Bless Unleashed: Closed Beta Announced, New Trailer

The second closed beta test for the highly anticipated MMORPG game, Bless Unleashed, will officially begin this Thursday (11th July) at 10:00A.M PDT and will end on Monday (15th July) at 10:00A.M PDT.

Described by Bandai Namco as ‘the premier next-generation MMORPG’, the game was specifically developed for mature audiences. Bless Unleashed takes players on a multiplayer journey of epic proportions across a “vibrant persistent world, and tasks the brave with battling– and surviving– vicious, lethal mothers that inhabit this untamed landscape.”

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Described as a next-generation MMORPG, the game was developed for mature audiences.
According to the announcement on the game’s official website, the closed beta test will have a level cap of 22, and players can now take on several dungeons, as well as go toe-to-toe with arena bosses.
In this closed beta, players will also have access to various Dungeons such as the 5-Player Kobold Laid (Level 18) and Happy Queen’s Nest (Level 22) as well as many 2-Player Arena Challenges such as the Holy Maiden of Light (Level 5), Emperor of Roots (Level 10), Mercenary Remnos (Level 15), and Gnoll Chiefs (Level 20).
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Face off daunting mythical bosses in adrenaline-filled fights.
According to the announcement on the game’s official website, participants of the previous closed beta test will be automatically included in the upcoming closed beta test.
New users keen on joining the upcoming Bless Unleashed closed beta test can join by following the simple-to-follow steps on the game’s official website here.
Along with the official announcement, game publisher Bandai Namco released a new trailer– stirring excitement among eager fans of the free-to-play, game– which is expected to be due for Xbox One some time in the third quarter of 2019.
Check out the trailer for Bless Unleashed: Dungeons and Bosses below!

At the moment, there is still no definitive news if Bless Unleashed will be made available for the PS4 console anytime soon– but the MMORPG was apparently rated for PS4 in Brazil some time in March of this year.

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Tags: BANDAI NAMCObless unleashedClosed BetaConsoledungeons and bossesfantasyGamingMMORPGMultiplayerregisterTrailerXbox One


Black Knight Review – A Solid Adaptation That Catches Your Breath

Black Knight is a South Korean series airing on Netflix which is a live-action adaptation of Lee Yun-kyun’s Webtoon Delivery Knight. The series is directed by Cho Ui-seok who’s best known for his works with Cold Eyes (2013) and Master (2016).

Image Credit: Netflix
Gasping for Air
Set in a dystopian version of Korea devastated by air pollution, the survival of humanity depends on your not so average delivery men called the Black Knights. This devastation had wiped out the majority of the Korean population, which results in the survivors to wear respirators and rely on the Black Knights to provide them with supplies such as fresh oxygen in order to survive.

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Image Credit: Netflix
Before moving exclusively to WEBTOON, the webseries was initially published under the name Taekbaegisa (Delivery Knight) which started back in 2016 and ended in 2019. I enjoyed my time with the original title, so when I heard that there was a Netflix adaptation, needless to say I was interested.
Despite only having six episodes, Black Knight was able to include in the majority of the Webtoon’s intriguing core elements. However, there were actually many changes made to the overall plot and storyline. The biggest change is Sa-wol, who was originally a regular female office worker in the Webtoon, is now a male military major in the adaptation.
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Image Credit: Webtoon
Since I’m usually a stickler for the original source materials when it comes to adaptations, I was looking for flaws. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t stick to the original material, and because of these modifications, even the order of events were altered. Fortunately, these numerous changes that were made had paid off, and I was thoroughly invested in the series.
The series is full of amazing story-building, action, and suspense even without following the original work. Black Knights also tackle some of the many problems that our society is currently dealing with such as Human rights crises, the Society Caste system, pollution, human trafficking and police brutality, just to name a few. It doesn’t feel purely Sci-Fi as the events of the series was able to add hints of realism in its storytelling.
Image Credit: Netflix
However, it’s not to say that Black Knight is a perfect series as it definitely has its flaws. The pacing of the show felt off with it’s slow start and a hurried conclusion. The final three episodes had the impression of being to rush, which resulted in the actions or decisions made by various characters in the series feel very left field.
A Dystopian Wasteland
Black Knight manages to deliver Hollywood-levels of visuals, where the action depicted on-screen were definitely the series’ strongest point. The FX team Westworld is made up of the same individuals who previously produced some of the major hits like Sweet Home and Squid Game; and their talent is evident through their visualisation of the world’s original design.
In addition to the visual effects, the attention to detail makes it simple for the audience to distinguish between the various locations shown throughout the show.
Image Credit: Netflix
People in the General District live in homes built in rows and receive oxygen and supplies delivered to them. Meanwhile the Core District is designated to grow plants, and is the only green filled room in this barren world. The Special District is below ground levels away from all the destrcution and is where those select few are housed. Lastly, the poor and urban areas are the Refugee District. We got to see how different the district are from one another because of the various environments associated with the various social classes.
The CGI team did a great job of portraying a post-apocalyptic world with ruins and arid deserts given how beautiful Korean is. Such examples being the N Seoul Tower being cut in half, a deserted Gwanghwamun neighbourhood, and Gangnam road lined with crumbling structures to depict a desolate Seoul.
Image Credit: Netflix
While the original webtoon was focused more on storytelling rather than world-building, so I was curious to see how the Netflix adaptation would translate the series to live-action, and the different story format. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to fully appreciate the world that the characters of the series lived in. Needless to say, the visuals are the series’ strongest suit.
With its use of orange, brown, and red colour schemes, the series looked fantastic, as it manages to give off that desolate look and feel; which in turn being able to depict the characters’ various emotions against such a bleak world.
There’s an abundant of action scenes throughout the series, and all of them were expertly choreographed, with 5-8 and Sa-wol providing the majority of the highlights. Overall, they did a great job at convincing me that they were skilled fighters.
Cast
With its ensemble cast, there are enough characters where everyone could find someone to relate to or to root for.
As the “toughest of the Black Knights who desires societal equality,” Kim Woo-bin as 5-8, is a formidable fighter with a keen sense of justice. Kim  Woo-bin demonstrated his ability to steal the show from his portrayal of 5-8. While the Webtoon, 5-8 showed a lot more emotion, but the Netflix adaptation was also excellent. He was incredibly reserved when it came to their emotions, but as we learned in later episodes, that seems to be with reasons.
Image Credit: Netflix
The character Sa-wol, played by Kang You-Seok, fit in well with the other characters. In order to be able to perform all of the challenging stuns without the use of a stunt double as much as possible, Kang You-Seok actually spent months training his body before and during filming. He was definitely one of the best characters on the show, even to the point of almost outshining 5-8.
Major Seol-ah, played by Esom, is a capable leader and skilled major at the Defense Intelligence Command. She rescues and takes care of Sa-wol, but after being abruptly taken off a kidnapping case investigation in the General District, she launches her own investigation to learn the truth about the Cheonmyeong Group’s activities.
Image Credit: Netflix
Last but not least, we have Song Seung-heon who portrays the character Ryu Seok, the merciless heir to the Cheonmyeong Group. He is the kind of bad guy who believes that success is built upon sacrifices. And while we may initially despise him, he too has his own unique motivations for what he does.
As the show progresses, each of characters develops, taking what would otherwise be a shallow archetype and turning it into a believable and interesting character. By that point, the deep character development had made the character interactions just as compelling as the plot. The cast was excellent and did a fantastic job of capturing the struggles of their characters, whether through emotional baggage from the past, or just trauma in a dystopian world.
Image Credit: Netflix
Opinion
I had a great time watching Black Knight. While not exactly like the original source material, it was overall very impressive and would surely make people take up the Webtoon. It stood out from other shows of the same genre in a refreshing way. The highlights were definitely how beautiful and life-like the dystopian world was presented, along with the strong interactions between the cast.
Image Credit: Netflix
And hey, if you enjoyed the Netflix adaptation then I would also recommend picking up the Webtoon as well. Both are great pieces of entertainment and can be something different to enjoy.
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Black Knight airs on Netflix on 12th May 2023.

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The Review

                    Black Knight

75%
Score

PROS
 Great CGI use for visuals  Broader interpretation of the Webtoon Sold interactions and chemistry between the cast

CONS
 Story pacing is a bit rushed towards the end Webtoon readers might not like how the series deviate from the source material

Review Breakdown

75%
0%

Tags: Black KnightNetflixReview


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Hitman 3 Free Starter Pack lets players experience parts of the game for free

Continuing the World of Assassination tradition of having free starter packs, IO Interactive announces the free starter pack for Hitman 3. Watch the trailer for the free deal here:

According to developer IO Interactive:

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On top of permanent access to the ICA Facility, the HITMAN 3 Free Starter Pack will also periodically grant free access to other locations. For example, when the HITMAN 3 Free Starter Pack launches on 30 March, players will also experience the opening mission of HITMAN 2. The ‘Nightcall’ mission brings you to a moonlit beach and the roaring waves of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Infiltrate a highly-secured luxury beach house in the dead of night and discover the secrets that lie within…
Note that this free starter pack does not support VR. Players who want to experience the game in VR must own either the standard or deluxe editions of the full game.
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Over a week ago, IO Interactive also announced the Seven Deadly Sins DLC for the game. Just like how the free starter pack periodically grants access to different locations, the Seven Deadly Sins DLC also adds content to the game periodically in 7 parts. Each part of the DLC focuses on a different sin, with the current sin being Greed.
To learn more about the game, visit the IO Interactive’s website.

Hitman 3Publisher: IO InteractiveDeveloper: IO InteractiveRelease Date: 2021-01-20Epic Games Store, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Death Awaits. Agent 47 returns in HITMAN 3, the dramatic conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy.

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Tags: HITMANHitman 3IO Interactive


Get The Yu-Gi-Oh 25th Anniversary Ultimate Kaiba Set for The True Duel Masters

Yu-Gi-Oh is turning 25 and to celebrate, the franchise will see the release of The Yu-Gi-Oh 25th Anniversary Ultimate Kaiba Set, for all the real duel masters out there. Pre Orders begin on the 21st of September to the 31st of October. The Set will ship in April 2022.

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The Set Includes Seto Kaiba’s iconic three Blue-Eyes White Dragon Cards framed under an attache for safety and protection. This top layer can also be removed so that more cards can be stored underneath.

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Here is the full list of content included on the Yu-Gi-Oh 25th Anniversary Ultimate Kaiba Set:

A set of three “Blue-Eyed White Dragon” cards (secret rare specification) Framed in a display case!
The case is a commemorative item stamped with the 25th-anniversary logo of the original work. 58 cards used by Kaiba + 3 new cards (all Ultra Rare)
All 61 cards used by Seto Kaiba in “Yu-Gi-Oh!” are included in Ultra Rare form!
Kainuma Attache Case (with separator). It can also be used as an ultra-large storage case that can hold approximately 7,000 cards, with a size and design that can recreate the impact of its first appearance!
It comes with a dedicated separator for organizing cards, with two separators per row, for a total of 14 cards.
With a belt on the lid side, the rubber duel field can be folded in two and stored.

You can find more details about the product on the official Yu-Gi-Oh website. You can also read more about the KaibaCorp Webstore, which doubles down on the Kaiba-themed merchandise.
The exact proportions of the case are approx. W514mm x H392mm x D120mm (body 80 / lid 40). The weight, not counting the handles, keys, and bottom convexity is 7kg.
The material of the case includes an Aluminum Body / interior fabric: EVA black / Lid interior fabric: Polyester / Other: Sponge for setting.
If you wish to buy it online the packaging proportions are W620mm x H500mm x D220mm (main body 80 / lid 40) and weight is 8kg.
Card List:

Special card
Blue-Eyed White Dragon 3 cards
Attack Guidance Armor (*New card)
Shaving Life (New Card)
Machine-made magic mirror (New card)
Blue-Eyed White Dragon
Diamond Dragon
Judge Man
Sword Stalker of Vengeance
Iron Arm Golem
Goddess of Inversion
Gadget Soldier
Rude Kaiser
Blood Volus
X-Head Cannon
La Jean, Spirit of the Lamp
Minotaur
Gargoyle Powered
Centaurs
Grappler
Cyclops
Gargoyle
Saggy the Dark Clown
Obelisk Giant Warrior
Masked Beast Death Guardians
Kaiser Glider
Lucifer the Dark Sleeper
Death Gremlin
Blade Knight
Y-Dragon Head
Z-Metal Caterpillar
Lord of Dragons
Evil Worm Beast
Magic Lamp
Blue-Eyed Ultimate Dragon
XYZ-Dragon Cannon
XY-Dragon Cannon
Minocentaur
Resurrect the Dead
Fusion
Defensive blockade
Hypnotism
Whistle to Call the Dragon
Cross Soul
The Silent Dead
Obedience of the Heavenly Voice
Cost Reduction
Life-shaving Treasure Card
Devil’s Sanctuary
Contraction
Enemy Controller
Giant
Darkness/Energy
Magic Absorption
Deck-Destroying Virus of Death
Blessing of the Holy Elves
Wheel of Destruction
Magic removal bacterial weapon
Subspace Matter Transfer Device
Clone replication
Dark Spell
Final assault order
Incapacitation of attack

Without this set, you truly are just a third-rate duelist, with a fourth-rate deck.
There are also three new Yu-Gi-Oh video games coming up so lots to look forward to.

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Tags: KonamiYuGiOhYuGiOh Master Duel


Malaysian Studio Lemon Sky Studios To Be Publicly Listed

Malaysia-based game studio Lemon Sky is set to be publicly listed, according to a report by The Edge Malaysia.

Citing sources familiar with the matter as well as Reuters, The Edge Malaysia reports that not much is currently known about the plans for the studio to go public- though they’re reportedly is planning to go public around either late 2023 or 2024.

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Lemon Sky is one of several major game studios in Malaysia, having been involved in various triple-A releases like Warcraft Reforged as well as recent releases like Street Fighter 6.
The studio was acquired by Australian publisher iCandy Interactive in 2021, with the aim of working on more Metaverse games.
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At the time of the acquisition, the studio was valued at MYR135 million, though it’s not known what the current value of the studio or the size of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) is going to be.
Neither Lemon Sky nor iCandy Interactive themselves have commented on The Edge’s report as of writing.

While primarily known for their work in video games, Lemon Sky’s portfolio extends into animated shows as well, having partnered with companies like Nickelodeon to produce shows like Santiago of the Seas.
Should the deal go through and Lemon Sky be listed, this would mark a big step forward for the studio- since they would have to potentially answer to multiple shareholders instead of just their parent company, iCandy.

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Run or Die From PC is Out on Android Now!

Run or Die is a game developed by Team Flow. It was a game that was released for the PC on Steam. However this time, Team Flow has released the game for the mobile devices. However the game is now only released for Android.

The game is a pretty cool endless runner game with the purpose of running through hazardous terrains and obstacles towards the Lab and save your friend Flow. You will get to wear a cool suit called the R.O.D which gives you 5 different abilities. The abilities are there to help you move around and remove the obstacles in your way. With a perfect setup of abilities and fast reflex, it will just make things easier to move around the obstacles.

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There are also many different modes to play through: Endless, Challenge, Daily High Score and Training Mode. Run or Die is a great arcade game on mobile for those who are up for an obstacle run challenge. With the pretty pixelated art style, this is a great game for retro game fans.

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Tags: AndroidMobilePCRun or DieSteamTeam Flow


Pac-Man Geo announced for smartphones

Bandai Namco has just announced Pac-Man Geo for the Android and iOS platforms.

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To be out in 170 countries, the game takes the tried and tested formula and gives it a bit of a twist.
Description of this free-to-play title from its store page as follows:
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PAC-MAN GEO will allow players to experience the real world as the yellow guy himself in this geographic information game.
New York, Paris, Tokyo… make a PAC-MAN maze by choosing from a variety of real-world streets. Go for the high score on unique real-world streets and collect landmarks from famous places all over the world, even from the comfort of home.
PAC-MAN is at last hitting the streets of the real world.
We cannot actually tell what the gameplay would entail based on the screenshots alone, but it appears that there will be some globetrotting involved with the usual Pac-Man stuff that we have come to love over the decades. Then again, this will be a free-to-play title, so expect some monetisation mechanics to be implemented, possibly stamina restores and the like. Also worth mentioning that Google did something like this years ago with its April Fool’s joke, so we do wonder if the game will play anything like that.

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Tags: AndroidBANDAI NAMCOiOSPac-Man Geo


Men in Black: Global Invasion is Pokémon GO with aliens

Just in time for the new Men in Black movie coming out soon, we have a game based on it going by the Men in Black: Global Invasion. To be released for smartphones, the game is essentially a Pokémon GO-esque title with AR functionality.

You take on the role of an unnamed agent tasked with hunting down and capturing hostile aliens that threaten the earth. As hinted in the comparison, you will go around the real world to take on said aliens in Pokémon GO fashion.

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There are a total of 40 alien species to encounter, a lot of which will be familiar to fans of the movies.  Helping do all that dirty work is the large arsenal of weapons at your disposal. If you are interested, be sure to pre-register at the official site for for the early bird rewards.

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Tags: AndroidiOSLudare GamesMen in BlackMen in Black: Global InvasionMobileSimulator


This Graveyard In Elden Ring Looks An Awful Lot Like A Berserk Tribute

It’s no secret that Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki likes Berserk- its influence can be found all along the Souls series from more subtle ways like the game’s Greatsword to the more blatant designs like the Hunter’s Mark in Bloodborne.

Naturally, fans had been speculating if Miyazaki had hidden any more Berserk easter eggs in Elden Ring- given the huge open world, it’s the prime spot to sneak in a reference to the legendary fantasy manga, especially following the passing of Kentaro Miura last year.

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While it’s not 100% confirmed, fans have speculated one such location- located right next to Castle Morne on the southernmost tip of the Weeping Peninsula, simply following the road all the way down will take you to this place.
If you head to Castle Morne on the Weeping Peninsula, you may notice a graveyard to the left of the castle. This graveyard is full of swords, poking out from the ground including one massive one with a hilt seemingly wrapped in bandages.
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This huge sword also contains an inscription on it, which reads as follows:
The Siege of Castle Morne
A Lone Hero fights for his Vengeance
Only to fall at the hands of Lord Godfrey
The single line about a swordsman out for vengeance could very well be read as a reference to Berserk protagonist Guts, especially considering it’s inscribed on a massive sword, another iconic feature of the fantasy manga protagonist.

The graveyard itself might also be a reference to the Hill of Swords- an in-universe tribute by side character Rickert to fallen members of the Band of the Hawk.
That being said, it’s far from the only such graveyard in the game. At least one more exists in the world, with a message referencing a battle ni the Caelid Wilds.
Still, given the other overt references to Berserk and the overall low importance of Castle Morne to the game’s overall plot, it’s very likely that the team at From Software threw this easter egg in to mark the passing of Kentaro Miura.
Blaidd the Half Wolf, a character seemingly taking direct inspiration from Guts

Elden RingPublisher: Bandai Namco EntertainmentDeveloper: From SoftwareRelease Date: 2022-02-25PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
THE NEW FANTASY ACTION RPG. Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.

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Tags: BerserkElden RingFrom Software


The World Ends With You Anime Gets A New PV

The upcoming The World Ends With You anime has gotten a new promotional video, showing more of the action scenes.

The trailer shows us more iconic scenes from the game, such as the moment where protagonist Neku first teams up with Shiki to fight monsters.

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We also get more of a glimpse at the rest of the cast of the game, including the two reapers who harass you throughout.
There’s no footage here that isn’t an interpretation of something that was in the games either, so it looks like this anime will be a pretty faithful adaptation of the game’s plot.
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The World Ends With You is an RPG about a bunch of teenagers who get pulled into the “Reaper’s Game”. Here, they’ll need to complete 7 challenges before the timer runs out, or risk destruction.
They also have access to psychic powers, though only when they make pacts with each other. They use this to fight Noise, monsters who look like a fusion of animals and street art elements.
We also got a taste of The World Ends With You anime’s opening, titled Teenage City Riot and performed by the band ALI. ALI had previously produced the opening for the first season of Beastars.
Just last night, the game was given a follow-up in the form of NEO: The World Ends With You. The World Ends With You anime drops April, 2021.

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Tags: The World Ends with YouThe World Ends With You The Animation


Slime ISEKAI Memories live stream reveals new Benimaru, Guy, Albis and more

The latest live stream for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Memories revealed tonnes of new content coming to the game. The live stream kicked off with Producer Onishi answering the QnA from the international Slime ISEKAI Memories community, before diving into the new content.

You can watch the live stream below:

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The game will be getting a new mode, Loup Loupe tomorrow, 30th March. Previously known as Mirror Madness, Loup Loupe is a mode that offers branching paths as players climb the Tower of Izis to obtain various rewards. You can read more about it from our previous coverage of the mode back when it was first announced two months ago.
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Next, the stream also revealed more of Octagram Guy. [The Beginning] Guy Crimson is fire-element character who can stun an enemy for 100% success rate at max skill level. He can also change 3 Soul of Skills into Soul of Secrets. While we’re still uncertain of whether his Secret Skill hits a single target or multiple enemies, being able to consistently stun an enemy should make him an invaluable unit for any player.

Besides Guy, the next monthly event will also feature hot guys. Called “Training Places”, the event will feature earth-element characters and will feature an original scenario between the residents of Tempest and Beast Kingdom Eurazania.

The first banner for this event will feature new versions of Benimaru and Hakurou. While not all of their details have been revealed, you can check out some of their skills which are teased above.

Furthermore, Albis, a character who has been on one of the loading screens of the game since its inception, will finally make her debut as a playable character. She will be available as a login reward.

Together with Albis, the login rewards will last for 14 days. Players can obtain the above rewards by logging in between 30th March to 25th April.
Follow the game on Facebook to stay updated. For more Slime ISEKAI Memories guides, you can check out our:

Battle Character Tier List
Auto Battle Tier List
Beginner Guide
Reroll Guide

 Download

SLIME - ISEKAI MemoriesPublisher: Bandai Namco EntertainmentDeveloper: Wright Flyer StudiosRelease Date: 2021-10-28Android, iOS
Enter the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime in a new 3D battle RPG!
You won't want to miss this riveting, new adventure that brings together your favorite series characters—Rimuru, Great Sage, Gobta, Shion, Shuna, Benimaru, Gabiru, and more—and introduces brand new ones!

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Tags: Bandai Namco EntertainmentTensuraThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a SlimeThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Isekai MemoriesWFS


Royal Chaos celebrates 2nd anniversary

Royal Chaos is celebrating the 2nd anniversary of its English version release with a gacha event! Players will get the chance to win an amazing costume for free!

All players will need to do to participate in the event is simply by finishing the various quests to earn gacha coins. The corresponding rewards can then be unlocked by inserting Royal Coins or Chaos Coins in the gacha machine. In these machines will be the chance to get the exclusive Veiled Lotus costume!

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Besides the gacha event, a new gameplay element, Tiger Hill Tower, has also been introduced to the game. This new feature will allow you to enjoy the beautiful views at the peak of Tiger Hill with Heirs, as well as taking photos as keepsakes. Light up the fireworks in the Treasure Hunt and watch these sparks fly for even more beauty!
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Last but not least, the 54th storyline chapter will be playable. In this chapter, Her  Majesty has claimed that Ruqing is innocent, saying all the blame lies with a maid named Piaoxiang. Whether this is the truth or not, you will need to be ready for the reveal.

The Gacha event quests will unlock on 2 July, 2020 00:00 UTC+8. The event page is now open for you to check the quests and to bind your in-game character in advance. Once again, happy 2nd anniversary, Royal Chaos!
 Download

Royal ChaosDeveloper: FriendTImesRelease Date: 2018-01-17Android, iOS
Royal Chaos is a card-based adventure game that brings you an immersive take on the Chinese ancient palace carved by romance. Being thrust into the dramatic but struggling chaos as a noble lady, will you grin and bear the destiny? Or write your own story – adorned with beautiful fashion, romantic encounters, and the surrenders of your enemies!

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Tags: FriendTimesRoyal Chaos


Secretlab reveals The International 11 chairs and on-site exclusive merch opportunities

Secretlab has once again partnered with Valve for a new series of exquisitely designed chairs for The International 11. These chairs will once again bear witness to history ever since the start of the partnership in 2019, to not only provide the ergonomics as players need, but also do it in style.

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The Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 The International 11 Edition takes on a fiery look, molten magma represented by intricate red embroidery on the chair’s side wings. To top it off, new Dota 2 Memory Foam Lumbar Pillows can complete the look, available in adorable watermelon Tidehunter, cheesy (?) Roshan and toasty Snapfire designs. You can check out the official website to get regional pricing for the goods. The chairs themselves are available in limited quantities, so don’t miss your chance to get the chair of champions!
Should you be attending the event physically, head over to Secretlab’s on-site booth at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 26 October 2022 to try your luck at winning booth-exclusive Secretlab X TI merchandise, including a “Relaxed Roshan” enamel pin and limited edition TI11 lanyard. Simply participate in on-site activities! While you’re there, do be sure to check out one of the very few official Aegis of Champions replica out in the wild.
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Tags: SecretLabThe International 11Valve


GigaBash: Mayhem Multiplayer Monster Brawler

Passion Republic Games announces their first game, GigaBash! Plenty of mayhem will be coming your way in this multiplayer monster brawler for PC and PS4.

Relive your childhood fantasies of being giant monsters rampaging through a sea of skyscrapers in GigaBash! A selection of giant monsters and heroes will be open to you, with inspiration drawn from your childhood Godzilla and Ultraman films. The landscape will bow to your frenzy as you march and obliterate anything in your path to supremacy. Get creative with the environment! Your fury, fists and anything around you can be used. Throw from cars to an entire skyscraper at your foes! Fuel your rampage and unleash your true potential by transforming into your S-Class form! Play it casually or competitively with friends and family on the couch.

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Mel Law, as co-director describes GigaBash as such:
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Our goal is to create a game that is easy to pick up but also has enough depth for more competitive players to enjoy. We want players of varying skill levels to play together and have fun, so our control scheme is geared towards more simple, one-button executions, but with contextual variants depending on what you’re doing. So you get a different attack depending on if you’re blocking, or in mid-air, or grabbing someone, etc.
The design decisions and the joy of destruction has gotten GigaBash winning the Indie Prize Award and several other Indie Prize nominations from 4Gamer and Famitsu.
You can learn more about GigaBash via their website. Do also follow Passion Republic Games’ social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Howard Scott Warshaw Talks Being Respectfully Intolerable And His New Game In Our New Interview

It was a fairly pleasant morning where we got to sit down with Howard Scott Warshaw for a video interview about his own place in the annals of video game history. Though I’d not been acquainted with him personally, his work quite literally preceded him- I’d watched YouTubers like The Spoony One cover E.T .for the Atari, and had heard as so many people had prior about the fabled E.T .Burial Ground- a landfill containing all the unsold copies of the Atari 2600 game, a result of the supposed death of the video game industry.

Meeting Howard, you wouldn’t think he was the man responsible for killing the video game industry- after all, years later, it’s alive and active as ever, and more importantly, he’d written a whole book about it- titled Once Upon Atari: How I Made History By Killing An Industry where he goes into detail about how that wasn’t his kill per se- but rather just a symptom of the times that lead to the first big crash.

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“If you think about it its a pretty amazing thing that the license that caused the absolute most money of any license ever bought in video gaming history at that point was given the shortest schedule of any development by a factor of 5”, Howard says, having rushed the game out in 5 weeks, a record of game development if there ever was one.
Rather than be full of artifacts of its time, Howard’s story in the book about the development of E.T. would seem familiar to anyone remotely adjacent to the games industry- it’s a story of Atari spending large amounts for the E.T. license, political infighting and outfighting as former employees started up what would be the first third-party game developers and how the game industry crashed virtually over night.
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“One of the pieces of feedback I get most is people who are in the industry saying the things that I talk about, the problems that happened at Atari and the weird inter-departmental frustrations and fights that go on are just as live today as they were back then”, Howard explains.
“That goes to one of the reasons I became a psychotherapist: Technology constantly changes, you have to update yourself every 5 years, it’s a lot of work”, he continues. “But people don’t change. Over time, people really don’t change”.
“The games that people ran into and the problems people had and the conflicts that people would run into back then, they’re the same conflicts that we have today. That’s the great part about being a therapist, I don’t have to relearn my trade every few years”, he continues. “The games are all the same, it’s just the tools and the toys that change over time”.

One of these examples would be the idea of developers breaking off from their parent companies to do something new- Howard briefly explained to us the story of Rob Fulop, who would leave Atari to start Imagic- another of the earliest third-party game developers.
“Imagic wouldn’t have happened necessarily except that after Rob did Missile Command for 2600 making tens of millions of dollars for the company, it came Christmas time and he was thinking “oh boy what’s the bonus gonna be. I’m looking forward to something because here it is I did a good job, I was a good boy, time to get paid off. What’s it gonna be?” “, Howard says. “He got his envelope at Christmas time and he thought, “Is it money? Is it keys to a car? What could it be?” he opened it up and it was a certificate to a free Turkey. That’s what he got”.
“My understanding is that he actually framed that and kept it in his office when he went to Imagic and he’s kept that in his office since”, he says.
Inventing Play
One thing that did change over the years was the idea of  what play was. While now we have all our modern ideas like genres for games and ideas associated with them, it was a truly new frontier during the Atari days, with Howard and his colleagues having many stories of ways they had to engineer play- which is a fancy way of describing their productive goofing off sessions which would have been HR catastrophes if they took place today.
“It was a different time”, Howard says. “A lot of things that today people would not tolerate, the idea of things being intolerable wasn’t the same back then. That’s one part. Another thing is, one of the reasons there wasn’t this concept of intolerable back then is because people didn’t act up very much back then”.
“In general you didn’t see things like that, and you needed an environment where people could fully express themselves, just go nuts because your job was to break conventions, come up with brand new breakthrough ideas and make them happen and implement. It’s very interesting”, he continues.
“You need to come in to work, and at the end of the day you need to have created something that did not exist when you got up that morning. That’s a good day at work”.
Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari
He attributes a lot of the cultivation of this culture to Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari:
“Nolan Bushnell did understand that well. He understood the idea that to have that kind of creativity going on, it’s not gonna make any sense in a corporate world.
So what he did was he created a facility where the engineering groups were really separated from the other groups. So the really outrageous things we were doing, and there’s a lot of accounts in the book of some of the really outrageous stuff that we did, we were insulated.
We were not just in a separate building, so we were insulated from the other corporate entities and other departments. Security had orders to keep the police away from us.
We were totally insulated so that anything that we did- and we could do anything we wanted to, as long as we kept games coming out. And we did. Pretty much anything we could and we did keep games coming out. And that was the deal.
It’s harder to pull that off these days. It’s harder to isolate a group and just have a free for all area in a company these days. You’re absolutely right, what we did back then would be a total HR nightmare today”.
The Many Steps To Yar’s Revenge
One thing Howard stressed was the one-on-one nature of Game Development back when he started out. Howard is a man of many majors- Computer Science, Math, Theatre and Economics, when he started out- and he brought it with him into his first project, the critically-acclaimed Yar’s Revenge:
“If you think about it, it’s true that a video game is a computer program and it’s a technological product, but the reality is its an entertainment product”, he says. “And if you’re gonna make an entertainment product, first of all you need to have a sense of entertainment, you need to produce joy, not just a functioning technical spec”, he explains.
“With economics, people think about it as the study of money but its not, really. Economics is the study of allocation of scarce resources. And there was never a more scarce resource, I think, than the 2600 and trying to program that machine with just 128 bytes of RAM and about 4k of memory. That was all we had to work on that machine to do all the games that we did, it was pretty remarkable”, he adds. “So economics help me manage a really scarce resource and theatre helped me really put some pizazz in the games and really make something exciting and visually compelling and stimulating”.
It should be pointed out that while the Atari games of the 2600 might have been associated with drab backgrounds or worse, the visual complexity of Pong, Yar’s Revenge was anything but- the game was a shooter full visual flair, enough to give games like the Touhou series a run for their money.
This was all despite that compared to what was in the arcades, the 2600 was severely lacking in power. While Yar’s Revenge started as a 2600 home port of an arcade game, Howard explains that he wanted his industry debut to be so much more than that.
“The original assignment of Yar’s Revenge was to convert a coin op game, Starcastle, to the 2600. When I looked at what they had done with the specialized hardware for Starcastle and I looked at the 2600, even though I hadn’t been there long I realized this was gonna suck”, he says. “This game was gonna suck, and I could not afford to have my first game suck”.
“I managed to talk them into letting me go into a different direction, redesign the game mechanics to something that accommodated the 2600 more comfortably and that’s the game that went on to become [a success]”, he says.

While the story of Yar’s Revenge ended up being an extension of the story of how Howard got to Atari, he says you wouldn’t see similar stories in the industry simply because game development has moved on from the idea of one-man shows (At least in triple-A development).
“It’s an interesting idea, because back then it was a work of authorship. There was one person who was doing the entire game. At that point, being an interdisciplinary individual was a huge benefit. Really meant a lot”, he says.
“Nowadays at least for console gaming people are a lot more specialized. You don’t impact that many areas of the game in a lot of cases. So that kind of breadth in background isn’t necessarily as big a contributor to your ability to making a modern console game. Now the depth in the one area you’re responsible for is more important than the breadth to cover multiple areas”, he explains.
“Back then, it was essential and I was really glad to have that. And it was essential. To me it was kind of a shame, and that’s how its gotten to. Because I love the idea of being able to touch all the parts of the game and being able to put them and combine them in ways that exploit each other in positive ways that achieve a synergy that’s harder to do these days because everything is so segmented and specialized”, he adds.
Developing Games On A Cruiseliner Vs A Motorboat
That being said, it’s not like Howard is exactly saying we need to return to those days. From his tone, you could tell he was someone who’d accepted that this was simply how the past was, rather than an ideal we should strive back to. That being said, the torch of coming up with something new was passed to a newer section of the games industry- the indies.
“There’s two aspects right, there’s Console gaming which has gotten so huge and enormous, and no one can really just do that on their own. Fortunately the industry has also developed this second branch off, the indie game”, he explains. “Now there are app-based games and we’re back in a world where one person really can create a new and experimental game. I’m totally in favor of that”.
He went on to talk about how it’s not a case of one branch being better than the other, but rather a fact that the scale of each type of game lends it different strengths:
“The way I compare them is: I see console gaming now as an Oceanliner. A luxury liner. Whereas the [Atari] 2600 was like a motorboat”, Howard explains. “The thing is a luxury liner can hold a lot more people, a lot more equipment, a lot more stuff, a lot of great things and you can have a lot of great time on a luxury liner. But the one thing you can’t do on a luxury liner is change direction very easily”.
“The great thing about independent and small-scale game development is that when you get that concept, you get that magic moment you realize “oh wait the game should go over here not over there” you can do it. And you can totally redirect and redesign your game and come up with something innovative and special”, he elaborates. “In a console game you just cant do that anymore because its too big a commitment”.
While you could hypothetically radically shift triple-A development, such cases are more often the exception, instead of the rule.
“I like the idea of shaking things up and creating something new”, Howard says. “The problem you have is that really big developments command really really big budgets. Really big budgets present really big risks, and nobody likes really big risk when it comes to money. Well, some gamblers do but investors don’t, that’s for sure”.
“You have to be careful and that’s what makes the cruiseship model so tough. When you have that kind of investment and that kind of aversion to risk, your options are reduced”, he elaborates.
“If you’re on a large team, team-building and consensus building is just as effective for changing the course of things as it is for maintaining the course or path of things”
So does that mean every triple-A game is fated to go from concept to launch without any spark of creativity? Not so much. As Howard explains, it just takes leadership to do so:
“What you have to learn at that point is that even though you don’t have the speedboat, you don’t have the freedom to just go in a different design direction if you want, you have to remember that on a large ship you can’t just grab the rudder and turn it- but what you can do is convince the entire crew that maybe we’re going in the wrong direction and maybe we should start updating our maps and start thinking about going somewhere else”, he says.
“Instead of it being a purely design challenge or purely a technical challenge to implement something different, it becomes a political challenge”, he elaborates, referring to politics as the dreaded P-word. “Fact is if you’re on a large team, team-building and consensus building is just as effective for changing the course of things as it is for maintaining the course or path of things”.
“If you really wanna make a difference and shake things up as it were, you need to start a grassroots movement instead of just yelling and screaming. Because one person yelling and screaming at a large group doesn’t really make much noise”, he notes. “But when you get half of a group saying “we need to really be going over here instead of over there” it’s hard to ignore that. Ironically, people accuse videogames of creating more isolation and separating people and isolating people because they’d rather play than engage with other people”.
“Video game development has become a highly human interactive experience. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it doesn’t have to be. You can use actual people skills and that’s how you’re gonna shake up modern development”, he says.
Hot Button Industry Topics With Howard Scott Warshaw
Having a legend of the games industry on the line with us, it would have been remiss to not pick his brain about some of the big issues in the game industry right now. One of these that was particularly relevant was the idea of unions- as someone who had to build a game from zero to finished in five weeks, he’s sure to have some thoughts on the industry’s first step towards unionization.
Howard was largely in favor of unions- after all, as game development gets bigger and bigger in scale, there would need to be tools in place to make sure the artists at work are working in good conditions.
“When the people who work for you are just broken and drawn out to their limit, when you try to use people up, you also use up their output”, Howard explains. “If you drive people too far, too fast, too hard, you end up breaking the machine and everything falls apart, you don’t get what you need in the first place”.
According to Howard, unions are pretty much proof that bad working conditions aren’t a debatable point- instead, they wouldn’t be discussed if things weren’t so bad that they were needed.
“The idea of Unions only comes about when there’s a cohesive labor force that recognizes the fact that something’s going too far. If you look at it historically, there’s a really key point that sometimes gets overlooked in the discussion of unions. Video game shops now are equated to sweatshops. They really are pretty brutal, people demand ridiculous, incredible hours all the time, people have to be there on the job almost all the time, they have to sacrifice the rest of their lives”, he says.
He goes on to explain that that’s very much the case with his own experiences, where some companies would even have clauses that say they could cancel your paid time off if they felt the studio was currently in crunch. The idea is simple: Even your contractually obligated perks were optional if it endangered the release of the product.
Of course, that’s not to say that all overtime is bad. According to Howard, what changed between the Atari years and now was simply who was telling you do do the overtime:
“At Atari, you also found people there all the time. You found people there day and night, there was always someone there in development at Atari, they were just always there”, he says. “The difference is nowadays people are commanded to be there. They are required to be there, sort of the office space thing. “I think maybe you oughta come in this weekend”. I had to play that manager for a while at some places that I worked”.
“That’s when you get the kind of unhappiness that can result in a union out of the need for protection. It never came up when people really needed to be there in the first place”
” At Atari, people were always there, no one ever asked them to. At Atari, people were there because they wanted to be there all the time. Because what they were doing was so compelling and so important to them that they needed to be there all the time. So the tradition of being at work all the time trying to hit the schedule and trying to make something come together and happen kinda started at Atari”, Howard explains. “But at Atari, it happened because that’s where we wanted to be. That’s really what we needed to do”.
“It has evolved into the demand of it, and part of that is because at Atari it was one person, one game”, he explains. “The sense of ownership , the sense of responsibility was huge. When you’re on a big team, it’s cool to be on a big team but the buy-in is not the same. It’s not the same having the whole game be your responsibility versus you being one cog in a huge machine that’s making the game”.
“You don’t have the same sense of buy-in, you don’t have the same sense of responsibility and that means when somebody has to make you be there, 24 hours a day or all around the clock, that’s not the same as you having the mad desire or the need to be there. There was never a talk of unions at Atari. There was just “Get them out of our way, and get us a little more schedule room so we can make the game as good as we possibly can” because that’s what we needed to do”.
The Raven Software QA team made history as the first games industry union at a major publisher- something Howard says is necessary in an increasingly corporate industry
Howard seems to draw the causal line as more of something related to the scale of game development now- with the more pipeline based approach of game development, late nights are more likely to be the result of a higher up trying to hit their deadlines than the lone animator or programmer doing so.
“One of the reasons I think you do have unions today is because you don’t have the same of individual buy-in in the project, you don’t have the same kind of power or responsibility over the project”, he stresses. “And you do have people who are responsible demanding that all these other people have to comply to their rules, have to come along and be there when they don’t necessarily want to. That’s when you get the kind of unhappiness that can result in a union out of the need for protection. It never came up when people really needed to be there in the first place”.
In contrast, he reiterated that smaller development teams are operating on passion instead:
“I bet there are app development teams and small groups working on truly innovative new projects that are there all the time, that are putting in every spare minute they could. Those people have really lit the fire. They know the passion of trying to move your hot concept forward, as opposed of just trying to squeeze a few more polys into the same game”.
No Excuse For Sexual Harassment
Another issue we just had to ask Howard about was the ongoing cases of sexual harassment in the games industry. In his book, he does describe a very ideal type of game developer, the mythical creative with no sense of boundaries. While it’s a great mythos in hindsight recent years has seen that persona used to cover up all sorts of ghastly behavior- which Howard didn’t take too kindly to.
“As a therapist I’m keenly aware of these sorts of issues and things like that. It was different”, Howard says. “But I always say that real innovators are people with boundary issues. Because it’s their job to break convention, its their idea to not be bound by convention and by typical thinking. They need to break past that”.
“There is a difference however, between being someone who does not respect boundaries and someone who does not respect other people”, he says, denying the excuse that being a creative goes hand in hand with being a sex pest. “It’s my feeling that you can attack conventions and boundaries and still respect other people. That’s an important differentiation”.
“If you don’t respect people, that’s not the same as free thinking. That’s just disrespect”
He goes on to elaborate that at Atari, although he talks about things like walking around with a bullwhip or throwing fruit around, there was still a central respect between the hardworking people making games. Rules, however, were a different story:
“You need to respect people, not necessarily social conventions, thinking conventions. The main kind of boundaries we were trying to break through were thought boundaries. Not really behavioral boundaries. Although some of those did get trampled occasionally… There’s no doubt about it”, he says.
“There are people who use that excuse to say “well I’m just a free thinker, I’m just going. You can’t hold me responsible” “, he says.
“Just because you’re capable of thinking outside the box doesn’t mean you can pretend boxes don’t exist. If you don’t respect people, that’s not the same as free thinking. That’s just disrespect. I really don’t think that’s appropriate, you don’t have to disrespect people to be creative, in my opinion”.
He also stressed another aspect, which was not forcing your way of life on people. In the book, he tells the story about how Atari had a strong group of people who smoked weed. That being said, partaking in the activity was never mandatory, either. In a sense, that kind of acceptance is the boundary-breaking he was looking for.
“It’s funny how sometimes it is true that people one way- if you’re not gonna respect boundaries, you should respect all kinds of aspects. There’s all kinds of ways of not respecting them”, he says.
“There’s people who want to challenge things and people who don’t. They’re all commitments to a persons individual goals and commitments and ideology, right?”, he elaborates. “If I tell you you must break this boundary with me to be ok, how is that different from someone who says “You can’t break that boundary to be okay?” “.
“Controlling other people isn’t where it’s at, it’s about not being controlled by others in a way that’s inoffensive. It’s a tricky balance to walk. But I think what keeps coming back to my head is that there’s a difference between playing with boundaries and respecting people. You can’t lose the respect for people or it all breaks down”.
Keeping Games Alive
We also shifted gears to talk a bit about a less dramatic but equally important part of the games industry, preservation. The setup is simple- you can’t buy an Atari 2600 anymore. But for many, playing a game like Yar’s Revenge or Missile Command is a big part of gaming history. To that end, many interest groups are working to make sure there’s some sort of way to enjoy these games, be it by physically preserving copies of them and the hardware they were made on, or having digital backups playable via emulation.
Howard shared his thoughts on that with us, too:
“I like it. I’m very much in favor of that because whether it’s therapy or video games or anything else, the past is the past, and we can never change the past. But the past is a very important indicator and informant of our present and our future. If we’re really gonna understand where we’re going, sometimes we have to understand some aspects of where we’ve been and where we came from”, he says.

“The idea that as we get to the point where the hardware is harder and harder to come by, people have found other ways of playing the games and emulating the games, and running the games so that you no longer need the actual hardware, and you can still have the original gaming experience”.
That being said, he also proposed a new element of the preservation angle: the history of it as well. While years from now E.T. may just be another file in the archive, the context of why it’s such a big deal is a whole separate entity. That kind of context is important for the history of games, just as it would be for any other medium.
“There’s people like me who are still around to tell some of the stories and preserve some of the lore that went on back then. Because I think it’s important for people to understand where we came from, and to know where we’re going”, Howard says.
“That’s one of the major things about Once Upon Atari is that it documents a tremendous amount of the original lore and places a lot of what went on and the stories that people hear about or the myths that people hear about what went on back then, it places it in the proper context”, he continues..
“So people can understand what it means to have been there, what it was like to go through that, and how a lot of the machinations that went on in Atari, in terms of the business and in terms of the inter-departmental conflict, in terms of the infighting, in terms of the things that determine the environment, in terms of the cultural shift that lead to the downfall of the industry for a little while”, he goes on. “A lot of the same things are still in operation today, they’re still happening today. So those who do not learn the lessons of Once Upon Atari are doomed to repeat them”.
So, Let’s Talk About E.T.
For better or worse, E.T. will be a game that follows Howard Scott Warshaw for the rest of his life, as it will Atari. The game’s a veritable part of the games industry’s history, floating ominously over the company with its neck outstretched, in one hand; a radio part and another; a Reese’s Piece.
Funnily enough, while E.T. earned a moniker of being the worst game of all time, Howard says he doesn’t really quite mind the association.
“I was fine with that. E.T., it’s not the best game, I don’t really think it’s the worst game, but I like it when people call it the worst game. I actually prefer that”, he says.
Howard shared with us his thoughts when the time finally came and they’d unearthed the buried pile of E.T. in the landfill:
“For one thing there was a really beautiful aspect to it in that every game I ever did, I wanted it to be groundbreaking. It was really ironic to me, because when they pulled up to me even E.T. had become groundbreaking. They had to break the ground to find it”, Howard says.

While some people act as if Howard had created E.T. to spite the human race, Howard says his memories of the game are largely positive. If nothing else, the fact that his 5-week project would command enough pull to bring people out to the middle of the desert decades later was proof that he had created an emotionally engaging piece.
“In that moment I realized that this little 8k of computer code that I had written over 3 decades before, was generating excitement and interest and joy on the part of so many people, and I thought that something that I did all that time ago is still creating some real solid and positive human experience, it was overwhelming to me”, Howard explains.
“People thought I cried because I was so sad to see the game was actually there. But no, I was overwhelmed with joy in that something I had done was able to bring that much happiness to so many people in that moment and so much excitement. There’s nothing I’d rather do”, he explains. “I felt so overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment that I literally couldn’t talk, which doesn’t happen to me very often”.

While it lacked critical praise, part of Howard’s attachment to E.T. was the act of bringing it into existence at all- just its development story was enough to warrant it a spot in the annals of history, after all.
“It felt really good to be there in that crowd. E.T. was a landmark development and it honestly never felt like a failure to me. I had achieved it- I had a solid game that I completed in 5 weeks that passed QA and went out. It was released. And even after all the returns it was still a million-seller”, Howard says.
“I think I’m still the only person who released more than one game who can make the claim that every game I released for Atari was a million seller. Every single one”, he continues. “E.T. was no exception, I’ve always been kinda proud of that. I’ve learned to have a sense of humor about it because I believe a sense of humor is an essential survival trait in the world today, especially today”.
“It was a deep, resonant feeling of satisfaction to think that I produced something that after all this time, after all these years later, was still generating excitement, interest and focus. It was a deep, deep honor and it was an amazing moment of my life”, he adds.
The Hypothetical Complete E.T.
While getting E.T. out at all in the situation was to be commended, it’s not like Howard hadn’t thought about what he’d do differently. Given different increases to his schedule, he reflected on how he’d do things differently:
“The one thing E.T. does that’s really a problem, of all the problems in E.T., the one fundamental problem is that E.T. commits the cardinal sin of videogaming: In videogaming it is OK to frustrate a player. In fact, I believe its necessary to frustrate a player so that winning has some sense of satisfaction. But you can never disorient the player, that’s the sin. You should never disorient the player”, he says. “And in E.T. there were too many places, especially when you’re first waking up to the game, where the player can become honestly disoriented where you suddenly don’t know what’s going on”.

“There’s a big difference between frustration and disorientation. Frustration, I can see the cookie jar but I just can’t reach it, I can’t figure out how to get it”, he goes on. “Disorientation, I step into the kitchen to get the cookie and I find myself in the garage for some reason. There’s too many moments where if you understood the game you’d know what happened, but whne you first start you don’t. And it just feels like suddenly I’m over here, I’m over there, I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m stuck. And that’s no good. So I would have done something to address that”.
Dealing With The Schedule
Howard explained that the schedule really was the biggest obstacle when it came to making E.T. While a long development cycle may not necessarily yield the best game, a short dev cycle definitely contributes to a bad one.
“If I would have had an extra 4 weeks or more, a month or to, then I would have redesigned the game”, he laughs.
“The thing about E.T., ordinarily when we make a game the game would take 6-8 months because what you’re doing is you’re trying to make a good game. And you’re gonna see how long that takes. The variable is time, it’s not quality”, he says.
“When you only have 5 weeks, it’s a design problem. It’s not a programming problem. It becomes a design problem, and the problem is “what’s a game I can do in 5 weeks and how do I make it good”.

He explained the process of making the game:
“Ordinarily you say “well its gonna be good and I’m gonna see how long it takes”. When time is the limited variable, the independent variable is quality. So what I did was I have a fixed schedule, so I need to do a game that can be done in 5 weeks, so that’s what I did. I designed a game that I could complete in 5 weeks and then I did everything I could to figure out how I could make that the most fun game it could be”.
“So that’s an inversion in design thinking. How it worked out? Well, there’s a whole lot of history about how it went. Would it have changed history? Absolutely it would have changed history. Because if I take some of the real fundamental problems out of E.T., in just an extra couple of days, then instead of being the worst game ever made, which is how its frequently identified, it would have been an OK game that went out, sold a few million, and away we go”.
Had E.T. not been weighed down by its limited development cycle, Howard’s adamant its place in history might have changed for the better.
“It wouldn’t have been a controversy, it wouldn’t have been an uproar. The video game crash still would have occurred, they would have had to blame something else for it. So it would have changed history that way”.
The Rise Of The Atari-Style Game
One thing that’s risen alonside indie games is the throwback visual. People love making games look like they were made on older consoles, with titles like the NES-like Shovel Knight.
I managed to show Howard one such game that had Atari as its major influence- indie horror game Faith, which spurred quite a bit of discussion about the circular nature of game development.
“So many things go full circle. In some ways the gaming industry has gone full circle, in that it used to be one person, one game, small console development. Consoles grew and grew to become humongous gargantuan operations”, Howard says. “At the same time, handheld development emerged and it emerged back with the idea of one-screeners and simple gameplay and apps and development games that would be very small and could do new innovative things and try new things. In a sense the game industry grew beyond that capability and then circled back to being able to provide it once again”.
“And I’ve gone full circle. I used to make video games to entertain nerds, now I’m a therapist who’s actually trying to make their lives better in a very real and fundamental way. What I just saw in that clip is another kind of way that we circle back. Because what I’m seeing there is a fusion of- what we just saw, you could never do that on a 2600. I don’t think that’s really doable on a 2600”, he notes.

“But it has the look and feel of a 2600. So what they’re doing is they’re taking the look and feel of a classic game and co-opting it into a production that’s much more sophisticated than anything you could have done then. But it still has that feel, so it’s like a nod to the classics, but it still really lives in the present. And I think that’s really exciting. That’s kinda cool, the idea that you can use the origins of something to refuel it. And to spin it in a way that adds depth and dimension to it and still use very modern technology to execute. Was that done on a 2600?  I’d be pretty impressed”, he says.
Yar’s Revenge was insane for its time- featuring bright colors and intense sound effects
Of course, it’s not just small indie developers looking to make an Atari-inspired game. Before we ended the interview, Howard dropped one last bombshell on us: that Yar’s Revenge would be coming back.
“I have signed a deal with Atari to do a Yar’s Revenge sequel. There are other Yar’s Revenge products coming out from Atari, but I am actually going to design and oversee a development for an actual HSW Yar’s Revenge sequel. It’s a design I’ve had in my head for decades, I’ve thought of doing it , I’ve wanted to do it”, he says.
“It’ll be on a number of platforms, It’s not initally going to be a 2600 game but it’s going to be a game that could be developed on the 2600 because it was designed on the 2600.”, he explains. “It’s a gameplay I’ve had in my head for many years, all these decades, I’ve never seen this gameplay done anywhere else. I think it’s a really exciting- people think what makes Yar’s Revenge well it’s Yar, its the glittering Ion Zone, that’s what makes Yar’s Revenge”.
“That’s not really the way I see it. To me what makes a Yar’s Revenge game is super high stimulus and audio visual overload. Something that’s really a symphony and a bounty for the senses. Something that grabs your attention and will not let it go and keeps the player super engaged on multiple levels all the time”, he continues. “And I think this game is going to do this far more than Yar’s Revenge did. I’m pretty excited for this opportunity, I think this is gonna be very cool”.
“I don’t have a release date for it, it’s gonna be a little while. But I got the design together, we’re gonna be moving forward and its gonna be pretty cool”, he says.
Unlike the original which had a fully-staffed team of one team, Howard says this sequel to Yar’s Revenge will be sporting a more modern-sized team- under his supervision, of course.
“It’s gonna have the original one person lead design team which is me, but I think this is gonna be a development that’s gonna be designed by a team. Fortunately I do have some development- I went back to 3DO, and some other experience. I do have experiences leading teams, in larger developments also”, he says. “But I’m mostly gonna be the design consultant and the design originator on this game. We’re pretty excited about it”.

From throwing fruit to making a piece of the games industry to even acting as a therapist for disappointed children who played E.T, there’s no doubt Howard Scott Warshaw has lead an interesting life. With Atari approaching the 50th anniversary of the 2600, it’s been nothing short of a delight to hang out with one of the pioneers of that era- even moreso talking about all the happenings of way back then.
Our thanks to Howard for sitting down with us and talking shop, and you can read more about the Atari days in Once Upon Atari: How I Made History By Killing An Industry.

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Tags: AtariHoward Scott Warshaw


NBA 2K22 Season 4 update goes live tomorrow

Season 4 of NBA 2K22 goes live tomorrow, January 15, ushering in the Year of the Tiger while featuring Candace Parker and Dwyane Wade. The new update also adds new songs from Warner Records and additional content across the game.

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NBA 2K22‘s fourth season is called Hunt of Glory and it focuses on a player’s killer instinct, with Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker serving as prime examples. Season 4 also brings with it the following:

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MyCAREER introduces new Level 40 rewards including Jumpshot Animation, an artfully crafted Victor Solomon Kintsugi ball, Hunt 4 Glory Varsity Jacket, Artcamo Go-Kart, and a special Hunt 4 Glory Suit, along with the first opportunity to claim Legend status for players who have reached Level 40 in four different Seasons. Additionally, check out the redesigned Affiliation courts, new quests, and more;
MyTEAM delivers the first double Signature Challenges with Candace Parker and Dwyane Wade, new MyTEAM Diamond Coach Candace Parker, Galaxy Opal Yao Ming Level 40 reward, the return Heat Check collection, and much more;
The W offers four tiers of awards, with the Hall of Fame tier featuring coaches Becky Hammon and Dawn Staley that give players a chance to improve the fundamentals of their game;
‘First Fridays’ this season features a number of top tracks from Warner Records artists, including “WATCH ME” by Bktherula, “Black Illuminati (feat. Jadakiss)” by Freddie Gibbs, “Draft Kings” by Fresco Trey, “Santa Monica Blvd” by IDK, “Jumpin (feat. Polo G)” by NLE Choppa, “Fast (Motion)” by Saweetie, and more. Check out the latest music in-game on the soundtrack and at Club 2K.

You can learn all about NBA 2K22 Season 4 by reading the courtside report.

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Tags: 2KNBA 2K22


PUBG Mobile updated with new Arcade mode, Training Grounds, new setting and more

PUBG Mobile is finally getting its first major update since its official launch last month! In this update, we will get to enjoy some exciting features including the new Arcade mode with only 28 players in a match and the Training Grounds that allows you to try out all the weapons.

Training Grounds
Here is what they have updated:

Arcade Mode – A fast-paced battle with 28 players and one of the 6 variations: Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, All Weapons, Melee, Pistols and Item Heaven.
Training Grounds – Allows you to try our different weapons and practice your shooting skills.
New setting – Dusk.

There are also over 20 game optimizations added to the game, which includes:

Added Follow function (both before parachuting and after landing).
Added automatic door opening (you can enable or disable it in Settings or in-game).
Added a performance chart to the Results screen.
Added flipping tricks for motorcycles.
Added Nitrous Oxide engines to cars (so you can speed up your vehicle).
Previously used vehicles are now marked on the mini-map.

There are also some in-app purchases available in the game now, which you can spend real money to get some awesome outfits. For more details, you can view their official patch note here.

You can buy Special Agent Crate for outfits
The update is now live for most of the Android users, while the iOS update is still in the progress. Have you tried out the new Arcade mode yet? Do you like it? Tell us in the comment section below!

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Tags: AndroidArcade modeiOSMobilePUBG: MobileTencent GamesUpdate


Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Operation Wind Bastion now available

Ubisoft has announced today that Operation Wind Bastion, the fourth and last season of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 3, is now available on PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. It includes 2 new Operators and the new Fortress map.

New Operators
Operation Wind Bastion comes with 2 new Operators from Morocco:

Nomad, the Moroccan Attacker. Her main focus is the use of her Airjab launcher. The Airjabs are sticky, proximity triggered air blast grenades that knocks down opposing Operators.

Kaid, the Moroccan Defender. He serves as a counter to hard breachers with his Rtila electroclaw. With it, he can electrify all metallic objects in proximity which includes reinforced walls and deployable shields.

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New Map
The Fortress map sits in the Moroccan mountains which functions as a military training site. Furthermore, the map is also Kaid’s home. Inspired by Moroccan architecture, the Fortress features various strategic points such as an accessible roof and many flanking routes.

Major Updates
In addition to new content, Operation Wind Bastion introduces new updates on the following:

A redesigned in-game shop that helps improve user experience.
Updated throw curves. The new values help make throwable gadgets much easier to use. All throwables except the Nitro Cell will use the new curve values.
An optional Area of Effect feature for Kaid and Nomad. This feature aims to help new players better understand a gadget’s area of effect. Players can turn it off in the game’s settings.
Playlist changes made to Ranked Map and Casual Map pools.

Esports related updates
Players can now acquire matching BDU and Headgear for specific Operators in support of their favourite Pro League team. 30% of the sales of both BDU and Headgear got to the respective organizations.

On the other hand, qualifiers for The Six Invitational 2019 for the APAC region will take place on the 8th of December. Currently, only 1 slot remains for the APAC region. Interested players and teams can sign up for the APAC online qualifiers for a chance to advance to the Six Invitational.
 Sign up for the qualifiers here!
Finally, players who own the Year 3 pass can start playing with the new Operators. All other players can unlock the Operators using Renown or R6 Credits starting from December 11th.
For more information on Operation Wind Bastion, you can visit here. On the other hand, you can visit the official site for more information on Rainbow Six Siege itself.

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Tags: Operation Wind BastionPCPlaystation 4The Six Invitational 2019Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeXbox One


Designing an RPG off an action game – an interview with Monster Hunter Stories 2 Producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto

After all the hours poured into Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, getting the chance to have an email interview with the game’s producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, was an opportunity not to be missed! We should preface the interview by stating that we had submitted these questions prior to the early September update that saw the additions of Soulseer Mizutsune, Elderfrost Gammoth and Oroshi Kirin. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s see what Tsujimoto-san had to say.

Interview has been translated from Japanese and edited for clarity.

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Producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto
Is there a reason why we can’t have Monsties like Daimyo Hermitaur, Agnaktor and Duramboros?
We did originally want to have all the monsters appear in the game and be available as Monsties. However, after considering various circumstances during the development period, we had to make the choice to give up on it. We’re very disappointed in this as well.
Imagine being able to mount one of these. Pictured: Daimyo Hermitaur
The game now is lacking strong water Monsties, besides the Palamute and Soulseer Mizutsune DLC. Same goes for offensive Dragon moves, where we only have Deviljho, Stygian Zinogre and Dragon Palamute. What are your thoughts on this?
We wanted to have more monsters from the Monster Hunter series to appear in the game, giving priority to popular monsters. As such, there are bound to be elemental imbalances.
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Unlike the main series where monsters might have multiple weaknesses or strengths, Monstie stats are designed to have one strength / weakness in both defense and offense. Why this design choice?
Action games and RPGs are inherently different, so this was the result of prioritizing a more “casual” RPG.
The Monstie stat screen feels oversimplified, missing out stats such as recovery, or other elemental stats for offense and defense. Why so?
Initially, the UI showed all six elemental parameters, but a player can find it difficult to read. The game is not one that’s focused on these parameters either. In testing, the focus is placed on improving the strongest stat anyway, so the UI was changed to this simple and concise view. I think that this is currently the best state.

What does the recovery stat do, besides affecting Immunizer effects? Ed. note: Recovery does not affect genes such as Self Heal or Critical Healing, for example.
It affects the amount recovered when using a skill with a recovery effect.
What does the team think of the current PVP climate? Would there be official PVP events with a Capcom-endorsed ruleset?
We don’t have any particular recommended rules. We simply believe that as long as players can happily enjoy the battles with their Monsties, that’s good enough for us.
Having more weapon types compared to the first game is amazing. What are the design decisions behind creating the skills for each weapon?
We had one design motto: to highlight the characteristics of turn-based RPG combat. From there, we picked out 6 weapons. The design came from considering the balance of Monster Hunter-esque weapon skills. Further, a monster’s breakable parts is based off different weapon types – Blunt, Slash, Pierce. From there, taking advantage of the characteristics of the weapons makes combat feel more in-depth and fun.

The lore of the main series says Black Diablos is actually a Diablos in heat, but for Monster Hunter Stories, they’re already coloured black when hatched from the egg. Any thoughts on this? Ed. note: In-game description from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – “These black-shelled Diablos are treated as a subspecies, but are actually just female Diablos in heat. The color change is a signal to other creatures, as they tend to become extremely aggressive during mating season.”
(laughs) Well, please make use of the Monster Hunter Stories 2 world overview to make sense of it!
What happened to the first Monster Hunter Stories’ protagonist?
I believe their adventure is still ongoing. I’ll leave it to your imagination. Incidentally, if you haven’t played it yet, you can get it on 3DS, iOS and Android. I hope everyone will try it out!
We know that Rathalos is an iconic monster in the Monster Hunter series. However, Rathalos is already the main monster of the first Monster Hunter Stories, so why is it the main monster for the second game again?
We did initially consider monsters besides Rathalos, but we eventually decided to go with the iconic Rathalos as the player character’s main Monstie. We hope that players who didn’t play the first game would play the second, so we wrote a new and different story involving the protagonist Rider and Rathalos for the final script.
When it comes to crossovers, Rathalos is pretty much a given too.
Anything you wish to say to the fans?
Thanks to your support, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin was released successfully. We thank you very much for playing the game, and if you haven’t, be sure to try out the demo. Please continue to support the Monster Hunter series in the future as well.
The first reveal of the roadmap.
That’s the end of our interview with Ryozo Tsujimoto. With his insight, it sure explains the lopsided distribution of genes in Monster Hunter Stories 2, as players would be well aware of the staggering amount of Non-Elemental genes to Water and Ice. With the game’s next title updates expected to bring in Dreadking Rathalos, Molten Tigrex, Silver Rathalos and Golden Rathian in late September to October, one wonders if the development team will consider more overshadowed monsters after then?
You can check out our other guides here:

Finding Elder Dragon and Deviant Eggs
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Talismans Farm

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of RuinPublisher: CapcomDeveloper: CapcomRelease Date: 2021-07-09Nintendo Switch, Steam
A new adventure awaits you in this second installment of the turn-based RPG series set in the world of Monster Hunter! Become a Rider and form bonds with friendly monsters known as Monsties to fight alongside them as you take part in an epic story.

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Tags: CapcomMonster HunterMonster Hunter StoriesMonster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of RuinRyozo Tsujimoto


Outcast 2 – A New Beginning revealed at THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary Showcase

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Dreams are never dead until they truly are, with Outcast 2: A New Beginning revealed at THQ Nordic‘s 10th Anniversary Showcase! While no release date has been revealed, you can go ahead and wishlist the game for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X | S and PC. Check out the game trailer and overview:

20 years after the award-winning action adventure hit, Outcast, pioneered the genre of non-linear open-world games, the long-awaited sequel sees Cutter Slade return to the spectacular alien world of Adelpha. Resurrected by the almighty Yods, he has returned to find the Talans enslaved, the world stripped of its natural resources, and his own past intertwining with the invading robot forces. It’s up to him to go on a mission and save the planet again.

The original team behind Outcast 1 has reunited to create this fascinating world, full of dangerous creatures and home to the Talan people – an ancient culture whose fate has become inextricably linked with earth since the events of the first game. You play as Cutter Slade, ex-Navy SEAL, sporting the same dry wit he had back in the 90s – however, the world around him has changed and eventually, so will he.
To save Adelpha, you will …
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use your jetpack to jump, air-dash, glide, and quickly traverse the fantastic in-game open world
combine dozens of different modules to create your own personal weapon for taking down the robot invaders
have total control to approach the story at your own pace in this non-linear world
explore the world without boundaries, discover hidden temples and dangerous wildlife
get familiar with the Talan culture while helping them free their villages and gain access to ancient Talan powers that use forces of nature to destroy your enemies
experience a beautiful, hand-crafted world accompanied by an epic soundtrack by Outcast’s original composer, Lennie Moore

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Tags: OutcastOutcast 2 - A New BeginningTHQ Nordic


Time to make some crazy money with Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire – out now on stores

Last week, Sega made the original version of Crazy Taxi free to celebrate the upcoming launch of Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire, now both the game are free and available on stores.

With just a cab, a cabbie and a dream build a fleet of cabs, you can build up a taxi tycoon. The main goal here is to make cash, the crazier your driver deliver the faster you earn. The gameplay is really easy that only screen tappings are needed. You can buy and upgrade the various choice of cabs, then hire and level up the Crazy Taxi drivers. Every driver has their favourite type of cab, so you should match them up for bonuses.

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No matter you are a fan of the Crazy Taxi franchise or just a fan of clicker games, the game is awfully fun to try.

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Tags: AndroidCrazy TaxiCrazy Taxi GazillionaireiOSMobileSEGA


Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC Review – Journey To The Fiery West

Coming from the conclusion of Horizon Zero Dawn Forbidden West comes the follow-up story of Aloy’s journey to the Burning Shores of Los Angeles in pursuit of a threat in the form of an awakening Metal Devil.

The DLC includes several new additions to the base-game (similar to that of the Frozen Wilds DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn) which includes new Machines, a new Weapon Type, New Legendary Coils, Weapon and even Outfits.

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The New Metal Monsters
In the Burning Shores Aloy will encounter a few new Machine types, two of them go hand in hand and are called the Bilegut and Stingspawn. Now, what I found most interesting about the Bilegut is that its design is based on an amphibian (Frog) whereas before this, all the Machines in Horizon Zero Dawn were modelled after Dinosaurs, large Mammals and large Lizards.
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It is the most annoying amongst the new additions of Machines in the game as it will continuously spawn Stingspawn (small fly-like machines) that does not drop Metal Shards upon destruction. This results in you not recuperating back your arrows as you will need Metal Shards to craft most of the ammo in the game. Prolonging the fight against a Bilegut is definitely something that would take a toll on your resources if you do not take the Bilegut out earlier on.
These monsters will also be available to fight against in The Arena which was present in the base game and players may test their mettle by racing against the clock to earn rewards.
The Bilegut and its Stingspawn “eggs” in the background
A Not So Great Weapon During A Civilized Age
In the Burning Shores DLC we actually get to use one of the weapons that the Zeniths used quite earlier on after clearing some early story missions. Naturally this would be pretty exciting as these weapons are far more advanced than what Aloy has been using all this time. Unfortunately that is not the case as the new weapon type called the Specter Gauntlet is somewhat lacking.
It has a high ammo count (100 after max pouch upgrade) but that is to compensate for its miniscule damage values which is not what I expected from a weapon from the future. The accuracy crosshairs are also too wide in some cases and worst still, the weapon cannot be fitted with any Coils. It does make sense from a lore standpoint but this also means that the weapon stays as is throughout the game unless you find the right components to upgrade it.
Luckily the weapon is not all that useless as you could spend stamina to mark a part on an enemy via the Designator. This will then result in all your ammo automatically home-in towards that marked point making the weapon an excellent counter to annoying flying Machines provided that you managed to mark the Machine in the first place.

New Legendary Coils, Weapons and Outfits
In the Burning Shores DLC, there are plenty of Legendary outfits, weapons and coils that are on sale at the merchants located in the new town. All these items are new and never before seen in the base game. This also means that your resources (Brimshine specifically) better be sufficient to even consider purchasing them as they are quite expensive.
Exploring The Burning Shores
Traversing a post apocalyptic Los Angeles with magma rivers running through it felt pretty wonderful. Horizon Zero Dawn has always been quite a looker in terms of visual presentation but with the Burning Shores DLC the scenes presented were insanely detailed and really great to look at.
Exploring the different isles and its shores was an enjoyable experience as I attempted to complete the many quests, trophies, collectibles and background lore within the area, and not even once did it felt like a chore to do. Going through the many collectibles roughly took me about 10+ hours to complete which did not feel that long thanks to how scenic the journey was and how traversal in the game is really easy and fluid.
The game also adds in one more Cauldron (a dungeon that when completed gives Aloy the ability to override the Machine that the Cauldron is responsible of creating). During her time in the Burning Shores, Aloy will have her skill tree expanded with a new Valor Surge and two other skills to learn. The skills are extremely fun to use. One skill has you grapple hook strike on knocked down foes and when prompted click the relevant button to energize the target for a Resonator Blast.

Travelling Builds Character
Even during the first game, Aloy has always been a stoic and driven character, always doing what is needed of her rather than acting for herself. In Forbidden West however Aloy starts to evolve more as a character. There are multiple times where Aloy loses her posture when dealing with Beta (her clone) but she still remains focused on the ultimate mission which was defeating the Zeniths and saving the world.
Here in the Burning Shores, the stakes are somewhat smaller (initially) which gives Aloy more room to think more inwards. This results in Aloy, for lack of better term, becoming a big softie. Her interactions with Seyka (a newly introduced character in the Burning Shores) are indications of this as Aloy gets emotionally affected at times whenever Seyka’s feelings are hurt.
There are also times when Aloy also projected a sense of nervousness when dealing with complicated emotions concerning her relationship with Seyka. It is a side to the character that I personally would never expect to see nor believe if I didn’t play through the Burning Shores DLC myself.
Final Thoughts

The Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC is definitely an easy pick-up for huge fans of the Horizon Zero Dawn series, it expands the story even further and hints that the events that occur within Burning Shores will play a bigger part in the overall narrative. I believe that the shift in Aloy’s character was an unexpected but welcomed surprise, personally it fits the situation quite well with all things considered.
The game’s visuals are still as gorgeous as ever, and you can get a sense of that even more just by flying around overlooking the Machines carrying on their respective tasks while taking photos with the included photo mode. Everything from the lighting and overall presentation of the game simply looks phenomenal on the PlayStation 5. The Machines are definitely the highlight of this game for me as they are truly a sight to behold.
The late Lance Reddick performance as Sylens, was amazing although very brief when compared to the new character Seyka. Of course, Seyka as a character was a great addition to the cast as well.
Not all is perfect however, as the number of new Machines added in are somewhat small and the new antagonist Londra (the final surviving Zenith) did not carry the personality of a person who has been alive for such a long time.
Personally, the positives far outweigh the negatives and ultimately my curiosity as to how Aloy will deal with a god level-threat like Nemesis (a Corrupted AI entity) that started the events of Horizon Zero Dawn were answered as the DLC gave me a small glimpse of that.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC is out now, and is available on PlayStation 5. You may find further information at their official website.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC was reviewed on PlayStation 5, review code was provided by Publisher.

Horizon Forbidden WestPublisher: Sony Interactive EntertainmentDeveloper: Guerilla GamesRelease Date: 2022-02-18PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Join Aloy as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats.

Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.

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Tags: Guerilla GamesHorizon Zero Dawn Burning ShoresHorizon Zero Dawn Forbidden West


LifeAfter JP commences Attack on Titan collaboration

The JP LifeAfter server has begun their Attack on Titan collaboration, which will run until 15 April 2021. It’s been announced for a while now, since 25 March, just in case you were wondering if this was just some April Fool’s joke. As is typical with collabs, you will be able to get costumes, furniture and event battles based off the property. There’s also a new map players can explore.

As mentioned, the Attack on Titan collab is for JP LifeAfter, so we’ll have to see if the global version will receive it at some point. Face off against both the living dead and Titans as you continue to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. You can check out the previews of the collab below:

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The collab special website can be found here for you to check out the rest of the images. Considering the global version has also received collabs like Resident Evil and Ghost in the Shell, it should be a matter of time before it does get announced. For now, players can expect outfits styled after Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Levi and Historia Reiss, besides other themed vehicles, furniture, decoration and what not. The details about the battle isn’t provided on the website, so if you want to experience it, you could try get the Japanese (or Chinese) version.
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LifeAfterPublisher: NeteaseDeveloper: NeteaseRelease Date: 2018-11-02Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
A blizzard of devastating virus beleaguered the world, bringing about the catastrophic disintegration of orders and covenants.
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LifeAfter, a mobile game depicting the survival of humanity in a post virus apocalyptic world, is officially launched.
Live on, together.

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Tags: Attack on TitanLifeAfterNetEaseNetEase Games