Level Up! Live 2008 Rise of the Gaming Gods: Thailand RWC2008 Champion!

Online warriors from all over the Philippines and around the world converged at the World Trade Center in Pasay City last October 18 and 19 to witness epic battles and celebrate camaraderie, the competitive spirit and exceptional skills in the virtual gaming arena via Level Up! Live 2008: Rise of the Gaming Gods.

Ragnarok World Championship 2008

Rise of the Gaming Gods has been concluded last night with victor from Thailand who’ve won this year’s Ragnarok World Championship 2008 crown. The final battle between Team Thailand and Team Korea proved to be one hell of a fight but the determination in protecting its rightful crown emerge among the heart of the Thailanders.

On the first day, team Philippines composed of RPC 2008 champion - Bozanian Beastfighter withstand the challenged posed by its co-competitor Germany and Japan on the first day – Pinoy’s applauded, shouting with joy and hope. Thailand, USA and Indonesia follows with pride as they stop their rivals Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, France and China.

Team Korea shocked Team U.S.A. on the second day with blitz combo offense lead by its Champion which was supported by Paladin. In a daring clash, USA bowed down. Thailand shocked the Philippines team as their superior High Wizzard plus Stalker proved so much effective in disrupting the tactical offense of Team Philippines. A deafening silence among pinoys followed, if only they could close their eyes but the battle was so great they its really worth watching every second passed. 2nd round fight against Thailand and Philippines concluded fast - finished less than 2 minutes – as the reigning champion of RWC2007 intimidated the host country Philippines, as if a lion devoured and crushed mercilessly its prey. Philippines may have lost its opportunity for the crown but nevertheless gleed and honored to fight against Thailand.

Indonesia fought well but their rival Team Korea is much prepared and later on bowed down and later crowned 3rd place victor after defeating Team Philippines on a single round duel.

LU Live Highlights

Following the last two years’ success, Level Up! upped the ante with a slew of tournaments, events and side activities for some 20,000 expected participants, all while making history via the Ragnarok World Championships (RWC) held for the first time outside its home country of South Korea.

The prestigious competition served as the highlight of the annual gaming event being the first international cyber tournament hosted by the country. Team Philippines faced off with the other 11 equally tough and skilled teams from 21 participating countries vying for the Ragnarok World Champion title and over 1 million pesos in cash prizes. To top it all off, Ragnarok creator Lee Myung-Jin flew in to attend the event and sign autographs for the participants.

Level Up! Live serves as the grand Olympic event for the country’s very own cyber-athletes with anticipated national tournaments for RF online NEST (Novus Elite Squad Tournament), FreeStyle All-Stars, FlyFF Online Heroes of the Dragon Emblem, and Perfect World – National Tournament Phoenix Council Wars.

At Live, gamers get the opportunity to be recognized and to proudly carry the torches of their respective teams. With the continued growth of the online community, the event has evolved into a venue for players to foster and strengthen ties with their fellows.

Apart from the big door and raffle prizes that made going to Live more than worth the effort, side competitions such as the National Art Competition, Cosplay, On-the-Spot Drawing Contest and the ’08 Filmfest provided players with a platform to showcase their creativity and skills in things other than gaming. Other activities like Sumo Pouring, Poring Swim, Shoot Out, Wild Shot Gallery, Fun-Talon, Test of Flight, Pit Stop, Fit the Munky, and the Gamer SIM Booth gave participants a fun break from all the hardcore gaming action.

The two-day event also marked the official launch of the online game publisher’s newest offerings Grand Chase, Emil Chronicle Online, Hello Kitty Online, and Rohan: Blood Feud, as well as its third music compilation entitled Live! The Album: Music of the Level Up! Nation, which includes 10 songs written and produced by various artists specifically for Level Up! and its roster of popular games.

Exceptional performances from FilharmoniKA conducted by Gerard Salonga, Powerspoonz (who played Barrio, the official RWC song) and Kevin Roy, who rocked out his gamer anthem Ampfufu, truly made Level Up! Live the biggest online gaming event in the country.

Log on to www.gameheroes.ph to checkout the formidable list of RWC delegates and http://music.levelupgames.ph for more information on Live! The Album: Songs of the Level Up! Nation.

Level Up! Live 2008 Rise of the Gaming Gods is presented in cooperation with title sponsor Yahoo!, co-sponsors MEC-HP Procurve and PLDT My DSL, major sponsors Intel, SMART Buddy, and PC Express, minor sponsors Nescafe 3 in 1, PLDT Ventus and People Support, and media partners Game! Magazine, Playground, HackenSlash, NU 107, Mellow Touch and TV5.

Level Up! Phils., a subsidiary of ePLDT, is the country’s first and biggest online game publisher. Among its games are Ragnarok Online, the country’s first MMORPG, RF Online, Freestyle Online, Flyff Online, Crazy Kart Online, Perfect World Online, Silkroad Online, and Bethere.com.