is the whole concept of Khan. A place where your barkada can get together." Netgames brings the Korean-born online game to the Philippines in partnership with Mirinae, the premier online game developer and publisher whose innovations have shaped the online gaming industry.

"Together with Mirinae, Netgames is committed to continuously improving the game as we go along," said Maclang.

Netgames has made Khan available for its open beta testing, which means that gamers get to play for free until December 2004. In less than 2 months of beta testing, Khan currently has thousands of registrants and concurrent users.

"This is a good sign for Khan and an even better sign for the local online gaming business," said Maclang. "Our company is in pursuit of growing the local market and we believe that Khan Online is a big step towards this vision," he explained.

Through Netgames, ePLDT envisions its entry to US50-billion global interactive and online gaming industry, which is considered one of the fastest growing segments in the digital entertainment industry.

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