2020’s refresh for the budget conscious: Acer Nitro 5 review (AN515-44-R1AZ)

The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R1AZ is the newest in Acer’s lineup to fill the budget, portable gaming PC market, keeping the price on the lower side while still running some of the more demanding games out there. An overview:

Adjustable cooling system
NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU
AMD Ryzen 7 processor
1080P screen
RM4299

For the deets, keep reading on for the review.

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Specifications

Series
Acer Nitro 5

Model
AN515-44-R1AZ

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H

OS
Windows 10 Home (64bit)

GPU
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX1650 GDDR6 4GB

Display
15.6″” 144Hz display with IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology, Full HD 1920 x 1080, Acer ComfyView LED-backlit TFT LCD

16:9 aspect ratio, 45% NTSC color gamut, Wide viewing angle to 170 degrees

RAM
8GB DDR4 3200Mhz RAM

Storage
512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (with 1 extra M.2 Slot)

Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11a/b/g/n/acR2+ax wireless LAN

Supports Dual Band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) 2×2 MU-MIMO

I/O
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and power-off USB charging

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port

HDMI® 2.0 port with HDCP support

Ethernet (RJ-45) port

USB Type-CTM port: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)

USB charging 5 V; 3 A

3.5 mm headphone/speaker jack, built-in microphone

Batery
57.5 Wh 4-cell Li-ion batery

Up to 9 hours (based on MobileMark® 2014)

Audio
DTS® X:Ultra Audio, featuring optimized Bass, Loudness, Speaker Protection with up to 6 custom content modes by smart amplifier

Size
363.4 (W) x 255 (D) x 23.9 (H) mm

Weight
2.40 kg

Warranty
2-Years Acer Warranty

Price
RM4,299

Design
The Acer Nitro 5 keeps its more understated “gamer” look, with red highlights over the keyboard, lighting, touchpad and the main body. The machine feels sturdy enough, with plenty of ports to cover your needs. The keyboard is pretty comfortable too. The design won’t be winning any exceptional awards, and does give off a bit of that “cheap” feel, as it’s really easy to leave fingerprint marks over it.

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Keyboard and Ports
Nevertheless, one of the  nicesst things about this machine is the keyboard. There’s nothing that actually stands out, but it’s comfortable to use and will work the way you want it to. The backlight isn’t very bright either, so it can be hard to see the keys in the dark. It will do the job, which is probably the most important thing.

As for the ports, it comes packing with:

2x USB 3.2 Gen 1
3.5mm headphone and microphone jack
Ethernet (RJ-45)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 with USB charging support
HDMI 2.0
USB Type-C

Audio and display
At higher volume, the sound quality starts being echoey, but you can fiddle around with the Dolby Audio equalizer, though otherwise you shouldn’t be expecting high end surround sound. The display is 15.6 inches, with 1080p and high 144Hz refresh rate along with Acer ComfyView to reduce glare. The image will be clear and sharap, but at points it might seem too dim and may not be suitable for some users, like content creators.
Performance
For all intents and purposes, this Acer Nitro 5 is a budget gaming laptop, so don’t hope for thaat much. The hardware limits how much it can do at high settings for the newer AAA games, but still, it will do its best for the currently released titles! Check out the various benchmarks below:
3D MARK

PC MARK 10

CINEBENCH

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Running PUGB on Ultra settings saw a steady 30 FPS, which is respectable considering the hardware it’s running on. These settings won’t be used for any competitive play, with screen tearing, textures not rendering and an overall unsatisfactory quality. You’d best run PUBG on Medium in this case.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Once again on Ultra settings, the machine does its b est to run Horizon Zero Dawn, which is certainly a more demanding game than PUBG. It does have noticeable frame rate drops, making animations janky with the usual textures not loading among other issues, but it’s surprising thata it does run, with issues cropping up occasionally instead of just dying out.

Project Cars 3

Last but not least, is Project Cars 3 on its highest settings. The Nitro 5 performs excellently for the title; no frame rate drops or performance issues. Simulation titless like this would have no issue running on the hardware this machine packs.

The basic summation of in-game performance is basically: you can play your AAA titles, but not on max settings.

Cooling system
The venting and fan cooling is great on this model of Acer Nitro 5, with the vents located on the back of the laptop. It’s still on the loud side, but does not massively disrupt unlike plenty of gaming laptops out there. It can also be adjusted to a certain level, using the Acer NitroSense program to change the fan speeds for the CPU and GPU. CoolBoost is also available to raise the maximum speed on heavy gaming sessions.
Battery Life
Compared to most budget laptops out in the market, the Nitro 5 has a relatively better battery life compared to its peers. You’ll expect low battery life for gaming laptops, and the Nitro 5 clocks in at 3 hours with non-stop video watching, but yes, that’s better than the rest available and will last that much longer when you find yourself needing to work outside.
Verdict
To be perfectly fair, this won’t be the gaming laptop of one’s dreams, but at a price point below RM5000, it does its best and there’s only so much you can ask for. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a pretty value GPU, supported by a good cooling system, comfortable keyboard, a high resolution display and relatively longer lasting battery.
If you are one to demand the best performance, the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R1AZ won’t be for you. However, if you’re a gamer on a budget, then yes, this will be one to consider. You can learn more about the line of laptops via the official website.

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Tags: AcerAcer MalaysiaAcer Nitro 5AN515-44-R1AZ


Meet The Ambassadors for Jian Xia Qing Yuan R!

Jian Xia Qing Yuan R (JX1M) will be launching an open beta test in Malaysia and Singapore on the 5th of January 2022 and the game has recruited a number of ambassadors to promote the game over a number of different countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

Here is a chance to meet them!

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Jian Xia Qing Yuan R Ambassadors
Vietnam: Tran Thanh

Tran Thanh is a famous celebrity in Vietnam. He is known as ‘Nation’s MC’, a multi-talent artist who’s played the part of comedian, actor, filmmaker, director, and scriptwriter. He’s been the host of a number of game shows in the country including ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and the Vietnamese version of ‘Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader’.
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The good reputation of Tran Thanh makes him the best face to represent the most popular MMORPG in Vietnam. A 3D model of Tran Thanh also appears in JX1M’s Vietnamese CGI trailer.
China: Vincent Zhao

Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo is a Chinese actor and martial artist. He is best known for playing the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the modern classic ‘Once Upon a Time in China’ as well as popular hits like ‘The Blade’ and ‘God of War’ (not that one).
Back in 2003, Seasun Entertainment actually invited Vincent Zhao to be an ambassador for the original JXQY Online, but this, unfortunately, didn’t happen due to unforeseen circumstances.
Now, the dream has finally come true after 18 years. Vincent Zhao is still contributing to the popularisation of Chinese martial arts on every media platform. He really is a modern-day man with the ancient wuxia spirit burning inside him.
Taiwan: Nadow Lin & Vivian Hsu

Nadow Lin is a famous actor in Taiwan who has recently been awarded the best supporting actor in the 57th Golden Horse Awards for the film ‘Classmates Minus’. While Vivian Hsu has also been a famous actor and singer since the 1990s, working on films like ‘Little Big Women’. She even voiced acted for an anime, playing the character of Aisha in ‘Mobile Suit Gundam SEED’.
This time Nadow Lin & Vivian Hsu have decided to take part in a short film based around the golden era of PC online games. In the short film, they played the role of a student couple who started dating after coming across each other at a cyber cafe. It’s a nostalgic piece, that’ll bring back the memories of veteran players from the early 2000s.
Singapore / Malaysia: Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee is a Malaysian actor, born in Malacca, and currently one of Singapore’s most popular celebrities. Many viewers loved his performance in the television series ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes, an adaptation of Jin Yong’s Wu Xia novel Series. Needless to say, his background’s the perfect fit for a Wuxia-inspired game like Jian Xia Qing Yuan R.
He was selected as Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in Mediacorp’s Star Awards from 1997–1998, 2000, 2002-2009 respectively, and awarded All-Time Favourite Artiste Award in 2010. His reputation and image have been very positive in the industry even after working as a talent for almost 20 years.
Key Opinion Leaders
In addition to the ambassadors, Jian Xia Qing Yuan R will also be appointing a number of key influences to help bring attention to the game through social media, youtube, and streaming.
Dissy is a well-known YouTuber group among the youth of the Malaysian Chinese community. They are famous for their comedic content that brings out the ‘real side’ of society.

And what would a video game be without gamers to play it? JX1M has teamed up with some of the biggest streamers in the region. These include Xiaoting Miao Miao and January AKG from Malaysia as well as the sister duo of Michy from TiFFWithMi from Singapore.

The JX1M team will also be working with well-known singers and dancers including Priscilla Abby, a well-known cover singer in Malaysia. She’s known for going viral on Tiktok for her song ‘Gulf of Alaska’.

Another singer the developers are working with is Michelle Han Xiao Ai, a well-known influencer who can sing and dance and has been on local TV shows. She is known for her positive and funny images among locals.

Finally, the popular Malaysian Chinese singer Haoren is working as a key opinion leader for the game. This local celebrity is known for singing and dancing competitions a few years ago. He has become a popular YouTuber and has maintained a positive image with a following of loyal fans.

 As you can see, there are a lot of talent from all around the Asia-pacific region getting involved with Jian Xia Qing Yuan R. If you’re a fan of any of these lovely people, you may just see them on the ancient Chinese battlefield between Song and Jin sometime in the near future.
Jian Xia Qing Yuan R will be available for iOS and Android on January 5th, 2021. You can pre-register for the game here.

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Tags: Jian Xia Qing Yuan RSponsoredVNG Game Studios


ASUS Generation of Visual Perfection OLED launch line-up showcase

ASUS Malaysia showcased its full range of OLED display laptops with models for everyone from creators, hobbyists, professionals to home users. The ASUS OLED line-up is now massively expanded, offering the world’s first 16-inch 4K OLED HDR display, with industry-first VESA DisplayHDR 600 true Black-certified OLED panel. This proves ASUS’ commitment to innovating and improving user experience in all aspects of mobile computing.

PROART STUDIOBOOK 16 OLED

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The choice of serious and professional creators, the ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED (H5600 / H7600) comes with the world’s first 16-inch 4K OLED HDR display, going up to 4K OLED HDR 550-nits, 16:10 aspect ratio and 3840 x 2400 resolution. Other certifications include cinema-grade 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, PANTONE Validated and Calman Verified, factory-calibrated Delta E < 2 color accuracy and VESA DisplayHDR 500 true Black for 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
Powered by either AMD Ryzen 5000 H-Series (H5600) or Intel Core i7 (H7600) with up to GeForce RTX 3070 (H5600) or 3060 (H7600) graphics, it’s assuredly powerful, with outstanding driver stability from NVIDIA Studio Drivers for maximum performance. Another key feature is the ASUS dial, a physical rotary control to interact with compatible apps and much more. All your functions can be customized through the ProArt Creator Hub.
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Enjoy ultrafast PCIe SSDs, up to 64G 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM and high-speed connectivity via Thunderbolt 4 (H7600) or USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI 2.1 and SD Express 7 card reader. A partnership with Adobe can get you up to three months complimentary subscription to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
Check out our review of this laptop here.
ZENBOOK 14 FLIP OLED

This baby’s slim, light, ultra-versatile and convertible, offering up to 16:10 4K OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreen for the deepest blacks and most vivid colours on your display. Powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor (UP5401), ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology enables maximum performance. You can also opt for its variant with the latest AMD Ryzen 9 5000 for equally stunning performance.
The 360 degree ErgoLift has been precision-engineered to enable work or play in any mode, and for hands-on writing, the touchscreen supports a 4096-pressure-level stylus.
ZENBOOK 14X OLED

Get the help you need on-the-go with the new 14-inch Zenbook 14X OLED, a thin, light, and sophisticated laptop featuring a gorgeous 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) 16:10 OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreen for the deepest blacks and most vivid colours.
Up to the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce MX450 discrete graphics make up this powerhouse, ensuring maximum performance with ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology. The precision-engineered 180 degree ErgoLift makes for easy content sharing, further aide by the ASUS ScreenPad for more productivity.
VIVOBOOK PRO 14X OLED

The Vivobook Pro series has been geared towards aspiring creators, giving them great performance and features as they explore their talent. In continuing this spirit, the new 14-inch Vivobook Pro 14X OLED N7400 is the powerhouse for next-generation creativity, with speed and accuracy to match your vision. The 14-inch 2.8K OLED HDR 600-nit display and ultra-wide 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut ensures vivid colours.
The ASUS DialPad can also be found here, for intuitive and fully customizable controls over your software. The dual-fan cooling design ensures you can work in peace.
VIVOBOOK PRO 15 OLED

Following up on the Vivobook Pro series, the Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K3500 / M3500) is another possible companion on your journey of creativity. Featuring a 15-inch NanoEdge FHD OLED display ad Harman Kardon-certified audio, colour and sound come together in harmony.
Performance wise, you can get up to the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 H Series CPU with Intel Iris Xe Graphics (K3500) or the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Mobile Processor with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (M3500). The dual-fan cooling system with ASUS IceCool Plus technology will keep the machine humming along without issue. Bundle that up with up to 16 GB memory and 512 GB PCIe SSD, you have all the computing power you need for your work. Additions include optional webcam shield, fingerprint sensor on power button and backlit keyboard are for you to utilize.
VIVOBOOK 15 OLED

Standout colours and colour-blocked Enter key adds some flair to the ASUS Vivobook 15 OLED. With either an Intel Core i3 with Intel UHD Graphics (K513) or up to AMD Ryzen 7 600 series (M513), you can get your job done. The 15-inch NanoEdge FHD OLED and Harman Kardon-certified audio allows for vivid colours paired with stunning audio.
Dual-storage design means you can get the speed of an SSD, and capacity of a HDD.
WHY OLED?
ASUS’ laptops offer best-in-class visuals for creative colour accuracy, with models covering a wide range of needs:

Up to 90Hz refresh time
0.2 ms response times
100% DCI-P3 colour gamut for vivid colours, true blacks, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratios
Industry-standard technical certifications

PANTONE Validation
Calman Certified
Up to VESA DisplayHDR 600 True Black

Maintaining colour consistency at all brightness levels
TÜV-certified low blue-light emissions 70% lower than LCD displays for eye care

Full line-up and availability of the ASUS OLED laptops can be found here.
GENERATION OLED CONTEST

Last but not least, you could win yourself an ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K3500) worth RM4599 through the ASUS Generation OLED contest! From 1 – 31 December 2021, showcase your talents in rendering visual perfection. The most creative photo or video wins!
Winners will be announced 17 January 2022. Details here.

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Tags: ASUSASUS MalaysiaProArt StudioBook 16 OLEDVivobook 15 OLEDVivobook Pro 14X OLEDVivobook Pro 15 OLEDZenbook 14 Flip OLEDZenbook 14X OLED


Echoes of Mana: Searching for Lost Luster event with free Elazul

Echoes of Mana has commenced the Searching for Lost Luster event, besides a host of other updates to the game.

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Searching for Lost Luster can get you 3-star Elazul [ Young Jumi Knight ] of Legend of Mana, as well as the 3-star Memory Gem, Show of Faith. From now until 30 June 2022, clear event quests to obtain EP and High-Level EP to trade for various rewards for Unleashing and Ascending your allies. Alongside the event is its accompanying Harvest summons, featuring 4-star Lady Blackpearl [ Jumi’s Finest ] of Legend of Mana, and 4-star Hawkeye [ Pride of Thieves ] from Trials of Mana. The first 10-harvest will be half-off from the usual 2700 Spirit Crystals.

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Chapter 6 of the main story, In a Patchworked World, will also be where you can encounter Elazul, as well as Keldric from Dawn of Mana. The search for the Mana Sword continues, in a most peculiar echo.

Echoes of Mana has since achieved 1.5 million downloads with a modest celebration log in bonus that will last until 3 June 2022. Collect some more Spirit Crystals and embark on your journey into this world of Mana.
You can check out our launch impressions of the game here. The team has been working on bringing updates to address player feedback, so here’s to more things rolling in soon.
 Download

Echoes of ManaPublisher: Square EnixDeveloper: Wright Flyer StudiosRelease Date: 2022-04-27Android, iOS
Echoes of Mana is the brand new title to join the lineup of popular Mana series games!
Ally with past Mana series characters in your journey for the search of the legendary Mana Sword!

Dive into the world of the widely acclaimed Mana series action RPG,
fun for both long-time fans and newcomers alike!

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Tags: Echoes of ManaMana SeriesSquare EnixWFSWright Flyer Studios


Baki the Grappler is in development for Android and iOS

Bandai Namco announces their newest smartphone title to be a competitive action game based on Baki the Grappler. Baki the Grappler is one of the famous martial arts manga series which was published on Weekly Shōnen Champion (1991-1999) and thus collected into 42 tankōbon volumes.

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The game (no official title yet) will feature simple controls and fast-paced battle along with a story mode. There will be real-time connectivity features too, while its graphic is apparently running beautifully at 60 fps. Meanwhile, the game is still in development. These are all we know at this moment, more information will be coming so stay tuned!

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Tags: AndroidBaki the GrapplerBANDAI NAMCOiOSMobile


Path to Nowhere pre-registrations surpass 500,000 mark

AISNO Games has just revealed that Path to Nowhere, its upcoming tower defense SRPG for the Android and iOS platforms, has surpassed the 500,000 pre-registration mark. To commemorate the occasion, the developer is showcasing a new character in the form of Cinnabar, whom you can check out in the trailer below:

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An overview for Path to Nowhere again via Google Play:
Path to Nowhere is a SPRG featured by Real-time Tower Defense gameplay.
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[In the year N.F.112, you are appointed to be the Chief of MBCC]
Welcome to Minos Bureau of Crisis Control. As the Chief, you are obligated to Shackle and Control the most vicious outlaws—Sinners, to Protect the city from falling. Hold on to the light in the darkness and salvage hope from despair.
▣ Survive the Nameless Apocalypse
Mysterious meteorites make the beginning of the Apocalypse. Infected by Mania, people lose consciousness and mutate into hideous monsters. Find Providence and save the dystopian world from the plague.
▣ Detain the Most Badass Sinners
Your prisoners bear dangerous powers and irresistible charm. Harvest their loyalty and darkest secrets through disciplines and interrogations.
▣ Scheme the Most Delicate Tactics
Timing is everything. Utilize your talent to control, deploy, and unleash the skills of your Sinners in real time. Be the “manipulator” and turn the tide of the battle.
▣ Enjoy the Finest Auditory Feast
Immerse yourself in this Lovecraftian world with the finest voiceover. Explore the Sinners’ inner world in English, as well as Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Switch anytime to your liking!
Be sure to also check out our first impressions of the CBT as we wait for the full release of the game, which is tentatively scheduled for a release sometime within the year.

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Tags: AndroidiOSPath to NowhereRPGStrategy


Final Fantasy XV Universe Game King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon Delayed to 2017

King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon is a game developed by Square Enix which was supposed to be launched this year. The King’s Knight title was first launched in Japan in 1986. It was one of Square Enix’s earliest titles that was even before the Final Fantasy series. With a new title, King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon was set from the Final Fantasy XV universe that will be catered for both the iOS and Android devices.

Check out the title’s trailer:

King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon features a complete new story and world compared to its predecessor. The game can support multiplayer of up to four players and it is free-to-play with some in-app purchases. If you have played Final Fantasy XV, you would have noticed that Noctis and the gang is found often playing King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon on their smartphones when they are camping out.

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Source – gematsu
Source – gematsu
The new title was set to be released this year but on recent news, the game was delayed to later next year. There was no definite month or date announced of its release. Ever since Justice Monsters Five was announced to be shut down next year in March within a year prior to its release, I hope that King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon will be doing well enough to sustain and last.
If you’d like you can visit their official page to pre-register yourself to receive exclusive promo gifts and future updates when it is released.
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Source: gematsu

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Tags: AndroidFinal Fantasy XViOSKing's Knight: Wrath of the Dark DragonMobileSquare Enix


Niantic releases details on Pokemon GO Trainer Battles

Trainer Battles is finally arriving in Pokemon GO. In light of the coming arrival of the highly anticipated mode, Niantic released details on Trainer Battles.

According to Niantic, the players can challenge one another at any time. Players will need to be near each other to initiate challenges. However, this does not apply to Great and Ultra Friends as they can do it from anywhere. By scanning a Battle Code, players assemble a team of 3 Pokemon to do battle with one another. Winners will receive rewards including rare evolution items.

Here’s a breakdown of each Battle League’s requirements: 🏆 Great League: 1,500 CP limit per Pokémon🏆 Ultra League: 2,500 CP limit per Pokémon🏆 Master League: No CP limit per Pokémon pic.twitter.com/qF7f3KDco5
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— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 30, 2018

As we mentioned last week, the PvP system will be divided into 3 leagues to level the playing field. Not only does it accommodate to weaker players, the division opens up possibilities of different strategies. Limiting the CP for each league prevents players from using possibly overpowered Pokemon in a certain league. On the other hand, it promotes picking less used Pokemon.

Furthermore, Pokemon GO Trainer Battles features real-time combat similar to Raid Battles. However, unlike standard features in Pokemon GO, Trainer Battles will feature a 2nd charge move for Pokemon instead of 1. Another new feature is the Protect Shield which blocks damage from opposing Pokemon. These new mechanics make Trainer Battles less predictable and opens up for new tactics.

Finally, players can opt to battle their Team Leader for practice. In exchange, players will receive rewards such as Stardust to power up their Pokemon. The Ace Trainer medal makes a comeback as players can now play against Team Leaders to obtain it. Unfortunately, players can only challenge Gym leaders once a day.
A forced update was released earlier today, signifying the looming arrival of Trainer Battles. For more information, you can visit the official site or Twitter page.

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Tags: AndroidiOSNianticPokemon GO


Sony Interactive Entertainment To Sue EUIPO Over Huawei GT Trademark

Huawei ‘s decision to move forward with their GT line of watches continues to meet resistance from Sony Interactive Entertainment, who are filing a lawsuit to stop the tech company.

It starts like this- Huawei had started producing their GT watch series, using the term as a shorthand for Gran Turismo. While the word is common parlance in racing communities- literally meaning grand tour, and being used by companies like Ferrari to describe their top-of-the-line cars, it’s also the name of Playstation’s premier racing game, Gran Turismo.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed multiple appeals against the trademarks for the line of watches, to defend their trademark on the name. All this while, the GT Watch and the GT Watch 2 have been launched. They’d also tried appealing GT racing, but were denied by EU courts.
Now, Huawei has filed the trademarks for GT3 and GT5- the next in their line of smartwatches. As uncovered by LetsGo Digital, it looks like Sony Interactive Entertainment is challenging the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), presumably after rejecting their appeal against Huawei.
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According to the filing, they’re trying to get the trademark filing for GT3 and GT5 anulled- which is to say, overturned so Huawei would not be able to continue using the name for their watches.

The Tricky Thing With Trademark Law
The fact Sony Interactive Entertainment doesn’t have a good track record with defending the Gran Turismo trademark has a lot to do with how trademark law works. For one, you can’t trademark generic words.
That is to say you couldn’t create a candy called Chocolate Bar and expect the EUIPO or any other trademark office to register that, because chocolate bars are a thing that exists.
Worse still, trademarks can become generic, such as with yo-yos and cellophane, which started as trademarked names but just became synonymous with their product.
That being said, we at GamerBraves aren’t legal experts, and it’s anyone’s guess how the case could go. Neither Sony Interactive Entertainment nor Huawei have commented on the lawsuit.

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Tags: HuaweiSony Interactive Entertainment


Breaking New Ground – The Settlers Interview with Creative Director Christian Hagedorn

We met up with Christian Hagedorn, Creative Director of Ubisoft’s The Settlers to learn more about the upcoming RTS title in an interview. Rebooting a nearly 30-year-old franchise isn’t easy, but that’s exactly what Christian and his team at Ubisoft Düsseldorf are doing for The Settlers, which piqued our curiosity and ultimately led to this interview.

Christian Hagedorn, Creative Director
If you aren’t aware, The Settlers is Ubisoft’s next big release that is poised to come out on 17 March 2022 on PC. The game is also currently looking for closed beta testers, with said test taking place next week from 20 – 24 January 2022. You can learn more about the game and what it offers here.

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Originally intended to release back in 2019, The Settlers was delayed with not much information on the game until now. According to Christian:
“The game has been in development for over five years. We have gone over plenty of changes. A year and a half ago, we redefined our vision and since then, we have turned serious tables around. There are plenty of changes. Five years of production really show how much of an effort we are putting into this.”
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The Settlers franchise has a rich history, with the new reboot being the 8th mainline title in the series. We learned that The Settlers (2022) is inspired by Settlers 3 and Settlers 4. We were curious as to why it was specifically the third and fourth titles that were selected as an inspiration, and this was what Christian had to say:
“We wanted to examine that if we were to make a reboot, what would be the strongest core that we could aim for since we cannot really grab everything from every game. That would create a nightmare,” he explained. “Settlers 3 and Settlers 4—not only are they the strongest titles in our eyes, they’re still being played today. There are tournaments going live. There are streams happening with Settlers 3 and Settlers 4. There are YouTubers creating content for those games still. So we decided this is what the core fan group would want to see, and this is also our strongest series of iterations.”

Settling For More – Designing a Worthy Successor
We were fortunate enough to try out an early access version of The Settlers prior to this interview and needless to say, we were intrigued by many different aspects of the game. The game offers various modes, from match-long Skirmishes to an extensive story-driven Campaign. “The campaign comes with 13 missions. Depending on the type of players, since certain players tend to sometimes take more time or less time, we are expecting an average between 10 to 12 hours of game time,” answered Christian, when we asked about the Campaign length. Note that the Campaign will only be available upon official release, and not during closed beta.
Be it the Campaign or other modes, players can lead one of three different Factions—the Elari, Maru and Jorn (only Elari and Maru will be available during the closed beta). Each Faction may have the exact same units and buildings available to them, but they each have different bonuses and drawbacks, as well as a different aesthetic style and lore.
“The most important part for us was to make sure that there were no direct real-world connections or correlations. There are always inspirations. We take inspiration from architecture. We take inspiration from different cultural facets, but it was important for us that each Faction remains completely diverse and also gender-neutral. Both genders can perform any job and they’re of equal strength. There’s no difference between them and all races are present in all factions, so it’s not like we have one faction that looks like this and another one like that looks like that,” Christian elaborated.

He continued, “With that established, we created three different cultural Factions, cultural differences that would give them the personality that you can see in the game today. For example, the Elari are craftsmen, they are artisans. So not only are their buildings stronger, not just as a faction bonus, but they also enjoy themselves when it comes to handling construction or when it comes to crafting. The Maru are instead very bonded with nature. They are not only close to the coasts in order to enjoy maritime life, they’re also great at trading and very adept at collecting herbs. For the Jorn, they’re this challenge and honour-bound faction. Their weapon crafting skills are unmatched, they’re very skilled at hunting meat and also living off the land since they live in the Veiled Islands. They have to train themselves to best use the pelts of the animals and the leathers. We try to give an identity to each of these Factions that would belong to this world and not comparable to earth.”
Besides the three Factions, Christian also shared his insight on the three Biomes that serve as the locations and regions for the various maps in the game.
The three Biomes are also closely tied to each of the Factions. When you play a new Faction during the campaign, the Biomes also change to invite the player to enjoy all of the new things. Additionally, in Skirmish, we will offer maps of all types of Biomes and the way they play changes. For example, in the Forgotten Plains, there is an ease of access to resources and there’s a singular pathing towards opponents. In the Desolate Fields, the desert area, the resources are actually more scarce. There is plenty more room. So the players are able to expand and build faster or stronger, but they have to be very careful with how they use their resources, how fast they can collect them, or even if they need to trade to obtain more of them. Finally, in the Veiled Islands, the focus there remains on how to efficiently use the little space available because of the differences in terrain. There are altitude differences, cliffs and mostly narrow paths. It’s important for the player to then realize which other specific buildings are needed right now, because they might need more space compared to the others. That’s the difference between them.”

On Potential Additions and Changes
Naturally, the closed beta does not provide the full game experience. Having tried the early access version where several features weren’t available, we were curious about some of the features and additions that may (or may not) release in the full game.
The first of these are heroes, a fairly common sight in RTS games that feature combat, and even some of the earlier Settlers titles. On the topic of heroes, Christian clarified that “there are currently no plans to add any sort of unique unit that would stand out in the battlefield.”
During the early access, we weren’t able to adjust the difficulty of the AI, so we wondered if players can adjust AI difficulty upon official release. “Actually they will not be able to do so,” Christian revealed, “The AI is the one that reads from the player—what type of gameplay, how advanced their gameplay is and how strong they are—and react accordingly. Our AI is actually trying to provide an interesting opponent and not a crushing experience so that players can select insane difficulty and then get crushed in one minute, for example. If the player is a new player and they need more time to adjust, the AI will know about this facet of the player and adjust according. In general, we will not have AI difficulties. What we will have are different strategies for the AI to perform once they know more about their opponent.”

On the topic of AI, while the game allows players to take on AI bots or other players in 1v1, 2v2 and 4v4 in Skirmish mode, there doesn’t seem to be an option to team up with the AI. “It is only possible to team up with players. You can, however, fight an entire group of AI. Still to be revealed is the Onslaught mode where a player fights alone in a specific setting scenario. This could include ally. This could include multiple enemy forces,” Christian commented.
Last year, Ubisoft announced that they will be embracing NFTs. As to whether The Settlers will include them, Christian made the following statement:
There are currently no plans to add any sort of NFTs to the game.
As for microtransactions, Christian shared towards the end of the interview that they will be present in The Settlers. “There will be a shop available for customization, cosmetic-only items and a booster to obtain soft currency faster. However, we are focusing on everything that is skill related to the game, leaving microtransactions out of it. You cannot buy power, you cannot buy any sort of that.”
Before concluding the interview, the Creative Director informed that players can look forward to more details on upcoming plans for The Settlers in the future. “They will be content coming at a constant pace after the game releases, so that’s something they can absolutely look forward to.”

With only a couple of months left before the game comes out, we’re eagerly looking forward to the full experience. Thanks so much, Christian, for enlightening us on The Settlers in this interview. We wish you and your team for the game’s release and beyond!
To learn more about The Settlers, be sure to visit its page on Ubisoft’s website. The game is still accepting closed beta test signups, so feel free to register for a chance to try out the game before the official release.

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Tags: The SettlersUbisoftUbisoft Düsseldorf


Bang Bravern, A New Anime Project Directed By Masami Obari, Announced

Cygames has announced a new anime project titled Bang Bravern, directed by famed mecha director Masami Obari.

In a new teaser video, they showed off two mech designs for the series- as well as announced the prolific director’s involvement.

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Not much else is currently known about Bang Bravern – the project will be handled by Cygames Pictures, and it’s unknown if it will be another mixed media project similar to other Cygames titles like Granblue and Uma Musume.
Alternatively, it could just be a planned anime project for now, but until we get further information from Cygames we won’t know.
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That being said, it looks like the series is very much going for the retro mecha anime flavor Obari is known for, with the key art featuring more muted colors and an overall grimier presentation.
Still, just the mention of Obari’s name is a good sign for mecha fans- the man has been involved in various iconic series with classics such as GaoGaiGar as well as guest artist roles for recent anime such as The Witch From Mercury.
He even featured as a running gag on Pop Team Epic, being responsible for the Great Bari Bari Team Epic mecha used in several gags of the anime, which even got released as a model kit.

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Tags: Bang BravernCygames


[E3 2018] Super Mario Party is the new Mario Party game for Switch

We love party games and here is a new one to enjoy! During Nintendo Direct E3 2018 that happened just now, a brand new Mario Party game – Super Mario Party is revealed for Nintendo Switch. Check out the trailer below:

Some interesting new elements are shown in the trailer, for example, we could see that there is a mode allowing players to arrange and pair-up two consoles in different configurations for a 4-player tank battle. But of course, the original board game style is still the main theme with a bunch of new modes and new minigames.

Super Mario Party will launch on Nintendo Switch October 5th.

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Tags: E3 2018Mario PartyNintendoNintendo DirectNintendo SwitchSuper Mario Party


Goddess Elizabeth welcomes the November Festa in 7DS

The newest update for Netmarble’s The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross / 7DS will begin their celebrations for the in-game Liones Festival, with the arrival of Goddess Elizabeth! Commemorate the birthday of King of Liones, Bartra with the festival!

SSR [Holy Warrior] Goddess Elizabeth has been a highly anticipated character due to her personality, and her and skills, including resurrecting allied heroes and creating a shield for allies that negates many attacks. She will be obtainable alongside SSR [ Virtual Body Doubles ] Lostvayne Meliodas through the Liones Festival Draw.

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The update also includes:

New Character: SSR [ Knighthood of Scraps Disposal ] Captain Hawk – Players can earn up to six characters just by playing the game. During the event period, increases all stats of the hero by 50% (except for PvP) so players can easily clear the story missions.
Bartra’s Birthday Quest – Experience the limited-time quest, which includes an original story and rewards to collect upon completion.
Happy Bartra Day! Bingo Event – A new limited-time Bingo Board, where rewards such as [Knighthood of Scraps Disposal] Captain Hawk and its costume is now available for players to complete.
Event Death Match Lamek – An all-new quest is available that allows players to collect Lamek Skins that can be exchanged for SSR [Knighthood of Scraps Disposal] Captain Hawk and Tavern Furniture, and other valuable items. Players can participate three times a day to earn rewards.
Black Friday Selection Bundles – total 3 bundles on sale and each one has 3 slots that players can pick things for each slot and customize own bundle.

 Download

Seven Deadly Sins: Grand CrossDeveloper: NetmarbleRelease Date: 2019-06-04Android, iOS
Are you ready to enjoy dynamic combat, breathtaking animations, and a riveting story true to the original?

A brand-new turn-based RPG! A novel approach to combat! A strategic combat system utilizing skill synthesis.

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Tags: NetmarbleSeven Deadly SinsSeven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross


Emem lets her presence known as the third, and final, playable character of Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong

Emem will be the third and final playable character of Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong. NACON and Big Bad Wolf Studio gives you a glimpse at her in a new trailer:

Emem joins Galeb and Leysha in Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong. While she may look like a young woman, and doubtless one with magnetic charm, being a vampire has allowed her eternal youth. The 100 year old, former jazz diva, is now with the Toreador clan after having been transformed by Hilda, the love of her life. Some prey out in the streets of Boston doesn’t seem to be the weakest one out there, though that doesn’t particularly matter once Emem reveals her powers. The Disciplines of Celerity and Presence can make her virtually invisible.

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A narrative RPG adapted from the 5th edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, the player takes control of 3 vampires belonging to different clans of the Camarilla, the secret society to which most vampires belong. Weaving between their intertwined tales, the player has to confront the different points of view of his characters to unravel fact from fiction. With whispers of conspiracy, murder and power struggles, the player must protect his clan, discover the truth and above all enforce the Masquerade, the vampire law designed to conceal the existence of creatures of the night from humans.
The game will be available on PC via the Epic Games Store and most major consoles in February 2022.
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Tags: Big Bad Wolf StudioNaconVampire the MasqueradeVampire the Masquerade Swansong


Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe goes global!

Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe Global will be coming! Following the Romancing SaGa 3 in English on a variety of platforms, we’ll be getting the mobile game too! Re;univerSe saw 15 million downloads some time ago, so perhaps this was one of the catalysts? See the teaser below!

From the SaGa franchise EN website, the game will be out in 2020, for both Android and iOS. The brief description is as follows:

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Adventure through the world of Romancing SaGa in a standalone free-to-play mobile RPG! Featuring strategic combat, gorgeous pixel art, and a rich storyline, Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe makes its global debut in 2020! Stay tuned for more details, and enjoy the teaser trailer for now!
COMING TO iOS AND ANDROID DEVICES 2020!
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If you’re unsure of what the game is, here’s what you can expect. The game is a mobile RPG for Android and iOS. It has turn-based battles and explorations, where you control heroes from the Romancing SaGa series! Heroes are summonable with in-game currency. They can be equipped with weapons, armour and accessories. Hero units use skills from their game of origin, definitely appealing to fans!
Heroes gain experience, and can be trained in the Dojo to improve their Style. A hero with differing rarities can access the Style of the other rarity, which gives them a degree of flexibility. While they’re not training, send heroes out to expeditions. They can get items, as well as increasing their own stats.
Polka Lynn Wood’s profile. He is the main character of Romancing SaGa Re;universe.
So how about it? Excited for Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe‘s global release? In the mean time, you could look up Re;univerSe’s JP Twitter and website to see what else you can look forward to in the game. With only a year given, it could be anytime within 2020, but hey, at least more SaGa games will be available in English!
 Download

Romancing SaGa Re;univerSePublisher: Square EnixRelease Date: 2018-12-06Android, iOS
Discover for yourself why the SaGa series is beloved by RPG fans across the world! Beautiful art, unforgettable songs, and a tactical battle system friendly to both casual and hardcore players await you!

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Tags: Romancing SaGaRomancing SaGa Re;UniverseSquare Enix


Grimms Echoes goes live in Japan

Square Enix has just announced the launch of Grimms Echoes its latest RPG for the Android and iOS platforms in Japan. The game had its closed beta last November.

As the next installment Grimms series by Square Enix, the game is set in the same world as the previous Grimms Note world, featuring a new storyline and gameplay.

Due to this, players can expect to see familiar faces make an appearance, such as Alice, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood.
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With regards to gameplay, we are looking at something rather different here. Grimms Echoes is an action-centric game with focus on world exploration. Other RPG tasks such as collecting materials and crafting are present here, and you will be spending a lot of time here improving the combat capabilities of your party.

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Tags: AndroidGrimms EchoesiOSMobileRPGSquare Enix


Prehistoric Planet 2 Shows How Well Non-Dinosaurs Kill Babies Too

It’s no secret that I loved Prehistoric Planet. As someone who grew up on Walking With Dinosaurs, the 5-night spectacle on Apple TV+ had all of the magic, the grandeur and the spectacle that had enraptured me when I was a child.

With that in mind, Prehistoric Planet 2 has a lot to live up to. For one, the spectacle angle just doesn’t really work anymore- the memories of the first season are a lot fresher in our minds compared to the last Big Dinosaur Documentary was when the first season had come out. It’s not easy, but the documentary series would need some sort of hook to give you a reason to take an interest again.

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This of course lead to a big fear with the second season. You see it in a lot of series that have great, well-contained first seasons that suddenly find themselves having extra ones. Suddenly shows about the little things explode in scale, suddenly anyone who had a speaking role gets a dramatic backstory, and every sequel hook is hung upon it a whole pig.
Just Chilling In The BC
And so the ancient Toad proclaimed it was Wednesday, my dudes. | Image Credit: Apple TV+
In the greatest double-bluff I’ve seen in a series, Prehistoric Planet 2 does a good job of keeping this to a minimum. Prehistoric Planet 2 is very good at keeping to the ethos of its first season- it’s a chilled out documentary about the Cretaceous period, period. Every episode features another biome, highlighting its denizens and their quest for survival.
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Admittedly, herein lies the big debate. As a dino nut, I’ve had more than enough Epic Battles of Prehistory that the idea of seeing dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals just chilling out sounds like an ideal documentary. Yes, I know T.Rex had a powerful bite, but what else does it do? It was a huge appeal point of the first season and I’m glad to see it continue here.
On the other hand, does that actually make for great viewing, though? I’ve legitimately wondered how many people in my life would actually go “Heck yeah, dinosaurs!” and watch stories about Azhdarchid dating.
While predation isn’t the primary feature, it’s definitely the highlight of every episode | Image Credit: Apple TV+
That’s not to say nothing bad ever happens- if anything, enough bad things happen in the documentary that I’m convinced the team of scientists behind it took a sense of perverse joy in having Sir David Attenborough calmly narrate what can only be described as an over-eagerness to inflict harm on dinosaur babies. It’s not even trying to outdo season 1- instead Season 2 shows that the baby murder is just part of nature’s life cycle, since it’s much easier game than the adults.
Despite that, there’s a nice feeling of tranquility in the episodes. Yes, every animal is fighting for its survival. But they’re doing so in a rather grounded way- you’re never made to feel like this is that one dire circumstance, rather Sir David is here to remind you that no, this is their regular day-to-day life.
The Greatest Cast of Weirdos
Quite possibly my favorite feature of Prehistoric Planet 2 is its actual exhibit of animals. Admittedly, season 1 had played it pretty safe- animals featured like T.Rex and Velociraptor were all household names, and even other animals could be referred to as “The T.Rex of this region” and the like.
With season 2, though, we’re introduced to what can only be lovingly described as a bunch of weirdos. I genuinely love seeing so many strange species brought to the screen- from the dopy looking Majungasaurus to even non-dinosaur entities like mammals and toads. It’s not just weird ornaments- a lot of the featured animals have very characterful silhouettes, like long, curved snouts to make them stand out from each other.
Image Credit: Apple TV+
It’s not just them looking weird, either. You can tell that the roster selection for this season was educational in and of itself- they’re meant to show you how diverse each family of dinosaurs can truly be. I especially like a particularly large dromaeosaur in one of the later episodes. Considering every relative of Velociraptor has been small and pack-oriented, having the equivalent of a large seagull fighting off others of its kind for the best fishing spot is radically different to anything you’d been shown thus far.
I do have my one complaint with the presentation of Prehistoric Planet 2, though, and that’s that they’d broken an unspoken rule of the first season. It’s no secret that the dinosaurs shown in Prehistoric Planet are actually long dead. In bringing them back to life via CGI, the first season had shown a lot of restraint in shooting it like it was still a wildlife documentary- cameras always feel like either drone shots or the work of scientists in tents with extremely long lenses.
Season 2 noticeably breaks this rule quite a lot. Not enough to be bad, but enough that a pretentious snob like myself would take note of it. On the whole, though, I get that it probably works for the less documentary-fanboy-types. There’s a reason cinematography exists after all, it’s an art about keeping viewers invested. I won’t lie and say I didn’t love a particular shot that seemed to pay homage to Dr Mark Witton’s art– so it’s definitely a case of rule of cool being worth suspending the disbelief.
You’re Gonna Learn
Probably my favorite feature of Season 2 is the companion series, Prehistoric Planet Uncovered. These are short featurettes at the end of every episode, going over the actual science behind key scenes. I like to imagine this had something to do with the radical “T.Rex was a swimmer” scene presented last season, so now you get to actually see the paleontologists defend their ideas.
The feature on Triceratops was especially great at explaining such a weird animal | Image Credit: Apple TV+
Considering the main purpose of documentaries is to educate, this is such a great cap to every episode. A lot of it isn’t even necessarily radical- it’s just explaining that a lot of the “guesses” that go into portraying Prehistoric Planets’ diverse roster of animals are way more informed than you’d expect. The thrill here’s not the answer, it’s the working. To that end, Uncovered is an excellent showcase, comparing prehistory to our modern day for proof of some really cool ideas.
It works well with all of the new species too. After seeing so many unique animals, it’s hard to contain the urge to just go online and read more about them.Just like the first season, the show’s greatest triumph is lighting that spark inside you to want to learn more- as well as executing it in the most stunning way.
Closing Thoughts
None of these babies are safe | Image Credit: Apple TV+
Prehistoric Planet 2 has a lot of the same pitfalls any follow up to a good series would- that is to say, it’s more of the same. That same is excellent, but it’s easy to wonder if there’s anything else that could have been done to kick up the magic of it all. I don’t think so, and I’m quite pleased with what I got.
I think it’s really great to have a dinosaur documentary that looks as good as Prehistoric Planet does and not be entirely driven by the desire to sex everything up for mass appeal. Hunting isn’t usually an epic battle between two titans, a lot of it is unattended babies being snatched away by giant predators, who have their own kids to feed.
That’s not even to say that there isn’t any action either- fans who wanted more T.Rex get it in season 2, in one of the documentary’s biggest highlights. But getting to see these fantastical creatures act like little more than overgrown pheasants is really interesting, and it’s still one of the most unique experiences you can get on Apple TV+.
If you’ve any kind of dinosaur fan in your life, I highly recommend watching Prehistoric Planet with them. It’s charming, it’s beautiful and it absolutely gets the kind of thrill a dinosaur fan would want to see. Admittedly, it can drag on a bit- one episode’s big climax is an Elasmosaurus eating mud. But if you’re a veteran of the first season, I doubt you’re a stranger to that kind of pacing.

Prehistoric Planet is available on Apple TV+ Starting May 22nd. Early access provided by Apple.

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The Review

9
Score

PROS
 One of the most beautiful dinosaur documentaries ever made A lot of non-dinosaur animals you've probably never heard of Celebrates your love of prehistoric animals

CONS
 If you're coming at this totally casual, you'll probably be lost at the pacing

Review Breakdown

Prehistoric Planet 2
0

Tags: Apple TVPrehistoric PlanetPrehistoric Planet 2


Arknights, Clash of Clans get 1-star reviews thanks to Genshin Impact anniversary

Genshin Impact players have lashed out over its 1st anniversary event by review bombing the game and even Honkai Impact 3rd. However, in a bizarre turn of events, even non-miHoYo games like Arknights and Clash of Clans are also getting 1-star reviews, citing Genshin Impact as the reason. Note that these strange reviews are only a tiny minority—the bulk of the negative reviews are still on Genshin Impact‘s store page.

Arknights is a tower defense game published by Yostar. The game has no connections with Genshin Impact, other than sharing the similarities of being a Chinese gacha game. However, that didn’t stop a handful of Play Store users from leaving 1-star reviews, such as the following:

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The reviews above appear to be taking jabs at miHoYo’s handling of the 1st anniversary event for Genshin Impact. Clash of Clans also had a few similar reviews left by what seems to be trolls:
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UPDATE: Punishing Gray Raven also suffered a few 1-star reviews over the same reason:

UPDATE 2: Twitter user @AkGoingPlaces compiled a growing list of games apparently getting 1-star reviews due to Genshin Impact. Even Google Classroom, an app that isn’t even a game, suffered the same treatment.
Review bombing is a practice that isn’t only limited to games. Movies and all kinds of products have faced the anger of the internet before. However, leaving negative reviews like this on games and apps that have nothing to do with miHoYo is certainly a bizarre move. While we won’t be surprised if Google Play Store takes down these reviews, it just goes to show that the internet can be a pretty wild place.
Ed. Note: While we at GamerBraves support everyone’s right to freedom of speech, we do hope that it is exercised reasonably.

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Tags: ArknightsClash of ClansGenshin ImpactHonkai Impact 3rd


Respawn Entertainment is working on 3 new Star Wars games

Respawn Entertainment, the developer of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, is working on a new entry in the series alongside 2 Star Wars games. Besides the new Star Wars Jedi game, these 2 new titles from Respawn Entertainment include a strategy game and a first-person shooter.

The new Star Wars Jedi game will be directed by Stig Asmussen. Asmussen was also the director of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The unannounced Star Wars FPS will be directed by Peter Hirschman.

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As for the new Star Wars strategy game, it will be directed by Greg Foertsch and will be developed by Bit Reactor. Bit Reactor is a new studio comprised of developers who worked on Firaxis Games’ XCOM series.
At the time of writing, not much is known about these new titles, other than the fact that they’re still in development. Only time will tell what platforms they’ll be on.
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According to Douglas Reilly, VP of Lucasfilm Games:

“We are excited to continue working with the superbly talented teams at Respawn. They have demonstrated excellence in telling epic Star Wars stories along with best-in-class gameplay across different genres and we are looking forward to bringing more amazing experiences to the galaxy far, far away.”
Sean Shoptaw, SVP of Walt Disney Games said:
“Building on the previous successes of our EA relationship, this new collaboration highlights the trust and mutual respect shared between the world-class teams at EA, Respawn, and Lucasfilm Games. Fostered by the expertise and passion within each team, we will create thrilling original games for diverse audiences across the Star Wars galaxy.”
You can read the full announcement over on the official Star Wars website. Previously, Lucasfilm Games also announced Star Wars: Eclipse, a game set in the High Republic era, is currently in development.

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Tags: Respawn EntertainmentStar WarsStar Wars Jedi


Bloody Chain now available for Android and iOS

Fans of BL rejoice, as DMM has announced the start of service for Bloody Chain, which has been ported over from the browser for the mobile.

Bloody Chain is the branchild of Mito Izumi, the author behind several hit BL light novels. Famous male voice actors are feature here, although they use pseudonyms.

As far as the plot is concerned, an alien race known as the Ogre is at the verge of destroying humanity. Despite seemingly impossible, young men are continuing the fight to defeat the Ogre.  Teams comprise of pairs of top and bottom which players can assign accordingly. Theme appropriateness aside, knowing who to pair will be imperative as each character have their own unique set of skills and abilities.
Players of the browser version will be able to transfer their safe to the mobile port, although the inverse cannot be done, so take that into consideration.
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Tags: AndroidBloody ChainDMMiOSRPG


Splatoon Island: A Nintendo mobile game that’s too good to be true

On April Fools day, a Youtuber posted an announcement trailer for Splatoon Island as a joke. It has since received a number of likes, comments and mixed feelings as well. By the way, Splatoon Island is depicted as a Nintendo mobile game where adult Inklings can also have fun.

In the trailer, we can see adult Inklings enjoying sunny walks by the beach resort, playing mini games, the night life and getting their looks customized.

Moreover, the best part of the game is adult Inklings can even form relationships between one another.
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However, no matter how good and tempting it looks, it ultimately is still an April Fools joke that is shown at the end of the trailer.

Still, there are some out there holding on to as little hope there is with one fan saying “Remember people, Pokemon Go was an April Fools prank too. WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE!”. Also, there are some fans feeling excited and sad at the same time because of how real the trailer is.
Credits to the ones who came out with the trailer, they really did fooled Splatoon fans from around the world. Will Splatoon Island be a prank or will it come true, only time will tell. What are your thoughts? Let us know down the comments!

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Tags: AndroidApril FoolsiOSJokeMobileNintendoPrankSplatoonSplatoon Island


Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown celebrates second anniversary with free updates

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Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown celebrated its second anniversary on 17 January 2021, with commemorative free updates releasing 19 January 2021. Check out the trailer below for the goods!

Enjoy the gameplay with a total of 10 different aircraft skins, including the Glowing Skin that makes your aircraft glow brilliantly, along with previous protagonist and comrades aircraft skins from the ACE COMBAT™ series.

10 new emblems, including a newly designed trigger emblem, will be added. In addition, this title has sold over 2.5 million units worldwide, and to commemorate this milestone, an illustration has been released on the website.
Details on released contents are as follows:
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10 new skins

X-02S Glowing Skin
F-22A Phoenix Skin
F-4E Mobius Skin
F-15E Garuda Skin
ASF-X Ridgebacks Skin
F-16C Crow Skin
Su-37 Scarface Skin
Typhoon UPEO Skin
F-22A Gryphus Skin
Su-37 UPEO Skin

10 new emblems

25th Anniversary Nugget -Mobius 1-
25th Anniversary Nugget -Yellow 13-
ACE COMBAT 7 2nd Anniversary
Shooter (emblem)
Spooky (emblem)
Falco (emblem)
UNF, UNICS, Arrows (Low-Vis)
Falco

If you are curious about the game, you can check out our review of it here. Basically, it delivers the ﬁercest air combat experience ever created through photorealistic visuals, intense dog-ﬁghting action, a multitude of authentic and futuristic aircraft to ﬂy, an immersive storyline, and even virtual reality!
Happy second anniversary to you, Ace Combat 7!

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Tags: Ace CombatAce Combat 7: Skies UnknownBandai Namco Entertainment


Judgment PS5 Review – Did the remaster do justice?

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio keeps the hype for the Yakuza spinoff series alive by remastering Judgment for the PS5, so here’s our review for it. As a remaster of 2018’s Judgment (Judge Eyes in Japan), expect the game’s content to be pretty much the same, bar graphical and performance differences.

As a result, this review will not be an in-depth look at Judgment for the PS5. Rather, I will merely be highlighting the changes from the PS4 version. If you are keen on learning about the story and gameplay of Judgment, I suggest reading our old review first before proceeding with this PS5 game review.

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With that out of the way, it is time to judge Judgment (pun intended)!

Left: Graphics on PS4 | Right: Graphics on PS5
Judge Eyes Candy
Judgment is already a rather decent looking game on the PS4, but thanks to the wonders of technology and better hardware, the PS5 version looks noticeably better. I especially enjoy the visual changes on the character models. Granted, they are still the same, but the difference in skin tone, hair and facial expressions really bumped up the realism.
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Also, lighting effects are a lot more natural on the PS5 version. Not only does this make the characters look better, the environments as a whole are also amazing to look at. Getting lost in Kamurocho a second time around is still a wonderful experience.

Performance Review
It may look better, but does it run better?
The answer is yes. In fact, the biggest problem I had with the PS4 version was its long loading times. The remaster fixes this issue completely. The PS5’s SSD proves its worth once again, with load times cut from double digits to single seconds, which really makes the gameplay experience smoother.

The load times were not the only thing that got smoother. Frame rates also got a boost. The game maintains a steady 60FPS without any noticeably drops whatsoever.

DLC, anyone?
Unfortunately, Judgment Remastered does not have any of the game’s DLC. If you wish to get the full Judgment experience, then I highly recommend getting the Digital Deluxe Edition which comes with the “All-In-One Pack” DLC.

It includes all the DLC from the original, such as:

Detective Life Fun Pack
Play Spot Fun Pack
Ultimate Battle Pack
Girlfriend Present Pack

If anything, get it for the Girlfriend Present Pack. Trust me, it is worth it.

Closing Thoughts
Simping aside, with better graphics and performance, is there anything else to mention? Personally, it is a pet peeve for me that there is no option to transfer my save data from the PS4 version to the PS5 version. As a result, players who have made some progress on their PS4 will need to start from scratch if they want to get the remaster.
As a result, I highly recommend the PS5 remaster if you have never played the original. If you somehow already own the super rare console, then by all means, buy it! Furthermore, with the sequel coming out in September later this year, might as well hop on the Judgment train. However, if you already have the PS4 version and you are fine with it, then I feel you are not missing out on much if you are not getting the remaster.

JudgmentPublisher: SegaDeveloper: Ryu Ga Gotoku StudioRelease Date: 2018-12-13PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox Series X|S
From the team that brought you the critically acclaimed Yakuza series comes Judgment, a gritty tale of disgraced attorney Takayuki Yagami in his quest for redemption. Haunted by his past, he takes up arms as a private detective, clawing his way through Kamurocho’s underground crime network to investigate a string of grisly murders. In this psychological thriller, the balance between justice and mercy teeters on the edge.

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Tags: JudgmentRyu ga Gotoku StudioSEGA


Blue Protocol Will Launching In Early Spring 2023

Bandai Namco announced that the MMO game Blue Protocol will launch in the spring of 2023.

Along with the game’s release date, they also announced a Network Test that will be held from January 14th to January 16, 2023. To participate in this Network Test, can register from today until December 13, 2022.

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The news was announced during a live stream that you can watch below:

This test will be used in order to further improve the game before the full launch. If it goes well, Bandai Namco Entertainment will likely reveal a more accurate launch date in the future. Only a maximum of 50K participants will be allowed to take part in the beta test.
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Blue Protocol is an MMORPG game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Taking place on the planet Regnus, the world of Blue Protocol is filled with mysterious lights known as Engrams. The story also involves The Bafarians, a once proud ancient civilization that has now been relegated to myths and dilapidated ruins.
In-game, you can choose between four classes, namely Aegis Fighter, Twin Striker, Blast Archer, and Spellcaster. It is likely that many more classes will be introduced by the developer after the game fully launches.
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Blue Protocol will be released for PC in 2023.

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Tags: Bandai Namco EntertainmentBlue Protocol


Monster Hunter G Seemingly Accidentally Listed For PC

Capcom seems to have accidentally listed Monster Hunter G for PC on their website, leading to some speculation that the original Monster Hunter was going to see a Steam release.

It’s not like it would have been the first time the game has been re-released- Monster Hunter G is itself the G-rank re-release of the original Monster Hunter, and the game did find its way to the Nintendo Wii in 2009, 4 years after its release on the PlayStation 2.

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That being said, the listing has since been removed from the website. Capcom hasn’t clarified if the listing was a mistake was just an error, or a hint of ports to come.

Capcom has had a good go on PC lately, with their latest financial report namedropping Resident Evil Village, Monster Hunter Stories 2 as well as Monster Hunter Rise as titles driving up their sales.
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While those were all multiplatform releases, Stories 2 was the first Monster Hunter Stories game to launch on Steam simultaneously, unlike Monster Hunter Rise which will only be getting its PC release next year.
That being said, they didn’t go into specifics of exactly how many of Stories’ sales came from its PC launch.
“As a result, high-margin digital sales continued to increase and total sales volume reached 19.8 million units, exceeding the 13.8 million units in sales of the same period of the previous fiscal year, thus driving up profits”, they said generally of their digital sales department.

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Tags: CapcomMonster Hunter


No More Heroes 3 Review – A Fitting End For The Crownless King

2021 for me, is truly the year of long-awaited sequels. NEO TWEWY, Ace Attorney Chronicles, SMTV, Metroid Dread, and the topic of today No More Heroes 3. Developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and directed by Suda51, No More Heroes 3 sees the end of the adventures of otaku-turned-assassin Travis Touchdown.

Suda has said that this is going to be the last No More Heroes game, at least for a long time, and if that is the case, I’m ok with that. No More Heroes 3 is a great game that takes much of what worked with the previous entries and brings the crownless king one last hurrah. If Travis is taking a break, it’s a break well earnt.

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Galactic Superhero Rankings
The plot of No More Heroes 3 can best be summed up with this lovely little trailer for the game that played at the VGAs a couple of years back.

So yeah, Aliens are invading. Utopinia Corporation CEO Damon Riccitiello (totally no relation to John Riccitiello, former CEO of EA who was in charge when Suda51 was working with them to make Shadows of The Damned) is meeting with his childhood friend, the alien prince Fu. Fu along with his new prison buddies decides that they’re going to become superheroes, and by superheroes, he means to take over the world.
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The only person who can challenge him is otaku assassin Travis Touchdown, coming out of retirement to defend his city and get revenge for his friends. From here, the game follows the basic plot of Travis making his way through a list of assassins in an episodic format complete with a retro-style anime/tokusatsu opening and ending at the end of each chapter. It does a good job of getting you in the mood for the strange ride ahead.

The No More Heroes 3 plot is a riot. It very much maintains the punk atmosphere that Suda is so well known for. From the menus to the writing, it creates a vibe of retro otaku culture with in-jokes, changing art styles, and even entire sections of the game dedicated to the odd gag and it mostly pays off. Its dialogue and parody are well written and underly some genuinely funny satire. I laughed out loud while playing the game several times.
“But It’s Even More Fun If You Played The Prequels First”
It is important to mention though if you want to get to full emotional payoff for No More Heroes 3, you really need to play the previous three entries in the series, No More Heroes, No More Heroes 2: Desperate struggle, and Travis Strikes Again (which are all available on Switch).
Wanna know who these are? Play The Previous games.
You can still play this one and enjoy it however several characters return and go through development from the past installments and the game make no effort to explain who they are. It expects you to already know them and why they matter from seeing them before. As someone who played the previous games, that was no problem and I enjoyed seeing so many characters return and evolve but for someone new, I can see it being really confusing.
As with all Grasshopper games, it is also full of references to their previous works like The Silver Case or The 25th Ward. You don’t really need to play these as they only amount to some cute easter eggs but it’s a bit of extra fun if you have.
Back Into the Garden of Insanity

No More Heroes 3 is a hack-and-slash game. The basic controls include a light attack, heavy attack, dodge roll, and jump. Once your enemy’s health is gone, you are allowed to perform a fatal blow with a button or motion command, cutting their head off in a gruesome yet stylish display of gore. It’s extremely satisfying when you pull it off, especially with the Switch’s rumble pack giving that final hit some extra crunch. Doing so will also activate a slot machine which could give you a random power-up like brief invisibility or increased attack power.
Be careful though as using too much of the heavy attack will more quickly deplete your katana’s battery life which you’ll have to recharge, which includes performing a certain up and down motion.

In all seriousness though, charging can leave you wide open for the attack so it’s important to time your hits well so that you don’t waste battery. The game does however also give you a special doge. Hit the dodge button just before an attack and Travis not only dodges but time slows down, letting you get some extra hits in.

The combat is further fleshed out with the use of melee wrestling moves which can be performed on an enemy when they’re dizzy to restore battery for the katana. There are also the new Death Drive skill moves that allow Travis to do special attacks like a kick that can break an enemy’s block. They’re pretty op and can really turn the tide of battle. These however also require time to recharge so use them wisely.
It is nowhere near as in-depth as say, a character action game like Devil May Cry, it’s more of a casual kinda fun. The game uses a heavy emphasis on sound and graphics to make each attack feel powerful and as previously mentioned that satisfaction of loping an enemy’s head off or drop-kicking a katana-wielding alien across the room is second to none.
The game however is a bit on the easy side. I played it on normal mode and between all the different attack options it’s not too hard to keep one step ahead of the game. I don’t think that’s a bad thing as NHM is a series that prides itself more on presentation and writing than actual gameplay but for those looking for a challenge, go straight to spicy mode.
The Rankings

This of course takes us to the game’s bosses. These are the highlights of the game. Design-wise, they’re not as memorable as NMH1 or 2s bosses but they make up for that with the sheer variety and playfulness of the battles.

Each one brings something new to the battle and the parodies of usual video game mechanics are brilliant. One battle involves a game of musical chairs to the death, another involves a mock RPG battle, and let’s just say there’s a fun surprise waiting for you in the final fight too. No spoilers but it’s definitely one for the books.
Getting That Entry Fee

Outside of the combat, NMH3 also brings back the open world and side job mechanics from the first game meaning you have to gain enough money to pay to enter the boss fights. This was one of the criticized aspects of the first NMH but I think it’s been improved.
There are a lot more things to do including extra story skits to unlock, weapons to upgrade at home, and more t-shirts to get as achievements. Driving also doesn’t handle as badly as the Wii version although the map can be confusing at times. Sometimes you’d head to an area on the map and it’ll be hard to find the area you’re actually supposed to go to.
The general overworld graphics are also a little on the fuzzy side, likely as a result of needing to get the game on the Switch. It’s far from unplayable, in fact, several levels look incredibly colorful and creative, especially during boss battles and in one section of the city that looks straight out of Mad Max, but you do wish it could look a little sharper.
“Designated Matches”
One thing that is different in this game is that instead of undergoing a level with enemies before the boss like in the previous games, you now have “designated matches” scattered around the overworld. These are quick fights in one room full of enemies. You have to beat around three of them to qualify for the ranked match.
I’m mixed about these. Getting rid of the levels seems like it would take away the fun of exploring new areas especially as they helped set the tone of the last few games. On the other hand levels in the old games could get repetitive with the same few enemies reappearing often so it could be a good thing that NMH3 cuts the fat and turns the grunt work into more short bursts of fun. I think I’d still proper levels since it means less busy work around the map but I can see the mindset as to why it’s like this.
The designated matches also help with earning money for the entry fee. A lot of people didn’t like being forced to do the mini-games to get enough money for the actual levels in NHM1. Here, each designated match gives you money so by the time you’re done, you’ll probably have almost the amount you need for the fee. There are even bonus matches to earn you more cash, so if you really don’t want to mow someone’s lawn, unclog toilets, or play with your cat (why wouldn’t you though) you don’t have to.

Personally, I like doing the part-time jobs since they’re just a nice break from the combat and the mini-games aren’t too bad however I like that the game gives you different options for different people’s playstyles.
The Crownless King

Finally, let’s talk a bit about Travis Touchdown as a character in the game. I recently did another NHM article analyzing Travis in NMH1 as an extreme representation of gamers and gaming culture. I won’t go super in-depth here but it’s interesting seeing the parallels between Travis and the new villain of the game FU.

Fu is a great villain partly because he’s so reminiscent of Travis from NMH1. Much like old Travis, he is selfish and egotistical, he claims to want to be a badass superhero but really his goals are more about wanting power and glory. Like Travis before, for Fu, the rankings and invasion are a game and his superhero persona is a superficial charade based on what he’s seen in the media. He even has some pretty similar lines to Travis in the first game.

This makes it interesting seeing him go up against the Travis of NMH3 with three games worth of development. Travis is still a perverted otaku living in a motel but he has also grown far more mature. He now fights for things that actually matter, his friends, his family, and his planet. It’s made clear through the cutscenes and some of the side stories that he truly values the people in his life. I especially love how every time Sylvia shows up after a match to encourage him to keep killing but he just wants to talk with her about their kids.
It’s even shown he doesn’t want to murder other assassins anymore, only doing so because of the alien invasion. He does as far as to point out that despite all his power Fu is just a naive idiot who doesn’t understand anything beyond indulging in violence.

In confronting Fu, it feels like Travis is confronting his previous self, the superhero-obsessed loser he used to be. I guess you could say, in fighting Fu, Travis kills the past. If this really is the last NMH game, I feel it’s a fitting ending for Travis Touchdown.
Final Thoughts

No More Heroes 3 is a fantastic conclusion to the series. It continues the punk otaku atmosphere of the series with creative new boss fights, hilarious comedy baked into the gameplay, and a fitting script for Travis’s final adventure.
Like the previous entries, it is an acquired taste, the graphics and overworld can be divisive and confusing. Suda’s games however have always been an acquired taste that not everyone is going to enjoy. But as a long-time fan of the series, I can safely say I’m satisfied. Till we meet again Travis.

No More Heroes 3Publisher: Marvelous IncDeveloper: Grasshopper Manufacture IncRelease Date: 2021-08-27Nintendo Switch
Fight your way to the top of the Galactic Superhero Rankings

The legendary assassin Travis Touchdown makes his glorious return to the Madness in the No More Heroes 3 game, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch system!

The evil Prince FU and his band of alien assassins are itching to conquer Earth, and the only thing standing in their way is Travis Touchdown and his crew. Armed with his trusty Beam Katana, new tech, and some killer wrestling moves, Travis must battle to the top of the Galactic Superhero Rankings and put an end to the invasion.

Experience the latest punk-rock, off-the-wall adventure from SUDA51 and the minds of Grasshopper Manufacture!

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The Review

                    No More Heroes 3

80%
Score

PROS
 Good writing and a fitting end to the series Gameplay is satisfying and versatile  The punk otaku aesthetic is charming and gives the game its own identity.

CONS
 Graphics could have been a little cleaner The game can be confusing for newcomers

Review Breakdown

80%
0%

Tags: Grasshopper ManufactureMarvelousNo More HeroesNo More Heroes 3


Get Your Job In The Gaming Industry With CareerBraves

A new job-hunting website, CareerBraves, has just launched. The website is a partnership between Digital Braves Media Group, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Singapore Games Association (SGGA).

In a press statement, they said that the goal of the site was “focusing on consolidating gaming jobs from Singapore and Malaysia on one convenient portal for interested parties to apply, or advertise for positions to find the right fit for the team”.

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Matching Good Employees With Employers Who Need Them
According to Sean Lim, CEO of Digital Braves Media Group and Founder of CareerBraves, the website aims to connect specific talents with the employers that need them.
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“Hiring, and hiring right, has always been an issue for the gaming industry,” Lim says. “By establishing CareerBraves, I believe we can start solving the problem. With more features in the future, we can make life easier for both job seekers and recruiters.”
Mohan Low, Head of Digital Creative Content, Digital Creative Content at MDEC says the website is part of MDEC’s plans to develop the gaming industry in Malaysia.
“We believe that Careerbraves will be a useful resource to help grow the games industry. It aligns with MDEC’s goals to make this growing sector easily accessible to all digital talents within Malaysia, be it supporting game developers or anyone seeking positions within the industry to tap on the potential available in the region.” he says.
Meanwhile, Gwen Guo, Chairperson of the SSGA also notes that consolidating listings from Malaysia and Singapore into one website will only increase the opportunities available to jobseekers.
“CareerBraves is a much-needed portal which consolidates gaming jobs from Singapore and Malaysia into one place, making it convenient for job-seekers to browse and find relevant opportunities in these countries. We hope that this will facilitate better job matching for companies to find the right talent for their needs”, she says.

Jobs Making And Writing About Games
The website is targeting a thousand listings by January 2021, and currently features openings for studios like Ubisoft Singapore, as well as media sites like Wanuxi and GamerSantai. It also features several listings for SIE Worldwide Studios.
The website’s listings feature all the necessary requirements for the jobs, as well as additional instructions to help with your application. Each listing also has tags, so you can search based on the relevant tags you want.

Full Disclosure: GamerBraves is a company under Digital Braves Media Group, along with sister-sites Wanuxi and Gamer Santai.

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Tags: CareerBravesMDECSSGA


Kaiser – A New Mobile MMORPG by Nexon!

Nexon KR has recently made a revelation of their new and upcoming mobile game – Kaiser. Kaiser is a mobile MMORPG will be another Korean MMO style with an open world concept. Currently revealed to us are the basic 4 classes; Warrior, Archer, Mage and Assassin. The game also offers a large-scale PvP and there could be a GvG content later in the updates.

Check out the teaser trailer:

Kaiser will be having their closed beta soon in South Korea and it is only available for Android devices. Players can now register in their official website. There are also 2 CBT Missions at the end of the page which will reward players in-game by completing the procedures. Hopefully the game will be released for the global market as well since they look really promising.

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Source: 2P

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Tags: AndroidClosed Beta TestiOSKaiserMobileMobile MMORPGNexonPre-registration


MSI Vector GP68 HX 13VE Review: Great Power At The Cost of Great Battery

The MSI Vector GP68 HX 13VE in many ways feels like the quintessential gaming laptop. It has some of the best functionality for PC gaming, it’s powerful, has a good display, and runs most AAA titles at a crisp resolution and smooth frame rate.

That being said it also has a lot of the trappings of many gaming laptops, with an incredibly short battery life and a bulky design that lacks portability despite being a laptop. Whether the advantages overcome the drawbacks is up to you, but there’s still a lot of value for what’s on offer.

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Here are the devices’ basic specs:

13th Gen Intel Core i7 13700HX 2.10 GHz Processor
GeForce RTX™ 4050 Laptop GPU
Storage 2TB
RAM 32GB
16″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200), 165Hz Refresh Rate
Per-Key RGB gaming keyboard by SteelSeries

Design

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Many gaming laptops have a flashy design with lots of RGB lights with the Vector GP68 HX MSI has made an effort to tone them down. This is especially evident in the all-black design while retaining the sharp angular shape at the top and back along with showing off the cool ventilation system. The Black color also complements those designs and gives this laptop a stealthier appearance.
Being such a powerful laptop, it’s a pretty big and heavy machine with almost desktop-class-performing components inside. The machine weighs in at about 2.67 kg and has the following dimensions: 357 x 284.05 x 22.20 x 28.55 mm. Additionally, it also means there’s enough room for ports.
There are ports on the left and right sides, as well as the back, just like most gaming laptops. For me, the Vector GP68 HX has the widest range of I/O ports to accommodate any type of peripheral, accessory, or output for a display, giving us maximized flexibility in using the laptop.

1x Type-C (USB3.2 Gen2 / DisplayPort)
1x Type-C (USB / DisplayPort / Thunderbolt™ 4)
1x Type-C (USB3.2 Gen2 / DisplayPort) with PD charging
1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1
1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2
1x SD Express Card Reader
1x HDMI™ 2.1 (8K @ 60Hz / 4K @ 120Hz)
1x RJ45

Other cables include a Gb LAN (Up to 2.5G), 802.11 axes Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth v5.3
Take care when holding the lid, though. It easily picks up oil and fingerprints from my hands. I also learned that the laptop is not fully aluminum. The Vector GP86’s bottom is made of plastic. I had anticipated all aluminum, but given the numerous ventilation holes at the bottom, I can see how this plastic material might aid in cooling.
Keyboard and trackpad

A gaming laptop isn’t complete without an RGB keyboard and I was happy to see it here, complementing the exterior minimalist design. The power button, arrow keys, and WASD keys all have translucent keycaps, giving the keyboard a futuristic appearance and allowing users to see the key even when playing in low light.
The keyboard layout (made by SteelSeries) was created with gamers in mind. With enlarged arrow keys and control keys, that can be pressed more comfortably while playing and working.
MSI has also cooperated with SteelSeries for the software. Using the SteelSeries GG software, gamers can customize the color of the PerKey RGB keyboard and provide a fully customizable Macro Key that could launch certain functions or applications, or shortcuts of serial actions in games, which effectively saves a lot of time hitting double keys or even triple keys.
Moreover, the Game Sense in SteelSeries GG software will show the real-time status on the keyboard like the health, and the bullets left in selected game titles. If your HP is low, then your keyboard will also change to red to indicate danger.
The trackpad under the keyboard, however, is way too big. You’ll never run out of room when scrolling through web pages however because it’s so big, it might be a problem for users with smaller hands who might find it unwieldy and accidentally touch it by accident. It’s a minor issue but worth keeping in mind.
Display and sound

The MSI Vector GP86 is not a laptop that is focused on HD visuals. Alternatively, it puts speed before everything else with the resolution being only 16″ FHD+(1920 x 1200), 165Hz, IPS-level, and 16:9 aspect ratio.
Having a refresh rate of up to 165Hz makes the display excellent. In FPS games, I experienced incredibly fast response times. While playing open-world action games, everything appeared to be very alive on the screen, and my actions were instantly and accurately reflected on the screen.
Unfortunately, the laptop’s multimedia capabilities are lacking. I watched some YouTube videos, and the pictures lacked a lot of details. It was not nearly as sharp as I wanted it to feel. This laptop’s 1080p panel is better for fast-paced gaming than it is for productivity.
Moving on down to the 2x 2W stereo speakers, they produced a great, accurate sound. The speakers are clear and loud enough for most environments, but there’s little bass present. Accompanied by the loud fans (I’ll explain below), it’s not the most comfortable. I would suggest just picking up one of the best gaming headsets to get the best audio you can.
Gaming Performance

The standout feature of the MSI Vector GP86 HX is its performance. It offers insane CPU and GPU specifications which includes 13th Gen Intel Core i7 13700HX 2.10 GHz, RTX 4050 graphics card, 32GB of physical DDR4-3200 RAM, and 2TB of storage.
Those are some of the most powerful latest-generation chips and seem like overkill for gaming at 1080p resolution but that’s what we want, absolute performance. The laptop excels in giving players a high-fidelity performance at a smooth framerate.
I tested the laptop with three graphic-intensive games: Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Hogwarts Legacy, and Dying Light 2. Here are the game results:

Spider-Man: Miles Morales: Min FPS = 62FPS, Avg FPS = 79FPS, Max FPS = 90FPS
Hogwarts Legacy: Min FPS = 42FPS, Avg FPS = 50FPS, Max FPS = 59FPS
Dying Light 2: Min FPS = 41FPS, Avg FPS = 52FPS, Max FPS = 59FPS

All three games ran super smooth with all the settings turned up to the highest possible at 1080p, I got results that were on par with console quality, no dropped frames, and super smooth gameplay.
Battery and Thermal

The MSI Vector GP68 HX includes a 4-Cell, 90 Whr battery, and 330W adapter. But like with many gaming laptops, there’s always a problem.
The laptop uses a lot of power, which makes productivity even worse. With the screen at extremely low brightness, and set to a battery-optimized setting, I hardly made it to 4 hours of continuous productivity. Gaming on the battery was even worse. It only lasted about an hour before I had to recharge. Without intensive labor, I bet it can reach 6-7 hours of battery life. As such you’ll always need it plugged into a charger whenever you’re using it for games.
That being said, despite how powerful the laptop is, it never got hot. not even warm. Whatever cooling system the MSI Vector GP68 HX is using, it works. I did some research and found that MSI added dedicated thermals for both the CPU and GPU, with two fans and six heat pipes. The heat pipe which is attached to both CPU and GPU can overall improve the thermal capability, especially for releasing our gaming performance! With MSI Cooler Boost 5, we can game longer at max output.
But there’s always a con. The fans are super loud when you toggle on “extreme” performance mode, although the noise can be toned down a bit with Smart Auto and Silent modes but it’s still bothersome overall.
Additional gaming features

The exclusive MSI Center helps you control and customize your MSI laptop the way you want. In “Performance Analysis”, you will get the usage rate of CPU, Discrete GPU, RAM, and Disk, and analyze the performance status. In “Hardware Diagnosis”, you can check the status of the hardware and find the problem that you may face.
The “Smart Auto” features detect the current scenario by AI calculation, and automatically adjust the system into different modes, offering the best suitable experience. For example, the “Smart Auto” will actively sense the game is launched, and automatically switch to Extreme Performance Mode, enhancing system performance for a better gaming experience.
Then, there’s MSI App Player which is an Android emulator that was developed by MSI and BlueStacks, which could be used to download and run the Apps from Google Play store through your MSI laptop.
You could play Android games by mouse and keyboard and through the latest version, you’re able to play by the controller through Console Mode. The full-screen interface makes every game much sharper and since we are playing it on PC, the graphics all get pushed to High so you can play games like Genshin with no problems whatsoever.
Closing Thoughts

The MSI Vector GP86 XH offers gamers a lot of what they want in terms of gaming performance, a great keyboard, a fast stable 165hz display, and a super cool thermal solution. Of course, it isn’t perfect. The battery life is short, and fan noises are loud but all these are common problems with high-end gaming laptops.
If you can acknowledge its few drawbacks, the rest of the package offered is solid and delivers an excellent experience. With this kind of specs insurance, you won’t have to worry about changing laptops for a long time.

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