Legends Of Runeterra Guide: Best Decks To Start With

Legends Of Runeterra is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed by Riot Games. It is a spinoff based on the lore and characters in Riot Games’ very own popular MOBA game League Of Legends.
It’s been in closed beta for a while, but it’s been available for download on Android (Google Play Store), iOS (Apple App Store), and PC (from the official website), since 29 April 2020.
In my in-depth review of the game, I found Legends Of Runeterra to be an accessible title that even those who are not familiar with either League Of Legends, or digital card games in general, can still very much enjoy.
How To Play Legends Of Runeterra

Riot Games have made it so that Legends Of Runeterra is easy to pick and play, with the intuitive and surprisingly fun tutorials more than enough to teach any new players the basics of the game.
Battles are simple: two players face off, attacking and blocking with champions and followers (and spells in between) to deplete their opponent’s Nexus points (health points). A single deck can have a maximum of 40 cards, but only a total of six champions, so you’ll have to fill the remaining with followers (normal units) and spells.
Each player can either attack or block during their respective turns. The attack token will switch from player to player, and the player who doesnâ€™t have it in any given turn must prepare to block the playerâ€™s attack attempt (if they choose to do so). You can also Pass your turn, as sometimes itâ€™s better to wait and take advantage of whichever (attack or block) is more in your favour, or to wait for your Mana to build up to put better cards into play.
In order to use a card (be it champions, followers or spells), players need to put them into play from their hand. If theyâ€™re in your hand, theyâ€™re useless (other than Burst Spells, but we’ll get to that later). They all require Mana (or energy points) to put them into play, with each card requiring a different amount of Mana to put into play. Your Mana will replenish and increase every round as the attack token exchanges between players.
Legends Of Runeterra Spells

Spells in Legends Of Runeterra work just like they do in any other card game, but it’s important to understand the limitations and advantages of each Spell card category, of which there are several.
These include:

Burst Spells: Burst spells can be played at any time and activated instantly. The advantage is that your opponent will not be able to react or counter them.
Fast Spells: These spells can also be played at any time and activated almost instantly. However, unlike Burst Spells, your opponent can react or counter the effects of these cards by playing their own Fast or Burst spells.
Slow Spells: These spells can only be played outside of combat, which means that they can’t be put into play during attacking and blocking phases. Just like Fast Spells, your opponent can react to and counter these cards.
Fleeting Spells: These spells’ effects are temporary and will disappear if unused at the end of the turn.

Legends Of Runeterra Keywords

Another important mechanic in Legends Of Runeterra is the unique keywords assigned to specific champions and followers which comes with special effects/abilities. To see the effects/abilities these keywords have, you can always touch or click on that particular keyword during gameplay.
It’s vital to note that keywords are unique to certain regions from where the cards come from. For instance, the Frostbite keyword is unique to cards from the Freljord region, which is why many champions and units from that region will have special effects and advantages that relate to Frostbite.
Check out the list of available keywords in the game so far below:

Image
Name
Effect

Allegiance
When an Allegiance unit is summoned, it receives its bonus if the top card of your deck is from the same region.

Attune
When summoned, refill one mana.

Barrier
Prevents the next instance of damage the unit would receive. Only usable in one round.

Capture
A captured unit is removed from play until the Captor is removed too.

Challenger
Challenger units can force any enemy unit to block their attack.

Deep
When your deck has 15 or fewer cards, the unit gains +3/+3.

Drain
Deal damage and heal your Nexus.

Elusive
Can only be blocked by another elusive unit.

Enlightened
Once you reach 10 mana, cards with Enlightened on the board gain their permanent effects.

Ephemeral
The unit dies once it strikes or the round ends.

Fearsome
Can only be blocked by units exceeding 3 or more power.

Frostbite
Sets a unit’s power to 0 for the round.

Nexus Strike
Effects occur when your unit strikes the enemy Nexus.

Obliterate
Completely removes specified cards from the game.

Overwhelm
Overkill damage is applied to the enemy Nexus.

Plunder
Plunder ability is triggered if you damaged the enemy Nexus.

Rally
If you don’t have an attack token, you gain one.

Support
Grants an effect to the unit to the right of the Support, if it is attacking.

Toss
Obliterates selected non-champion cards from the bottom of your deck.

Tough
Receives one less damage from all sources.

League Of Runeterra Regions

There are currently only seven regions in Legends Of Runeterra, but Riot Games is already working to add more in the future, with Bilgewater being the latest addition at launch.

DemaciaÂ is a region of noble warriors, and the game’s starting deck for players, which is perfect for those new to Legends Of Runeterra. Its champions include Fiora, Garen, Lucian, Lux and Quinn.
Freljord is a snowy region thatâ€™s all about weakening your opponents with Frostbite, which reduces their attack capability to zero. Its champions include Anivia, Ashe, Braum, Sejuani and Tryndamere.
Ionia is all about sneaky tactics and spells, forcing your opponents to recall their cards to their hands. Its champions include Karma, Lee Sin, Shen, Yasuo, and Zed.
Noxus is filled with glass cannons, defined by non-stop aggression and high attack power. Its champions include Darius, Draven, Katarina, Swain, and Vladimir.
Piltover & Zaun boasts spell-casters with complex abilities. Its champions include Ezreal, Heimerdinger, Jinx, Teemo, and VI.

Shadow Isles involves a playstyle that revolves around sacrificing and reviving units. Its champions include Elise, Hecarim, Kalista, Maokai, and Thresh.
Bilgewater is for those that love risky plays that can pay off big time. Its champions include Fizz, Gangplank, Miss Fortune, Nautilus and Twisted Fate.

NEXT: The Best Decks So Far


Celebrating Video Games’ Best Rodents

In lieu of Blizzard giving some love to rodent-kind with its new heroÂ Hammond/Wrecking Ball, let’s look back at video game pop culture’s finest rats, squirrels, and critters all categorized as rodents.
Note: Bandicoots, opossums, and hedgehogs are not rodents. Sorry Crash, Sparkster, and Sonic.
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel

Originally a foil to Aero the Acrobat, somehow Sunsoft wanted to make a spin-off game about this kamikaze squirrel who can fly, do somersaults, and throw ninja stars. So not really a kamikaze and more like a ninja, we think.
Mr.Nutz

Europes’ favourite platformer with a bushy tail, this guy is the many remnants of a publisher named Ocean Software that made headlines for its many movie adaptations of games. There’s not much to say about him except (i) he’s a bright red and white and (ii) he’s family-friendly. Which is more than we can say about the next entry:
Conker The Squirrel

A swearing and cussing adventurous squirrel in his own platformer-slash-adventure game deserves a mention on this list. The stuff he’s pulled off just to recap his tale of being king is just insane and out of the norm from its supposedly cutesy vibe.
Pikachu

He’s a rodent, pure and simple. Look at it; it’s an anime rat made cute and shocking. He has his evolved and baby form as standbys, but folks can’t beat the original yellow tail flavour.
Also, no one cares about Rattata.
Freya from Final Fantasy IX

She’s a giant one, and a badass dragoon at that! She wields her spear like nobody’s business and takes crap from nobody except for king and country.
Pity her FF Brave Exvius counterpart sucks balls.
Boo The Miniature Giant Space Hamster from Baldur’s Gate

The one avatar that keeps chaotic good Minsc in check. He’s the little rodent that is always the subject of Minsc’s softer side, so much so that he can snap your neck if you look at Boo funny. He usually commands his furry friend to go for his enemy’s optic nerves.

Sherry The Mouse from the Ultima Series

She helps you out at the worst of times during Ultima VI for a crucial quest involving the rune at Jhelom. Otherwise, she’s just a wetnurse at Lord British’s pad.
Chip & Dale; from Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers on NES

Hey, we never said we wouldn’t include licensed Disney characters from retro games, right? They can lift shit up twice their size in these games.
Mickey from Kingdom Hearts

We shouldn’t mess with the mouse from the House, especially if he’s wielding Keyblades and is the figurehead of today’s pop culture landmarks.Â
Imagine if he got Norted.
Did we leave out other furry critters in the rodentverse? Let us know on the comments section!


Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 9 Qualifiers Kicks Off This Month

Registrations for the Mobile Legends Bang BangÂ  Professional League (MPL) Malaysia Season 9 Qualifiers have commenced today. You can squad up in groups of five for a chance to compete in Malaysia’s top esports professional league by registering at the Google Form here.
The tournament provides gamers with the opportunity and support to become esports players and compete on par with other MLBB professionals in Malaysia. MPL Malaysia has grown vastly throughout the years, with rising viewership across each season.
In Season 8, the tournament had a peak-concurrent viewership of 137,000 during the grand finale between TODAK and Team SMG. Both local representatives performed well during the M3 World Championship group stages and playoffs, and fans can expect to see them come back stronger than ever in Season 9.Â Â
With the esports landscape in Malaysia burning bright, MPL Malaysia is looking to strengthen growth within the ecosystem, with the following initiatives:Â Â

Caster Search Campaign: Be part of MPL Malaysia Season 9, and join us as a caster, host, or analyst. This platform provides fans with the chance to be part of the esports and gaming industry. Registrations will begin on 10 January 2022; stay tuned for more updates on MPL Malaysia’s social channels.Â Â
Third-Party Tournaments: Ever thought of organising your very own MLBB Esports tournament? Simply register at the official website here. MPL Malaysia will provide resources and support on a case-by-case basis to support community-level tournaments and build the development of the esports ecosystem.

MPL Malaysia Season 9 qualifiers will take place from 14 to 16 January 2022, with a special live stream going on MPL Malaysia’s social platforms on the last day of the qualifiers. Watch out forÂ  spicy plays by local teams and rising stars, including:Â Â

Team EBLIZ: The rookie superstars previously made it to the qualifying rounds ofÂ  MPL MY S8. Will they stand a chance to come back even stronger this season?
Team Caracal: The all-new superstar team features RSG Malaysia, Team Bosskurr,Â  and Orange Esports ex-members. Comprised of Leixia, LinkEzaa, Lolealz, Zaraki,Â  Aim, Neo, and their coach – Kuja, will they be able to grow stronger together?Â
RED Esports: The MLBB veterans are strong contenders to look out for, but can they rise above the rest of the teams?Â

This season, MPL Malaysia welcomes back McDelivery as the presenting sponsor. Celebrate victory moments with Nescafe and experience epic moments with SamsungÂ  Galaxy A-Series as the Official Smartphone.
Stay tuned to the following platforms for MPL Malaysia updates and collaborations:Â Â

Registration Link
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok


Insidious The Red Door Final Trailer Is Spooky

Sony Pictures Malaysia has released a final trailer for the upcoming Insidious The Red Door.
In Insidious: The Red Door, the horror franchise’s original cast returns for the final chapter of the Lambert family’s terrifying saga. To put their demons to rest once and for all, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and a college-aged Dalton (Ty Simpkins) must go deeper into The Further than ever before, facing their family’s dark past and a host of new and more horrifying terrors that lurk behind the red door.
The original cast from Insidious is back with Patrick Wilson (also making his directorial debut), Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne, and Andrew Astor. Also starring Sinclair Daniel and Hiam Abbass. Produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan and Leigh Whannell. The screenplay is written by Scott Teems from a story by Leigh Whannell, based on characters created by Leigh Whannell.
Check out the final trailer below:


Custom Anime Sneakers Refashioned Nike Dunk Low And Air Jordan

Nike is no stranger to video game and pop culture collaborations, however, the iconic brand did not yet get its chance to collaborate with a certain giant gaming company such as Nintendo. Yet, Andrew Chiou, a shoe designer, takes the plunge and creates customized sneakers with Mario, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and more themes.
His Pokemon-theme sneakers have been doing the rounds on shoe blogs recently, and that is only above the surface. His custom Dunks and Jordans are painted every so often for customers, and sometimes as one-offs for celebrities and athletes. As a result, Chiou’s designs garnered the attention of shoe enthusiasts on social media with 182,000 Instagram followers. However, most sneakers are digitally designed as mock-ups and certain sneakers are painted on actual pairs.
What The Super Mario

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The classic Nike Dunk Low gets refashioned into unique mismatched sneakers inspired by the Super Mario Bros. movie. This low-top shoe design incorporates motifs and colours reminiscent of Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Yoshi, and more characters, as well as stages and items from the game.
Sailor Moon Concept

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Who said you can’t look dope with sailor moon sneakers? Painted on the Nike Dunk Low, featuring retro and clean panel design that’ll make any age of fans go wild.
OG Vegeta

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The Dragon Ball Dunks are based on Vegeta and are painted on a real pair of sneakers. You can see how intricate the details are especially Vegeta’s shoulder armour.
The Mystery Machine

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Chiou created a special customized Dunks for Halloween, based on the famous animated van in the Scooby-Doo franchise.
Mecha Mewtwo

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We would never have thought this classic Mewtwo would have resurfaced as an inspiration for the Air Jordan 4 sneaker, and it is stunning! Overlay panels feature contoured shadows adding to the character of the sneaker while the shoe’s materials and overall construction are kept intact.
Flaming Charizard

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Hardcore Pokemon fans would instantly recognise this rare alternative Charizard back in the Gen 2 era. Some called it “Purple Charizard” and others “Shiny Charizard”. Either way, you can bet this design is insanely dope.
Snorlax 4 Concept

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Finally, the Snorlax 4, brings the ever-lovable Pokemon Snorlax redesigned on off-white Jordan IV sneakers. The colour pallets express tones of blue and beige. Dark patches add the 3D effect drawn from the shadow found on Snorlax.
Keen to see more of Andrew Chiou’s designs, both concepts and actual customs? Give a follow on his Instagram page.
What do you think of the custom sneakers above? Let us know in the comment section below.


Sonic Frontiers Gets Free Monster Hunter DLC

SEGA has announced a collaboration between Sonic Frontiers (PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam) and the popular hunting action Monster Hunter series from Capcom.
If you download this pack, you will receive special Rathalos outfits and a BBQ Spit that lets you play a meat grilling mini-game. Make Sonic even stronger by playing this mini-game.

SEGA is also preparing multiple free Sonic Frontiers content updates for 2023.
In the meantime, head on over here for my review of Sonic Frontiers or check out my guide on how to be a supersonic hedgehog.


The Flash Ending Explained & Post-Credits Breakdown

Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no superheroes to turn to.
That is; unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian, albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
The Flash premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 15 June 2023. Check out my review by heading over here.
Spoiler warning, beware of spoilers ahead:

The Flash Ending Explained

The movie starts with Barry Allen AKA The Flash (Ezra Miller) helping out Bruce Wayne AKA Batman (Ben Affleck) and Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) in Gotham City. When the next appeal date for his imprisoned father’s court case looms close, Barry finds himself overwhelmed with grief and decides to go back in time and prevent his mother’s death. He achieves this simply by making sure that his mother buys a can of tomatoes on that day, which in turn ensures that his father is home on that day (instead of leaving the house and going to the store to buy one), thus preventing his mother from being killed and his father from being wrongfully indicted for her death.
After preventing his mother’s death, Barry goes back to the future to find both his parents alive and free but is surprised to find another version of him (one who grew up with both his parents) there as well. Let’s call this other Barry, Barry 2.0. Barry then discovers that the date is the day that he gets zapped by lightning and gets his powers, so he brings Barry 2.0 to the place and location where he got his powers. Unfortunately, he loses his powers in the process while Barry 2.0 gets the powers.
Barry then decides to find other heroes when he discovers that General Zod has arrived to terraform Earth. He and Barry 2.0 go to Gotham and meets Bruce Wayne AKA Batman but this is an alternate version (Michael Keaton). This Batman teaches both Barrys about how Barry’s actions of saving his mother caused the timeline to split and create a Multiverse. He also teaches that there are certain fixed points in every universe in the Multiverse that will still happen no matter what you do to change them.
They then go to find Superman to help fight General Zod but find Kara Zor-El AKA Supergirl (Sasha Calle) instead. They fight General Zod and the Kryptonians, but Batman and Supergirl end up dying. Barry 2.0 attempts to change this by going back to the past multiple times, causing the different universes to start colliding with each other and getting destroyed. During this time, we get to see cameos from multiple DC heroes from different universes.
arry tells Barry 2.0 to stop but then, they get interrupted by a Dark Flash, who turns out to be an older future version of Barry 2.0 who has tried to change Batman and Supergirl’s fate countless times. Dark Flash was also the one who caused Barry to end up in Barry 2.0’s timeline instead of his own in the first place.
Barry 2.0 sacrifices himself to stop Dark Flash, and Barry goes back to the past to make sure his mother died because it’s actually a fixed point. However, Barry still makes one small change (by making sure that his father’s face is seen on a camera while at the store so that it can be an alibi for him and prove that it wasn’t him who murdered his wife). When Barry returns to the present, his father’s appeal case is successful. The movie ends with Barry getting a call from Bruce Wayne, which turns out to be another version (played by George Clooney).
Why Is It George Clooney As Bruce Wayne AKA Batman In The Flash Ending?

It’s probably intended as just a fun cameo but it probably means that Earth/dimension/timeline/universe that Barry returns to is not 100 percent his old one. While he did make sure his mother still died, Barry still made one small change by making sure that his father’s face is seen on camera and this probably resulted in more changes to the Multiverse.
It’s a confusing ending, but what I’m sure of is that this is highly likely not the new rebooted DC Universe planned by James Gunn, since he has yet to announce official casting news for who the new Batman will be.
It probably won’t be George Clooney.
Other Cameos In The Flash
Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)

Gal Gadot reprises her role as Diana AKA Wonder Woman in a brief cameo at the beginning of the movie, saving Batman (Ben Affleck) from falling.
The Original Live-Action Superman

During the scene when we see multiple earths and universes collide, the first features a black-and-white Superman, which could potentially be one of several actors. The first-ever was actually Ray Middleton in 1940 for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, but it could also have been Kirk Alyn (who starred in the 1948 Superman serials) or George Reeves (who starred in the Adventures Of Superman TV series).
Jay Garrick The Flash

We also get to see a glimpse of the Jay Garrick version of The Flash, but it’s unclear who is portraying the character. It could be John Wesley Shipp, who played the Flash in the 1990 TV series and the Arrowverse.
Nicolas Cage As The Superman From Tim Burton’s Superman Lives!

A digitized version of Nicolas Cage appears as Superman from Tim Burton’s Superman Lives!, a movie that was in development years ago but was ultimately never made.
Christopher Reeves Superman And Helen Slater Supergirl

Arguably the most iconic Superman of all, a digitized version of the late Christopher Reeves as Superman appears alongside Helen Slater’s version of Supergirl from the 1984 Supergirl movie.
Batman 1966

Of course, the late Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin from the 1966 Batman TV series.
And last but not least…
The Flash Post-Credits Scene

Warner Bros. decided to go with a funny gag for the post-credits scene in The Flash. We see Barry telling a drunk Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman about the Multiverse and various versions of Batman. Aquaman then passes out on the street.
Ultimately, the post-credits scene doesn’t tell us anything about what’s next, since it’s simply a gag. It’s understandable, considering that James Gunn’s new DCU is still in the early stages, and the first movie, Superman Legacy, is still a whole two years away from releasing in 2025.


Check Out This Schwifty Rick And Morty Clothing Line

Rick And Morty Season 4 isn’t here yet, but fans can grab some awesome threads while waiting for the new season to arrive. Adult Swim is officially partnering with Australian fashion label BlackMilk for a collection of clothing inspired by the popular animated series.
There are over 19 pieces of Rick And Morty clothing currently available, ranging from swimwear and dresses to blouses and shorts. It should be noted that most of these clothes seem to be geared more towards females and womenswear. Prices begin at $42 and above.
Want to showcase the glory of Pickle Rick or Anatomy Park? This clothing line has got you covered. Take a look at some of the choice clothing below:

In an email statement to Mashable, BlackMilk said: “The BlackMilk team have always been invested in pop culture, and working with the Rick and Morty brand was a dream collaboration for us. Our fans have been requesting it for years, and we here in the company are huge fans of the show as well, we were so ecstatic when we found out we had this opportunity!”
Meanwhile, the most recent update we’ve received by the official Rick And Morty Twitter account is just this, and there’s also Godzilla (and Mothra) in there for some reason:

Rick. Morty. Rick. Morty. Rick. Morty. pic.twitter.com/kQPqGVQ62m
â€” Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) January 3, 2019


PlayStation Plus Lineup To Add Demon’s Souls, Red Dead Redemption 2 & A Lot More

Sony has revealed more about its upcoming improved and expanded PlayStation Plus plans (via PlayStation Blog).
Monthly Games
PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium**/Deluxe Plans
In any PlayStation Plus plan you choose, you’ll get the same benefits that are currently available today for PlayStation Plus members.

PS4 and PS5 Game Catalog
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium**/Deluxe Plans
These titles will be available for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium/Deluxe plans. PlayStation.com will be updated with the game list when it launches in your region.
PlayStation Studios

Alienation | Housemarque, PS4
Bloodborne | FromSoftware, PS4
Concrete Genie | Pixelopus, PS4
Days Gone | Bend Studio, PS4
Dead Nation Apocalypse Edition | Housemarque, PS4
Death Stranding and Death Stranding Director’s Cut | Kojima Productions, PS4/PS5
Demon’s Souls | Bluepoint Games,  PS5
Destruction AllStars | Lucid Games, PS5
Everybody’s Golf | Japan Studio, PS4
Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut | Sucker Punch, PS4/ PS5
God of War | Santa Monica Studio, PS4
Gravity Rush 2 | Japan Studio, PS4
Gravity Rush Remastered | Japan Studio, PS4
Horizon Zero Dawn | Guerrilla Games, PS4
Infamous First Light | Sucker Punch, PS4
Infamous Second Son | Sucker Punch, PS4
Knack | Japan Studio, PS4
LittleBigPlanet 3 | Sumo Digital, PS4
LocoRoco Remastered | Japan Studio, PS4
LocoRoco 2 Remastered | Japan Studio, PS4
Marvel’s Spider-Man | Insomniac Games, PS4
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Insomniac Games, PS4/PS5
Matterfall |Housemarque, PS4
MediEvil | Other Ocean, PS4
Patapon Remastered | Japan Studio, PS4
Patapon 2 Remastered | Japan Studio, PS4
Resogun | Housemarque, PS4
Returnal | Housemarque, PS5
Shadow of the Colossus | Japan Studio,  PS4
Tearaway Unfolded |Media Molecule, PS4
The Last Guardian | Japan Studio, PS4
The Last of Us Remastered | Naughty Dog, PS4
The Last of Us: Left Behind | Naughty Dog, PS4
Until Dawn | Supermassive Games, PS4
Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection |Naughty Dog, PS4
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End | Naughty Dog, PS4
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy | Naughty Dog, PS4
WipEout Omega Collection | Clever Beans & Creative Vault Studios, PS4

Third Party-Partners

Ashen | Annapurna Interactive,PS4
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla*** | Ubisoft, PS4/PS5
Celeste | Maddy Makes Games, PS4
Cities: Skylines | Paradox Interactive, PS4
Control: Ultimate Edition | 505 Games, PS4/PS5
Dead Cells| Motion Twin, PS4
Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition | Square Enix Co. LTD, PS4
Hollow Knight | Team Cherry, PS4
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Square Enix Co. LTD., PS4/PS5
Mortal Kombat 11 | WB Games, PS4/PS5
Narutoshippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 | Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., PS4
NBA 2K22 | 2K Games, PS4/PS5
Outer Wilds | Annapurna Interactive, PS4
Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rockstar Games, PS4
Resident Evil | Capcom Co., Ltd, PS4
Soulcalibur VI | Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., PS4
The Artful Escape | Annapurna Interactive, PS4/PS5
The Crew 2*** | Ubisoft, PS4

Classic Games Catalog
PlayStation Plus Premium**/Deluxe Plan
PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe members will also have a selection of popular classic games to play, with some titles that will show improved frame rates and higher-quality resolution compared to their original launch versions. For select original PlayStation and PSP classic games, members will also enjoy a new user interface with menus that allow you to save your game at any time, or even rewind the game if you want a do-over.
Also, players who have previously purchased the digital version of games from the original PlayStation and PSP generation will not have to make a separate purchase or sign up to PlayStation Plus to play these titles on PS4 or PS5. When these titles are released for PS4 and PS5, players can head to PlayStation Store and download a version for the consoles at no extra cost if they already own the digital version of the title. Some of the titles will also be available for individual purchase.
Additionally, some remastered classics from previous console generations will be added to the PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe plan. Below is an early look at a selection of games that will be available:
Classic Games Catalog – Original PlayStation and PSP
PlayStation Studios

Ape Escape | Japan Studio, Original Playstation
Hot Shots Golf | Japan Studio, Original Playstation
I.Q. Intelligent Qube | Japan Studio, Original PlayStation
Jumping Flash! | Japan Studio, Original PlayStation
Syphon Filter | Bend Studio, Original PlayStation
Super Stardust Portable | Housemarque, PSP

Third Party Partners

Mr. Driller | Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Original PlayStation
Tekken 2 | Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Original PlayStation
Worms World Party | Team 17, Original PlayStation
Worms Armageddon | Team17, Original PlayStation

Classic Games Catalog – Remasters
PlayStation Studios

Ape Escape 2 | Japan Studio, PS4
Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits | Japan Studio, PS4
Dark Cloud | Japan Studio, PS4
Dark Cloud 2 | Japan Studio, PS4
FantaVision | SIE, PS4
Hot Shots Tennis | Japan Studio, PS4
Jak II | Naughty Dog, PS4
Jak 3| Naughty Dog, PS4
Jak X: Combat Racing | Naughty Dog, PS4
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy | Naughty Dog, PS4
Rogue Galaxy | Japan Studio, PS4
Siren | Japan Studio, PS4
Wild Arms 3 | SIE, PS4

Third Party Partners

Baja: Edge of Control HD | THQ Nordic, PS4
Bioshock Remastered | 2K Games, PS4
Borderlands The Handsome Collection | 2K Games, PS4
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition | Gearbox Publishing, PS4
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning | THQ Nordic, PS4
Lego Harry Potter Collection | WB Games, PS4

Original PS3 Games (via streaming)
PlayStation Plus Premium** Plan
The new PlayStation Plus will offer PS3 games to stream and play on PS4, PS5 and PC****. These are original, non-remastered versions of PS3 games and are available to PlayStation Plus Premium members where cloud streaming is available.
Markets where cloud streaming is available: US, Canada, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. The following markets will launch in June with cloud streaming access: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Here is an early look at the selection of original PS3 games available.
PlayStation Studios

Crash Commando | Creative Vault Studios, PS3
Demon’s Souls | From Software, PS3
echochrome | Japan Studio, PS3
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds | Japan Studio, PS3
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational | Japan Studio, PS3
Ico | Japan Studio, PS3
Infamous | Sucker Punch, PS3
Infamous 2 | Sucker Punch, PS3
Infamous: Festival of Blood | Sucker Punch, PS3
LocoRoco Cocoreccho! | Japan Studio, PS3
MotorStorm Apocalypse | Evolution Studios, PS3
MotorStorm RC | Evolution Studios, PS3
Puppeteer | Japan Studio, PS3
rain | Japan Studio, PS3
Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty | Insomniac Games, PS3
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time |Insomniac Games, PS3
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus | Insomniac Games, PS3
Resistance 3 | Insomniac Games, PS3
Super Stardust HD | Housemarque, PS3
Tokyo Jungle | Japan Studio, PS3
When Vikings Attack | Clever Beans, PS3

Third Party Partners

Asura’s Wrath | Capcom Co., Ltd., PS3
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 |  Konami, PS3
Devil May Cry HD Collection | Capcom Co., Ltd., PS3
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West | Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., PS3
F.E.A.R. | WB Games, PS3
Lost Planet 2 | Capcom Co., Ltd., PS3
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 | Koei Tecmo, PS3
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare |Rockstar Games, PS3

Time-Limited Game Trials
PlayStation Plus Premium**/Deluxe Plan
The time-limited game trial benefit will enable you to try select games before you buy. After downloading a trial of the full game, you can play it for two hours for most games – the playtime counter only counts while you are in the game. It’s a great way to try games before you decide to buy, and any trophies and game save data from the trial period will carry-forward if you purchase the game. Here are some of the titles that will be part of the time-limited game trials.
PlayStation Studios

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection | Naughty Dog, PS5
Horizon Forbidden West | Guerrilla Games, PS4/PS5

Third Party Partners

Cyberpunk 2077 | CD Projekt, PS5
Farming Simulator 22 | Giants Software GmBH, PS4/PS5
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland |  2K Games, PS4/PS5
WWE 2K22 | 2K Games, PS4/PS5

New Games Added Regularly
The games available in our PlayStation Plus games catalog will continue to refresh and evolve over time, so there is always something new to play.
PlayStation Plus Essential

A monthly refresh will occur on the first Tuesday of the month for the PlayStation Plus Essential plan (and both higher tiers), with new PS4 and PS5 games added to the service – same as what PlayStation Plus members get today.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium**/Deluxe

An additional monthly refresh will occur in the middle of each month with new games across the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium/Deluxe plans. The number of games refreshed will vary per month.

Launch is just a week away, starting with Asia on 24 May 2022, followed by Japan on 2 June 2022, North and South America on 13 June 2022, and finally Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on 23 June 2022.


Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ First Expansion Focuses On A Secret Fourth House

It’s no surprise that a lot of people are bummed out about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a Nintendo JRPG from last year, was snubbed from various major awards. That’s OK; we’re cultured enough to make it one of our top games of 2019.
So it’s awesome to find out that we’ll be getting more FE:3H later this year; the first major DLC for the game’s Expansion Pass has been announced. Titled Cindered Shadows, this DLC focuses on a fourth secret house called the Ashen Wolves, a faction who shuns the light of day and act as the secret protectors of the Garreg Mach order.
It features four pretty boy/girl edgelords and nihilists Constance, Yuri, Hapi, and Balthus. Yes, you’ll be using only four of these when you start out with them, which makes this the “hard” version of FE:3H. You know, in case you thought the Black Eagles weren’t hardcore enough. Better get busy with that tea party recruiting! \

I’ll bet you we’ll be getting our slew of internet artwork in a couple of days prior to this announcement. Look forward to more FE:3H with this side story when it’s out 13th February. In the meantime, check out our glowing praises for Nintendo’s latest meal ticket anime RPG here and here.Â


Hellboy Web Of Wyrd Showcases New Gameplay Footage

Upstream Arcade and Good Sheperd Entertainment have unveiled a new gameplay trailer for Hellboy Web Of Wyrd.
Originally announced at The Game Awards 2022, Hellboy Web Of Wyrd is a roguelike action brawler with an original story created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. When an agent of the B.P.R.D. goes missing, Hellboy is sent to investigate; pulling him into the depths of the Wyrd.
The game also features an original story created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. In Hellboy Web Of Wyrd, when an agent of the B.P.R.D. goes missing, Hellboy is sent to investigate; pulling him into the depths of the Wyrd.
Check out the trailer below:


Happy Holidays! Our Favourite Video Games That Take Place During Christmas

Tis’ the season of giving, everyone! It’s the lovely weekend of 24th and 25th of December, which means Merry Christmas to all regardless of your beliefs. Because presents, dinners, giving thanks, and all-around celebrations transcend all those barriers.
Even in video games; there are a few of them that specifically take place within the span of the birth of Christ/the week of Hannukah/the one time some fat guy with magic flies across the world on a sleigh powered by reindeer giving gifts to everyone who is nice. Whatever the context, these are our top pick of games that take place during the festive period.
The Division

The intro of the game literally takes place on the month of Christmas, or at least a week prior. See, a viral epidemic ravaged the whole of New York City on Black Friday 2015. So it’s basically a long few weeks of people being mercenaries, sleeper agents, and other sorts of government factions with guns killing each other in a demilitarized zone that spans a giant city. From thugs like the Rioters group to flamethrowing powerhouses representing the Cleaners, no area is safe in this particular Christmas season, as if the war-torn snow-filled near-empty cityscape isn’t a dead giveaway.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

The yuletide tale of substitute Spider-Man Miles Morales as he finds out what he means to be a hero -as main Spider-Man Peter Parker is on vacation with his girlfriend Mary-Jane- takes place during Christmas Eve and onward.
The Escapists: Santa’s Sweatshop

While the notion of Santa Claus and his workshop are meant to evoke joy and comfort, that isn’t the case in this DLC for The Escapists. Here, the game’s main prison escape simulator takes place in Santa’s Workshop where you play Buddy the elf who needs to escape from Santa’s iron fist.
Alone In The Dark 2

What better way to celebrate Christmas than to rescue a little girl from the clutches of undead pirates in a mansion and abandoned pirate ship during Christmas time? And getting surprised by a homicidal Santa Claus cosplayer to boot? That’s part 2 of Alone in the Dark, the early survival horror PC classic series, as you control Edward Carnby solving mysterious during the date when Jesus Christ was born.
Bayonetta 2

The entire storyline of PlatinumGames’ action game starring the titular heroine Bayonetta -before she was done dirty in part 3- has her doing Christmas shopping with her BFF Jeanne before she got waylaid by rogue Angels. Cue awesome Moon River cover followed by a battle on a fighter jet!
Dead Rising 4

The black sheep of the Dead Rising series -a game where you play an everyman kinda hero fighting zombies and combining weapons with duct tape for awesome maximum killing tools- takes place during Christmas. After all, main character Frank West fights off monsters and procures toys and other gift-worthy items in malls filled with Christmas decorations, combining them into weapons of mass destruction. Fun!
Batman: Arkham Origins

For you comic book-loving fans out there: the early days of Batman fighting crime in the Arkham series takes place during Christmas. This particular entry by WB Games Montreal showcases Batman/Bruce Wayne’s earlier career and fight off eight criminals going after his head for a sizeable Christmas bounty.
Yakuza/Like A Dragon

Believe it or not, a number of Yakuza/Like A Dragon games from Sega take place during Christmas in Japan. Yakuza 0 has a ton of holiday decorations throughout the city, while Yakuza/the Yakuza Kiwami remake contains holiday decorations and Christmas music playing in sections of the city.
Duke Nukem: Nuclear Winter

An oldie but a goldie: this 1997 expansion for Duke Nukem 3D adds new Christmas-themed levels and evil snowmen for our chauvinistic hero Duke Nukem to kill. He’s tasked to rescue Santa from aliens, killer elves, and Duke Nukem clones with Santa outfits.
Parasite Eve

Yes, we have another survival horror game that takes place in Christmas Eve/Christmas: this 1998 Square Enix title has you, police officer Aya Brea, taking down the Eve and solving the “humans bursting into flames due to messed-up mitochondrias” crisis on Christmas Eve of 1997. Heck, one of the major boss battles in the game has you riding atop a carriage driven by horses on fire, shooting the hell out of Eve on Christmas Day! Season’s greetings indeed.

And with that, we bid you happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and a joyous New Year. Onward to 2023! If you want to find out what our favourite games of 2022 are, head here. We’ll be taking some time off from 24th December 2022 until 1st January 2023; we’ll resume back to work then.


Warhammer 40K Darktide Seasonal Content And Xbox Series Delayed

Fatshark’s co-op shooter title Warhammer 40K Darktide is getting new seasonal content, but it’s being pushed back. Ditto for the game’s Xbox Series X|S version.
Fatshark CEO Martin Wahlund said the company plans to spend the next few months addressing fan feedback following the title’s PC release last November.
“We take enormous pride in our ability at Fatshark to deliver a game that millions can enjoy. This was what we set out to do with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – to create a highly engaging and stable game with a level of depth that keeps you playing for weeks, not hours. We fell short of meeting those expectations.
Over the next few months, our sole focus is to address the feedback that many of you have. In particular, we will focus on delivering a complete crafting system, a more rewarding progression loop, and continue to work on game stability and performance optimization.
This also means that we will delay our seasonal content rollout and the Xbox Series X/S launch. We will also suspend the upcoming releases of premium cosmetics. We just couldn’t continue down this path, knowing that we have not addressed many feedback areas in the game today.
Thank you for playing and providing feedback. We really appreciate it. It has and will continue to help shape the game we love.”

pic.twitter.com/QdzJskxqvI
— Warhammer 40K: Darktide (@Darktide40K) January 24, 2023

We had fun playing Warhammer 40K post-launch, but somehow we didn’t come across most of the problems during our playthrough of the game. Guess we’re the lucky ones.


Reggie Fils-Aime’s Book Cover Revealed, Up For Pre-Order

The legendary Reggie Fils-Aime is no longer the boss at Nintendo, but his book about his experiences is coming soon. In fact, he has revealed the cover of the book, which features his own recognizable and handsome mug on it.
Reggie was at Nintendo from 2006 to 2019, before the reins went to Doug Bowser. He is now a Leader in Residence at Cornell University and part of the Board of Directors for Brunswick Corporation, GameStop and Spin Master.
Check it out below:

Final cover and new May 3, 2022 pub date.  Love the design by @HarperCollins and @BHillPhotos.  Preorders are up at all major booksellers. pic.twitter.com/JnYWly42VF
— Reggie Fils-Aime (@Reggie) February 2, 2022

Disrupting The Game is slated to release on 3 May 2022. You can pre-order it now from Amazon or other major booksellers.


Sonic Colors Ultimate Is A Nice Pure 3D Speed-Savvy Platformer With Some Bugs

Platform(s): PS4 (version played), Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Genre: 3D Sonic Game
Like most embittered Sonic fans, I myself have a love and hate relationship with Sega’s Blue Streak/Blue Blur/whatever he’s called these days. I love the 2D games, but I hate the 3D ones. I love the fact that mixing both 2D and 3D styles can lead to magical results like Sonic Generations, while I hate it when Sega loses sight of its Sonic-making goals like with Sonic 2006 and that one Sonic RPG from Bioware.
2010’s Wii-exclusive Sonic game, Sonic Colors, was a nice and decent 3D speed-driven platformer that I didn’t get to play on its debut because it was a time when I couldn’t give two craps about the mascot’s outing. Now that many years have passed and 3D platformers are few and far between, Sega figured it was the right time to make one of its very few good 3D Sonic titles a multiplatform title for the company mascot’s 30th anniversary.
Just Cruisin’

Has the game aged well with its remastered graphics and, well, not much else? Well, it is fun, so I’ll give them that. You play as Sonic as he careens through different theme park planets built by his nemesis Dr. Robotnik. Tails is in here too, but he’s mostly serving as the go-to rescuer when you fall into a pit, and also takes part in the kid-friendly story cutscenes. Yeah, there’s a plot about Sonic & Tails taking down the bad doctor and his plans to use the good-natured aliens in here, but that clearly takes a backseat to the meat of the game: the platforming, the action, and the alien powers Sonic gets to use to advance.
The mandatory gimmick this time is the alien power-ups: Sonic gets to use one ranging from turning certain gems into platforms temporarily to clinging onto platforms as a pink spikeball. These powerups do spice up the platforming and add a ton of variety to the “go right really fast & jump” gameplay, though that bit is really fun too.
The levels are designed to make you think on your feet, mixing rail-grinding sections, 3D running courses with loop-to-loops, and 2D jaunts. They’re all spliced it fine and dandy, even if some of the switches can occasionally be whip-lashingly fast. The space theme and roller coaster rides you’re given are lovely experiences, save for the last few levels in the later stages that rely on luck to survive rather than actual skill or reflexes. I’m looking at you, Terminal Velocity 1.

Outside of those foibles and a few bugs, Sonic Colors Ultimate is a nice mix of 3D Sonic gameplay that stems from the Dreamcast era and 2D classic platforming that put him on the map in the first place. It’s not exactly groundbreaking and the game gets a tad easy from your first playthrough. Plus, the game’s jumping physics and mechanics takes some time getting used to; Sonic doesn’t jump as high as he should even with the double jump.
However, there’s an incentive to replay the title for a better score (and getting Super Sonic mode). And it’s not like you’re going to lean back to Sonic Forces for your new Sonic game fix,Â right?
Final Score: 60/100


Cadence of Hyrule Is Making Other Lazy Spin-Off Games Look Incredibly Bad

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Musical Action Adventure
When you think of the term “spoiling the market”, you think lazy spin-off titles and offshoots like a lot of Final Fantasy mobile games out there. But you also think of other titles like your Auto Chess games in Dota 2; an offshoot of a mod that is so addictive it’s making other devs make better spin-off games. So in essence, “spoiling the market” saturated with mediocrity and creatively-bankrupt products is a good thing.
That’s what Cadence of Hyrule is doing: it’s making every other spin-off game look bad because of how top-notch it’s handling the Legend of Zelda brand.
Faron Funk

Made by Brace Yourself Games, the same folks who did the super-fun-but-ultra-hard roguelike Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule is the open world “Zelda-fied” version of the music rhythm RPG. You explore the vast lands of Hyrule, you collect special key items to help you on your quest as either Link or Zelda, and you have to defeat bosses to eventually rid the world of Ganon.
Sounds standard for a Zelda game, except you have to move and fight in sync with the beat of the background song playing. You’ll stumble if you move out of beat, which means you’re easy pickings for the bad guys. If you die, you start over from the last Sheikah Stone checkpoint with all of your amassed rupees and equipment gone.
Fortunately, this game takes it slightly easy on you, unlike its predecessor. You still retain your key items, weaponry, and stockpiles of arrows, hearts, and bombs. There’s now a huge emphasis on exploration and progression that feels like it’s closer in spirit to past 2D top-down Zelda games.
Gerudo Get-Down

You also have three heroes to choose from to suit your playing style. If you love reflecting projectiles and casting manually-controlled fireballs, Zelda’s your girl. If your playstyle is more on brute force, Link can sort you out. Need an all-rounder with a permanent shovel to dig and uncover secret spaces and treasure? Use Crypt of the Necrodancer‘s Cadence. You can switch between them at any Sheikah Stone checkpoint, so go nuts and experiment.
Maps remain constant and aren’t randomly-generated, which means you can conquer your previous roadblocks if you weren’t good enough initially. Or if you mistimed your rhythm and got murdered carelessly. No matter what happens, the controls can’t be put to blame because they’re great.
The game’s aesthetics are also reminiscent of the classic SNES title A Link To The Past, but with more animation and detail. Seriously, this game is lovely to look at and play in motion on your Switch. Hell, there’s even a simple puzzle where you have to play bits of the iconic Song of Storms to proceed. And you have bosses that use music instruments as part of their repertoire and attacks like a bass guitar and the maracas. How is that not charming and utterly in-theme?

And don’t think the devs are chickening out on difficulty: there’s a permadeath mode you can unlock after beating the game if you want to get punished. Honestly, I’m having a hard time looking for faults for this indie-priced Nintendo Switch title. In fact, Zelda decriers might find something to like here, be it the great catchy pumping music, the simple-yet-tricky gameplay that escalates fairly, and the lush-looking art style of this version of Hyrule.
Hyrule Hitz
It’s rather astounding that Nintendo is giving an indie studio like Brace Yourself Games a stab at their first-party level IP. It’s a risk that, personally, paid off big time because of how fun and fresh the game feels for Nintendo fans and even action adventure RPG nuts who want a new take on the Zelda franchise.
Besides, it’s hard to find any other game where you’re beating up a four-headed dragon made out of a glockenspiel in-sync with a track from the guy who composed Super Meat Boy’s jams.
Pros

Fun and frenetic rhythm-based gameplay
Lovely aesthetics
Challenging without being soul-crushing for a semi-roguelike
Does the Legend of Zelda brand justice

Cons

May not be for Crypt of the Necrodancer veterans (until Permadeath mode is unlocked)

FINAL SCORE: 90/100


Atelier Ryza Announced For PS4, Switch, And PC; Apathy Sets In

The sky is blue, the earth still orbits around the sun, and Gust and Koei Tecmo are still making Atelier games, I guess. That’s a victory for a subsection of JRPG fans who crave melancholy adventures, hot alchemy synthesis action, and some turn-based combat goodness.
The latest one, Atelier Ryza, is slated for Fall 2019 in Japan and will be written by Shakugan no Shana manga creator Yashichiro Takahashi. If you’re wondering why the characters have a “toi8 but cleaner” art style, that’s because it’s done by Toridamono, one of the many talented artists from the Pixiv community.

The game’s story is a coming of age tale where our protagonist Ryzalin Staud wants to break free from her tranquil and mundane life, so she ends up learning alchemy. The game’s features include:

A skill tree-based synthesis system instead of a tile-based system when crafting items like bombs and potions.
A faster-paced and aggressive turn-based command system.
A realistic graphic style and life-like character proportions. The devs even allowed Toridamono to take his time to get Ryza’s thighs right. This was on the Dengeki preview, I swearÂ (via Ryokutya2089).
A PS4, Switch, and PC release. While the first two consoles are slated for Fall 2019, the PC dates have yet to be revealed.

The game’s main core of synthesis, gathering, and battle are still left unchanged, but now it comes with its coming of age storyline that many fans asked for. I’ll admit: this game does look darn good so far. Check out the screenshots and Dengeki PlayStation scans below for more.


Sim Game Tennis Manager 2023 Is Out Now On PC

Itâ€™s a big month for tennis. The Roland-Garros French Open tournament has begun in Paris, and the centre-court enthusiasts at French independent developer and publisher Rebound CG have launched Tennis Manager 2023.
The realistic management sim puts players in control of their own virtual tennis academy and is available now via Steam,Â Epic Games StoreÂ andÂ GOG. Launch price promotions are available for a limited time, including a special Steam discount for owners ofÂ Tennis Manager 2022.
In Tennis Manager 2023, players will take their hand-picked academy of players from the humble beginnings of the junior circuit, through training and more than 2000 tournaments, to the high-stakes professional circuit and global acclaim. The team at Rebound CG have poured their tennis-loving souls into the game, which builds on the success of the first titles in the series with a host of new features.
Alongside its roster of brilliant international tennis stars, the game features player creation, plus a host of complex team management tools to dive into. Matches have been made more immersive with enhanced AI and animations. In terms of experience, the arrival of international team competitions (Davis Cup, Olympic Games) and with them the format of doubles matches, will place the manager in a new role of national coach.
Augustin Pluchet, CEO of Rebound CG, said:


Point-And-Click Adventure Lost In Play Comes To Nintendo Switch Next Week

Super Rare Games are teaming up with Happy Juice Games and Joystick Ventures for an epic adventure through the bizarre and dreamlike world of Lost In Play, coming physically to Nintendo Switch for the very first time on 13 April 2023.
A limited total of 4,000 copies will be printed, split between 2,000 standard editions and 2,000 SteelBook editions. Both editions will go on sale on 14 April 2023 at 1am GMT+8, available worldwide exclusively at superraregames.com.
The standard release comes with all current content on its cart, a full-colour manual, interior artwork, an exclusive sticker, and trading cards while the SteelBook edition comes with all of the above plus the stylish SteelBook case, a slipcover, and a postcard. Fans also won’t be waiting for long as Super Rare Games titles ship shortly after release.
Lost in Play is a journey through childhood imagination with thoughtfully crafted puzzles and colourful characters. Play as a brother and sister duo on an adventure to find their way back home. Between reality and fantasy, the siblings explore the enchanted forest of a horned beast, start a rebellion in a goblin village, and help a team of frogs free a sword from a stone.
Check out the trailer below:


Prey Movie Director Reveals How He Came Up With The Title

Prey is a prequel movie set in the Predator franchise, and it’s coming to Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia on 5 August 2022. Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we joined the press conference for Prey, which was attended by Amber Midthunder (Naru), Dakota Beavers (Taabe), Dan Trachtenberg (Director) and Jhane Myers (Producer).
They answered several interesting questions, but one of them had Prey director Dan Trachtenberg revealing how he came up with the title of the movie.
During the press conference, he said:
“It was actually when I emailed the pitch of this (Prey) to an executive at 20th Century, and it was in that initial pitch. I think that largely because I knew they were deep into either prep or production for the last Predator movie (the 2018 The Predator directed by Shane Black), it felt like too good of an idea to hold onto.
I felt like the way in was if I could pitch them something that functions like Star Wars at the time, where they had the main trilogy and they had these other offshoots.
And then I thought that Prey had the exact same double meaning that Predator does, so the title can function just like Predator while still being its own title, so that this movie could feel like its own movie.
That sort of has always been the drive for me thinking about remakes or adaptations or sequels or like really hoping that you can make a movie that is a great movie on its own. And when you include the IP and all the links to the franchise in it, it just makes it even better.
It’s not solely reliant on being that IP to be a good movie and that’s what I was hoping this could be.”
With director Dan Trachtenberg at the helm, indigenous actor Amber Midthunder stars as the film’s hero, Naru, a warrior who protects her tribe from the otherworldly threat. The cast also includes Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp, Dane DiLiegro, and Stefany Mathias.
Stay tuned for more coverage on Prey. In the meantime, check out the epic trailer below:


Gamescom 2019: Star Wars Battlefront 2 Adding Offline Single-Player Mode & The Rise Of Skywalker Content

EA and DICE have revealed the future roadmap for Star Wars Battlefront 2 with all the major updates arriving between September and December. Firstly, fans will be glad to learn that Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker content will be coming to the game sometime in December, coinciding with the movie’s release.
However, no details were given on what exactly The Rise Of Skywalker content will entail, though I certainly hope that it’s better than the mediocre content players received for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi back in 2017.
In September, players can look forward to a new large-scale map, Felucia as seen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. Two new modes are also coming in the same month, including a PvE Co-Op mode, where squads of up to four players have to complete objectives as either the Galactic Republic or the Separatist Alliance in massive battles on all five Clone Wars-era planets: Kashyyyk, Kamino, Naboo, Geonosis, and Felucia.
The other mode is the highly-anticipated and long-overdue Instant Action mode, which is an offline single-player mode taking the Supremacy element of Capital Supremacy (the planetary phase) and allowing you to play alone. At release, players will have access to all the maps that are currently available within Capital Supremacy: Naboo, Kamino, Kashyyyk, Geonosis, and Felucia.
The Instant Action mode should have been included in Star Wars Battlefront 2 at launch over two years ago, but perhaps this will finally be the catalyst that sparks me to re-download the game that I stopped playing a long, long time ago. Better late than never, I guess.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is out now for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In the meantime, check out the roadmap below.


Chrono Trigger Is Japan’s Best Game Of All Time, According To This Poll

It’s good to see a game like Chrono Trigger getting more acclaim and praise 24 years later. According to a Famitsu poll (via Siliconera), the Squaresoft JRPG was voted the best game in the Heisei period.
This was followed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and NieR: Automata at 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The poll had 7,158 readers participating in it.
Here’s what Famitsu readers are saying about the aforementioned games:
NieR: Automata (205 votes)

â€œNo game has ever moved me as much.â€ (Male, teens)
â€œThis game made me understand feelings that canâ€™t be described by words.â€ (Female, 20s)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (209 votes)

â€œIt felt as if I were living in this land called Hyrule.â€ (Male, 20s)
â€œThe wonders of being able to go as far as the eyes can see.â€ (Female, 50s)

Chrono Trigger (230 votes)

â€œItâ€™s a masterpiece with everything from story, scenario, and music that has yet to fade.â€ (Male, 30s)
â€œGoing on an adventure beyond time with Crono (protagonist) and the others is a memory that Iâ€™ll never forget for the rest of my life.â€ (Female, 30s)

For context, Japan is transitioning from the Heisei period into the Reiwa period starting 1st May 2019. The Heisei period started in 8 January, 1989.
In addition, Square Enix is releasing a Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack Blu-ray music disc on 10 July. The Blu-ray will feature 60 songs with videos of iconic moments and memorable scenes from the title.

Sounds cool! The best part? The bundle will also have a traditional soundtrack in mp3 form. It’s available for pre-ordering now at Square Enix’s e-store and Amazon Japan.


Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Vikings Setting Confirmed, Trailer Coming Tomorrow

Earlier today, Ubisoft announced a surprise live stream with famous artist Bosslogic to officially reveal the setting of the next Assassinâ€™s Creed game. The live stream followed BossLogic as he worked on a unique art piece, seemingly in real-time.
The live stream took a whopping eight hours, but BossLogic finally finished the art piece, revealing that the next Assassin’s Creed game will be set in the Vikings era and titled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
From the looks of the Viking longboats adorned with shields in the freezing Norwegian fjord, to what looks like Viking raiders fighting Anglo-Saxons near a castle.

The game’s main protagonist remains unnamed, but he is male and is depicted wearing a fur-lined Vikings armour with a beard and hair braids. A black raven flies can be seen flying behind the main protagonist as well, which could mean something. In Norse mythology, Odin has a pair of ravens named Huginn and Muninn.
The main protagonist also wields an axe with the iconic Assassins emblem on its blade, with the emblem itself made up of two axes intersecting each other. What’s interesting here is that the castle looks suspiciously like the real-life Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England, which was destroyed by Vikings in 993.

The game’s first world premiere trailer will be released tomorrow at 8am PDT on 30 April 2020, or 11pm GMT+8 on 30 April 2020 for Southeasian countries like Malaysia. In the meantime, you can watch the eight-hour live stream in a three-minute timelapse video below (even though I suffered through all eight hours).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iylGoWbIeXA&w=560&h=315]
Keep your eyes peeled on the video below for the Assassinâ€™s Creed Valhalla Cinematic World Premiere Trailer tomorrow. We should expect a release date and confirmed platforms for the upcoming game, whether it will launch on just current-gen consoles or on next-gen consoles as well.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKjUAWlbTJk&w=560&h=315]


Monster Hunter Rise Gets A PC Port In Early 2022

It’s only a matter of time until the next big Monster Hunter game gets a PC port. And TGS 2021’s a good time as any to announce it.
Capcom just announced that the former Nintendo Switch exclusive action game Monster Hunter Rise will be getting a PC port via Steam. The release date for this version will be on 13th January 2022. The PC demo will be available on 14th October.
It will feature all the updates and content from the Nintendo Switch release and its subsequent free DLCs and challenges. The PC port will also feature 4K resolution and textures with ultra-wide displays, high frame rate (unlimited), keyboard and mouse support, and voice chat support.

On a related note, there was also a sick Monster Hunter: Rise concert performance on Capcom’s TGS 2021 livestream. Do check it out.


Mega Man Battle Network Collection’s Insensitive Cultural Depictions Left Intact, But It Comes With A Disclaimer At Least

If you thought the Resident Evil 5 race kerfuffle was bad, wait until you see what’s in store in the Mega Man Battle Network games.
Capcom has added a disclaimer to both volumes of its recently-out Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, warning players of insensitive cultural depictions at the start of the game. The full disclaimer is below:
“Capcom values diversity and inclusivity within its games and its community. Please be aware the games in this collection may contain some cases of insensitive cultural depictions that are presented as originally created to preserve their authenticity.”

If you’ve played the games, you know what they’re talking about.
That’s right: the Netopia segments where main character Lan is robbed by a black person and lines of dialogue that depicts African American stereotypes is left intact. Oh, and Netopia also depicts black urban America (the city it’s based on) in a pretty stereotypical light. Ditto the continent of Netfrica (straw huts with black tribesfolk) in Mega Man Battle Network 4. Examples are below:

While the disclaimer is needed since it is a series of games made in a different time, many people are crying foul that Capcom should have had a hands-on approach and changed these problematic parts of the game. Then again, this is old code for games and that would have taken a lot of time when Capcom has bigger fish to fry, like making sure their slew of games for 2023 and 2024 come out alright. Still, it would be interesting to see how they handle race and the African region that takes place in the eventual Resident Evil 5 remake.
The Mega Man Battle Network Collection is out now for PC and consoles.


Garena World 2021 Is Happening This Weekend

Garena has announced that it will host the Garena World 2021 on 3 April and 4 April 2021 in Thailand. This year, Southeast Asiaâ€™s biggest gaming and esports event will take on a fully-digital format that will look to offer fans an immersive online experience. Using a combination of cutting-edge technologies and fan engagement features, Garena will invite fans to step into an â€œInteractive Virtual Worldâ€ that will offer them the best of both online and offline formats.

Garena World 2021 will deploy a suite of advanced technologies to delight the senses and deepen audience immersion. This will come in the use of virtual production technologies, as well as augmented reality (AR), visual effects (VFX), and full animation.

Garena Thailand Head and Senior Director Krit Pattanateacha said:

â€œThese technologies are used in many large-scale films to deliver high-quality production value.
Our fans have been waiting for this event since our last edition in 2019, so we wanted to go all out to make sure they enjoy Garena World 2021 â€“ even as they remain safe in their own homes.â€

The Garena World 2021 official website has been expanded to include a host of social interaction and community engagement features in order to replicate the on-site buzz of offline events. The platform will include a dedicated live streaming platform that will enable viewers to express themselves through public and private chat functions and customisable avatars.
Viewers in Thailand will also be able to complete mini-games to win tokens that can be exchanged for exciting in-game and physical rewards from Arena Of Valor, Free Fire, FIFA Online 4, Call of Duty Mobile, and Fairy Tail Forces Unite. They will get the physical items delivered directly to their homes completely free of charge.
As is traditional, Garena World 2021 will bring together the regionâ€™s best and brightest esports talent. This year, they will compete in tournaments spanning four of Garenaâ€™s hit titles â€“ Arena Of Valor, Free Fire, FIFA Online 4, and Call of Duty Mobile.
39 teams from across nine regions will assemble as they compete for a slice of the US$660,000 (19 million baht) prize pool.

RoV Pro League 2021 Summer: Thailandâ€™s best AOV teams will battle in the grand finals for a portion of the US$300,000 (10,000,000 baht) prize pool and a ticket to the Arena of Valor World Cup (AWC) 2021.

Free Fire Pro League Season 4 Presented by DTAC: Thailandâ€™s top Free Fire teams will compete for the lionâ€™s share of the US$160,000 (5,000,000 baht) prize pool and a chance to book a place in the Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore.

FIFAe Champions Cup Spring 2021: The top teams from China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam, will compete for a prize pool of around US$100,000 (3,000,000 baht).

Call of Duty: Mobile â€“ Garena Invitational 2021: The local champions from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand will compete for the title of regional champion and a prize pool of around US$40,000 (1,200,000 baht).

In addition, Garena World 2021 will also host a series of knowledge-sharing sessions called â€œGarena Get & Giveâ€ to educate young people on career opportunities within the industry and in the wider digital economy.
The speakers will include:

Mr. Parimet Wongsatayanon, CEO of Urnique Studio and Creative Director of Timelie.

Assoc. Prof. Banyapon Poolsawas, Lecturer, Department of Interactive Design and Game Development, Faculty of Information Technology, Dhurakij Pundite University.

Dr. Phattanapon Rhienmora, Head of Games and Interactive Media Department, School of Information Technology and Innovation, Bangkok University.

Garena World 2021 will also see the launch of the first-ever Garena Awards, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Tourism in Thailand, to honour role models in the Thai gaming and esports industries.
The entirety of Garena World 2021 will be broadcast live on the Garena World 2021 official website from 3 April to 4 April 2021. Access to the event is completely free to everyone.
You can check out more from Garena at their social media pages below:

Facebook

YouTube


Battlefield Mobile Launches Its Open Beta

Today marks the official launch of Battlefield Mobile’s Open Beta in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Players from these regions will get the chance to experience the Battlefield franchise’s first-ever mobile experience through high-intensity, large-scale battles – and share feedback to help shape the future of the game.
Battlefield Mobile emphasises tactical freedom – players can choose their class and loadout and jump into a sandbox filled with endless strategic opportunities. Adept players will need to work with their team in order to secure victory on an evolving battlefield.
This beta version of Battlefield Mobile has new features including staple modes such as Conquest and Team Deathmatch and three maps, including Battlefield Mobile’s versions of beloved maps like Battlefield 3’s Noshahr Canals and Grand Bazaar. Players can expect to commandeer vehicles such as tanks and will have access to a tutorial to help them learn the basics of the battlefield.

To be able to play Battlefield Mobile, players’ Android devices must meet the following requirements:

Android 8.0 or later
Snapdragon 835 or better
Exynos 9 (8895) or better
At least 3 GB RAM
At least 2 GB of storage space
Must be a 64-bit system

The team has been looking forward to inviting players to enter the fray ahead of the game’s worldwide launch. More Open Betas for players outside those territories will come in the future.


Samsung Galaxy A Series The King Of Mid-Range Smartphones: This Is Why

The Samsung Galaxy A series stands apart from the rest of the mid-range smartphones out there.
Hereâ€™s why the Samsung Galaxy A series is the king of the mid-range kingdom:
You get the best-in-class Nightography on the Galaxy A54 5G
The quest for an awesome camera is universal for every consumer across all smartphone ranges. Cameras have become a main way of communicating and connecting with everyone around us because photos and videos speak a thousand words. Want to send your love to family and friends thousands of miles away? Send them a photo. Want to remember your greatest achievement or proudest moment? Commemorate it in a video. Need to share work with a colleague, just snap and WhatsApp.
The Galaxy A54 5G camera is equipped with best-in-class Nightography, a flagship feature that brings Samsung Galaxyâ€™s leading camera innovation to a versatile, yet affordable device. Nightography ensures that every stunning shot you capture is bright and crisp, even under low light conditions. Thoughtful design and flagship-like features on the Galaxy A series, make it a super versatile smartphone thatâ€™s your gateway to premium.
You get 542 for greater value than other smartphones
Get a smartphone that will last a long time, so you donâ€™t need to spend money buying a new one too soon, and get more money when you resell or trade in, so that you win even more!
With the Galaxy A24, Galaxy A34 5G, and Galaxy A54 5G, you get 5 years of security updates, 4 times Android OS updates, and a 2-year warranty1. In comparison, most other mid-range smartphones offer up to 3-4 years of security updates, while other Android devices typically offer 2-3 years of OS updates. These upgrades keep them up to date with the latest technology for long after their initial purchase, therefore extending their lifespan and increasing their value.
Not to mention, the Galaxy A34 5G, and Galaxy A54 5G are rated IP67, while almost all other mid-range models are only rated IP54 and below.
You get the full Galaxy Experience
In addition, you can enjoy the full Galaxy Experience on the Galaxy A series â€“ features that can only be found on Samsungâ€™s Galaxy devices. Quick Share makes sharing family videos, holiday snaps, work collaborations, music, ideas more magical. You can Quick Share files from your Galaxy A series to any device, including non-Galaxy devices, via links or QR codes, without pairing devices.
Modes & Routines automates your smartphone, so that you donâ€™t have to keep fiddling with the settings anymore. You can set highly personalised actions and outcomes, adapting it to your daily habits and routines.
Link to Windows lets you access your smartphoneâ€™s screen on your PC to read your notifications, make calls, use apps, and copy files from one device to the other. Imagine how seamlessly and conveniently you can work all day if you only need to look at one screen to attend to tasks!
And lastly, live life on the fast lane with Samsung Wallet, where you can store payment cards, loyalty cards, vouchers, and health passes. Every time you make a transaction with Samsung Wallet, you can earn rewards points and use them in Samsung e-Store or claim exclusive rewards from partner brands. Level up from Bronze to Silver to Gold to enjoy further discounts.
Get awesome freebies when you purchase the Galaxy A24
From now until 30 June 2023, get a free 1-Year Extended Warranty worth RM99 and a free clear case worth RM79 when you purchase the Galaxy A24.Â
Want a mid-range smartphone that gives you the closest thing to premium, minus the large price tag, then come meet the Galaxy A series today:Â

Galaxy A54 5G: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a54-5g-green-256gb-sm-a546elgdxmeÂ Â
Galaxy A34 5G: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a34-5g-silver-256gb-sm-a346ezsexmeÂ Â
Galaxy A24: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a24-green-128gb-sm-a245flgwxme/

*This feature article is brought to you by Samsung.*


Trials Of Mana Day One Update To Add Dash Method Option

Trials Of Mana is slated to arrive later this week for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on 24 April 2020. Today, Square Enix has revealed the Day One update, which will be version 1.01, for the upcoming game. It won’t add much, but will still be adding at least one quality-of-life option into the game.
The Trials Of Mana Day One update will add the â€œDash Methodâ€ option, which will allow players to choose from one of the following three dash methods:

Normal: Press the dash button to enter the dash state. To return to normal speed, either press the button again, stop moving, or enter a battle.
Continuous: Press the dash button to enter the dash state. Return to normal speed is only possible by pressing the button again. Otherwise, you will remain in the dash state even after you stop and move again, or after the end of a battle.
Automatic: Automatically enters the dash state after one second of movement.

It’s much easier to put the Dash Method option on Automatic so that your characters are always running, instead of just walking. It’s not like Trials Of Mana has a stamina bar system, so there’s no point to simply walking, that is, unless you really want to take your time in the game.
Besides that, the Day One update will also include minor bug fixes for Trials Of Mana. It looks like it won’t be a massive update after all, which was also the case for other recent Square Enix JRPGs like 2018’s Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HpBMhNUJnA&w=560&h=315]


Overwatch League Announces Changes To 2020 Playoffs

For the first time in its three-year history, the Overwatch Leagueâ€™s Grand Finals 2020 will be going online due to the ongoing COVID-19Â  pandemic. Today, Blizzard has provided more details on what to expect from the upcoming playoff format.
All 20 teams will have the opportunity to qualify for the postseason. Matches will be held online and will again be split between two divisions, with 13 teams playing in North America, and seven in Asia. Seeds and byes will be determined by regular-season standings and teamsâ€™ performances in three tournaments: the May Melee, the Summer Showdown, and the Countdown Cup.

Mark your calendars because we are back ðŸ™Œ
This week’s #OWLMatches start on Friday!
Start your weekend early with us, only on https://t.co/tbTGBrUfiE ðŸ“º pic.twitter.com/gXQoMzQ9BC
â€” Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 13, 2020
Postseason play begins on 3 September 2020 with single-elimination play-in matches between the lowest seeds in the North America and Asia brackets.
Next, double-elimination play will start on 5 September 2020 between teams that win their play-in match. The remaining lower seeds will then compete with higher seeds in double-elimination tournaments in North America and Asia the following week. Champions of the winnersâ€™ and losersâ€™ brackets in each region will advance to a final four Grand Finals tournament.
Those final four teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket, with two teams advancing to the Grand Finals to compete for the league championship. In order to have all four teams compete on the same server, the two North America teams will travel to Asia.
However, before the four finalists can face off against each other in the Grand Finals, the Overwatch League teams will take a few weeks off for health and safety needs, as well as to account for travel logistics. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbL8hKOQ0oo&w=560&h=315]


Disney Delays Pixar’s Soul & Raya And The Last Dragon

Pixar fans will have to be content watching Onward and older titles for now, as Disney has announced that both Soul and Raya And The Last Dragon have been delayed from their original premiere dates due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic (via Variety).
Pixar’s Soul was originally slated to arrive on 19 June 2020, but will now be premiering on 20 November 2020 instead. Meanwhile, Raya And The Last Dragon will be moving from its initial 25 November 2020 premiere to 12 March 2021, replacing an unannounced live-action Disney movie that was supposed to premiere on that date.
As Disney shifts the release date of Pixar’s Soul, the reality now is that there won’t be a single major motion picture release until the end of July 2020, which is slated to be Disney’s Mulan on 24 July 2020. It’s April now, so that’s a whopping three months without a new major movie, and during summer blockbuster season as well.
Directed by Pete Docter, Pixar’s Soul features a middle-school music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who dreams of being a jazz performer. However, he gets in an accident that causes his soul to be separated from his body and transported to the You Seminar. He then teams up with 22 (voiced by Tina Fey) to return his soul back to his body on Earth before itâ€™s too late.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsLIiBStEs&w=560&h=315]
Walt Disney Animated Studios’ Raya And The Last Dragon will feature the voices of Awkwafina and Cassie Steele as the movie is set in a mysterious realm called Kumandra, where a warrior named Raya searches for the last dragon in the world. This one sounds particularly interesting, as it is inspired by Southeast Asian legends and folklore.


These Are Your Steam Awards 2018 Winners; Surprised?

Valve just announced the winners of the Steam Awards 2018, and it’s chock-filled with games and publishers who have been supporting the company and its platform for the past few years. We’re looking at names like BlueHole, Bethesda, Take Two, and CD Projekt Red.
Then again, if your awards show is named after your best-selling and most-used PC games-selling platform and it’s all community-based, that’s hardly a surprise. Be thankful that Valve is gracious enough not to list its name in the Best Developer award, otherwise, the fanboys will be voting them to high heaven.
Yet somehow their game Dota 2 is on the list, but hey we can’t be too humble, right?Â Anywho, on with the list.
Game Of The Year – PUBG

Nominees: Monster Hunter – World, Kingdom Come – Deliverance, Hitman 2, AC Odyssey
Their take: Maybe it was its immersive gameplay, or its gripping story… its well-crafted characters, immaculate design, or addictive multiplayer. Whatever the reason, the winner of 2018’s Game of the Year Award is an instant classic.
Our 2 cents: So much for PUBG being a dead game. Even with new games like the aforementioned nominees, the 2017 game has its share of new content and controversies that makes it still relevant up to this day.
VR Game Of The Year – Skyrim VR

Nominees: VR Chat, Beat Saber, Fallout 4 VR, Superhot VR
Their take: VR is the Wild West of game design. It’s a lawless land of emerging standards where pretty much anything goes. The winner of this award is not only hugely fun, but helps chart a course for the future of the medium.
Our 2 cents: Who knew Ugandan Knuckles would lose to VR “Arrow To The Knee”? I’m just as shocked as you all are. Still, Bethesda needed this win for a morale boost since they had quite a field day last November.
Labor Of Love – Grand Theft Auto V

Nominees: No Man’s Sky, Path of Exile – Betrayal, Dota 2, Stardew Valley
Their take: This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the first unveiling of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.
Our 2 cents: Take Two and Rockstar sure love to labour for players; to separate their cash from their wallets to get that sweet online money for GTA Online. Cynicism aside, GTA V and its online component is arguably the most-supported and most-updated game, beating out even long-staying champion Dota 2.
Best Developer – CD Projekt Red
Nominees: Ubisoft, Bethesda, Rockstar Games, Digital Extremes, Square Enix, Capcom, Paradox Interactive, Bandai Namco, Klei
Their take: Whether it was by listening to their fans, creating something genuinely unexpected, or just delivering on the promise of a truly great game, this studio absolutely crushed it in 2018.
Our 2 cents: This category gets 10 nominees because it’s highly-contested. Personally, it’s nice to see CD Projekt Red getting more love than the rest of the companies, though I wish Digital Extremes got the win.
Best Environment – The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Nominees: Subnautica, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, Dark Souls III
Their take: All those chatty cutscenes, all those reminders that they need a health pack again. Let’s face it, characters are overrated. As this winner illustrates, sometimes breathtaking scenery tells a better story than a thousand big-mouthed heroes.
Our 2 cents: Subnautica got robbed. Though to be fair, it’s nice that Witcher III is getting some love even if it’s a 5-year old game. Must have been those Steam discounts as of late.
Better With Friends – Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six Siege

Nominees: Payday 2, Dead By Daylight – Moonrise, CSGO Danger Zone, Overcooked 2
Their take: There are some games out there that just aren’t the same when you play by yourself. Maybe you need to have a friend to watch your back. Maybe you need to have a friend that you can stab in their back. Either way, mirth is awaiting those who gather friends to play these games.
Our 2 cents: Nice to see Rainbow Six Siege getting more long-term love on PC platforms at least. This is the second category where Valve is putting up its game on its own Awards category, FYI.
Best Alternate History – Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Nominees: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Hearts of Iron IV, Civilization VI, Fallout 4
Their take: Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who remember it just fine, but prefer to reinvent it, are doomed to get this award for 2018’s most entertaining tinkering with the history books.
Our 2 cents: Now HERE’S an award we’d love to pinch for our 2019 Kakuchopurei Awards/Best Of feature. Kudos to Ubisoft for winning this weird-yet-fitting award from the community.
Most Fun With A Machine – Rocket League

Nominees: Euro Truck Simulator 2, NieR: Automata, Factorio, Space Engineers
Their take: Whether it’s a car, truck, robot, or other mechanized contraption, the winner of this award fired on all cylinders, engineering an unforgettable gameplay experience made possible by machines.
Our 2 cents: We beat Valve to a punch with our machine and android awards. Still, it’s nice to see a bigwig company take the comedic route with their awards. Good job, Rocket League!
What do you think of these Steam Awards 2018 winners? If you agree or disagree with these choices, do let us know either here or on Facebook.


The Elder Scrolls Online Simplified Chinese Language Support Coming Later This Year

The Elder Scrolls Online publisher Zenimax posted to their Twitter recently that Simplified Chinese Language support will be added in-game later this year, featuring full text, subtitles, and UI translations.In the video attached, President and Game Director Matt Firor stated that with their ever-expanding community and growth this year upon the recently released High Isle chapter, they are delighted to deliver this addition to the community for a more immersive game-play for their Chinese-speaking players.
Language support for Simplified Chinese is coming to #ESO later this year, featuring full text, subtitles, and UI translations! Stay tuned for more information on its availability. pic.twitter.com/S0x9eA8eUR— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) June 16, 2022
Zenimax has also responded to a tweet asking whether it will be on the same client or will it be on a separate one like their Japanese language support, in which they answered; “yes, it will be on the same client”.
Will the language be in the same client or like the japanese one which is separate?— Alcast | Alcasthq.com | ESO-Hub.com (@AlcastHQ) June 16, 2022
You can follow Bethesda Asia Weibo page for more info regarding this update.The news has made the community speculate whether Zenimax will run an Asia server sometime in the future. The question has been brought up each year though no comments from Zenimax’s side on the matter.


A Lot Of Game Developers Are Confessing Their Sins Regarding Loss

Twitter is currently the hub of all things related to Elon Musk and his cockups, the Malaysian General Election 15 fallout, and a bunch of confessions in case the social media platform goes under. The latter is trending especially in the games industry side, since many developers are confessing their game design sins.
One of them who started this trend was a senior character artist for Overwatch, who confessed to hiding “abstract art” versions of the Loss meme in older projects.

Now that Twitter is actually going to die you legally need to admit your game dev sins
I have hidden abstracted versions of Loss in older projects and you’ll NEVER find them.
— Danzig ? ? , Elden Lord ? ? (@Dann_Sw) November 18, 2022

For those who don’t know their video game meme and history, the Loss meme started when webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del took a dramatic turn from its video game humour with a strip depicting a miscarriage. The comic’s attempt to add an emotional cue backfired, and was mocked for years on end. Clever folks even did a minimalistic interpretation of it to this day. Turns out that most of these “last day” confessions from developers revolved around adding Loss into video games they worked on. We have a couple from Maneater, Super Meat Boy Forever, and even A Hat In Time.

nobody ever finds the Easter eggs I hide pic.twitter.com/hBtHpyVwbx
— andrew quintiliani ?? (@broodovermind) March 10, 2022

a kindred spirit, smbf has a fully playable loss level in it
— Ryan (@ryeander) November 18, 2022

I wonder who inserted the biggest loss meme into a game. I added one that was the size of a cruise ship ?
— Habboi (@sir_habboi) November 18, 2022

Apart from that meme, the other confessions include a Far Cry 6 buff that never happened, The Witcher 3 jiggle, and a JoJo reference in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Every time animators or directors told me to nerf the reload and run speed buffs on far cry 6 I'd say yes then not do it
— Nigel (Not Parody) (@Pseudohausen) November 19, 2022

I submitted a ticket to reduce boob jiggle of triss in witcher 3
tbh it was well needed because when she did 180 turn her boobs would keep on jiggling for solid 15 seconds
but still, none of you saw this beautiful moment, probably because of me
— Outstar (@outstarwalker) November 19, 2022

Ha! That's actually how Outer Wilds handles movement: The player doesn't go anywhere, the rest of the universe does.
They did that to make the experience smoother, since if they didn't movement/aiming/etc. would be janky.
— Seriva Tigertail (@SerivaTiger) November 20, 2022

I put a Jojo reference in GotG.
— Stef ? (@Selestrielle) November 18, 2022

In the Outriders prologue mission, the forest catches fire. We didn’t have a procedural fire system then, so the designer scripted about 600 plants to individually catch fire
— John Rosato (@levelsbyjohn) November 19, 2022

I worked on Bubsy 3D.
— V-X ????????? (@V_Xworks) November 20, 2022

Were there any game design sins we left out following the Twitter end times? Let us know!
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-whats-happening-inside-fallout-3s-metro-train/


Fantasy Strike Is Getting A Major October Update; Here’s A List Of What’s New

The surprise hit fighting game Fantasy Strike, which recently went free-to-play this year to the joy of every fighting game fan out there both casual and hardcore, is getting an update this month.Â
The big one is the character roster balancing, nerfs, and buffs. Most notably,

Setsuki, arguably an S-tier character, suffers a few cooldown and startup with some of her most-used moves like her Air C and Super.
Players are not cured of Argagarg’s poison if they pick up a Lum cherry or Lum cake. Ditto for Argagarg’s bubble shield; it doesn’t disappear when you pick those consumables up. You have to make the effort to land a hit on him to stop these debuffs & moves.
Onimaru gets a buff, like a higher anti-air priority for his neutral A and armor break for his Parry.
Quince’s air Super no longer auto-corrects to face the opponent.

Other additions to this patch include Dummy Recording for practice mode, the ability to gift items to other players, some UI cleanup for Event Mode, and a few others:

All four survival modes now give the player +2 starting hit points.
In â€œCruel 10â€ survival, when you face metal Quince, the announcer no longer says â€œMetal Boss!â€ three times as loud as it should.
In practice mode, the character-specific tab (with options for choosing Lumâ€™s random item, staying in Midoriâ€™s dragon form forever, etc) now has small portraits of the appropriate character next to each line item. (A bit of polish to help you quickly see who the line item is for.)
In menu screens, the outlines on character graphics are thinner than before. These outlines were always a bit too thick on menu screens, we finally adjusted them.
Geiger’s pocket watch on character select and VS screen is no longer offset to the wrong position when he starts his “selected” anim while still sliding in from offscreen. This means his pocket watch is no longer in the wrong position just before you face him in arcade mode. Itâ€™s also no longer in the wrong position on the 2p character select screen when you quickly go from another character to Geiger then press Accept twice.
[Steam] Fixed a crash in the button config screen when you place the P1 cursor on a keyboard key, then press P2 keyboard left or right.
When you use a macro (such as B+C) to do a move, there always was and still is a slop factor of a couple frames so you can press B then C or C then B (rather than both on exactly the same frame). This means you can see a frame or two of that move before the macro of B+C is recognized. Now, if the frame or two of that move was an armored move and if that move actually gets hit (so the armor did something), you will no longer be able to get the macroâ€™d move from that input. This has very little effect on anything, but it does prevent Rook from using the A+B throw macro if he pressed â€œB then Aâ€ and had the B Landslide (armored move) get hit on that specific frame. He can no longer absorb that hit then throw with the A+B.
Fixed the ranked score screen failing to start the countdown for the next match when you’re in master league.

Stay tuned for a Fantasy Strike review later this month on Kakuchopurei. In the meantime, here’s our guide on how to play well in this fighting game.


Bethesda Will Be Critical To Xbox’s Progress, Says Phil Spencer

The most recent Xbox podcast hosted by Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb featured a lengthy topic discussion about the recent Bethesda acquisition.
The man on point in the discussion? Xbox division head honcho Phil Spencer. He said the following:

The Xbox and Bethesda deal’s final approval will come in 2021.
Right now, Microsoft is “hands-off” with Bethesda since the deal hasn’t gone through yet.
He added that Bethesda’s many, many teams will be “very, very critical” to Xbox’s progress going forward.
Bethesda’s slew of games in 2021 and beyond include Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI.

They can’t really say much until the approval and can only dance around words in these interviews for now. But our guess is that most of Bethesda games will be exclusive for the Xbox/PC ecosystem. That’s good news for PC and Xbox gamers.
Top image credit: GameSpot


Early Access To Sci-fi City Builder Industries of Titan Starts Q2 2020

Brace Your Games have revealed in a newsletter that their industrial city building sim/strategy game Industries of Titan, will be getting its Early Access launch in Q2 2020. The precise date hasn’t been decided, but a Closed Beta announcement can be expected soon.
There hasn’t been new footage of the game for a while now, but the 2017 (!) teaser trailer reveals a rather nice-looking game. Â It’s set on Titan, Saturn’s moon, and sees you competing with other Great Houses to build massive industrial cities and “powerful factories” Oddly enough, there’s a brief combat trailer from 2018, but no proper showcase of the city-building elements.

One noteworthy thing about the game’s Early Access launch is that it’d be on the Epic Games Store only. In a post from March 2019, the developers said that the 1.0 version of the game would launch a year after Early Access on both the Epic Games Store and Steam.
The newsletter also mentions that the studio is aiming for a mid-2020 Early Access release for their strategy mech game, Phantom Brigade. Like Industries of Titan, Phantom Brigade will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for a year during its Early Access period. A devlog featuring the game’s animator was released recently.

Although I’m not thrilled about Epic’s one-year exclusivity deals, we’ll ultimately be getting the full versions of both games on Steam at the same time as the Epic Games Store, after the Early Access kinks are ironed out. I think that’s not so bad.


New Borderlands 3 Vault Hunter To Be Revealed At E3 2019

Borderlands 3 is one of the most anticipated titles of 2019, so it’s no wonder everyone is keeping an eye out for it at the upcoming E3 2019. Thankfully, we now have a clue of what’s coming courtesy of Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford through his Twitter account.
Here’s what he tweeted recently.

Borderlands fans have a lot to look forward to at E3! Weâ€™ll be showing new gameplay, a new Vault Hunter and a New Planet! Attendees will also have a chance to play #Borderlands3 at the 2K booth! We may even have a surprise or two up our sleevesâ€¦ EXCITED!
â€” Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 24, 2019

So based on the Tweet itself, we’ll not only see a new planet, but also a new Vault Hunter. Whether he means new gameplay featuring Moze or FL4K, or even a 5th Vault Hunter to break away from tradition, is up for speculation.

I’m guessing it’ll be new gameplay footage featuring Moz the mech jockey and/or FL4K the beast master. While Gearbox usually churns out a 5th character in the form of DLCs, it seems like its too early for that, especially after what Pitchford said about focusing on existing characters.

E3 attendees will also have the chance to have a go at the game at the 2K booth.
So there you have it. We will be updating our site with more Borderlands 3 news when E3 2019 goes live, so stick with us for more exciting news.