Left Alive Should Have Been Left To Die

Platform: PS4, PC
Genre: Stealth, Action, Third-Person Shooter, Survival Military Thriller, Mecha
After Konami screwed the pooch with last year’s Metal Gear Survive and thus effectively ending the franchise’s foreseeable future, fans have been looking forward to not only the revival of the long-dormant Front Mission franchise but also that Left Alive could somehow fill that void. I’m sorry but that won’t be happening anytime soon.
If anything, Left Alive spells the death of yet another beloved long-running franchise. It’s an unsalvageable broken mess that attempts too many things at once, and unfortunately failing miserably at all of them. I suffered through this game so that you don’t have to.
The Stealth Is Broken…

Developer Ilinx must have been particularly ambitious at the start of the project, but something must have happened along the way because Left Alive is truly one of the worst gaming experiences I’ve ever had in my life, and that’s no joke.

Left Alive wants to be a stealth game, an action game, and also a survival game of sorts. The problem is that it fails on every level of gameplay.

None of it feels remotely decent to play, and I found myself wrestling with the wonky controls just to stay alive. Everything is simply broken to the point of being almost unplayable.
The stealth section, which makes up the majority of the gameplay, is broken. It doesn’t work like it should most of the times, as the only thing the player can do is crouch and duck behind covers that are seemingly transparent (seeing as how enemies can sometimes see you and shoot you through them).

The first major reason why the stealth sections are broken is because of how inconsistent the enemies are. Enemies can sometimes see you from across the map, with a line of sight that ranges from eagle eye to blind as a bat. At times, they could spot you from a mile away, while at other times, you could sneak through the middle of a compound surrounded by enemies without being detected. Sneaking in Left Alive is as unreliable as it is ridiculous.

Unlike other stealth games (or games that incorporate stealth), it’s baffling that Left Alive doesn’t feature staple mechanics like stealth takedowns and silencers on weapons. How can a stealth game not have those two features?

Sure, there are breakable melee weapons but even these don’t guarantee a ‘stealth takedown’, as they do little to no damage after being used once or twice.
…And So Is The Action

Just when I thought Left Alive couldn’t get any worse, the game confounds me even further by committing one of the biggest no-nos in stealth games. It often forces the player into full-blown shootouts and giving them no choice but to go in guns blazing, despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a stealth game at its core.
This on its own could be forgivable if the controls and character animations weren’t so janky and clunky. Heck, even a PS2-era game like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater controlled much smoother than this.

It’s amazing how a 2019 game can still play worse than a game almost from almost two decades ago.

To make things even worse, these forced confrontations with enemies are usually impossible situations. I died a lot due to how unfair these combat situations were. Fighting against what seems to be an entire battalion of enemies and a Wanzer (what mechs are called in-game) is a hellish experience.
While Left Alive does feature real-time mech or Wanzer battles, these only constitute like twenty percent of the game at most, with the rest of the time spent on foot. Piloting Wanzers should have been the highlight of the game, but instead, they’re mere distractions, as well as being broken in their own right.

The camera utilizes an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective when players pilot Wanzers, and the problem with this is that the camera is often too close to the back of the enormous mecha that I couldn’t even see what’s in front of me, obscuring my vision and preventing me from aiming properly.
That leads to another problem, as these Wanzers look and move like a mech should, but they might as well be made of paper mache. The game threw me into mech battles where I was often outnumbered. With those aforementioned camera issues and the mech’s cumbersome realistic movement, I died all too easily.
It didn’t help that the mechs don’t have a visible health bar, forcing me to rely on the AI to tell me how critical my damage is. Before I know it, my Wanzer was already bursting into flames after mere moments of piloting it. The Wanzers in Left Alive don’t imbue you with a sense of power (though that might be the point of the military theme), so don’t expect this experience to be like a power fantasy of piloting a Gundam.
…Not To Mention The Enemy AI

If all of that sounds bad, those aren’t even the worst of it. What brought me to the brink of insanity is the unbalanced AI. They’re bullet sponges, able to absorb an insane amount of damage before dying and shoot like an expert marksman, never missing their target (the player).

It’s frustrating because it leads to all these cheap deaths. Left Alive handicaps the player too much, and gives too much of an advantage to enemies. Even when I had plenty of ammo and the best weapons, I still died numerous times due to how frustratingly unfair and clunky everything is.

Case in point, Left Alive only features two boss battles in the entire length of the game. It’s like the developers just slapped a boss battle into the game out of nowhere just for the sake of it, without caring about how unbalanced it is. It took me an hour of retrying to complete that boss battle to the point where I almost gave up.
Frustrating Save System

Another major problem that made Left Alive even more of a frustrating overall experience is its saving system. The game only allows players to save the game at certain checkpoints throughout any given map.

These save points are so sparsely located that dying usually means that you would have to start all over again and lose much of your progress.

The game’s checkpoint system is also an outdated mechanic. Dying after a cutscene means that players will have to respawn at the moment before the cutscene, instead of after it. There’s no reason that this should happen, but it does. This makes dying even more frustrated, as I had to waste time having to skip the cutscenes multiple times.
Generic Mess Of A Story

When I started playing Left Alive, I actually liked the war theme and plot, as generic as it is. It had decent writing, and plot buildup which made me invested in the three playable characters in the game. As the game ended, none of the plot threads were resolved, making for a hollow and disappointing experience.
Essentially, the story begins with the nation fo Garmoniya suddenly declaring war on its neighbouring country of Ruthenia by attacking and invading the city of Novo Slava, which is located in the border between the two countries. Players then assume the role of three protagonists who find themselves thrust into this conflict.
The bulk of the game takes place in Novo Slava, which is now a war-torn city with giant Wanzers and displaced refugees. I like the concept of how the game presented saving civilians as side quests but, unfortunately, it was executed poorly. Thanks to the game being a mess of broken gameplay mechanics, it was all I could do to progress through the main storyline.
Remember those impossible forced confrontations I mentioned above? These ‘saving civilians’ side quests often forced you to waste precious resources and break out of stealth mode, which meant that it was usually not worth the risk to do them. It defeats the purpose of including side quests in the first place if they’re not worth doing.
Left To Die

In my Fallout 76 review, I asked the question: Why would you play a game if it’s not fun? There’s always somebody who finds a game to be fun, even if you don’t. For instance, I might not like to play battle royale games, but a lot of people clearly do, which is why they’re raking in the cash. However, I can’t possibly imagine anyone actually enjoying the soul-crushing ordeal of playing Left Alive.

What does it say about a game when only five percent of players actually bothered to finish it. ’nuff said.

				LEFT ALIVE_20190313212906

				LEFT ALIVE_20190314005329

				LEFT ALIVE_20190314142029

				LEFT ALIVE_20190314142920

Pros:

Pilot giant mechas; woohoo.

Cons:

Nothing works and everything is broken (stealth, action, mech combat, etc)
Unbalanced gameplay mechanics leading to frustratingly cheap deaths
Enemies have unfair advantages (line of sight, bullet sponge, impeccable aim)
A generic mess of a story

FINAL SCORE: 20/100
Left Alive was reviewed on a PS4 Pro, via a review copy courtesy of Square Enix and PlayStation.


Is Maxsoft To Blame For The Recent Xenoblade 2 Torna Missing DLC Codes Problem?

This is the last thing a game like Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna~ The Golden Age needs: negative publicity.
According to Nintendo Soup, the Southeast Asian versions of the game are missing expansion pass codes. Here’s the breakdown of the drama:

Southeast Asia distributors Maxsoft was unable to obtain expansion pass codes from Nintendo to offer as compensation despite their best efforts. This is because there is still no official eShop for Southeast Asian nations.
Those who bought the Torna game with a missing code will instead be able to redeem either aÂ Bowser amiiboÂ orÂ Roy amiiboÂ as compensation. To be eligible for redemption, customers will need to bring the Torna game and their receipt to the store where they made the purchase.
This compensation offer will be open from 26 October 2018 â€“ 6 November 2018.

Naturally, the ever-demanding public did not take this well.

The backlash was so bad, Maxsoft instead offered another replacement: a Legend of Zelda screen protector and decal bundle. Again, this clearly wasn’t enough for fans who really, REALLY wanted the expansion pass as promised. And it turns out that the bundle was from a previous clearance sale from the distributor.

Real Talk
As much fun and easy it is to crap on Maxsoft, they’re just an accessory to the real issue at hand. Namely, the fact that Nintendo still does not give a crap about the Southeast Asia market even after for so long.

Just remember: there are a number of Maxsoft folks who want to compensate disgruntled fans equally and fairly, but you have to remember that the Nintendo HQ at Kyoto has final say over what goes and what should be done.Â

Nintendo also has the authority to open up a Southeast Asian eShop whenever they want. They just don’t want to because they (and probably Maxsoft) know that the majority of us end up parallel importing whatever games we have, right down to us signing up using US accounts.
No, we’re not saying that Maxsoft is blameless in this. The Facebook PR stunt could have been handled better. But sometimes you have to take a deep breath and remember that the guys holding the keys to make this problem go away are in plain sight.

With just a few days of coordinating, they could have just opened up an official Southeast Asian eShop which may not be perfect but would have made this ordeal a non-issue.

If PlayStation and Xbox can accommodate to the SEA region with their online store management and offerings, why not Nintendo? Get with the times, guys!


Top Gun Maverick Is Number One In Malaysia With Spectacular 3D Anamorphic Display At Pavilion KL

To celebrate the Top Gun Maverick 3D Anamorphic Display, 20 bikers from the Air Force Bikers Club joined us at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur for a fun shoot. The custom 30-second 3D animation is on display now until 5 June 2022. Those who are unable to make their way down can watch the Top Gun Maverick 30-second 3D Anamorphic Display on YouTube (see below).
Malaysia will be among the ten countries going live with this initiative including Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, UK, and US. This initiative is the first for United International Pictures (UIP) Malaysia, with many more to come.
In the meantime, you can check out our review of Top Gun Maverick here.


New Overwatch PTR Patch Goes Live – Shows off Blizzard World Map

The latest Overwatch map which made its debut at the recent BlizzCon, Blizzard World is now available for all in the Public Test Region. Available only for PC to players who already own a copy of the game (except China), the PTRÂ will be hosted on the American server and can handle up to ten thousand players at a time.
In case you are wondering, achievements in the PTR cannot be carried over to the full game and all real-money purchases are disabled on the PTR. There have been tons of PTR tests before – most recently focusing on the latest character, Moira and the highlight for this latest update is definitely the new hybrid map – Blizzard World. Blizzard described Blizzard World as ‘An amusement park celebrating the universes of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo – Blizzard World is a brand-new hybrid Assault/Escort map’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii3Hce3_fOw&w=560&h=315]
It adds: Charge the gates of Stormwind, sneak through the Nexus Experience, and guide the payload through areas filled with high ground, flanking routes, and environmental hazards. Grab some Blizzard-inspired snacks at the concession stand along the way!
Now that the map is here, we cannot wait to get our hands on the (also) recently revealed Blizzard World-themed hero skins. So far eight have been revealed and expect more to come as we head closer to its public release.

				Nova Widowmaker

Apart from the new map, other bug fixes and minor changes are expected on the PTR. Some may not even hit the public version of the game – but based on our experience, it’s a case of more often than not. For full description of the new PTR update, head over here.


Crawl’s Father-Daughter Redemption Arc Is Ramped Up With Rabid Alligators

Beneath the grimey swampland muck of a hurricane-swept Florida in the world of Crawl, and amidst all the rabid homicidal alligators advertised in the film’s trailer lies a heartwarming story about a young woman and her “tiger” dad who used to be her swim coach trying to make amends. Director Alexandre Aja does his best in taking a conventional thriller horror story and shoot it in the slickest way possible while letting its leads Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper do all the work.
And it succeeds and entertains despite the show hitting many familiar tropes in the genre.
A Load Of Croc?

As I alluded before, Kaya plays Haley, an aspiring swimmer with a strained relationship with her dad. When she gets a call about her dad not leaving his Florida house due to an impending hurricane, she rushes in to check what’s up. Apparently, it’s a growing alligator problem -hungry pissed-off lizards mind you- underneath her dad’s house. The majority of the film is the two of them (and their dog Sugar) figuring out how to escape from their escalating predicament.
With just two actors, the film’s emotional core largely falls on them, and thankfully Kaya is up to the task. She displays a good mix of naivete and determination from start to finish. Her character growth and her acceptance of her father’s way of looking at things works well.
Speaking of father figures, Barry Pepper, whose last good headliners include True Grit, Saving Private Ryan, and a couple of Activision games, really sells it as a tough dad who only wants the best for his “lost” daughter. He’s got the sarcasm and wit to pull off his quips for his situation while also showcasing his acting chops in one of the film’s second act open-hearted moments. Together, they work in tandem and have more than enough father-daughter chemistry to make us care about whether they live through hell in literal high water.
The other stars who should be commended are the homicidal alligators. They tread the thin line between “realistic hungry carnivores” to “human-hating killing machines”, though thankfully they don’t veer too far to the latter. Most of the tension here relies on the fact that this sort of disaster with said animals is plausible. Though having your antagonists breaking through the window to fill up the room with water is purely done out of dramatic effect than anything else.
Later, Gator

At the end of the day, Crawl is a thriller first and foremost where you root for your named cast members to survive through the ordeal -everyone else is either away from the area or just gator-bait. The film’s thrills, jump scares, and dread-building bits are honestly standard and expected, but they’re done with a lot of polish and appropriate washed-out tones and cinematography.
You feel incredibly claustrophobic and a huge sense of drowning within the show’s many high tension scenes, yet you still get a breather or two when the heroes and villains regroup. Kills and gore-wise, you’ll get your fill of broken bones, bones being snapped back to place, gator wounds, and non-headlining actors getting munched in different ways.
All in all, Alexandre Aja and company aren’t shooting for gold in this particular swimming competition, but at least it gets all the silver they deserve.
FINAL RATING: 70/100


Pre-Registration For Sequel Of Popular Korean MMORPG Is Now Open

Level Infinite is pleased to announce that Dragon Nest 2 Evolution is now open for global pre-registration, paving the way for new players to be part of the epic fantasy adventure that has already been experienced by over 300 million players to date.
The adventure in Dragon Nest 2 Evolution will also transport players to the lands of Altea, where civilization and nature thrive, with seamless transitions when heading out of town into the wild.
All four classes will provide players with plenty of options when it comes to finding the best approach, while dungeons can be tackled solo, or in groups of four and eight, and World Bosses will require coordinated efforts from all players to bring down precious rewards.
In celebration of the start of the pre-registration period, many valuable rewards will be up for grabs as new pre-registration milestones are reached.
Here’s what players can look forward to unlocking during the campaign:

1 million pre-registration reached: Glazed Amber x 100
2 million pre-registration reached: Revive Coin x 10
3 million pre-registration reached: Pandora’s Heart x3
4 million pre-registration reached: Crazy Duck Hat x1
5 million pre-registration reached: Angelic Sheep x1

As a mobile MMORPG, Dragon Nest 2 Evolution will invite players into the wonderful world of Dragon Nest for their next adventure, and all are welcome to join as the team made sure to expand the compatibility of the game client to most smartphone models.
The free-to-play MMORPG will deliver a premier experience to players through its many features, which include:

Bosses Evolution: Exciting and engaging dungeon-crawling designed for multiplayer fun, and the first sighting of the Sea Dragon world boss
Class evolution: Four classes packed with 32 choices to be made to develop a truly unique character to suit all playstyles
Multiplayer Evolution: Adventure as a guild, participate in boss battles together and reap the rewards as comrades
Trading Evolution: Benefit as a team with free trading of resources and equipment, allowing everyone to become as strong as they want to be
Cultivate Evolution: Adventure and grow alongside a pet companion, and travel the world of Dragon Nest 2 Evolution together.

To learn more about Dragon Nest 2 Evolution and claim the in-game rewards for pre-registration, you can visit the official website or keep up to date via the official channels below.

Facebook: https://bit.ly/DN2MYSGFB
Facebook Community Group: https://bit.ly/DN2MYSGFBGroup
Instagram: https://bit.ly/DN2MYSGIG
TikTok: https://bit.ly/DN2MYSGTT
Discord: https://bit.ly/DN2MYSGDiscord

The game will be available on Google Play Store, Apple Store, Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, and OPPO Store.
You can pre-register now at:

Google Play Store: https://bit.ly/DN2GP
Samsung Galaxy Store: https://bit.ly/DN2Samsung
Huawei AppGallery: https://bit.ly/DN2Huawei
Oppo Store: Search the game and pre-register on OPPO Store now
Apple Store (IOS): Coming Soon


World Of Warships Announces 24-Hour Charity Livestream For Save The Children

World Of WarshipsÂ (PC) andÂ World Of Warships Legends (consoles), have announced their upcoming Christmas charity live stream, featuring 24 hours of games, special guests, giveaways and charity challenges. To further spread the spirit of giving, Wargaming will offer charity bundles for sale to both PC and console players, with all proceeds going to the global humanitarian organization Save the Children. Finally, upon completion of the live stream, Wargaming will match the funds that have been raised by viewers with a donation of its own.
Starting from Saturday, 11 December 2 at 1am GMT+8, players and fans can tune into the live stream, donate, and earn in-game rewards. All proceeds of the entire live stream will be dedicated to Save the Children, which works every day in more than 100 countries to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. This is part of a continued partnership with the charity, which has seen Wargamingâ€™s community raise over US$88,000 in previous years.
ergey Vorobyev, World Of Warshipsâ€™ Product Director, said:

â€œWe are very grateful to be in a position to help our charity partner Save the Children and support them in an effort to protect those most vulnerable and improve their living conditions.
The Holiday season is traditionally especially festive in the World of Warships community, thus we wanted to spread the joy even further and give our players an opportunity to unite and support a worthy cause.â€

During the stream, viewers can participate in charity auctions with rare ships and unique merchandise, interactive games, and quizzes, as well as watch in-game battles with special guests, and the World Of Warships staff generally having fun at their own expense for a good cause.
Ettore Rossetti, Lead Advisor, Technology/Marketing/Innovation Partnerships for Save the Children, said:

â€œSave the Children is thrilled to, once again, partner with Wargaming and their dedicated community of gamers who have been extremely supportive to our efforts.”

The event also marks the launch of the Save the Children Charity Bundle in the World Of Warships Premium Shop. These containers will include a unique patch and flag, along with a boatload of camouflages for players to deck out their winter warships. Console players will get their own charity bundle in World Of Warships Legends. 100 percent of the proceeds of these limited-time bundles will be donated to Save the Children and matched by World Of Warships with an equal donation.
This stream will be hosted on the World Of Warships Twitch Channel here.
[videopress h4jEsQZb]


Genshin Impact Introduces Two New Liyue Polearm Users To Its Gacha Pool

Mihoyo’s Genshin Impact Twitter account just announced two new upcoming adventurers heading into the anime RPG fray.
First up is Yun Jin, who hails from Liyue and is the current director of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe. She is a polearm user and wields the Geo element. She has been said to be so good at her performing job that the Heyu Tea House can rake in enough money to last a whole month.

The next heroine is Shenhe, who comes from a clan of exorcists in Liyue. She is the Cloud Retainer’s disciple, and wields the Cryo Element and the polearm. The Cloud Retainer has dubbed Shenhe as being a mirror image to itself.
The new adventurers have no release dates mentioned as of yet, but we’re guessing they’ll make their debut in the Genshin Impact gacha pool in December. We’re guessing a 2.4 update that brings our heroes back to Liyue. On a related note, the next major update for the game, 2.3, is due this 24th November.


Kakuchopurei Best 30 Games Of 2022: #4

For the rest of the list, head here. For #5, head here.
#4. Cult of the Lamb (PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

The silence of the lambs. Literally. The real meat of Massive Monster’s Cult of the Lamb is the cult management and cult simulator mechanics. It’s a very enjoyable and fun mini town-management type of game, where you build buildings and do favours for your cultists, hold sermons and perform rituals, giving you either experience or other buffs.
The adorable factor alone is good enough, but there’s also a great and suitable soundtrack as well. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it can still be gory and sinister since it’s still about cults and brainwashing people into joining them. The fact that it’s rogue-lite also ensures that no two games are alike and that increases the game’s replayability factor.
The overall concept of this game is both creative and funny as hell. You’ve been resurrected and given a second chance at life, but as a cult leader who brainwashes, embezzles, extorts, and feeds your followers poop. You can’t help but smile and giggle while you play the game. There’s no other game quite like Cult Of The Lamb and that makes it stand out, even as an indie title.


The PS5 DualSense Controller Looks Deliciously Futuristic

Out of nowhere, Sony and PlayStation have officially unveiled the PS5 controller, and it’s not the DualShock 5, folks. Dubbed the DualSense, this next-gen controller looks like a natural evolution of the PS4’s DualShock 4 controller, which is now seven years old since its original debut in 2013.
As we already know from last year’s reveal, the PS5 DualSense controller will feature two important innovations: haptic technology and adaptive triggers.
Haptic feedback allows players to feel a variety of powerful sensations as they play, such as the grittiness of driving a car through the mud, while the new adaptive triggers of the L2 and R2 buttons makes them feel the realistic tension of certain actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow.
Besides those previously-announced features, there are four major differences between the PS4’s DualShock 4 and PS5’s DualSense controller:
1. A New Create Button In Place Of The Share Button

The PS5 DualSense controller now features a new Create button in place of the previous Share button on the DualShock 4. It will presumably offer the same functionality, but PlayStation is saving the details of what exactly the new Create button can actually do until we’re closer to launch.
2. A New Built-In Microphone Array

Another vital upgrade of the DualSense over the DualShock 4 is a new built-in microphone array which allows players to chat with friends even without headsets or earphones.
3. A New Two-Toned Colour Design

Every generation of the DualShock controller has generally had a single base colour, the most classic of which was usually black or grey. For the first time, the PS5’s DualSense controller will feature a two-toned design, and it looks like the first base colours are white and black.
4. A New Position For The Light Bar

Previously, the PS4 DualShock 4 featured one massive light bar above its touchpad, but the PS5 DualSense controller will instead feature two smaller light bars at each side of the touchpad.
Overall, the basic design of the DualShock 4 has clearly translated mostly intact to the new PS5’s DualSense controller, though PlayStation says that they went through “several concepts and hundreds of mockups over the last few years” before settling on this final design.
Sony Interactive Entertainment President & CEO Jim Ryan said:

“DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5.
The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games â€“ continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future.
To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5â€™s launch in Holiday 2020.
We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.â€

With the PS5’s controller out of the way, it might not be long now until we finally get to see the actual console itself. In the meantime, head on over here to check out all our other PS5-related news and feature articles.


Marvel’s Loki Guide: What You Need To Know Before Watching The Disney+ Hotstar Series

It’s already been close to a month after the last Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series has wrapped up, which means there’s another one in tow. That’s right: the next subject of the MCU serialized story fiesta is none other than Loki in his self-titled show.
Let’s talk about our star players in the upcoming Disney+ Hotstar show. We’ll be delving into some spoilers for past MCU films, so here’s your warning.

Loki

The Norse Trickster, Brother of Thor, MCU’s beloved anti-hero adored by many comic book fans (mostly female): the Asgardian God of Mischief played spectacularly by Tom Hiddleston will have his own spotlight show (called Marvel’s Loki) where he becomes the best at what he does. That is, playing the resident superpowered a-hole in the MCU while inadvertently being the good guy.
Loki started out being a brother to Thor in the movie Thor. He was jealous of his brother, then finds out that Odin was not his real dad. They fight due to a plot involving Loki’s biological father Laufey. Loki lost, but he ends up working behind the shadows and worms his way to getting the powerful cosmic-powered cube called the Teserract.
At one point he was employed by Thanos as he gave him a Chitaurian army to conquer Earth in the first Avengers film. He was also forced to help Thor at one point in Thor Dark World, then at the end of that film, he escaped Asgardian’s clutches and pretended to be Odin using the power of shapeshifting. He also went through a redemption arc of sorts in Thor: Ragnarok where he teams up with Thor to defeat their estranged sister/goddess of death Hela in pretty sweet battles playing to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”.
Keep in mind that the version of Loki for the upcoming TV series is the one who escaped the clutches of the Avengers during the first Avengers movie. The redeemed Loki from Thor Ragnarok died in Avengers: Infinity War at the very start of the film when he tried to save his brother Thor in a last-ditch attempt. He was killed by his former boss Thanos.

As for the plot for the TV show? It’s basically Loki going through a new redemption arc as he is forced into a job offer from the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to clean up time and space. Here’s a summary of the show:

Time Variance Authority

The TVA are time cops who preserve the timeline that will lead to Earth’s more peaceful and less sucky future. They can also erase people out of timelines if they so choose. They’re using this as a bargaining chip for Loki to cooperate.
In the comics, they’re a vast bureaucracy that governs a significant number of realities in the ever-growing multiverse. So really, they’re about the same as in the MCU.
Show writer Michael Waldron describes the TVA in a Collider interview:
“I think that whatâ€™s fun about the TVA is it takes something remarkable, like time travel, and really packages it in a very soulless, sort of bureaucratic way. Thatâ€™s what was exciting to me, as a writer, was to take something so magical and just make it utterly soulless.
General moviegoers who love the MCU but donâ€™t read the comics may be unfamiliar with the TVA. They are an authority weâ€™ll be seeing a lot in the future. This is how he breaks the organization down and how it will impact Lokiâ€™s life going forward.
The Time Variance Authority is an organization that literally manages and polices all of time, we had to define what time is to them and what time is in the MCU. How does it move? What is time travel? How does it operate?
And so, we had to essentially create an institutional knowledge among the writerâ€™s room. A foundation of what constitutes a broken time law and what doesnâ€™t â€” which is about Loki breaking a time law â€” and then you have to move all that stuff as far to the background as humanly possible because you donâ€™t want the audience focusing on the rules of time travel during your show.”
Mobius M. Mobius
The standout of the TVA is Mobius M. Mobius, played by one Owen Wilson, known for these cinematic contributions:

Mobius is a TVA analyst who acts as a detective and Loki’s chaperone. He is based on the comic character of the same name, a TVA junior management member who was tasked with prosecuting The Fantastic Four for illegal time use, continuity theft, and other time-related crimes. He also acted as one of the judges during a major trial on She-Hulk where she tried to save Hawkeye by going back in time and informing him of his fate. Yeah, that happened.
Ravonna Renslayer

This Hunter of the TVA is played by actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who has made appearances in shows like Black Mirror and The Morning Show. The comic book character has quite a backstory: Ravonna was a daughter of a 40th century Earth and was the object of affection of Marvel Big Bad Kang the Conqueror. After many attempts at conquering and having perseverance, Kang eventually made her see his way. She ends up being his princess. Well, an alternate version of him at one point.
Then the two go through a time-bending path-diverging process of breaking up and reconciling as a couple in many Avengers-related storylines. Ravonna even adopted the title Terminatrix at one point to conceal her identity while fighting Kang. We’re not sure if the MCU version of Ravonna will be involved with Kang, but that plot thread could make for a good lead-up to the next Ant-Man film.
Hunter B-15

A high-ranking Hunter of the TVA played by Wunmi Mosaku. The actress has starred in a couple of key roles in shows like Damilola, Our Loved Boy and Lovecraft Country.
Other additions in the cast include Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, Erika Coleman, and Eugene Cordero, who will be in undisclosed roles.Â And that’s all we know about the show. Marvel & Disney are keeping mum about the series, which is nice since we love being surprised. We’ll be watching this show when it debuts later on 9th June on Disney+ Hotstar.


Activision Blizzard Sheds 20 Staff Due To Harassment Investigations; Wants To Pause California Lawsuit Too

Activision Blizzard still cannot catch a break.
The company has recently made 20 employees and more “exit” from its doors for the past few months due to ongoing investigations into workplace harassment. These 20 employees have also faced disciplinary action, following a ramping up of internal processing in response to the California lawsuit filing in July. The 20 listed here include game developers and supervisors; no board members though.
The public statement of these events is online right now.
“In recent months, we have received an increase in reports through various reporting channels. People are bringing to light concerns, ranging from years ago to the present. We welcome these reports, and our team has been working to investigate them, using a combination of internal and external resources.
Based on the information received in the initial report, they are assigned into different categories, and resources are allocated to prioritize the most serious reports first. In connection with various resolved reports, more than 20 individuals have exited Activision Blizzard and more than 20 individuals faced other types of disciplinary action.”
Furthermore, Activision Blizzard has filed a motion to temporarily halt proceedings in the July California lawsuit. This is so that the former can collect evidence in relation to a surprising allegation against the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing that could give it an advantage. The allegation has a lot to do with the lawyers who filed the suit.
“We look forward to resolving the case with the DFEH fairly in an appropriate court,” said an Activision Blizzard spokesperson (via PC Gamer).


Assassinâ€™s Creed Leaps into the World of Free Fire

Garena has announced that Free Fireâ€™s latest event will be a crossover between the hit Ubisoft stab-happy franchise, Assassinâ€™s Creed.
Ready your hoods and hidden blades, the Assassin Brotherhood will be making their way into the world of Free Fire in their next crossover event. The crossover is set to launch in March later this year, with Garena teasing for more details to be shared in the coming weeks.
Although details on the event as of now are scarce, the announcement teased that characters from the beloved, alternate history franchise will make an appearance in the game, most likely in the form of cosmetic skins that players can earn. This collaborative event is just the latest in the line of crossover events with other franchises, with their past events including hit anime such as Attack on Titan and One Punch Man, and even movies such as Venom: Let There Be Carnage. These events featured cosmetics such as exclusive gun skins and other Free Fire items and collectibles, so expect similar rewards to come.
Both Free Fire and Free Fire MAX can be downloaded on the Apple iOS and Google Play Stores.


These PC Games Are Free To Play Right Now….

With a big chunk of the world practising social distancing now, there has been a recent flow of free games and free game trials. In this article, we’ll be highlighting some current limited trials (mostly games by The Behemoth) that’ll be around till next week so you don’t miss them.
Insurgency: Sandstorm

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Five days at time of writing
A semi-realistic tactical shooter with multiplayer and co-op modes. There are performance complaints, but what better than a free period to see if runs well for you?
Castle Crashers

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Five days at time of writing
2D arcade game where you “hack, slash, and smash your way to victory”. There’s online and local co-op where you can play with up to four friends too.
Pit People

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Five days at time of writing
Turn-based co-op game with loot. You’ll fight “sinister robots, deadly vampires and brutally adorable cupcake people”.
Battleblock Theatre

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Five days at time of writing
2D co-cop game with platforming. It’s set in a theatre, but it’s definitely no normal theatre.
Cities: Skylines

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Two days at time of writing
City builder from the devs behind Cities in Motion. Build and manage a city, as well as a detailed transport system.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Where to get it: Xbox One, PS4, Uplay, Epic Games Store
How long till the free period ends: Three days at time of writing
Open world tactical shooter with co-op and multiplayer. The free trial period also gives you the chance to try out new additions and the first mission of the new Deep State campaign.
Kerbal Space Program

Where to get it: Steam
How long till the free period ends: Three days at time of writing
You’re an alien, and you’re in charge of your race’s space program. Build (or attempt to) spacecraft that are “based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics”, and when (or if) you make it to space without dying, explore planets and construct bases.


Nintendo Has Started Production Of New Switch Models

Previously, we’ve only heard some hearsay about Nintendo and their new Switch models. There was one ‘affordable, entry-level‘ model and a ‘high performance‘ model
Today, there’s been a development in the story as Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki states in his report that Nintendo is now shifting production of the Switch to Southeast Asia from China to lower the impact of possible ‘U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electronics’. This was confirmed to Mochizuki by people currently working on Nintendoâ€™s supply chain.
Here’s a tweet from Mochizuki himself:

My latest: Nintendo is shifting part of Switch production from China amid U.S-China trade conflict. Not interested in subject? Then how about this: it has started production of new models, suggesting announcement is near.https://t.co/0Vus1pBVVh
â€” Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) June 12, 2019
This means that production of the new Switch models is already underway! How exciting is that?
Will it look like the current Nintendo Switch? Or will it have distinct changes to differentiate it from its standard cousin? Some say it will look like the Nintendo 3DS.
All we have to do is wait for an announcement from Nintendo, and we expect it to come soon.


IO Interactive Reveals Plans For Hitman 3 & Non-Hitman Title

Fresh off announcing the new Siberia map for Hitman 2, IO Interactive has revealed plans for not only a new non-Hitman project in the making but also Hitman 3. All of this was revealed via a Noclip documentary on YouTube about ‘The Fall & Rise of Hitman’.
The developer will still be focusing on new Hitman-related content and starting on Hitman 3, which might return to the episodic model used for 2016’s Hitman. However, IO Interactive CEO and co-founder Hakan Abrak confirmed that the majority of the studio’s resources will be channeled towards the mysterious new non-Hitman game.
The last non-Hitman title by the developer was 2010’s Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days for the PS3 and PC. Abrak continued by saying that their Hitman reboot franchise was planned as a trilogy from the beginning, which will ultimately culminate in a single game with more than 20 locations.

â€œWe released Hitman 2 back when went independent and on cash flow, it was so far away but getting there was an amazing feeling.
And Hitman is a trilogy, thereâ€™s a bright futureâ€”thereâ€™s this full realization of the whole World of Assassination that we are looking towards as well, of doing that journey since 2013, to complete that and overarching spy story, to complete that.
And the World of Assassination, when thatâ€™s complete, itâ€™s gonna be one game with all the locations starting from Paris in Hitman 1 to the last location in Hitman 3, where itâ€™s 20-plus locations.
So the ultimate globetrotting experience that we wanted to achieve.â€

The developer is certainly gearing up for big things in the future. In the meantime, check out the full Noclip documentary below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_stW6JvB4SI&w=560&h=315]


This Next Update Will Make Call of Duty Modern Warfare Smaller For PC

The ever-active first-person military shooter and multiplayer jamboree Call of Duty Modern Warfare “features” such a huge install size that it literally cannot fit onto 250GB SSDs, which is a new level of game install absurdities. Thankfully with the upcoming 1.28 patch, that will not be the case.
Sort of. The next Call of Duty Modern Warfare 1.28 patch is going to allow mode-specific uninstallation options, and only keep the modes you want. It will be available later today.

tomorrows update will have mode specific uninstall options for PC MW owners.
— Paul Haile (@Tyrael) October 12, 2020

While it doesn’t actually reduce the total install size of the entire game, it is understandable given its eventual expansion from the base game, ranging from the co-op modes to the games-as-a-service battle royale. Still, this is a win for PC Modern Warfare players. Console gamers will have to rely on other means to keep their copy of their shooter somehow.
Modern Warfare is now on its 6th season; you get to use two new operators, new subway train maps, and a kick-ass sniper rifle. And yes, there’s ANOTHER frickin’ Call of Duty game on the way, because it’s not like as if this 2019 Modern Warfare is enough for Activision and its shareholders, right?


Ubisoft Is Shutting Down Online Services For More Than 90 Games

It was fun while it lasted.
Ubisoft announced it will be shutting down over 90s games’ online services, including games dating back to the PS2 days around the 2000s or so. These include games like the Rainbow Six Vegas titles, the H.A.W.X flight sims, Driver: San Francisco, the Call of Juarez titles, and that one time they ran a James Cameron’s Avatar game. Remember that illustrious time?
Anyway, the full list of games are below. Keep in mind the offline single-player bits of the following games will still function.

America’s Army
Xbox 360

Anno 1404
PC

Anno Online
PC

Assassin’s Creed 2
PC | MAC | iOS | OnLive

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
OnLive

Assassin’s Creed: Recollection
MAC | iOS

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
OnLive

Avatar
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Beyond Good and Evil
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Blazing Angels 2
PC | Xbox 360

Call of Juarez 2: Bound in Blood
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Call of Juarez 3: The Cartel
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Driver: San Francisco
OnLive

ESPN Sport Connections
Wii U

Far Cry
PC

Far Cry 2
PC

Far Cry Blood Dragon
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Flashback Origins
PC

Ghost Recon
PC

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

H.A.W.X.
PC

H.A.W.X. 2
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | OnLive

Haze
PlayStation 3

Heroes of Might and Magic 5
PC

I Am Alive
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Just Dance 3
Xbox 360

Just Dance 3 Greatest Hits
Xbox 360

Just Dance 3 Kids
Xbox 360 | Wii | Wii U

Just Dance 4
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii U

Just Dance 2014
PlayStation 3 | PlayStation 4| Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Wii | Wii U

Just Dance 2015
PlayStation 3 | PlayStation 4 | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Wii | Wii U

Just Dance 2016
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii

Just Dance 2017
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii

Just Dance 2018
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii

Just Dance Disney Party
Xbox 360 | Wii

Just Dance Disney Party 2
Xbox 360

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
Xbox 360 | Wii U

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
PC

Might & Magic Duel of Champions
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Might & Magic Showdown
PC

Might & Magic Showdown Paint Workshop
PC

Might & Magic X: Legacy
PC

MotionSports
Xbox 360

MotionSport Adrenaline
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

My Fitness Coach Club
PlayStation 3

PowerUp Heroes
Xbox 360

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | OnLive

PureFootball
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Rabbids Alive and Kicking
Xbox 360

Rabbids Go Home
Wii

Rabbids Land
Wii U

Rabbids Travel in Time
Wii

Rainbow Six – Raven Shield
PC

Rainbow Six Lockdown
PC | Nintendo GameCube | PlayStation 2 | Xbox

Rainbow Six Vegas
PC | PlayStation 3 | PlayStation Portable | Xbox 360

Rainbow Six Vegas 2
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Xbox One

Rayman 3
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Rayman 3 HD
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Rayman Legends
PC

Rayman Origins
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

R.U.S.E.
MAC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

R.U.S.E. Beta
PC

Scrabble 2007
PC

Scrabble 2009
PC

Settlers 3
PC

Settlers 4
PC

Settlers 6: Rise of an Empire
PC

Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
PC | MAC

Settlers: Heritage of Kings
PC

Shape Fitness Evolved
Xbox 360

Shape Up
Xbox One

Shaun White Skateboarding
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | OnLive

Shaun White Snowboarding
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | OnLive

Silent Hunter 3
PC

Silent Hunter 4: U-boat Missions
PC

Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific
PC

Silent Hunter 5
OnLive

Smurfs 2
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Spartacus Legends
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Wii U

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
PC

Splinter Cell: Conviction
PC | MAC | OnLive

Splinter Cell: Double Agent
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

The Adventures of Tintin
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Tom Clancy’s EndWar
PC | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360

Toy Soldiers War Chest
PC | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One

Watch Dogs Companion
Android | iOS

World in Conflict
PC

Your Shape Fitness Evolved
Xbox 360

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
Xbox 360

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013
Wii U


The Awesome Story Behind The Chicago Huntsmen’s Name

The new Call of Duty League kicks off in January 2020. With all the teams finally revealed, it’s time for fans new and old to get to know them. Today, we’re shining a light on the Chicago Huntsmen and exploring the origin of the team’s name.
Wallpaper by Reddit user Eprice1120.
The Chicago Huntsmen are operating under NRG Esports, who also owns the Overwatch League team San Fransisco Shock. NRG’s new co-CEO Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez joined to lead the Chicago Huntsmen in September 2019 and his joining was announced almost immediately after he left Immortals Gaming Club.
In a YouTube video published a few days ago, H3CZ sat down to talk about his journey in esports, Call of Duty, and his future plans for NRG. In the same conversation, he shed light on how the “Huntsmen” name came about which is revealed to have roots in his own history as a Call of Duty professional player.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ws8rdf2IGc&w=560&h=315]

“Snipers by definition are hunters and we’ve always been a sniping team at core. That’s what got us to where we’re at today.”

They call themselves the Huntsmen because they’re all about “being the hunter and not the hunted” explained H3CZ. According to H3CZ himself, his original Xbox 360 profile bio stated that same phrase so he claims that it isn’t a new idea. Huntsmen has always been the identity. Now it’s finally cemented as a name.
In the same video, H3CZ explicitly states that he has set the goal of carrying NRG to becoming the first US$1 billion esports organisation. It’s a goal that many other companies have set their eyes on, including Team Vitality.
The future of Call of Duty esports definitely looks exciting. The Chicago Huntsmen will be having their first match on 26 January 2020 against OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. With both H3CZ and Huntsmen’s Seth “Scump” Abner being former OpTic Gaming players, it will be no doubt carve up some new storylines.
Thanks, Dexerto.


China Asks Game Companies To End Focus On Profits & Axe Effeminate Imagery Of Men

In a move that’s sure to baffle many people outside of China, China’s government and authorities are ordering game companies and giants to end their focus on profits and cut content perceived to be breeding “effeminacy”.
Said giants include Tencent and NetEase, the biggest players in mobile gaming and gaming in general since almost all their big titles are garnering a ton of revenue; moreso than your Activisions and EAs. The reason? Beijing is trying to direct its youth culture, gender ideals, and reach of big tech.
Also, the Chinese government and its public believe that “effeminate men are physically weak and emotionally fragile” according to experts in the University of Hong Kong. At least, that’s how public perception is like for the aforementioned group. Heterosexuality is seen as the only gender norm, leading to “anxiety” over more ambiguous representations of sexuality and identity.
The “effeminacy” elimination mandate from the Chinese government is as such (via Xinhua news agency & Yahoo news):
“Obscene and violent content and those breeding unhealthy tendencies, such as money-worship and effeminacy, should be removed”.
Companies that do not follow these rules will be punished. Except Twitter and social media to start commenting on this recent mandate in a couple of hours.


Halo Infinite Multiplayer Season 2 Slated For This May

Halo Infinite is getting a second multiplayer season, and it has a lot to do with being wolves and staying alone.
The update is called Lone Wolves and it will have new maps and modes. Head of creative Joseph Staten shared the theme and concept of the second season:
“By ‘theme’ we mean a core idea that guides the creation of much, but not all, of a Seasonâ€™s content. Lone Wolf Spartans are hunters. Trackers. Theyâ€™re resourceful improvisers, operating deep in enemy territory without resupply or support. Theyâ€™re fierce, rugged, and prefer to work aloneâ€”but theyâ€™re still loyal to the Spartan pack.”
Players will also get to win this new free Fracture armour that’s exclusive to Season 2.

Season 2 will also feature a new Arena map called Catalyst, a BTB map called Breaker, a free-for-all elimination mode called Last Spartan Standing, a new mode called Land Grab, and the return of King of the Hill.

Halo Infinite multiplayer Season 2: Lone Wolves will be out on 3 May, 2022. 343 Industries will reveal more info this April.
On a related note, the campaign co-op for Halo Infinite will not be ready until 3 May, but 343 Industries will aim to deliver it to fans later in the season. Regarding Forge, the public flights for this creation mode will be planned later this year.


FIFA Never Liked EA And Its Handling Of Its Licensed Football Games

World footballing governing body FIFA has recently issued a statement about widening its gaming and esports portfolio. What they said about its former exclusive partner EA is not really surprising, given the current quality of the EA FIFA games for the past few years.
“FIFA is bullish and optimistic about its long-term future in gaming and esports following a comprehensive and strategic assessment of the gaming and interactive entertainment market. [It] is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.
FIFA has also determined that the overlaps between virtual sport and FIFA’s football competitions must be more closely aligned. In this respect, FIFA is excited about using the FIFA World Cup (with four billion viewers) and FIFA Womenâ€™s World Cup (with an audience of 1.2 billion) as platforms to launch and integrate exciting new games and esports offerings.”
FIFA is now “engaging with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build out a long-term view of the gaming, esports, and interactive entertainment sector”.
In the mother of all coincidences, EA announced a week or so ago that it would look to re-brand the long-running FIFA series to something like “EA Sports FC”. To be fair, FIFA did ask for more money out of EA for holding onto the license longer. In any case, it’ll be interesting to hear what new FIFA-based football game will be announced next year, and from which company. Apart from Konami and Sega, who else would be a good fit to make a new football game?


Celebrate Chinese New Year With New Content And Goodies In Hearthstone

Chinese New Year is around the corner and Blizzard is celebrating the Lunar New Year 2019 in Hearthstone for the first time ever. Over the next few weeks, players should expect a giveaway, celebratory emotes, a limited-time bundle, and special quests with even more special rewards.
The first week of Hearthstone‘s Lunar New Year celebration starts today, and with it comes the Lunar New Year Bundle. It contains a total of 30 packs, including 10 packs each from The Witchwood, The Boomsday Project, and Rastakhan’s Rumble priced at only USD $19.99. This limited-time bundle will be available until 10am PST on 13 February 2019.
Next week, starting from 5 February 2019, Hearthstone players can look forward to a Lunar New Year in-game event with quests that grant gold and dust, a free Golden Fireworks Tech as a log-in reward, and New Year emotes.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more updates on Hearthstone!


Thor Ragnarok Director Joins Animated Flash Gordon Reboot

Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is a busy man these days. He’s currently working on multiple projects, including the live-action Akira movie, Jojo Rabbit, Star Wars’ The Mandalorian, What We Do In The Shadows, and most recently confirmed to be joining the animated Flash Gordon animated reboot.
According to Deadline, Waititi has been hired to “crack” the animated Flash Gordon project, whatever that means. We still don’t know if that means he’ll be directing, writing, or producing the show in any capacity,
Taika Waititi at a Thor Ragnarok premiere event.
Perhaps he’ll even be lending his voice acting talents to the Flash Gordon movie, just like he did with the stone alien Korg in Thor Ragnarok and Avengers Endgame. The Flash Gordon reboot has been in development hell for quite a while, with the last attempt at reviving the property was the Sci-Fi Channel’s 2007 Flash Gordon TV series.
For those unfamiliar with Flash Gordon, he is the protagonist of a pulp space opera franchise which began with a comic strip in 1934, before spawning a multimedia franchise of movies, TV series, and more.
Even the most uninitiated would most likely have heard the iconic Flash Gordon theme song from the 1980 movie, sung by none other than Freddie Mercury of Queen. If you don’t, do yourself a favor and check it out below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZDJwoYloI&w=560&h=315]


Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Sales Surpass Two Million

Bandai Namco has announced that Dragon Ball Z Kakarot has already sold over a whopping two million copies worldwide, since its launch in January 2020. The news was announced via the official Bandai Namco EU Twitter account.

2 Million ðŸ˜± With so many Saiyans protecting the Earth, it should be safe (…for now)! Thank you so much for taking part in the #DragonBall Z: Kakarot adventure! pic.twitter.com/OMXo3TQxhk
â€” BANDAI NAMCO EU (@BandaiNamcoEU) March 10, 2020
Previously, the game broke the record as the fastest-selling Dragon Ball game with over 1.5 million sold in its very first week. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is expected to receive more content through its Season Pass, which will include two original episodes and one new story.
However, we still don’t have a release date for any upcoming DLC. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is out now for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In the meantime, check out our full review of the game here.


We Ask Alodia Gosiengfiao About Her Favourite Gaming Things Of 2019

Singapore Comic Con 2019 (SGCC 2019) took place at the Marina Bay Sands Expo last weekend and we received the opportunity to interview none other than the beautiful and talented Alodia Gosiengfiao.

For those not in the know, she’s currently one of Southeast Asia’s top game and pop-culture savvy cosplayer, streamer, model, and “everything in between” person. She’s been doing this for about 17 years. About two to three years ago, she co-founded a game streaming/esports company called Tier One Entertainment that “helps give opportunities to other aspiring talents”.
That company now boasts an impressive number of growing talents including streamers, shoutcasters, and even esports teams. These include Alodia’s sister Ashley Gosiengfao, Dota 2‘s Team Amplify, and pro-TekkenÂ 7 player Rangchu. They’re based in Quezon City in the Philippines, where they’re actively looking to bolster their ranks.
She was recently in Singapore as a distinguished guest for Singtel’s PVP Esports @ Comic-Con event, during which the grand finals of the PVP Corporate and Campus Leagues took place. I took this opportunity to go ask her about what she loves: cosplaying, games, and her favourite ones in this glorious year.
Q: What’s been your favourite cosplays so far?
A: Before, it was GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6, but now I think I like the one that I just made; Lunox. I’ll be wearing it tomorrow for Mobile Legends.

Q: You’ve streamed games like Dota 2, League Of Legends, to single-player games like Marvel’s Spider-Man, and a lot more. Out of all these games, which games do you personally like to stream the most?
A: I call myself like a variety streamer; if something comes out, I’ll try it out.Â  But there are some games that I play a lot, like Overwatch and Mobile Legends. I actually enjoy [streaming those games]. They’re just so fun, and I like that it’s all so colourful.
Q: What about esports games in general?
A: I’m barely good at them; like the [learning curve] keeps going up per game. I really admire those people (esports athletes) because they actually invest a lot time to improve their skills. For me, I can’t really practice that much on a particular game.
But actually, for Overwatch, I’ve been playing with the Filipino pro team that represented the Philippines in the Overwatch World Cup, so they’re like my regular playmates in the evening.
Q: With 2019 coming to a close and another great gaming year ending, it is Kakuchopurei’s tradition to ask: what’s your favourite gaming moment or game of 2019?
A: Favourite game that was released in 2019? That’s so hard (to answer) (laughs).
I’m a huge fan of the Resident Evil 2 Remake. I’ve played the original so many times, probably since I was seven years old already. As for highlights of the year, there’s been too many, but I think it’s going to Blizzcon 2019. It was my first time in years, and I’ve been always wanting to go there.

Q: We recently interviewed your sister, Ashley at an event in the Philippines. She’s also a cosplayer and streamer as well, so we just want to ask: What do you feel about your sister working in the same field as you? Is there like a fun but intense sibling rivalry going on?
A: It’s not a rivalry at all. We actually try to help each other, complement each other. For example, she does photos and I do videos, so we try to match ourselves.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMYcpMhpwuA&w=560&h=315]
Q: Going into 2020, what do you hope will happen or what are you trying to achieve next year?
A: Well, for 2020, since I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for the past ten years, maybe I hope that we could still grow the company (Tier One) because, in our company, we really want to hone the new generation, to be able to give more job opportunities to gamers, and even the back-end people in the gaming industry.
Q: For your company, will you be focusing more on game streaming opportunities or delving more into esports?
A: Most definitely still (focusing on) the streaming, and then like supporting events like this (Singapore Comic-Con 2019) with PVP Esports because that’s where all the gamers come in.
Q: Besides cosplaying and streaming, what do you like to do in your free time?
A: I like making videos, so I still do vlogs (on YouTube) if I have free time. Like recently, I did a video where we made a van that’s voice-automated.

So, it’s like, Alexa, turn on the lights, turn off the lights, and then the lights’ down. So we made it into a van and then just featured it. I do like crazy things (laughs) . In two days, it’s reached up to 600,000 views on YouTube, so I think it’s doing well.

Fun fact: That was on 7 December 2019 when the interview with Alodia took place. However, the video mentioned by Alodia has already garnered over a whopping 1.2 million views at the time of writing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPaEyo8gjw&w=560&h=315]
Check out more Alodia here.
Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ with Alodia.


Nintendo Buys Visual Content Company To Turn Into Nintendo Pictures

Nintendo has announced that they are acquiring Dynamo Pictures, which is a Tokyo-based company that plans and produces visual content. The acquisition is expected to close by 3 October 2022.
According to the press release, the acquisition of Dynamo Pictures will allow it to strengthen the planning and production structure of visual content in the Nintendo group. When the acquisition is complete, Nintendo will change the company’s name from Dynamo Pictures to Nintendo Pictures, indicating its shift on focus to develop visual content based on Nintendo IP.
Dynamo Pictures is best known for working on Studio Ghibli’s Earwig And The Witch (check out my review of the animated movie here), NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 Season 2 and more.
Nintendo’s acquisition of Dynamo Pictures might mean that they are planning to push and develop more animated movies and series, including anime, for Nintendo IP like Super Mario and others. Meanwhile, the Super Mario Bros. movie by Minions studio Illumination is coming in spring 2023.


Warhammer 40K Boltgun To Bring Back Retro Boomer Shooting This May

The Warhammer 40K franchise has been on a roll, especially with the release of Darktide and Chaosgate: Daemonhunters last year. With a Left 4 Dead multiplayer PvE shooter and turn-based strategy already covered, what’s next for the Games Workshop scifi brand?
How about boomer shooters? Enter Warhammer 40K Boltgun, which is basically a first-person shooter set in the 40K universe and styled like a 90s shooter not unlike Doom, Duke Nukem, and Shadow Warrior. The game is published by Focus Entertainment and made by Auroch Digital.
Warhammer 40K features old-school visceral combat, gunplay, heavy metal, and retro graphics that will rekindle your love of 90s PC gaming. Check out the trailer below to see it all in action.

Warhammer 40K Boltgun will be out on 23 May for PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.


The Flash Of Two Universes Finally Meet In Crisis On Infinite Earths

The second and final part of Crisis On Infinite Earths arrives today with two episodes of Arrow and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, respectively. Crisis On Infinite Earths Part Four featured a surprise cameo from none other than Ezra Miller’s version of The Flash from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
This marks the first time that the DCEU and Arrowverse (or CWverse) has officially collided or crossed over with. After being chased by the Anti-Monitor, Grant Gustin’s Flash finds himself in a memory flashback of STAR Labs inside the Speed Force where he comes face-to-face with Miller’s Flash.
Miller then asks if Gustin is cosplaying as him before Gustin replies by saying that “I’m also The Flash”. This confuses Miller’s Flash since he hasn’t settled on a superhero name just yet. After that, both Flashes reveal to each other their shared name; Barry Allen.
The scene ends when Miller fades away, saying, “I told Victor this was possible,” which refers to Victor Stone AKA Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher in the movies).
What this all means is that the DCEU is now almost officially part of the same Multiverse as the Arrowverse, Smallville, Batman 1966, Tim Burton’s Batman, and many other alternate Earths.
However, it’s difficult to confirm if this will lead to something else in the future or just remain a one-off fun easter egg for fans. I believe it’s just the latter, especially considering the logistics of trying to cross over TV and movie universes often.
Check out the meeting of two Flashes in the clip below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBMWTzsDaXE&w=560&h=315]


Genshin Impact Dev miHoYo Launches Teaser Website For New Game

miHoYo (or HoYoverse) has launched an official countdown website and teaser for Zenless Zone Zero. This will be their first major new title since 2020’s Genshin Impact, and it is slated to be fully revealed on 13 May 2022.
At the time of writing, the teaser website features a CRT television set with nothing but static. However, if you click on both of the TV dials, it will air a Breaking News report:
A sub-Hollow has suddenly appeared on the Janice quarter’s August streets some 30 minutes ago. Public security has established a level two control zone, and is currently evacuating residents.
In addition, miHoYo has launched official social media accounts for the game worldwide, including Twitter (English, Japanese), Facebook (English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese), YouTube (English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese), Reddit, TikTok, Weibo, and Discord.
As of now, there are no details yet on what kind of game Zenless Zone Zero will be.
Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more updates soon.


The Most-Anticipated Animes Of Fall 2018

Ah, the season of fall where we get brown leaves and cold winds. Unfortunately, this is Malaysia and we only get more heat. Sigh.
Anyway, this is a new season where a bunch of new anime shows are debuting right now. Here are our top picks in no particular order.
Gyakuten Saiban/Ace AttorneyÂ  Season 2

Studio: Clover Works
Genre: Legal, Mystery
Premiere Date: October 2
Godot makes his debut. That’s all you need to know if you’re a huge Ace Attorney fan. For the rest of you, this is the next season in the courtroom drama anime series where it’s cool to point your finger at the prosecution and yell out “objection”. Or “igi ari” in this case.
SSSS Gridman

Studio: Studio Trigger
Genre: Action, Kaiju, Superhero
Premiere Month: October
Studio Trigger’s latest work that hopefully doesn’t feature awkward sexual innuendoes.Â The story focuses on YÅ«ta Hibiki, an amnesiac first-year high school student who comes across an old computer with Hyper Agent Gridman in it. He/she/it(?) states that the boy has a mission he must fulfill, which I assume is being SSSS Gridman and fighting kaijus.
With Trigger’s brand of making hyper-awesome action scenes, this could be the Ultraman reboot we want to witness.
Goblin Slayer
I’m sure she’ll be alright.
Studio: White Fox
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Want to see goblins get the fear and respect they deserve? Then watch this dark fantasy where a first-time party whose names are their designations get massacred due to their inexperience in dungeon-crawling. With the team’s Priestess all alone, all hope seems lost until an armoured badass named Goblin Slayer comes in to do what he’s named for. Oh and they recruit an elf archer, an old man, and a lizard shaman all for the sake of goblin-hunting.
If you want your fantasy shows brutal and unremorseful, go check this bad boy out.
Fairy Tail Final Series

Studio: A-1 Pictures | Bridge
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic
The final season of the anime/manga series about dragon-slaying wizards and his magical pals. The long-running series from Hiro Mashima, a student of Eiichiro “One Piece” Oda, this is basically your shonen manga set in a fantasy universe, all wrapped up with the power of friendship model.
Not that it doesn’t have merit though; the action scenes are all fun and the typecasted characters are loveable in their own right.
Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Studio: DLC
Genre: Comedy
An undead skeleton works at a bookstore. Hilarity ensues. In actuality, it’s a semi-autobiography of the manga’s creator Honda and his day-to-day life working in a bookstore. His colleagues are his real-life associates with their identities protected on-screen with weird masks and headgear.
The whole show has a unique Western animation-style hybrid going on; reminds us of Archer if it was anime.
The Girl In Twilight

Studio: Dandelion Animation Studio | Jumonji
Genre: Drama, School, Sci-Fi
No, we’re not talking about Kristen Stewart. This show’s about a group of girls who teleport into an alternate universe after tuning in to a specific frequency on a radio. Yeah, remember those?
Fun fact: the show’s premise is penned byÂ KÅtarÅ Uchikoshi, the main writer behind the Zero Escape games. Basically, the show will feature some head-scratching and brain-scrambling moments.
Hora, Mimi ga Mieteru yo!

Studio: monofilmo
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Average guy has a roommate who is a cat person. This show writes itself. With a cutesy art style and a slice-of-life motif behind the show, it’s interesting to see the many situations the cat-guy hybrid ends up being in.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind

Studio: David Production
Genre: Action
The fifth book in the most oddball “giant dudes with ghost stands with rock band names” action-adventure series centres around Dio’s illegitimate son Giorno Giovanna. Koichi Hirose from the last book makes a return, now finding out more about Giorno and his evil legacy in Naples, Italy. Expect a lot more Stand-on-Stand action and the “it just works” meme now in animation form.
Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2202

Studio: Xebec
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Military, Sci-Fi, Space Opera
The space epic is being rebooted, this time in 2018 serialized anime format. This means more explosions, more Yamato cannons, and more Japanese commanders & lieutenants barking orders with gusto and speed lines.
We’re probably missing a couple of new shows, so give us a holler on our Facebook page or even here if there’s a favourite show of yours that warrants mentioning.


Get Ready for the Epic V Rising Major Update

Gather your vamp friends and get ready for some fun with the upcoming “Secrets of Gloomrot” update for V Rising, the action RPG survival game everyone’s talking about!
Stunlock Studios is introducing a new map that’s dark and spooky, with lots of hidden areas to explore. Here’s the best part: this whole new big expansion which will be released in May will be free for you vamps who already own V Rising!
So without further ado, let’s talk about the numerous new features that are coming in the major update.

NEW FEATURES
NEW BIOME – GLOOMROT

We finally have a name for our new region, Gloomrot. Expect polluted valleys and lightning-scorched highlands and face the uncontrollable horrors of the Trancendum’s mutated experiments. You’ll get to navigate through mechanical wonders. Suck the blood of these creatures to gain their knowledge and enter a new age of technology.
The new biome is almost the same size as Dunley Farmlands and will be divided into two sections, the South and North. Each area will bring new challenges, technologies, and enemies.
We will get more details on Gloomrot as it comes. It is, after all, The “Secrets” of Gloomrot.
MULTIPLE CASTLE FLOORS

Get ready to climb the stairway to home design heaven! Stairs are finally given a makeover and gone are the days when you could only place them on ramps (Hurrah!). These stairways allow you to build multiple levelled floors of your castle. Once built, they become the lifeline to the higher levels of your castle and will be indestructible during a siege. So if those pesky vampires come knocking at your door to steal your loot, worry not, your trusty staircase will keep your castle standing tall.

Using the same technology of the blue lines you get when building,  a new safety feature is being introduced so clumsy bloodsuckers (like me) will feel secure. Your castle will now automatically detect where you need a railing and will construct it for you. Roofing still works the same, but now the layout is more of your own to customize. Say hello to rooftop gardens and balconies! But with all this space to cover, getting around can be a bit of a pain and this is why we’re getting Castle Teleporters! Once you get the recipe, you will be able to craft these to warp around your castle. Just don’t rely on them during a siege – when your castle is under attack, they won’t be functional.
NEW QUARTZ MINING AREA & GLASSMAKER

It looks like Quartz is getting a serious upgrade in the upcoming V Rising expansion! The shiny material is getting a brand new visual look for Quartz nodes, and more nodes popping up in other areas (More farming zones woohoo!). Get ready to channel your inner loot goblin and stock up on this resource like never before. We might even get a new NPC with a focus on quartz: a master glassmaker and her artisan glass shop.
New V Blood Carrier Boss and Enemies

Of course, we’ll be sinking our fangs into new bosses and enemies. The concept art for an unnamed V Blood carrier boss has been teased by V Rising developers, as well as some other designs for enemies.
New Marketplace

The introduction of the Marketplace could be a gamechanger for V Rising. We can finally spend our gold on more things (Huzzah!). It will also be a faster way to get more recipes. Of course, being a vampire, not every vendor is going to be nice to you. It is said that some traders will only sell their wares to you if you are disguised.
New Jewel System and Spell School

A new Jewel system will be released. This would allow players to craft Jewels that could then be added to unlock new perks for your spells. With this new addition, there will be new combinations and effects with different spells for players to experiment with.

We will all be going back to school with this new expansion. There are currently five prime schools of magic in V Rising: Blood, Unholy, Illusion, Chaos, and Frost. There will be a lot of changes to the current schools and all of this will make each school have a stronger identity. Some archetypes have also been reworked. A brand new sixth spell school will be joining us with this new expansion (how exciting!).
Quality of Life Improvements

The devs are finally working on improving inventory management. In a dev blog, they conveyed, “There has been a lot of feedback regarding frustrations and ideas around what you can carry on you and how to efficiently store your goods, especially in relation to crafting stations. This is completely natural for a survival crafting game and a huge part of the gameplay.”
Some other quality-of-life improvements that the devs call their “wishlist feature”, include:

Seeing your clock in your coffin
Giving the coffin more benefits such as healthy recovery
Sit in chairs
Turn lights on and off
Naming your castle
Place signs
Build secret doors and passageways
Interacting with your servants

The upcoming update is looking bloody awesome and I personally am excited about the new expansion. So hold on, fellow gamers, and we’ll keep you updated with all the bat-tastic news!
The expansion will be available in May 2023. V Rising Early Access is available on Steam.


Here’s Your First Look At The New He-Man Reboot

He-Man and Skeletor are back in the next Masters of the Universe reboot.
The upcoming animated show, helmed by showrunner Kevin Smith of Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob, and View Askew fame, will be out on Netflix this year on 23rd July (via Hollywood Reporter). Five episodes are planned for its current run, with production duties by Powerhouse Animation (the same team who did the Castlevania animated series). This version is meant for fans of the 80s animated series, with the team making sure that the show will not talk down its rich fantasy lore and will up the stakes in terms of the He-Man vs Skeletor conflict.
The show boasts the following voices and actors for the show:

Mark Hamill as Skeletor
Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn
Chris Wood as Prince Adam/He-Man
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela
Liam Cunningham as Man-At-Arms
Stephen Root as Cringer
Henry Rollins as Tri-Klops
Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena
Jason Mewes (Jay) as Stinkor, because it’s a Kevin Smith production

Here’s the official show description:
“The war for Eternia culminates inÂ Masters of the Universe:Â Revelation, an innovative and action-packed animated series that picks up where the iconic characters left off decades ago. After a cataclysmic battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered.
And after decades of secrets tore them apart, itâ€™s up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe.”
So far, it’s looking spot-on and accurate like in the original cartoon and the previous 2002 reboot. Guess we’ll have to wait and see if these 5 episodes live up to the moniker.


Fae Tactics’ 90s Strategy RPG Throwback Is Genuine, Quirks & All

Platform: PC
Genre: 90s strategy RPG made for 2020
If that turn-based strategy RPG void needs a-filling, and if you’re done with the past Disgaea titles, you may be tempted to try out that Steam store PC tactics title Fae Tactics, a recent indie gem from Endlessfluff Games and Humble Games. It’s not going to replace Nippon Ichi’s treasured series, though it can teach that old dog a few new tricks.
Faery Nice

Fae Tactics starts off with the basic buillding blocks: elemental rock-paper-scissors, army-gathering (via creature tarot cards), combo attacks.Â What sets it apart is its almost menu-less strategy JRPG.
The biggest appeal of its lovingly-crafted nod to 90s RPGS like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics is its minimalist user interface and its simplified controls. The word “streamlined” comes into play here; all your information is laid out without cluttering the screen. You just point, click, and confirm with either the left or right mouse button when prompted.
Each character comes with an attack command, an assist skill, a wait skill, and a reaction skill. No need to rifle through spells and skills; every unique character and unit comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Best of all, the game has a few nice additions to keep combat going smoothly: melee units can follow-up with an attack at a target if they’re close, units can apply buffs when they use the “wait” command, spells can be casted at any time during your turn as long as they their charge time is complete
Of course, this doesn’t mean the challenge is simplified, oh no. Battles can be taxing if you don’t pick the correct spells, summon units, and heroes
However, they tend to go really quick on its default speed. Yes, you’ll be spending 20 minutes and beyond for a single turn-based battle, but half of the time won’t be on confirming and shuffling through menus. Instead, you’re mostly thinking on how to tackle the stage and kill off enemy leaders in the most efficient way possible. The best moments of Fae Tactics involve you outmaneuvering the enemy and defeating bosses who summon seemingly endless waves of foes.
My favourite bit? Leading an enemy leader from his pack, then attacking him from behind by positioning my melee units to set up a combo via pinging him with ranged attacks. Pretty soon, he was dead before his buddies could help him, thus ending the mission.
But what about the game’s tale? Well, there’s a main plot involving our star character Peony and her search for her mom, leading to an eventual human and fae war that’s common with these fantasy JRPGs. But it’s quaint and cute, mostly because of its more entertaining side stories.
One mission involves you protecting a bakery because its precious cookies are being stolen, while another involves a chicken boxer beating up a corrupt fantasy mafia bookie. My protip here: take your time with these. Not only do they beef up your characters good (via the Traits system), but you’ll get extra useful companions to play around with.
Pixie Dust

It’s a pity that there are mandatory missions that require you to play through multiple stages (usually two to three regular stages plus a boss stage) without any opportunity to save mid-way. In these endurance bouts, you cannot even keep your progress. If you quit halfway and head back to the level selection screen, all your progress on that stage is lost. Which means you’ll have to pull through and complete each bout and also prep beforehand.
At least if you fail, you’ll only start at the beginning of the current stage you’re in. As old school and as “fair” this system can be for old-school JRPG players, it starts frustrating you if you’re playing some of the NPC protection missions where the AI doesn’t follow your battle plan. They’ll sometimes run away and be out of range from my healing abilities and companions, meaning I have to add in a healer or two in my team: one for my assault group and one specifically to chase down the NPC.
Its customization options doesn’t go as deep as the aforementioned SNES/PS1 strategy RPGs I mentioned; apart from Traits and spell management, there’s no other way to customize summon units, and no way to tweak your favourite leader’s equipment. It’s deliberately streamlined, but more options would be nice.
Nonetheless, my drive to keep playing the game to the end and just experiencing its charm isn’t deterred by these foibles. Fae Tactics is clearly meant for old-school gamers and even sorta-new turn-based gaming fans who want to experience a 90s style of gaming with a 2020 touch. It’s not a huge reinvention, but it’s an enjoyable diversion.
Pros

Nice streamlined take on turn-based combat.
Cute story with enjoyable side-quests.
Traits and spell management system opens up multiple combat possibilities.

Cons

Annoying & uncooperative AI during certain missions.
Not that deep compared to other JRPGs it’s borrowing from.
No-save options during multi-stage missions may irk some.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100


Immortals Of Aveum Delayed To This August

EA and Ascendant Studios have delayed the fantasy first-person magic shooter Immortals Of Aveum from its previously-planned 20 July 2023 release date. It is now slated to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC one month later on 22 August 2023.
The reason given is so that the developers could have more time to polish and optimize the game on all platforms.
Check out the full statement from Ascendant Studios founder Bret Robbins:
Hey Battle mages,
Your reactions to Immortals of Aveum over the past few weeks has been incredibly inspiring—from our trailer at the PlayStation Showcase, and the recent hands-on previews, to the latest gameplay reveal, and being named one of the most anticipated games from Summer Game Fest. It’s been amazing.
As you know, this is our first game as a self-funded independent studio. We set out five years ago to ambitiously make an original magic first-person shooter in a new fantasy world. Along the way, we worked through a pandemic, built a new team, developed on Unreal Engine 5.1 and pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible. Now, the finish line is in sight.
The recent feedback to the game proves to us what we already felt: that Immortals of Aveum is something special. In order to realize our full vision, we are going to take a few extra weeks, making our new launch date Tuesday, August 22. This will give us time to further polish the game, finish optimizing all platforms, and deliver a strong launch. We owe it to ourselves and to you to get this right.
Stay tuned for more info about the game in the coming weeks, and thank you for taking part in this journey with us!


Meet the First Hidden Blade Wielder in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s First DLC Expansion Next Week

Ubisoft has announced the official release date for the first episode of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s Legacy of the First Blade DLC expansion. It is slated to arrive next week on December 4, 2018.
In Legacy of the First Blade, Kassandra or Alexios will meet Darius, the first ever Assassin to wield the iconic Hidden Blade. He supposedly used it to assassinate his own father, the tyrant Persian king Xerxes.
Players will also be facing a new type of enemy in the upcoming DLC expansion. These Persian soldiers are rampaging through Greece, trying to find and kill all the “tainted ones,” which includes Kassandra/Alexios.
Interestingly, the Legacy of the First Blade launch trailer shows us glimpses of the player’s ship, Adrestia, spewing flames from the bow (front). It looks like Greek Fire, but that won’t be historically accurate.
If you’re a history buff like me, Greek Fire won’t even be invented until centuries later, when it will be used by the Byzantine Roman Empire for the first time in 672 AD. Meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed OdysseyÂ is supposed to take place in 431 BC.
Keep in mind that the Legacy of the First Blade DLC expansion will be episodic in nature. The developer/publisher has confirmed that each episode will be released six weeks apart, which means that the second and third episodes will probably launch sometime in January and February 2019, respectively.
The Legacy of the First Blade is only the first of two DLC expansions for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, with The Fate of Atlantis slated for release in Spring 2019. In the meantime, check out the Legacy of the First Blade launch trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXSUVWj2wxA&w=560&h=315]


Echo Generation Guide: How To Survive The 80s Suburbia JRPG Trope

Echo Generation is out right now for Xbox and PC; if you like quirky RPGs with some adventuring and voxel graphics, you should check it out. The game can get a bit tough, so here are some tips to get through all of Echo Generation.
Get The Hang Of The Attack Inputs

The first thing you’ll notice in Echo Generation’s combat is that it requires timed button inputs. If you’ve played Ikenfell or Mario & Luigi RPGs, it’s exactly that: press the A button to what’s prompted on-screen. If you do it too early or too late, you deal regular damage and take regular damage. And enemies here hit really hard. You’ll need to master this button-pressing mechanic(s) by the time you’re past the 2 to 3 hour mark, or else you won’t get far.
Don’t worry about resources: your SP regenerates to full once a battle is done and over with.
Change Up Your Companions
Throughout Echo Generation, you’ll recruit pets to your cause. You can recruit the following:

Your cat Meowsy
A dog named Doggo.
A tiny robot named BLOPO-11 (via finding the right parts and getting your neighbour in the garage workshop to fix it).
A rapping raccoon named Rex.
A space jackalope named Noupy.

Among all of these, the robot is the most useful since it will help you solve puzzles in the game’s adventure portions. If you’re stuck, just switch to the robot and it’ll most likely sort your problem out.
Expand Your Attacks With Comic Books

Your main character, your little sister Lily, and your pets can gain new attacks by collecting comic books all across Maple Town and beyond. You can either buy them from the Downtown Bookstore, the comic and video store in Downtown, defeat optional bosses, or just find them lying around throughout the game’s story.
You Can Quit Out Of Combat & Try Again; No Penalties!
If things turn south during a major fight, you can hit the Start button and quit to main menu. You’ll restart at the last checkpoint, which is just a few steps away before the boss encounter. This is useful, since the items you use in combat do not reappear if you died during that boss fight (or any fight for that matter).
Some Things Are Not What They Seem
Exhaust your conversation options when you can, or just press A for anything that’s interactive to move forward. For example, if a comic standee costs $500, chances are it’s not and you get to keep it for free even.
Late Game Video Walkthroughs


Pixelshire Demo Out Now; Lets You Terraform Your Town From The Ground Up

If you want a cozy building-slash-JRPGing game, Pixelshire might be for you. Heck, you can try out the game’s demo right now.
Developer Kappa Bits and publisher Merge Games have released a brand new PC demo for Pixelshire, which lets you play the first 5 days. You’ll get to learn how to terraform land, build the village, farm, fish, and a lot more.
Terraforming allows players to unleash their creativity and design the environment that holds your town. From digging long and winding rivers that weave between your customised homes, creating multi-tiered farms on raised areas of land, and much more.
Each NPC is specialised in a different profession. By building your relationship with the town’s Archaeologist, you can improve your terraforming abilities and purchase equipment that will help you shape the geology within your idyllic home.

Here are more details about what makes this more than a Stardew Valley clone, plus some features list:
A unique Sandbox Town-Building experience

Develop the perfect town and farm of your dreams with terraforming features that allow you to carve and craft the landscape
Build and decorate your own unique house.
Your town will grow with each citizen you encounter along the way.
Each villager has his own house that you must place and design.

Farm, master new hobbies, craft valuable goods and manage your own customized shop

Build your farm, plant, and grow crops and raise livestock.
Choose from a variety of trades. Farming, mining, woodcutting, fishing, cooking, brewing, and more are all waiting to be mastered!
Manage your shop and sell valuable items you find in your adventures, or goods that you produce.

Uncover the secrets of the continent of Arcadia

A whole continent ready to be explored, full of new adventures and hidden treasures.
Travel and fight your way through enchanted forests, mountain jungles, and many more.
Discover procedurally generated islands that shift each time you enter the magical mist.
Mine for ore as you descend into randomly generated dungeons.

Build Meaningful relationships

Become part of Arcadia’s community and make friends with the inhabitants, each with their own personality. You may even find romance!
Improve relationships with the townsfolk by helping them with daily jobs and learn new skills from them.
Invite townsfolk with unique skills to assist you in quests and adventures, tagging along as you head out into the world.

Pixelshire will be out in Early Access later in 2023.


Apex Legends Season 3’s Top New Features

It’s finally October, which means the new Apex Legends Season 3 features are going live today.
The introduction of a brand new map, a new Legend, and a new weapon means that there’s a lot for both veterans and newcomers to learn. Here are some of the most noteworthy new features that you guys should know about if you want to make sure you can conquer World’s Edge, the new Apex Legends map.
Follow The Damn Train

As I expected, that train in the Season 3 trailer is definitely a part of the new map and it will be one hell of an interesting addition. The train will move around World’s Edge and nothing stops you from landing on top of it at the start of a match, assuming you know how to stick a landing.
Be mindful of other players on the train while you’re collecting the loot on it. There’s a control console in one of the carriages which can be interacted with to either stop or start the train. A very handy function when you consider how the trail will eventually move in and out of the safe zone.
Geysers Are Great

You’ll find a few geysers around World’s Edge which can be used to boost you up and allow you to glide a certain distance. They basically work like the balloons in Kings Canyon. Those balloons can still be found in World’s Edge, by the way.
Shoot Down That Drone!

Crypto, the new Legend who’s known in-universe as a legendary hacker, has some really cool skills centered around his aerial camera drone. His main tactical skill is called Surveillance Drone and it’s used to deploy a drone that remains in the field as long as it’s not destroyed. Once destroyed, there’s a cooldown lasting 40 seconds.
The drone can be remotely controlled to fly around a certain perimeter away from Crypto. If you spot enemies, they will be marked and will become visible even through walls. However, you’ll have to position Crypto in a safe place because you can’t control him and the drone at the same time.
Looking at a banner while you’re flying the drone will show you how many enemies squads are within the range of the drone. You can also open and close doors from a distance while using the drone. A great way to confuse other players.

With his passive skill Neurolink, the marked enemies will also be visible to your teammates. Resuming control of Crypto will simply leave the drone to hover where you last left it.

Crypto’s ultimate is Drone EMP. The drone takes a few seconds to charge it up and upon release, will deal 50 shield damage, slow enemies who are within the blast radius, and will also destroy traps.
Large And In Charge (Rifle)

In the Season 3 trailer, we saw Crypto using the new Charge Rifle to take out Caustic. As shown in the trailer, the Charge Rifle will take a few seconds to charge up but the thin laser beam it emits while charging up still does damage so don’t if you find yourself getting aimed, quickly find cover…
Because the charged up release of the weapon will deal a devastating amount of damage. It’s classed a sniper rifle and has three attachment slots: extended mag, stock, and sight. Of course, it uses energy ammo.
Become A Vault Hunter

World’s Edge introduces Vaults. These Vaults contain purple and gold loot. To open them, you’ll need to gather Vault Keys. To get Vault Keys, you’ll need to work together with the Crimson Raiders and sign up to be a Vault Hunter.
Okay, I kid. You can get Vault Keys from spherical containers being flown around by drones in the map. The spheres will switch between three colours: gold, purple, and blue. As you can guess, those determine what kind of loot you’ll get after you shoot them off the drones. Sometimes, you’ll get Vault Keys from those spheres.

Alright, that’s pretty much everything I want to share. I hope you guys are just as excited as I am for Season 3 and all of these new features. For more info and updates on Apex Legends, stay tuned onto Kakuchopurei.


Dota 2 The International Tournament 2020 Breaks Prize Pool Record

Dota 2 fans from all over the world can rejoice: their dedicated contributions this year has paid off.
The International 2020’s prize pool, usually funded by its players and audience via Battle Passes, recently broke its prize pool record. It’s now sitting at a whopping US$34,411,822 at this time of writing.
It’ll likely keep going since International 2020 is postponed to 2021. There’s no scheduled event in place, which means the Battle Passes will still be on sale in the meantime, meaning that prize pool tally is still ongoing. Valve’s official statement on the tournament is below.

In following how the pandemic has been developing globally, the recent increase in the unpredictability of COVID-19 means we can’t yet commit to new dates for TI10 and the DPC. We share your eagerness in returning to these events, and will announce updates as soon as we can.
— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) August 25, 2020

If you’re curious what’s inside this year’s Battle Pass, head here.Â


Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown Gameplay Trailer Showcases Combat & Time Powers Mechanic

During Ubisoft Forward 2023, Ubisoft unveiled new gameplay footage from Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown. The game was originally announced in last week’s Summer Game Fest 2023.
In Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown, players will dash into a stylish and thrilling action-adventure platformer set in a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate. They will assume the role of Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.
The gameplay trailer showcases how the Time Powers’ time manipulation abilities will work in the upcoming game.
Prince Of Persia The Lost Crown will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on 18 January 2024.
Check out the gameplay trailer below:


Star Wars Squadrons Is Celebrating May 4th With New Cosmetics

Star Wars Squadrons players can look forward to more new content coming on Star Wars Day 2021 AKA 4 May 2021 (but you already knew that if you’re a fan of the franchise).
According to the official website, there will be new cosmetics for both the Empire and the New Republic starting from 4 May 2021. That includes new cockpit flair, starfighter paint jobs and more. However, details were not provided.

Attention Pilots! Log in to Star Wars: Squadrons on May 4th to unlock new cockpit flair, starfighter paint jobs and more, across both factions in celebration of Star Wars Day. pic.twitter.com/lLo6yXu7Xm
— Lucasfilm Games (@LucasfilmGames) May 2, 2021

In addition, Star Wars Squadrons will be available at 50 percent off from now to 12 May 2021 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Origin and Steam.
In the meantime, you can check outÂ my review ofÂ Star Wars SquadronsÂ here, orÂ head on over hereÂ for a full in-depth guide on how to be the best pilot in the galaxy.
[videopress HwQ9RF6B]