Dive in with Henry and the Crystal Caves

Downsideup Games has just released a new casual platformer known as Henry and the Crystal Caves, where you fill in the shoes of game’s protaganist Henry, who has once again taken up his explorer’s hat to go exploring. Yet again, Henry goes out to live out his life’s dream of collecting shiny crystals in expansive catacombs full of monsters and unknown danger.

The game offers a total of 16 stages, each presenting their own platforming challenges and monsters to beat. Unlike other games that pride itself in being challenging, Henry and the Crystal Caves is as easy as it gets. However, if you do find the game a bit too forgiving, feel free to scale up the difficulty. The game boasts a charming world filled with likeable characters, and is accompanied by a memorable soundtrack.

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Be sure to grab Henry and the Crystal Caves for either Android or iOS.

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Tags: AndroidDownsideup GamesHenry and the Crystal CavesiOSPlatformer


A decade in esports – interview with Kenchi of IO Esports, Team SMG

For esports enthusiasts within the SEA region, Yap Chee Loong, otherwise also known as Kenchi, is a name you likely recognize. The Malaysian has been in the industry for over a decade now, and remains based in the country. He’s now CEO of IO Esports, as well as being the owner of Team SMG. He took some time to sit down with us for a brief interview, which has been edited for clarity.

Yap Chee Loong, or Kenchi.

ON MALAYSIAN ESPORTS
What do  you think of the growth of esports in Malaysia? How would you compare the industry now, to back when you were an active player?

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Kenchi: Back then, I don’t think we called it esports, maybe more like a hobby. Parents didn’t like it even though you’re committing to games full time to earn money. I feel it’s at least more recognized, with more parents giving their support where previously they didn’t or couldn’t afford to provide financial help. We used to live off cheap, simple meals, but with recognition, prize money and salaries, you at least won’t suffer from not having basic living expenses.
It’s grown quite a bit. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% supported, but with government support, clubs, and the general ecosystem, it’s much better now.
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What kind of esports (games) are popular and trending in Malaysia? For context, what do you feel are most popular overseas?
Kenchi: Based on the events we do and viewership, in Malaysia, it’s PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends, and maybe Dota 2 or Valorant. In Malaysia, those two mobile games are the most popular, while it’s different for Europe or other countries.
Worldwide, I think it’ll be League of Legends, Counterstrike, and Dota 2. In Europe and the US, mobile games aren’t considered esports yet. EU would be the three games I mentioned, League of Legends is dominant in the US, while everything is big in China. In Southeast Asia, I feel that PC games are getting less popular, with a mobile focus instead.

While you mentioned things have become easier, what kind of support would you want to see for the local esports scene?
Kenchi: More government support? Since esports isn’t under the sport category yet, tax on the winning prize pool is still an issue. Vaccines for players too, who need to compete in international tournaments. Compared to Olympic sport competitors, esports players are more left behind. There’s also a need to apply for working visas for foreign / import players. Those visas are a different category, so hopefully one day I can apply for an athlete visa for them.
From a developer side, I think it’s important that they make sure the ecosystem is built correctly for local scenes.
Then there’s the association side. I feel they could get the right esports stakeholder to create a strong digital footprint in the country, look for new investors or commercial partners as part of their strategy. Physical sports, activities and promotional campaigns are being restricted due to the pandemic, so esports can be an alternative for investors.
The Malaysian government has had a few initiatives for esports stuff, but then there’s not much news after the initial funding. What do you think of it? How do you think they can improve on this?
Kenchi: I think it’s fine, as I feel their plans for the funds is to make the ecosystem better, like how the SEA Games have esports, to organize a tournament and get the right players to prepare for the games. They also need the right direction as it’s a lot of work for the local associations. With the government, associations and experienced stakeholders, I think they can make our esports scene better.
Would you think it’s more practical for the government to improve on the actual internet infrastructure first before tournaments?
Kenchi: I feel both are important. The infrastructure will be very expensive for the whole country and I believe the MCMC has a plan for it, to have fiber or UNIFI at a more affordable price, just that it’s not being implemented fast enough. You need the internet for the tournament, and you also need the platform to compete on, after all.
Four games, two months.
ON THE ESPORTS INDUSTRY
Would you say it’s much easier to get into the esports industry full time?
Kenchi: I would say yes, with more events compared to last time. It’s more professional now, and growing really fast, creating a lot of different job opportunities. Specifically, in broadcasting, producing, GFX, designers, observers. Observing may sound easy, but it actually isn’t.
I think there’s a lot more opportunities, something like a TV station. Plus, digital sports require a lot of digital marketing. To me, one of the hardest jobs would be being a professional player, as I think their knowledge now is still lacking; it’s not just skill you need, as having a good mindset is also important.
Would you say it’s uncertain to work in esports, because if you don’t have enough experience, you’re less likely to be successful? But if you’re not as successful, how do you get more practice?
Kenchi: For me, I think you can always find a lot of ways to practice. Let’s say a shoutcaster, as an example. Practice from streaming first. The way you play games and the way you talk is your way of entertaining. As a player, you need to lose more, then think about why you’re losing, as losing is part of becoming a champion one day, unless you give up.
via Team SMG’s Twitter
For broadcasting and producing in the company, we began from graphic designing. Slowly we learnt along the way, studied new technology, bringing in virtual sets, that sort of thing. The self-learning is important and we dare to try everything, and our clients also support us in testing new technology and new ways to do esports.
ON ORGANIZING / PLAYING EVENTS
One of the most important things when it comes to online esports and broadcasting is the internet connection. How do you handle those problems?
Kenchi: We have backup internet, with two nearby studios. We got to work closely with TM and TIME from Malaysia Cyber Games, sponsorships; two different brands with different backbones. Basically, we switch studios if needed. If the situation is really critical, then I’ll work with my business partners to help resolve the issues.
At the Malaysia Cyber Games.
How did you adapt to organizing events or playing in this pandemic environment?
Kenchi: What we can do is to try our best to entertain the online viewers through the content we create and exploring technology. Maybe we bring in someone famous for one or two sessions, for casting. Maybe have better graphics and virtual sets. I prefer having offline events, mixing with virtual sets, because the atmosphere of the audience, crowd, is totally different.
What’s the biggest thing you learnt from working with virtual sets?
Kenchi: I think I can create things with green screens that look very realistic, like Ready Player One. There’s the hardware e.g. graphic cards, then the skill from drawing / designing, which we’re also improving on. I learnt that anything is possible in esports, as we’re relying on a majority of online viewership around 80 to 90% compared to offline. If you do real sports online only, it looks really weird.
ON ESPORTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
In SEA, the popular games are more esport / competitive games, but what if someone wants to stream other games like action / narrative games?
Kenchi: I advise you to start with a popular game first until you get followers, then you can do whatever you want and still have a big viewership. I don’t think it’s very good to go against the trends, but also, you need to create something for yourself and your followers first so that you can entertain the people, and they follow you for you, not because of what you play. It’s about slowly moving on to other things afterwards. After all, if you keep on streaming a popular game only, it gets boring too.

Would you say that if you want to get into esports in Southeast Asia, you should focus on mobile first?
Kenchi: For now, yes, definitely.
Since mobile gaming is conquering the SEA market, would it be the top source of gaming in the near future?
Kenchi: Maybe it will change, but for the next 3 years in SEA, mobile will definitely be the champion.
ON THE BUSINESS
Team SMG is involved in quite a few games, like Valorant and PUBG Mobile. They’re similar in that they’re both FPS games. Are there many differences when you compare the esports scene for PC and mobile?
Kenchi: Honestly, both of them have their unique features, but the SEA market is considered a more mobile-centric region and performs better than PC games. Mobile gameplay is also shorter than PC, but viewership wise, it’s much bigger. Singapore’s Free Fire World Series 2021 saw over 5.4 million peak viewers, compared to League of Legends World Championship in 2020 hitting over 3.8 million peak viewers.
We still invest in both mobile and PC, for worldwide reach.
What happened to the cyber cafes? What about the business in the future?
Kenchi: At one point, there were 100+ cyber cafes, but I’m making the decision to close it. It isn’t just because of the pandemic. SEA is going more mobile, so I don’t see the market there anymore.

How did you move on from being a professional player to an organization?
Kenchi: So I started as a player, where I was already thinking about what I can do after that. I wanted to be a businessman, so I began from the cyber cafe business. I went to the Philippines first because I felt the cyber cafe business there was slower growing, for bigger opportunities.
It’s a very different move from player to business management, so I learnt and became better. At the cyber cafes, we had small tournaments for teams, first as marketing until it became very big. I helped out Fnatic as a coach, trying to apply what I learnt from the business to help them.
An organization is kind of like managing a team, like having five players learning how to have the same objective, except with like 200 people. Of course, I’m not going to be managing it all myself, so I need to have the key persons to shoulder some of the jobs. If you have the passion, do it right. Most people give up halfway because they don’t have the courage to face their mistakes and problems, like losing. The feeling sucks, then they feel it’s wasting their time, then they move on into another industry. You need to have courage, overcome it, then improve to avoid the same struggles.

That’s all the time we had! Thanks to Kenchi for coming on with us for the interview. Esports hasn’t been an exception in getting hit with problems from the pandemic, for both teams and organizers alike. It’s nonetheless still a fairly young industry comparatively, with plenty of room to grow in an ever expanding digital space. With Kenchi being one of the old guard still active in this space, who’s to say where the local esports scene can go, finally breaking it through world wide? It’s an uncertain yet exciting time, so enthusiasts and hopefuls best look out.

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Tags: IO EsportsKenchiTeam SMGYap Chee Loong


The Walking Dead: Our World is looking like a zombie version of Pokemon GO

Fans of The Walking Dead series (or zombies novel/movies) will be able to battle the undead in real life soon! Recently, AMC and Next Games together announce their upcoming location-based augmented-reality mobile game – The Walking Dead: Our World.

The game will be similar to Pokemon GO, where you will need to walk around to find zombies and kill them. You can also pick up weapons at some specific spots. Plenty of fictional characters from the hit series including the fan-favourite heroes – Rick, Daryl and Michonnewill will make their appearances in the game too.

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The developers only tell us that it is “coming soon” for iOS and Android, so no actual date is available yet. While waiting for its release, how about gearing up ourselves to fight the horde of zombies?
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Tags: AMCAndroidiOSMobileNext GamesThe Walking DeadThe Walking Dead: Our World


Alto’s Odyssey now available for Android

Snowman’s mobile sandboarding adventure game Alto’s Odyssey which first launched on 22 February 2018 for the iOS platform is finally here for Android. This game is a sequel to Alto’s Adventure, although the developer has assured that you do not need to play the original game.

Alto’s Odyssey will take things in a different direction, with the inclusion of balloon bouncing, wall jumping and much more. Also unlike the iOS version which is paid app, the Android version is free-to-play and includes in-app purchases.

There is also an inclusion of a Zen Mode where all coins, power-ups, and scores are done away with, so you can just explore the desert to your heart’s content. As part of the experience, there is a photo mode which lets players get the perfect shots to soak in the glorious artwork. The simple yet eye-catching artstyle lends itself to very calming yet exhilarating experience as you traverse through the sandy dunes.
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Tags: AdventureAlto's OdysseyAndroidiOSSnowman


World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth BETA Keys Giveaway!

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is coming soon on August 14th, 2018 and there’s a ton of lore to explore after a sword was plunged into Azeroth back in Legion. However, it would seem that the war between Alliance and the Horde are back at it again after they have formed a short Alliance-Horde force to stop Sargeras, Ravager of Worlds. So what’s there to battle for Azeroth, a dying world? For that, you’ll have to find out in the coming expansion.

If you weren’t able to get into the BETA, we have some real good news for you. We have 15 BETA keys on our hands all thanks to Blizzard and we’re giving them away! If you are interested to get your deep skulls into the Battle for Azeroth lore, just follow these easy steps to stand a chance of getting 1 of the 15 keys we’re giving away!

Step 1:
Like our official Facebook Page!

Step 2:
Like and Share the Facebook post! *make sure it’s set to Public when sharing!
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Step 3:
Leave a comment on the Facebook post and tell us “Who do you think will win in the upcoming Battle for Azeroth?” along with the hashtag #GBbattleforazeroth

*The giveaway is only eligible for Malaysian and Singaporean readers.
*The giveaway will end on 31st May (Thursday)
*We will announce the winners on 1st June (Friday)
*The BETA keys are solely only for Battle for Azeroth expansion and not the full game

If you want to know more about what’s coming to Battle for Azeroth, you can check out our previous article with an interview we had with the developers! There’s also a comic called “Reunion” which was just released which features Jaina Proudmoore, who is finally showing up to help protect Kul Tiras.
*Alright guys! Thanks for participating! We will be announcing the winners soon! So please do check in your inbox to see if you are one of our lucky winners! Adding in to the good news, we got an extra 10 keys to give away as well! So we will be handing out a total of 25 keys! We’ll talk to you guys again soon~! ?

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Tags: Battle for AzerothBlizzardBlizzard EintertainmentPCWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft: Battle for AzerothWoW


Civilization VI and pirates! October 2020 update first look

The siren call of the sea heads to Civilization VI, with the upcoming Pirates Scenario! You can have a first look at the mode in the video below:

Civilization VI players will be able to jump in to the 1 to 4 player Pirates Scenario to contest for treasure and glory on the high seas. Players will select one of four factions – Dread Pirate, Privateer, Swashbuckler and Hoarder – each with unique abilities that change up their playstyles. In addition to other factions, players will also have to deal with British, Spanish, French and Dutch navies who are determined to send them to Davy Jones’ Locker. The Pirates Scenario features new and updated artwork that adds a tropical feel to the game; it can be played on a unique handcrafted map or choosing a map script that provides a different layout each playthrough.

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The Firaxis team was deeply inspired by Sid Meier’s Pirates! in bringing this mode, so if you were a fan of the classic game, check out how the yo ho ho has been adapted for Civilization VI. The Pirates Scenario is part of the free October update as detailed in the game’s roadmap, and will be available on 22 October (tomorrow!).

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Tags: 2K GamesCivilizationCivilization 6Civilization VIFiraxis


Cardboard Clash- Battle Royale In Cartoon Style!

This cartoon-like Battle Royale, Cardboard Clash, is published by NetEase. A gaming company behind many great game titles such as Onmyoji Arena, RULES OF SURVIVAL and many more.

Take a look at their Official Video:

Players will be battling against many others using Cartoony Cardboard characters in claiming the No.1 spot. The game is set in a 3D colorful world that is very different than the rest of the battle royale game. On top of that, the world filled with all sorts of color is very pleasing to the human eyes.

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Before players get into the game, they can customize their very own Cardboard characters. There are a variety of choices to choose from ranging to cute, handsome and exotic ones. The game emphasizes strongly on user-generated content and offers a wide variety of options for character design.

Cardboard Clash is a much faster paced battle royale with shorter match time, players will have to keep advancing and not camp at one spot. More over, the terrains and objects in the map can be destroyed. Making it more enjoyable for players when they explore the map.
Are you interested in the game? If you are, you can now download it on iOS and Android. The game will only be make available in the US and SEA. For more information, you can visit their Official Website and Facebook Page.

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Tags: Androidbattle royaleCardboard ClashiOSMobileNetEase


Harry Potter Magic Awakened Launches Worldwide Today

Warner Bros Games and NetEase has announced the worldwide launch of the free-to-play collectible card roleplaying game Harry Potter Magic Awakened, is now available for Android, iOS and PC.

“With the global launch of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, we are partnering with NetEase to further expand the Wizarding World for mobile players worldwide with the game’s distinctive art style and immersive game design that propelled it to hit status in China,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Games. “Mobile gaming remains a critical part of our strategy, and with its magical gameplay, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened was created specifically for the fans as an opportunity to further grow in the space with one of our biggest franchises.”

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Image Credit: Warner Bros Games & NetEase
“From the intricate mechanics of the collectible card system, to the linework of the game’s art style, we have collaborated with Warner Bros. Games on every aspect of development to ensure an authentic adaptation of the wizarding world in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened,” said Ethan Wang, Senior Vice President, NetEase Inc. “The game has achieved great success thus far and positive fan reception among current players, and we are delighted to now welcome a global audience into this magical universe.”
Harry Potter Magic Awakened is set ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts, where players will experience all the hallmarks of a wizarding education and embark on a new story where you’ll need both familiar and new characters alike.
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As players progress through the game, they’ll learn spells that can be casted through the form of cards. Players will need to harness said spells and formulate strategies while venturing through increasingly challenging trials or even dueling with other players.
Image Credit: Warner Bros Games & NetEase
Features
Players can experience life as a Hogwarts student by customising their character, receiving their wand, experience the Sorting Hat ceremony and flying around Hogwarts. As First-year students, players will be able to attend a rotating schedule of classes including Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic Divination, each with their own minigames, objectives and rewards.
Image Credit: Warner Bros Games & NetEase
Fill up your Spellbook with more than 70 spells and summons available at launch, each with their own unique effects and benefits. Players can create decks with multitudes of combinations around damage, control, support and defense to use magic in their own way.
Join a Social Club with other players and take part in special activities such as caring for a dragon egg or entering boss raids to take on powerful beasts like a Thunderbird. Players can also invite a friend to dance in the Dance Club rhythm minigame, encounter other witches and wizards while exploring Diagon Alley, attend classes with peers and more.
Image Credit: Warner Bros Games & NetEase
The game will feature new and original characters from the Harry Potter series. Additionally, each year at Hogwarts will bring a fresh arc and different adventures to explore. Players can also compete against one another in real-time wizarding duels while climbing the leaderboards in either 1v1 or 2v2 options, as well as special limited-time game modes.
Players will venture into the Forbidden Forest solo or in multiplayer co-op to battle through increasingly difficult challenges that offer greater rewards with each victory. The Forbidden Forest features exclusive stories and magical creatures like Centaurs, Acromantulas, Unicorns and more.

For further information and future updates, do check out the official Harry Potter Magic Awakened website here.

Harry Potter: Magic AwakenedPublisher: NeteaseDeveloper: NeteaseRelease Date TBCAndroid, iOS

Your journey to master the magic starts here! You are invited to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Duel in thrilling multiplayer, real-time matches. Browse the dazzling shops of Diagon Alley, solve mysteries as you roam the school halls, play Quidditch, dance at the Ball, explore the Forbidden Forest, and more in this new card collection and role-playing game!

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Tags: Harry Potter Magic AwakenedNetEaseWarner Bros Games


La Corda d’Oro Starlight Orchestra release comes with RT campaign

A new otome game, La Corda d’Oro Starlight Orchestra just had its release today, featuring an attractive male cast of musicians. Prior to its release, the game managed to secure over 200,000 pre-registrations. Note that its release is only for Japan.

Check out the promotional video for the game below:

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To celebrate the release of Starlight Orchestra, the Twitter account for the game is conducting a retweet campaign. Note that this campaign is only for those residing in Japan. This campaign is also to commemorate the release of DISH//’s 4th Album, X. DISH// performed the song “Birthday” which is the song in the promotional video above.
To take part in this retweet campaign, follow these steps:
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Follow @corda_so on Twitter
Retweet the following tweet

#スタオケ サービス開始&DISH// 4thアルバム『X』発売おめでとうキャンペーン♪
主題歌「バースデー」が収録されているアルバム『X』特製ディッシュ・クロス(非売品)を3名様にプレゼント！
【応募方法】１．@corda_so をフォロー２．このツイートをRT
応募期間：～3/3(水)23:59まで#コルダ #DISH
— 金色のコルダ スターライトオーケストラ (@corda_so) February 24, 2021

3 lucky winners will walk away with DISH//’s 4th album which contains the song “Birthday”. Those interested in taking part in the retweet campaign have until 3rd March 2021, 11:59 pm JST to do so.
The La Corda d’Oro franchise is a long-running series of otome games. It even spawned its own anime adaptation, La Corda d’Oro: Primo Passo and its second season Secondo Passo back in the 2000s. Another anime adaptation, La Corda d’Oro: Blue♪Sky came out in 2014.
For those eager to learn more about the game, feel free to check out its website.

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Tags: KOEI TECMOLa Corda d'OroLa Corda d'Oro Starlight Orchestra


[TGS 2019] Tales of Arise, a milestone for the series’ 25th anniversary; story overview of “two stars”

Tales of Arise was first seen at E3 in June. Since then, fans have surely been clamouring for new news. Let’s go through what we know of the game, as provided by Yusuke Tomizawa.

TOArise, with its planned release in 2020, will be celebrating the Tales of series’ 25th year. Great animation, illustrations and unique characters have frequently been the Tales staple, and it will continue in Arise. It still is an RPG, now with an added focus on action, exploration, battle scenes and so forth.

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We have the keywords “two stars”, referring to Dahna and Rena. Dahna was a nature-oriented planet, in contrast to Rena’s more magically inclined, science-oriented planet. Rena occupied Dahna 300 years ago. Arise’s story starts proper once Alphen and Shionne meet. Alphen is a slave with no memories, and the ability to feel no pain. He doesn’t know why he wears the Iron Mask. He meets Shionne, a girl from Rena who gives anyone she touches severe pain. This is the initial dynamic of their relationship.

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All humans in this universe possess “Astral Energy”, and Astral Artes work like magic. Renans like Shionne are able to use Astral Artes with their energy. Shionne’s eyes turn blue when she does so. Her Arte has healing properties. Alphen possesses the Torch Flame Sword, a weapon based of Shionne’s power. It can burn human beings, and while Alphen cannot feel pain, he can still die if he gets injured by the sword. It falls to Shionne to heal him to ensure his survival.
There’s still much left to be disclosed in the future. There’s of course, new characters, story, and the bonds among the upcoming cast. 2020 surely can’t come fast enough for us to dive into a brand new Tales world.

Since Berseria’s release in 2016, it would be a 4 year gap between that and Arise. During the planning phase, the team had decided to challenge new technology, hence the use of Unreal Engine 4. They also wished to get new players, those unfamiliar with Tales, for Arise, not just catering to existing fans. The art style also took time to establish. If they had just used Unreal 4’s base, it would’ve been easier, but they wanted to ensure a Tales-like art. Additionally, Arise is intended to be a milestone for the series, celebrating its 25th year.
The Tales of series had seen many releases between 2002 and 2009, but there’s currently no plan to stick to a specific release schedule. What is ideal is that players will continuously enjoy the games, regardless. Translation/localization is cited as one of the reasons why Arise will be taking a longer time. They’re trying for a worldwide rollout, as previous titles typically had a year gap between the Japanese to western release.

Regarding the Torch Flame Sword, Tomizawa says it’s pretty common for an integration of story and game mechanics. Remember, the sword is also still able to hurt Alphen even if he can’t feel pain. He says that could affect his battle, but no details will be disclosed at this time.
Now, who’s this…?
What are you hoping from Tales of Arise? After a quarter of a century, the series is still able to captivate people from all over the world. Tales of Arise is set for a 2020 release, we’ll be looking forward to it!

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Tags: "Tales of"Tales of AriseTGSTGS 2019Tokyo Game ShowTokyo Game Show 2019Tokyo Games ShowTokyo Games Show 2019


Rainbow Six Extraction Details Revealed: Gameplay Systems, Operator Progression, and More

Ubisoft revealed further details about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, the next mainline installment in the Rainbow Six franchise.

Both Rainbow Six Siege players and those looking for a new PVE co-op game can experience Rainbow Six Extraction’s many features including a deep operator progression system, four adjustable difficulty levels, 12 ever-evolving maps, 13 dynamic mission objectives, over 90 guns and gadgets, a unique ranked mode and extensive post-launch support for free, to be detailed at a later date.

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With development led by Ubisoft Montreal, Rainbow Six Extraction lets players join the REACT Team and assemble a one to three-player squad of well-known and beloved operators from Rainbow Six Siege to confront mysterious alien creatures known as Archæans. Equipped with more than 65 weapons, ten legacy Rainbow Six Siege tech, and 15 exclusive REACT tech, the operators have been adapted to best take on the alien threat. For casual players who want to go at their own pace, Extraction is also fully playable solo.

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Players will be deployed in 4 varied regions across the U.S., including New York, San Francisco, and two other regions, and face the alien threat in 12 new maps. Each map is roughly three times the size of previous Rainbow Six Siege maps, and contains unique dynamic modifiers, ensuring no incursion is ever the same.
You will tackle 13 different mission objectives during tactical incursions including one called the Gateway Objective, in which players must face off against a Protean, a deadly Archæan variant that has adopted the form of REACT operators and mimics their behavior.
For Rainbow Six Siege fans, Extraction introduces not only entirely new Rainbow Six lore featuring many of their favorite characters from Siege, but also a brand-new twist to familiar gameplay features: for the first time, players can progress through a custom leveling system for each of the 18 Rainbow Six operators, allowing them to advance their Operator’s gear, weapons, and abilities in an entirely new way.
As they level up, players will also permanently unlock new containment zones, Operators, customization items, new REACT tech, higher difficulty levels, and more.

With 13 archetypes of Archæan variants, infestations, parasitic mutation challenges, numerous incursion types, and exciting new gameplay features including nests, spores, and Sprawl. Extraction also offers players who enjoy a challenge a thrilling gamble: extract and collect their rewards or go deeper into each map’s subzones, facing greater risks but more rewards for those who make it out alive.
If they fail to extract, their operator will go Missing in Action (MIA), but they have an opportunity to go back into the containment zone to rescue their downed operators. For players who enjoy a tougher challenge, there will be a feature-rich PVE system called Maelstrom Protocol, to be detailed at a later date.

Players who play both Rainbow Six Siege and Rainbow Six Extraction will instantly unlock Extraction’s entire roster of 18 operators in Rainbow Six Siege. They will also receive the elite United Front cosmetic bundles in both games.
Players who pre-order Rainbow Six Extraction will receive the Orbital Decay bundle with exclusive Epic items including the Orion uniform and headgear for Finka and Lion, the universal Vaporized weapon skin, and the Crashlander charm. Rainbow Six Extraction will also include live service support with regular content updates.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, will release worldwide with full cross-play, cross-save, and cross-progression in January 2022 for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and the Ubisoft Store on PC.
The Tom Clancy franchise is always evolving and expanding. Here’s our review on the more casual Tom Clancy Elite Squad and the latest details on Season 6 of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.

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Tags: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six ExtractionTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeUbisoftUbisoft Singapore


Scarlet Nexus reveals new characters and gameplay systems

Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed visuals for new characters from its upcoming game, Scarlet Nexus, and new information on its gameplay. Here are the characters whom you might meet in the game:

Characters

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Seto Narukami
Power: Electrokinesis
Service Record in the OSF: 25 years
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A cheerful and lively team leader of the OSF and No.7 of the Septentrion, Narukami is helpful to those around him and remains humble despite his outstanding ability. He insists on working in the field and has turned down many a promotion. Many look up to him and wish to be assigned to his team.

Kodama Melone
Power: Sonokinesis
Service Record in the OSF: 21 years
An energetic, eccentric OSF team leader who likes to show off, Melone often acts on her own terms. However, she fulfills her duties without hesitation and with a light-hearted sense of fun when ordered by her superiors.

Haruka Frazer
Power: Telepathy
Service Record in the OSF: 10 years
Bold, energetic, and lively, Haruka is Kasane team’s operator and Wataru’s twin sister. She is sometimes seen as boyish, which bothers her quite a bit.

Wataru Frazer
Power: Telepathy
Service Record in the OSF: 10 years
Yuito team’s operator and Haruka’s twin brother, Wataru always had a slim figure and is sometimes mistaken for a woman, but does not particularly care. Despite his dynamic and rebellious personality, he takes pride in his duties as an operator.

Kaito Sumeragi
Position: Chairman of the Defense Committee
Age: 25 y/o
The eldest son of the prestigious Sumeragi family, and Yuito’s older brother. He may lack his brother’s psychic abilities, but his shrewd nature helped him rise through the ranks as the head of the OSF. Despite being seen as unapproachable, he is kind to his younger brother, Yuito.

Joe Sumeragi
Position: New Himuka’s council leader
Age: 56 y/o
Not only is Joe the head of the Sumeragi family (and father to both Yuito and Kaito), he is the chairman of the New Himuka Council, making him the de facto Head of State. A strict father who is committed to his work, Joe was against Yuito’s decision to join the army.

SAS System ｰPowerｰ

The Struggle Arms System, or “SAS,” is a system in Scarlet Nexus that allows players to temporarily borrow the power of their allied characters via a connection through their brains. Depending on the connected characters, players will be able to wield unique abilities in Scarlet Nexus.

Pyrokinesis

Grants flames to weapon attacks and psychokinesis attacks. Capable of putting the enemy in a “burned“ status, inflicting damage over time. Yuito performs a slamming attack from the air, creating a blazing stream of fire while Kasane generates a powerful pillar of fire.

Sclerokinesis

As a defensive ability, players can harden their entire body with Sclerokinesis nullifying enemy attacks. It also prevents Yuito and Kasane from cowering when attacked.

Teleportation

While activated, evasive maneuvers will change to teleportation. Instantly shortens the distance between the player and the locked-on enemy.

Clairvoyance

Allows players to locate invisible enemies and be able to see through them even in poor visibility. Also makes it easier to activate perfect dodges, which are triggered by evading enemy attacks with precise timing. In addition, players can also activate a “Read Attack” immediately after a perfect dodge, dealing great damage to the enemy and knocking them down.

Invisibility

Turns the player invisible and undetectable by enemies, allowing for safe exploration and recovery while avoiding combat.

Hypervelocity

Lets players move at high speed. When activated, the surroundings slow down to a crawl as if time is stopped.

Duplication

Enhances psychokinesis attacks by duplicating objects from psychokinesis attacks. In addition, duplicating yourself increases the number of hits of your weapon attacks.

Electrokinesis

Grants an electrical charge to weapon attacks and telekinetic attacks. It boosts attack power and can put enemies in a “Shock” status.” It also increases the attack range and makes it easier to attack enemies in midair.

Special Objects
Besides the cool SAS abilities borrowed from Scarlet Nexus characters, players can also interact with the environment. Players can perform follow-up attacks after using psychokinesis on certain objects. These take a long time to activate and consume a lot of the psychokinesis gauge, but they deal massive damage to enemies and have additional effects such as status ailments. Some of these special objects include bulldozers and water barrels.

For more information about Scarlet Nexus, check out its page on Bandai Namco Entertainment’s website. You can also read our preview of the game to learn more.

Scarlet NexusPublisher: Bandai Namco EntertainmentDeveloper: Bandai Namco EntertainmentRelease Date TBCPlayStation 4, Steam, Xbox One
Take on the role of Yuito Sumeragi, a new recruit to the OSF aiming to become an elite psionic like the one who saved him as a child. Armed with a talent in psycho-kinesis, explore the futuristic city of New Himuka and uncover the mysteries of a Brain Punk future caught between technology and psychic abilities in SCARLET NEXUS.

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Tags: Bandai Namco EntertainmentScarlet Nexus


Ardenweald Deep Dive With Ely Cannon

Death is an inherently scary subject matter. Everyone’s a little scared of it, even if they won’t care to say it. In World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, however, Blizzard had a chance to explore beyond the bones and graves with the game’s 4 zones that act as the Afterlife in Azeroth. In a special deep-dive interview we spoke to Ely Cannon, Art Director for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands about what makes the Ardenweald so much more than your average afterlife.

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Ely Cannon is an Art Director on World of Warcraft. Since joining as a senior level designer for the game’s Burning Crusade expansion in 2006, Cannon has been responsible for ensuring players have an enjoyable time in Azeroth. Now, he’s making sure players enjoy their trip to the afterlife in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.
The Ardenweald is one of several zones that make up the Shadowlands in World of Warcraft. It’s a somber forest, that looks like it’s permanently bathed in starlight. The Winter Queen is the ruler of this zone, supported by the Night Fae . Unfortunately, things are in disarray in the Ardenweald as an Anima drought forces the Winter Queen to let parts of the Ardenweald die and choose which ones can survive.
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Designing The Ardenweald
Looking at the Ardenweald, the first thing you notice is its surreal beauty. The entire forest is permeated by this serene calm,with the blue glow giving it an ethereal feel. Despite that, the large trees of the Ardenweald still feel somewhat rooted in their design.

” We definitely wanted to hit this vibe of a night-time forest. And we had some early photographic reference of some Northern England forests where the sky itself was very deep, blue saturated color,” Ely says.
Despite being a part of Azeroth’s afterlife, the Ardenweald focuses little on death. There’s a refreshing lack of morbidity in this grove, focusing more on death’s role in life.
Ely says setting the direction of the Ardenweald early on was instrumental in getting this right.
“So this is a conversation we had pretty often early on,” he says. “One of the things we absolutely wanted to avoid is an entire expansion that was morbid, that was downtrodden. Now, there’s a real balance to strike there. Because, obviously, the theme of death can be very morbid in and of itself. But it doesn’t have to be”.

An early concept for the entrance to the Winter Queen’s court.
Looking At Death As Part of Life
Instead, Ely says that they chose to focus on the cyclic nature of death and rebirth. Since the Ardenweald is a resting place for powerful spirits, they never stay down for long. Cenarius, for example, rested here after his death in the Third War before returning in Cataclysm.
“The theme is that this is a place where nature spirits -very powerful nature spirits like the Loa and the Ancients come to hibernate after death, after they’ve served the wild, to spend some time rejuvenating and regaining their energies so that they can go out into the natural world and serve the wild again,” he says.
A Crisis In The Ardenweald
But Ely says that the Ardenweald players will get to see in Shadowlands isn’t exactly running 100% as it should. There’s an Anima drought, and the Winter Queen is now making the hard choice of choosing groves to die for the others.
“This zone is actually a very hopeful place during normal times. It happens that when we find it in the game it’s going through a drought and is really going through a tragic period of time”, he says. “But in reality the zone of Ardenweald itself, this purpose that it serves is a very hopeful one. Because it really- it’s a point of return, it’s a point of rebirth, it’s a point of reincarnation. It’s a place where these spirits that had been worshipped by nature lovers in the World of Warcraft come to be reborn, come to be reinvested into the world. And in that way, it’s actually an upbeat place that, unfortunately, when we find it, is really going through a troubling time.
…And that’s a central theme of this place right, wild spirits and wild gods come here to basically be reclaimed and rejuvenated

The Gorm may look similar to Starcraft’s Zerg, but their role is entirely different from the space bugs.
Hungry, Hungry Bugs Of The Ardenweald
As Ardenweald places a focus on the cycles present in nature, there was going to be some representation for decay. The Gorm are exactly this- they consume unused parts of the forest, allowing life to grow there. Despite their similarities to Blizzard’s insectoid Zerg, the Gorm serve a more natural purpose in the Shadowlands.
“Now decomposition is of course part of death, but it’s definitely part of the central part of the forest, right: things grow, they die, and they are reclaimed through decomposition to the forest and become life again. And that’s a central theme of this place right- wild spirits and wild gods come here to basically be reclaimed and rejuvenated,” he says.
“ In the same way, the Gorm served a very particular function in this place before it started to go through the Anima drought. And that function was to help with the decomposition in parts of the forest that were no longer being used and to basically reclaim them so that the groves could be grown anew:  the Gorm were that function of decomposition here”.

Concepts for the Night Fae Covenant armor.
Disrupted Cycles In The Ardenweald
The recurring theme with the denizens of the Ardenweald is that they’re all part of the cycle together. The Gorm only know to consume, and it falls on the other denizens of the Ardenweald to keep them in check.
However, Ely says that the ongoing crisis in the Ardenweald makes controlling the Gorm a little more difficult. With the Winter Queen and Night Fae busy handling the Anima shortage, there’s not enough resources to keep the Gorm in check. As a result, they’ve started to grow out of control.
 “So they’ve become a danger instead of part of the natural mechanism of the forest. And in that way, they become a creature that is somewhat of an enemy and a threat instead of just a natural part of the world,” Ely says.
Players who wish to ally themselves with the Night Fae or even just check out the Ardenweald will have to wait for Shadowlands to release.

The Ardenweald is definitely one of the most unique looking things we’ve seen so far out of the Shadowlands. A huge thanks again to Blizzard and Ely for the opportunity to talk about the ideas behind the Ardenweald, we definitely can’t wait to see the rest of the zones of the Shadowlands.
Hungry for more interviews like a Gorm in the Ardenweald? Don’t forget to check out our other Shadowlands interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas.

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Tags: Ely CannonWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands


Civilization VI Anthology Available Now

Civilization VI Anthology, collecting all the expansions and DLC for Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, is available today on Windows PC with a special introductory price.

You can buy the game from the 2K store, which has it at RM160.97, a special introductory price down from its regular RM322 price. After July 9th, it will go back up to its regular RM322 price point.

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The Civilization VI Anthology includes the following content:

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI base game;
Civilization VI – Rise and Fall expansion;
Civilization VI – Gathering Storm expansion;
Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass;
All DLC Packs: Civilization VI – Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack, Civilization VI – Vikings Scenario Pack, Civilization VI – Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack, Civilization VI – Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack, Civilization VI – Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack and Civilization VI – Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack.

2K has confirmed that while the Anthology release of the game is PC-only for now, it will eventually make its way to consoles, acting as a good jumping on point for anyone wanting to get into the Civilization series.
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Civilization VI’s DLC selection has been pretty robust, having different modes such as the pirates game type as  well as various new civilizations to play as in the 4X strategy game.
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Civilization VIPublisher: 2K GamesDeveloper: Firaxis GamesRelease Date: 2016-10-21Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, Xbox One
Originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Explore a new land, research technology, conquer your enemies, and go head-to-head with history’s most renowned leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known.

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Tags: 2K GamesCivilisation VI


Styling with the AniMe Matrix ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14: a review

The newest ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and G15 have at last been launched, sporting the LED AniMe Matrix on its lid besides the AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900HS Processor 3.0 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.4 GHz) and the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 Max-Q GDDR6 6GB GPU, but how does it perform in practice? That’s what this review is for!

 A CHEF’S KISS DESIGN
The outer looks of this laptop will definitely turn heads. The lid is made of aluminium-magnesium alloy, and has a screen module dubbed the AniMe Matrix which utilizes 1,215 mini white LED lights. The in-built Armory Crate lets users change the patterns, animation or text that will be displayed on the laptop’s lid.

Equipped with a 14-inch non-glare WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS-level panel, the Zephyrus G14 is easy to carry anywhere and slips into any conventional laptop bag or backpack. It’s 17.9mm thick, weighing at just 1.7kg. The screen also has narrow bezels, for more screen real estate and immersive viewing.

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You get a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port socket, USB USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C socket, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A sockets, 1 HDMI 2.0b jack, 1 3.5mm headphone jack and 1 Kensington lock. It also has USB PD support.
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PINT-SIZED POWERHOUSE
The screen may be a mere 14-inches, but it has a 60Hz refresh rate, Pantone-validated and has 100% sRGB coverage. The discreet GPU utilizes the latest NVIDIA Turing design, capable of ray tracing. The whole package enables high-end lighting, shadows and so forth for some of the best graphics you could ask for, and in combination with computing technology that can lighten loads for heavy processes, it will function just as well for content creators, 3D modelling or deep learning. Since the refresh rate is stuck at 60Hz, players expecting better performance in FPS might find it lacking without the 120Hz or 144Hz capability. Still, hardware wise, you can’t turn your nose up at the ROG Zephyrus G14. It comes packing the AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS, RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, 16GB RAM and 1TB M.2 SSD.

While the Zephyrus G14 is dubbed a gaming laptop, it doesn’t come with the RGB keyboard many probably expect. Nonetheless, it’s got other nifty features such as Fingerprint Log-in – touch the power button to log in – and is very comfortable to use. It’s got Hotkeys for gaming-related purposes, for volume change, mic mute or just going straight to the Armory Crate for more options.
In regards to its thermals, it’s spread across four areas: above the keyboard, below the motor pen body, and on the left and right side. It uses an Ergo-Lift design, which helps in dissipating the heat b elow the laptop. With the in-built Armory Crate, you can further tweak the laptop’s conditions. It comes with gaming mode for Windows, Silent, Performance, Turbo and Manual presets depending on what you’re using your machine for.

ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14 SPECS

Series
ROG Zephyrus G14

Model
GA401I-VHA232T

Design
Moonlight White with AniMe Matrix

Processor
AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900HS Processor 3.0 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.4 GHz)

OS
Windows 10 Home

Graphics card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 Max-Q GDDR6 6GB

Display
14-inch Non-glare WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS-level panel, 60Hz, 100% sRGB, Pantone® Validated, adaptive sync

RAM/
Slots
DDR4 3200 8G*1 + 8G (on-board)
1x RAM Slot (used)

ROM
PCIE NVME 1TB M.2 SSD

Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Intel Wi-Fi 6(Gig+)(802.11ax) 2*2
Bluetooth 5.0

Port
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 1.4 and Power Delivery
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
1 x Kensington lock

Power
180W power adaptor
Support Type-C PD 3.0 up to 65W

Battery
76Wh lithium-polymer battery

Keyboard
White backlit chiclet keyboard, N-Key rollover, Power key with Fingerprint, 1.7mm travel distance

Size
32.4cm x 22.2cm x 2cm

Weight
1.70 kg

Extra
ROG Sleeve + ROG Impact Mouse + 65W PD Adapter

Warranty
2 Years Global Warranty
(1st year with Perfect Warranty)

Price
RM7,699

Launched
Julai 2020

PERFORMANCE TESTS
Naturally, the laptop went through a battery of tests, which you can see below:
UserBenchmark

Scoring 70% in this test, the ROG Zephyrus G14 will comfortably run AAA games at High or Ultra quality without a sweat. With the 1TB SSD, it’s gonna store all the massive updates your games might need too, or just easily run whatever heavy loads you might need it for.
PC Mark 10

Achieving a 9039 high score and 4299 and 10892 in film and photo editing, it definitively proves the ROG Zephyrus G14’s capabilities in heavy multimedia work, not solely in gaming.

Cinebench R20

The AMYD Ryzen 9-4900HS outputted a 4124 point result in the multi-thread Cinebench R20 test, at fourth place when compared to similar processors.
3D Mark

Getting a high score of 5936 and maintaining 36, 56 FPS for the first test and 32, 64 FPS for the second test, 3D Mark shows the performance of the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 Max-Q GDDR6 6GB of this machine.
ACTUAL GAMEPLAY TESTING
The scores are pretty and all, but how does it work in practice? We put the ROG Zephyrus G14 through several games in Turbo Mode:

GTA V

In GTA V, all settings have been cranked to the maximum, and throughout the test in any situation, the game kept a cool 83 to 90 FPS, sometimes even breaking 100 FPS. Due to the laptop’s keyboard arrangement, however, it can be a little tough in regards to the heli or airplane controls.

Borderlands 3

Once again maxing out the settings, the various bombastic explosions and non-stop shooting still pulled in 59 to 79 FPS on average. However, when it came to screen recording, the FPS did suffer a little.

Devil May Cry 5

As with the other two titles, maximum quality is set, hitting anywhere between 100 to 130 FPS once we got the show on the road. As such, all your fancy combos will be shown off as how they should be without any problem on the ROG Zephyrus G14.

NFS Heat

Last but not least is Need for Speed Heat, with FPS hanging around 55 and 65 FPS with settings all at Ultra, sometimes hitting 70. While it may not be incredibly high, nonetheless the driving experience is very smooth.

VERDICT: IS IT WORTH?
As a whole, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 has an arresting design thanks to its AniMe Matrix module for that extra touch of personalization. It’s incredibly light despite being dubbed a gaming laptop, so you can imagine gaming on the go with ease.

The numbers show that the machine is certainly very capable of its gaming laptop moniker, so heavy gamers will not need to worry about its level of performance. Plus, if you’re a hobbyist looking to be more serious in creative editing works, the same performance the machine brings to games will apply to your creative work, and the large storage you have will give you plenty of room to play around with. Turbo Mode helps in further improving performance, but it does get a little noisy and the laptop can feel noticeably warmer. In order for the sounds not to be drown out, you might want to invest in a headset.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401I-VHA232T is priced at RM7,699.

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Tags: ASUSAsus ROG Zephyrus G14ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15Republic of GamersRoG


Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition now on sale!

Launched last February, Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition was available for free for the first chapter and a premium bundle price of RM88 (about 23 USD) for the other chapters. But now, Square Enix is holding a sale for the mobile version of Final Fantasy XV and you can purchase all chapters at only RM65 (about 17 USD)!

Featuring the original characters and storyline of the console version of Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition is using a chibi art style and casual touch controls optimized for mobile devices. There is a total of 10 episodes for the main story, and a bunch of side quest available in every chapter.

Don’t hesitate and grab the chance to purchase the chapters with a lower price now!
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Tags: AndroidFinal Fantasy XVFinal Fantasy XV: Pocket EditioniOSMobileSquare Enix


Caravan Stories: Academy of Magic mobile spin-off accepting pre-registrations

MMORPG Caravan Stories is getting a mobile spin-off game known as Caravan Stories: Academy of Magic. Pre-registrations are currently being accepted for the game, which presently appears to be only available for Japan unlike the original game.

Above is an upcoming livestream for the game, scheduled for 15 April 2022, 20:00 JST. It will feature the voice actors of the game and guests for a deeper dive into its worldview and content.

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Caravan Stories: Academy of Magic takes place eight years ago from the present timeline of Caravan Stories, with our cute cast of students studying the theories and practicals of magic in the titular academy. It seems that you might be able to meet familiar someones in their younger days…
As for the game itself, it looks to be a portrait mode rogue-like game. Use your finger to move around on the screen, with auto attacking. As you progress, you can come across a variety of skills, with the options available to you chosen at random. See if you can put together some explosive combo! Raise characters both from the original and those of eight years ago and help them hone their abilities here.
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We’ll see if this game also gets localized for a wider audience eventually, but for now, fans can keep an eye out for this.

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Tags: AimingAiming Inc.Caravan StoriesCaravan Stories: Academy of Magic


figma Shirogane Noel from Hololive Even Includes A Pair Ring For Shippers

The previously announced figma Shirogane Noel from Hololive is now available for pre order, completing the Holofantasy lineup of poseable figurines.

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You can preorder the figma Shirogane Noel from the Good Smile Company website, where it’ll cost you 9800 Yen (RM328)  and ship out in April of 2023.
The figure comes with multiple accessories, all in-jokes to fans of the famous Vtuber, such as her favorite food, Beef Bowl, as well as various cow-themed accessories as well as one lore-relevant accesory, which is her knight’s mace.
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On top of that it even comes with alternate face plates, allowing you to invoke her unique “chestnut-shaped mouth” reaction.

Of course, the figure also sports one more detail that Hololive fans are sure to get excited for- similar to the figma Shiranui Flare, the Noel figma has an alternate hand sporting her pair rings- something both Vtubers have referenced owning in real life.
One of the defining traits of both characters is their intimate relationship- with “NoeFure” being a popular ship in the Hololive community due to how close the two are on-camera and reportedly, off.
As such the two are rarely seen without one another in official material, such as even featuring in the same segment of the Hololive Alternative trailer.

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Tags: GOOD SMILE COMPANYHololive


gamescom asia 2022 Announces Speakers From Blizzard Entertainment, Persona Theory And More In Lineup

gamescom asia 2022 has announced the speakers that will be presenting at the event, ahead of the events start on 20th October.

gamescom Asia is a great venue for industry talks, inviting key figures from across the industry
As with previous years, the latest edition of the games industry satellite event will feature a variety of talks, hosted by key figures of the games industry.

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A total of 19 speakers have been currently announced for gamescom asia 2022, which include:

Matt Omernick, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Akili Interactive
Jedidiah Siah, Co-Founder & Director, AlterCulture Studios
Sarah Delahanty, Cinematic Director, Blizzard Entertainment
Ryan Clark, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Brace Yourself Games
Liam McClure, Director of Asia Marcom Strategy, Electronic Arts
Hans Jagnow, Vice President Operations, ESL Pro League
Vanesa Lorena Tate, Studio Director & Head of Eternal Games, King
Brigitta Rena Estidianti, Co-Founder & Art Director, Mojiken Studio
Avichal Singh, Co-Founder & Game Director, Nodding Head Games
Jason Lee, Director of Business Development, Overwolf
Saqina Latif, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Persona Theory Games
Pawel Rohleder, Co-Founder & Studio Director, PixelAnt Games
Dylan Cuthbert, Chief Executive Officer, Q-Games
Jad Boniface, Head of Community Expansion, Roblox
Hannah Donato, Senior Events Manager & Brand Coordinator, Secret 6
Theo Caselli, Game & Combat Designer, Sloclap
Andreas Betsche, Founder & Editor-In-Chief, Virtual SEA
Tim Fields, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Digital Gaming, Wizards of the Coast
Raphael Colantonio, President & Creative Director, WolfEye Studios

According to the event’s organizers though, you might be able to expect more event partners in the coming weeks.
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“We are delighted to have the commitment of global leading video game players for the event. This is testament to the increasing interest in the games market in Southeast Asia as well as in gamescom asia. With just three months before the event, the team is working hard to develop an exceptional experience for all trade visitors and the public alike. We are expecting many more companies to join us over the coming weeks in this widely anticipated event,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Singapore, the organizer of gamescom asia.

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Tags: gamescom asiagamescom asia 2022


Dr. Stone Manga Has Ended After 5 years, Bonus Chapter Will be Published Later

After five years, the Dr. Stone manga has officially ended with chapter 232 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine issue #14.

Written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi, Dr. Stone was first published five years ago on the exact date of March 6th. The series received a front page and the main color page in Weekly Shoujo Jump Magazine Issue #13 — a week before its final chapter was released.

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During its’ five years of publishing, Dr. Stone witnessed his great success. Since its release, the series has received 16 front pages in Weekly Shonen Jump, 26 manga volumes, 12 million copies of the manga and anime adaptations.
The anime series was first announced in the 51st edition of Weekly Shonen Jump in November 2019. Since then, the anime Dr. Stone has become increasingly popular and will receive a third season in 2023.
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The special anime titled ‘Dr. Stone Ryusui’, which takes place after the Stone Wars Arc centering on Ryusui will be screened this summer. In addition, a bonus chapter will also be published before the Ryusui anime airs.

The story of Dr. Stone is that on a destined day, all mankind has turned to stone. Thousands of years later, a young high school boy named Taiju was freed from his stone casing and found himself surrounded by stone statues. His situation looks bleak until he reunites with his science-loving friend, Senku. Together, they plan to restore civilization with the power of science.
Although the manga Dr. Stone is over, are you still looking forward to the third season of the anime next year?
And are you satisfied with how the Dr. Stone manga ended?

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Tags: Dr StoneTOHO AnimationWeekly Shonen Jump


Summoners War: Chronicles opens limited sign-ups

Developer Com2uS has just opened limited pre-registrations for Summoners War: Chronicles, its upcoming MMORPG for smartphones. By limited, what they really mean is that you can only sign up if you are in Thailand.  Of course, if you really wanted to, there are ways to circumvent that restriction to try the game out.

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A detailed description of what to expect from Summoners War: Chronicles as follows:
A New World for Adventurous Summoners
Summoners War: Chronicles is a brand new MMORPG and a pivotal addition to the universe of Summoners War. Players will find themselves in a time before both Sky Arena and Lost Centuria, where they get to choose one of three Summoners, each equipped with unique skills and different appearances. As they go on their adventures, the Summoners’ team will consist of up to three monsters. The distinct battle skills they possess can lead to a variety of different experiences.
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Familiar Monsters in a Colorful Open World
As they venture through sheer endless continents, players will encounter grasslands, deserts, elven forests, glaciers, volcanos, and more immersive surroundings with unique attributes. But they need to be careful: Once players enter the Region Dungeons, they will be facing side quests such as traps and puzzles, before this they must collect their remaining strength to face off against powerful bosses.
In Summoners War: Chronicles, players will meet various known monsters from Sky Arena, and creatures that are new to the world of Summoners War. Their monster decks can be formed strategically, since the skills and appearances of each monster will depend on their attributes.
Combining Forces
Players of Summoners War: Chronicles will be able to bring together friends or other Summoners they encounter along their way for cooperative gameplay. In Raids, players will form a party to attack a boss and collect rare rewards, while in Field Boss they must defeat a boss alongside many other Summoners to collect rewards based on the contribution they made.
Player vs Player
Naturally, Summoners War: Chronicles will offer a wide choice of PvP challenges: Arena, Real-Time Arena, and 2vs2 Real-Time Arena, where players will compete against other Summoners and utilize their individual monster decks to carry off the victory.
For more information on the game, be sure to drop by the official website. And if you are from Thailand, sign up from its store page.

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Tags: AndroidMMORPGSummoners War: Chronicles


Motorsport Manager 2 to arrive this week for iOS

Following the success that was Motorsport Manager, its developer Christian West announced that he will be releasing the sequel, aptly known as  Motorsport Manager 2, for the iOS on 13 July 2017.

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Much like in the original game, you will once again hire staff such as drivers, who will now age and gain experience along the way, before they finally retire. Because of the way the driver marketplace works, you will be getting a different person every time you start a new playthrough. Engineers, on the other hand, will take care of the geeky aspects of running a race team, particularly the vehicle in which the driver will get behind the wheel on.

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As mentioned earlier, Motorsport Manager 2 will be arriving for iOS within the week, while an Android version will be out sometime in August 2017.

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Tags: AndroidChristian WestiOSManagementMotorsport Manager 2


[TGA 2022] Baldur’s Gates 3 Gets Release Date

During the livestream event for The Game Awards 2022, from the studios that brought us the Divinity series, Larian Studios have just announced the release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 which is coming August 2023.

For the unfamiliar, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Computer Role-Playing Game (CRPG) based on the Dungeon’s & Dragons tabletop game.

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About Baldur’s Gate 3

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Gather your party, and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power.
Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a Mind Flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil.
From the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 comes a next-generation RPG, set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons.
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone, and select your companions carefully, or as a party of up to four in multiplayer.
Collector’s Edition
The announcement of the release date fo Baldur’s Gate 3 also comes with the collector’s edition for the game, which is now available to pre-order over on the official website which includes a bundle of goodies such as an artbook, a figure of a mindflayer going against a drow, and many more.

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Tags: Baldur's Gate 3Release dateThe Game Awards 2022


League of Legends and Other Riot Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass

Riot Games have announced that five of their PC and Mobile titles, including League of Legends and Valorant, will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the winter of 2022.

This will be a first for Xbox Game Pass as it will include the Riot Games mobile titles alongside their PC outings.

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Here are descriptions of each of the five games coming to Game Pass according to the Xbox Wire Website:

League of Legends (PC): All Champions Unlocked

One of the most-played competitive games in the world. A mainstay of the MOBA genre, in League, two teams of five powerful champions face off to destroy each other’s base in a game that blends speed, strategy, and intensity. With Game Pass, members will unlock all 160+ champions plus get day-one access to each new champion as it’s released.
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League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile): All Champions Unlocked

Built from the ground-up for mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift brings the classic 5v5 MOBA gameplay of League of Legends to mobile devices, with fresh controls and a streamlined feel designed for touchscreens. Game Pass members will unlock all 80+ champions plus grant day-one access to every new champion.

Legends of Runeterra (PC & Mobile): Foundations Set Unlocked

In this strategy card game, skill defines your success. Mix and match iconic champions, allies, and regions of Runeterra to unlock unique card synergies and outplay your opponent. With the unlocked Foundations Set, Game Pass members get a head start on this free-to-play friendly PVP card game.

Teamfight Tactics (PC & Mobile): Select Little Legends Unlocked

TFT is an auto-battler strategy game where players combine League champions and items in limitless formations to defeat the seven other players in a match. Game Pass members will get access to a rotation of Tier One Little Legend avatars.

Valorant (PC): All Agents Unlocked

Blend sharp gunplay and game-changing tactical abilities in Valorant, Riot’s fast-growing 5v5 character-based tactical shooter. Take on foes across Competitive and Unranked modes as well as Deathmatch and Spike Rush. Game Pass members will unlock all 18 agents and get access to all new agents on day one.
Riot and Xbox say that more information about the partnership and how players will be able to access each of the different games will be announced in the following months.
Source: Xbox Wire

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Tags: League of LegendsLeague of Legends Wild RiftRiot GamesVALORANTXbox Game Pass


Project Cars GO worldwide launch is today

With its worldwide launch earlier today, mobile racing title Project Cars GO is finally downloadable on Android and iOS devices. Check out the launch trailer for Project Cars GO below:

Players who took part in the beta testing will need to delete the old build and download the official build. For those who want to claim the pre-registration awards, you will need access the in-game mailbox before 6th April 11:59 pm PDT.

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For Android devices, the game supports Galaxy S8 and above. Likewise, the game supports iPhone 7 and above for iOS devices. Note that low-RAM devices with less than 3GB RAM will be unable to to download the game.
Currently, the game supports a wide range of language options. Players can enjoy the game in English (UK/US), Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian.
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The game features 51 officially licensed real-world cars. The vehicles range from classic hot rods to futuristic concept cars. Players can fine-tune and customise the race car of their choice.
In addition, the game has 12 different race tracks. In the campaign-style World Tour mode, players can visit many in-game versions of real-world courses such as Brands Hatch, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca and more.
To learn more about the game, visit its official website.
 Download

Project CARS GOPublisher: GAMEVILDeveloper: Slightly Mad StudiosRelease Date: 2021-03-23Android, iOS
Feel the thrill of racing in PROJECT CARS GO with ONE-TOUCH racing gameplay optimized for mobile.
Compete around the world on the most famous race and drag tracks and compete for glory at the finish line!

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Tags: GamevilPROJECT CarsProject Cars GOSlightly Mad Studios


Hello again, Ellie | The Last of Us Part 2 First Impressions, and a chat with Anthony Newman

How have you been since the initial release of The Last of Us? The game took many by storm, with a heart-clenching story that while featuring Joel, was ostensibly revolved around Ellie. This girl, the apparent sole person immune to the infection, carries the hopes of the world for a cure, but it’s not something she asked for, is it?

With The Last of Us Part 2 on the horizon, this article will be a two-parter:

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Our first impressions of the game and story, with no spoilers
An interview with Anthony Newman, co-game director of The Last of Us Part 2

For more context, you should also peruse our earlier write-ups on a press demo from 2019:

Hands-on game impression
Interview with co-writer, Halley Gross

PART ONE: Game Impressions
With the heavily story driven nature of the game, we’re not going to be providing any wink-wink, nudge-nudge hints towards any specific event that occurs in the game. We can, however, discuss the feelings behind the whole ensemble: the writing, the acting, the visuals, sound, so forth.
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Think of the best movie, TV show, maybe even theater production you’ve ever seen. You are in the audience, drinking in the sights, admiring the production and finding yourselves invested in characters you may never have seen before. Now, you are still the audience for TLOU Part 2, reading a story of someone else’s crafting, but you also have control. That’s the advantage of an interactive medium that is a video game.

The game is longer than expected, but you’re probably not going to notice any of it. If you were impressed by the quality of the graphics in the trailers, well, be prepared to be blown away once you do get a hold of the game. Every scene is going to hit that much harder with how real it all looks, and you can just about believe this was some live action sequence instead of “merely” mo-cap and animation. The subtle movements of the characters, like maybe that tiny little tic you give away when you emote. You’ll find that in these character’s faces. Not everything has to be said.
Of course, while we have these amazing graphics, they really start hammering it in with the music and sound effects – and perhaps even lack of. Expect the score to amplify your joy, your despair, your anxiety as you – and Ellie – make your way around the world, finding the briefest comforts, to the heart-pounding chases. Take your time to explore the areas, which are much less linear from the first game. Follow your heart, and see how it gets wrenched – or soothed – as you follow the paths less followed or otherwise.
You can have your expectations high for this game. Look forward to our full review on 12 June, so have a taster for now. Incidentally, those Shamblers from the Alpha version back during the press demo have been changed to have the same bad eyesight as their brethren, instead of being able to always spot you.

We have already finished the game, with some tips to come 19 June (release day!). Naughty Dog, as well as us, want you guys to experience the story as spoiler-free as possible, so that you may enjoy it to the absolute maximum. We’re looking forward to seeing the game unlock for all of you out there.
PART TWO: Interview with Anthony Newman
THIS SECTION MAY HAVE POSSIBLE SPOILERS.
Anthony Newman, co-director of The Last of Us Part II.
Previously the melee combat designer for TLOU, Anthony Newman is now co-director of TLOU2. You might also know him as the writer of Savage Starlight, as well as having previously worked as a gameplay scripter for Uncharted 2 and 3. It’s quite the step up in responsibility as he himself would attest to, but let’s get into the questions, shall we?
The game has expanded with the ability to jump, as well as utilize more environmental items such as ropes and thus opening up more possibilities in level design. The intention for TLOU2 was to evolve it as much as possible from the first game, while retaining its complexity and rich experience. The world is grounded though, so the challenge was to maintain the realism as well.
One of their solutions? Breakable glass.
“It’s kind of such a simple thing; it doesn’t sound very exciting on paper but once you play it in the game, you realize it can be used to close off paths to different areas, it can be used as part of puzzles, put pick-ups behind it, [and] there’s this interesting question that if you’re in a combat state, do you break the glass to get the supplies, and if you do, you could potentially attract the attention of enemies.”
A building could house supplies, but you might also find infected in there. Would you be able to find a way to sneak past to get to the goods, or would you prefer to play it safe?
Besides that, Newman also says the glass adds “to the aesthetic”, with melee moves slamming you into objects – or gunshots – and have it break on impact, which adds a new element to the game. They wanted to challenge themselves to make broad levels with these optional areas, with subtle clues strewn about should you follow your gut and curiosity, while also maintaining a certain linearity regarding the story flow.
For people coming off TLOU without expecting a “part two”, it could’ve been quite surprising that Naughty Dog decided to make one.
“Just because something has a good ending doesn’t mean it can’t have a sequel.”
Newman’s aware many people have thought the first game had such an impressive ending, but he believes Niel [ Druckmann ] already had a plan for TLOU2. They needed to finish Uncharted 4 at that point before any work could be done, but he mentions a point we’ve heard in our interview with Halley Gross:
“It really is a continuation of Joel and Ellie’s story and the inevitable results of the choices they made in the first game and kind of exploring the continuation of that. So it’s not just some kind of extra follow up, it really is like a very specific continuation of a story that was started in part 1.

Also mentioned in the initial interview, “hate” is billed as one of, if not the, themes of the game.
“I think TLOU at its core is a game about examining humanity.”
The first game saw how love – how far can it take you, where it can come from and how it surprises you – and Newman doesn’t think it’s “just” about hate.
“It’s about the ultimate self destruction of hatred and the hollowness of the pursuit of vengeance, and I think that in the world we live now, I can’t think of a more important message than understanding the futility and uselessness of hatred and how it’s ultimately it has negative consequences for everyone including the person doing the hatred.”
He counts himself lucky to be part of the team able to express this message.
Accessibility options added to the game means more people are able to learn this message, too. Newman acknowledges some of these assists can make the game “easier” – lock-on aim and threat indicators, a HUD element that tells you if you’re spotted – but he points out this is only easier if you’re able-bodied. These accessibility options allow people who may be impaired to also get the same gameplay experience.

The options are available at any difficulty option, so even the hardest difficulty level is still open to everyone. New to TLOU2 is the blind accessibility mode. Newman says blind players will be able to get the platinum trophy with its assistance – from complex navigation to puzzles, and of course, the combat – so while we did not try it for ourselves, he stresses that he feels it’s important that everyone can enjoy everything the game has to offer.
Coming off from Uncharted 4 where Newman was lead designer, he says there’s plenty for him to be nervous about regarding TLOU2‘s release, since it’s his first game as co-director. He reveals he’s been able to inject many of his own ideas into the game which was exciting, but if people don’t like the game, the blame can fall onto him. He loves both titles, with Uncharted 4 he considers a more “pure fun” kind of game, quite a world away from a “tactical” game like TLOU.
“Personally I’ve always gravitated more towards games like TLOU because I’m very passionate about gameplay mechanics and systems.”
“I think one of the biggest things was encouraging designers to think in a systemic wayand we have a very talented design team that was able to push for a lot of really cool systemic features.”
Prone is one of these features. Newman says Ellie pulling out an arrow out of her shoulder was merely meant to be a non-gameplay feature, but it became part of gameplay: bleeding out from the arrow competes against your desire to defend yourself from enemies, and you’ll have to make your decisions wisely. He positively glows talking about the team, being proud of how their ambitious ideas have come together from level design to character emotes in a fun process.

Speaking of character emotions, we’ve mentioned how real they are as we play through the game. It’s not his area of expertise, but Newman can definitively say rigging has been one of the greatest challenges. It’s one thing to model a character, it’s another to animate the expressions, and the tech designers have worked to control every aspect of the face: it’s not just expressions, it’s the various fleshy parts of say, the nose. The colour can drain from their face, or their eyes go bloodshot from crying.
He also reveals a system of emotions that the game dials into at various points of the script. He provides an example of “confusion” being at a “0.4” level, and it accordingly gets shifted both in scripted ways and systemic ways – the latter referring to combat situations in real time, the former for occasions in which you explore, like with Dina – so you can very quickly pick up on what a character feels at any given point in the game.
Sound design plays into this as well, but while Newman can’t fully reveal the sound design team’s research process, he does tell us they do extensive research and material gathering, like going to a dog ranch for recording barks and even the zoo to get a variety of “crazy” sounds. There’s a “Murmuration” technology in play he’s excited about:
“Basically, a lot of games [ they ] have a sound for heavy breathing like if you’ve been sprinting for a long time, but it tends to be very discreet – like you hear this intense breathing and then it ends. What Murmuration allows is that all of our characters have this heart rate that is able to slide up and down based on events in the world; so if you’ve just been sprinting, in melee combat or just been shot, [ and ] the situation is tense, that value can slowly move up and down.”

Depending on the “value”, it will select from breathing loops that overlap and work seamlessly with each other. It’s also used heavily for the infected enemies to help players better recognize the awareness of enemies.
“With humans, I think it’s always very clear because they can say “I think she went over there” because they’re literally telling you what they’re thinking, but with the new detail that we’ve been able to put into the infected, even though it’s just grunts and growls and kind of weird sounds, you have a much better idea of – ”Wait I think they just heard me” or “I think they lost me and now they’re calming down”.”
As such, it seems only natural that the AI has improved from the first game, which we’ve mentioned in our demo gameplay write-up.

“We are trying to be more true to what the enemies would know and when they would know it. It sounds like a very minor thing but in TLOU but if you kill someone with a silent weapon, you’d have the expectation that no one would know where you were. But if someone saw their friend die – we call it witnessing a silent kill – if they witnessed it in TLOU, they would immediately know where you were.”
“In TLOU we only had 2 states: the enemy didn’t know where you were, or they knew exactly where you were. In TLOU2, we introduced this middle state that honoured the fact that if someone witnessed their friend get killed by an arrow in front of them, of course they’re going to be alert, they know someone did that, but they shouldn’t know exactly where it came from.”
Enemies would be vaguely aware of where you were even if they’re not so sure yet. It means silent kills are still risky, but there’s still that grey area where you can still slip away when the opportunity presents itself. The enemies feel more human, intelligent, while not being completely unfair.

While the “human intelligence” might not necessarily apply to your fungi pals, we can still bring up the Shambler here. Newman brings up the Bloater, which, in his words, was where they “did everything” with it:

Devastating melee attack
Possessed a projectile attack
Ton of armour and health, thus being a great all-rounder

The Shambler became the result of wanting to have something “in-between” a Clicker and a Bloater. It’s able to leave a cloud of corrosive acid that persists, so even as you try to run, there’s an extra obstacle, more zones of danger that you need to navigate around besides the enemy itself.
“I think because of that we ended up with something that felt like a natural evolution part of the natural infected ecosystem, because it already doing something a bloater was doing, but in a different way to still be fresh to the series.”
Its nature equivalent would be fungi that eject their spores forcibly, with an explosion of spores.
Last but not least, with all these new tech and additions into TLOU2, we asked if there was something Newman felt they must have in the game. He admits the “prone” mechanic has been one that has given the team the most heartache and difficulty due to multiplying the number of situations the player can be in.
“Not only is there prone – which is lying flat on your stomach – there’s also supine – that is flat on your back – and if you’re prone and you start aiming around and up, and suddenly you’re on your back if you release [ your ] aim… this is a state that we had to account for a lot.”
Healing, crafting, swapping to your backpack – all these have their own animations, then they had to make more for the prone, supine, crouch and standing states too. Nevertheless, the work seems to have been much worth it – the tension of hiding under a bed, a truck, and seeing your enemies walk past you – that feeling pays off in having one of the most fluid mechanics possible gameplay wise, in terms of accessing all your capabilities at any point in time.

Now, that was a lengthy one, wasn’t it, and we haven’t even gotten into the gameplay proper yet! We’re definitely excited to be able to go into more in-depth, because the story is so worth the wait. The interplay of mechanics and story, in this interactive package, is what really elevates this game to a work worthy of being called a masterpiece.
The Last of Us Part II can hit where it hurts most like no screen-viewing of media can do, with the controller in your hands, and you making the decisions, and following in Ellie’s journey through this ravaged world. Her story may be set in your stone, but your actions aren’t. Go forth, for this world Ellie lives in is both cruel and beautiful, with the whispers of both the past and present that will haunt your every move.

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Tags: Anthony NewmanNaughty DogThe Last of UsThe Last of Us 2The Last of Us Part 2


Armored Core 6 Might Be In Development By From Software [Rumor]

Resetera user Red Liquorice might have just leaked that From Software is working on Armored Core 6, via a survey.

According to the post, Liquorice was privy to a marketing survey which included short gameplay footage featuring some pretty common hallmarks of the Armored Core series.

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“The boss fight looked quite Soulsy – the long range gunfire reminded me of Virtua On, that’s my frame of reference, I’m not a mech fan and haven’t played any AC games. The player character in a white mech went in close to the bigger robot boss and fought with like an energy or laser sword, this looked Souls-style”, they said.
While the game itself was never explicitly called Armored Core 6 or even Armored Core, it’s hard to believe From Software wouldn’t just make a new Armored Core game if they wanted to.
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Of course, it’s important to take this with a huge pinch of salt- Red Liquorice has done nothing to verify why they would have privileged information, because their basic story seems to be that From Software seemingly just dropped information about an upcoming title in their inbox without signing some sort of NDA first.
“If this isn’t ok to post, mods please edit this – I don’t want to get anyone (including myself) in to trouble, but I was pretty amazed to be watching footage of an upcoming From Soft game randomly this morning, quite unexpected!!”, they write, emphasis our own.
UPDATE: Red Liquorice has uploaded screenshots of the new title, though edited to remove a unique ID watermark.

Armored Core is From Software’s premier mecha game, having been one of their largest titles prior to the advent of the Souls series.
While it’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen an Armored Core game, there have been spiritual successors in the form of Daemon Ex Machina on the Nintendo Switch.
(via VGC)

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Tags: Armored CoreFrom Software


Blade & Soul II Revealed For Mobile!

NCsoft the developer of Blade & Soul II has revealed a 20 seconds short clip of the game at a media event. The short video has shown the title of the game and the expected release day of the game which is next year, 2018. There aren’t much info that was given out yet by the developers, however the game is led by the team which made the PC version. So we can be assured that the game is in safe hands.

Nonetheless, the game was mentioned that it is “fully completed” but the game will be launched next year instead. They have yet to reveal their release schedule or any pre-registrations yet. But we strongly suggest you guys keep up with us for more info.

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Tags: AndroidBlade & SoulBlade & Soul IIiOSMobileNCsoft


PlayStation 5 Final Fantasy XVI Bundle Arrives in Malaysia Late June

Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore (SIES) has announced that two versions of the PlayStation 5 Console Final Fantasy XVI Bundle will be available in Malaysia on 22nd June 2023.

The PS5 Digital Edition Bundle will be available at a suggested retail price (SRP) of MYR 2,339, while the PS5 with Ultra HD Blue-ray disc drive will be available at MYR 2,769.

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SIES mentions that each type of bundle includes a PlayStation 5 console (Digital version or disc drive version), a DualSense Wireless Controller, PS5 software Final Fantasy XVI Voucher Card. The bundles will be available at selected authorised stores. The list of store locations can be seen here.
Below are the full list of contents in the bundle:
PlayStation 5 Digital Console Final Fantasy XVI Bundle (MYR 2,399)

PS5 Digital Console x 1
DualSense Wireless Controller x 1
Base x 1
HDMITM cable x 1
AC power cord x 1
USB cable x 1
Printed materials x 1
ASTRO’s PLAYROOM (Pre-installed game) x 1
PS5 “Final Fantasy XVI” voucher card (English/Chinese/Korean) x 1
Includes the following Digital bonus items:

Braveheart Weapon
Gil-boost Accessory “Cait Sith Charm”
Exp-boost Accessory
Scholar’s Spectacles

PlayStation Console Final Fantasy XVI Bundle (MYR 2,769)

PS5 Console with Ultra HD Blue-rayTM disc drive x 1
DualSense Wireless Controller x 1
Base x 1
HDMITM cable x 1
AC power cord x 1
USB cable x 1
Printed materials x 1
ASTRO’s PLAYROOM (Pre-installed game) x 1
PS5 “Final Fantasy XVI” voucher card (English/Chinese/Korean) x 1
Includes the following Digital bonus items:

Braveheart Weapon
Gil-boost Accessory “Cait Sith Charm”
Exp-boost Accessory
Scholar’s Spectacles

Final Fantasy XVI will be available on PlayStation 5 on 22nd June 2023. For more FFXVI content, do check out our hands on preview of the game here, and our interview with FFXVI Producer Naoki Yoshida here.

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Tags: Final Fantasy XVIPlayStation 5Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore


Kizuna AI VR Game – Touch the Beat To Release For PS4 & PS5 in Early 2023

Developers Gemdrop will be releasing a VR rhythm game titled – Kizuna AI: Touch The Beat for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles in early 2023.

Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat was originally an Oculus Quest VR exclusive title back in October 2020 but the game will finally be out for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles as it will be implementing PS VR 2 Support. Gemdrop will also be developing a new Non-VR Mode so that fans can enjoy the game’s content even without a VR device.

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According the official Gemdrop twitter account, the developers will be making an appearance in Tokyo Game Show 2022 where they will be announcing more detail and information about the game on 18th September on 1:30 PM, they will also be hosting a mini live concert featuring Kizuna AI so fans can look forward to that.

✨"Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat!" PS4/PS5 version announced! ✨We will be at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 🎮New information release & mini live of #kzn (Kizuna-chan) on stage from 1:30 PM on Sep.18 ‼🥳Please come and play 🎵https://t.co/YAwTBWWhAI#KizunaAI #KizunaAi_TTB pic.twitter.com/wnQ1UlygNO
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— Gemdrops (@Gemdrops_EN) September 9, 2022

The game will be supporting English, Chinese (Both Simplified & Traditional) and Japanese languages while the audio for the game will only be in Japanese.
About Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat
In Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat, you are an audience at Kizuna AI’s performance stage. Feel the rhythm to the song and hit the notes that come flying towards you with your penlight.
There are various levels and note speeds. Try out the different difficulty levels that you prefer.

For more information on the game, do check out the dedicated website here.

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Tags: Kizuna AiKizuna AI Touch the BeatPlaystation 4PlayStation 5VR