E3 2019: Apex Legends Season 2 Is Gonna Be The Ultimate Battle Royale Experience So Far

The Apex Legends battle royale game just stepped up its game, bringing the bar to new levels with the introduction of Season 2. If you thought the first season was dull, worry not as Respawn Entertainment has listened to your complaints and is serving players with tons of giddy goodness.
The second season is called ‘Battle Charge‘ and will introduce to you many great features such as a new mode, a new weapon, and the most anticipated addition of all, a new Legend.
Not to mention, the first ever Double XP Weekend is now live from 7-9 June, as well as the new Apex Elite queue, in which you must get Top 5 before being eligible to queue. So get grinding before the next season drops.
Let’s see what the next season will offer.
Battle Charge To Victory
Drew McCoy, Project Lead of Respawn, revealed that the release date to Season to will be on 2 July, which is coming in less than a month!
The new season will change the way you receive rewards. It will now be challenged based just like the Legendary Hunt challenge.

The challenges are time-based and it also stacks, meaning you can complete challenges even if you missed one. This will help players will level up faster.
It will introduce more skins as well as more crafting materials.
For example, here’s a Legendary Caustic skin coming soon and it’s called the Prince of Darkness.

With Battle Charge, there will be numerous additions to the game
Here are all the updates coming next month:
The L-Star EMG

Titanfall 2 vets would recognize this monster immediately as it melts through Pilots, this weapon would also melt through Legends in a jiffy, because it’s a Care Package weapon and it is ‘OP’ according to McCoy.
The weapon can blast doors open. This also means that the L-Star would not get any ammo pickups.
Check out the weapon in action from the livestream below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoIUzEIcI]
New Hop-ups
McCoy revealed that there will be two new weapon hop-ups in-game but it wasn’t revealed what the hop-ups will be or for what weapon.
Although, he did hint that a ‘certain meme-able weapon named after a certain African country will be usable’
The Mozambique is getting buffed, guys!
New Ranked Mode
With the next season, comes a new mode which is Ranked Mode.
This ranked queue is a dedicated queue with a ranking system. The ranks are broken down to 6 tiers from Bronze to Apex Predator.
Your ranks will unlock sweet cosmetics at the end of the season for cool street cred.
New Legend!

You’ve guessed it, the trapmaster Wattson is coming soon and I can’t wait to try the new Legend out.
Here’s her origin story, and it pulls all my heartstrings.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCYB1BeDv1w]
Her Tactical Ability is a Tesla Trap. She can block pathways and secure flanks from third-parties with this ability. The fence deactivates when team members pass through, even when downed.
Enemies who pass through this fence get electrocuted ala Arc Star and it pings the entire squad of the trespasser’s location.

Her Ultimate Ability is a Defence Pylon. This pylon shoots down incoming projectiles and throwables as well as charges your team’s ult and shields. It’s a permanent structure till it’s destroyed.

Wattson’s Passive Ability is a good one. She gets instant 100% ult charge from a single Ultimate Accelerant, so you can keep popping those pylons for the ultimate defence
What Else?
Respawn has focused on expanding the Apex Legends’ universe and has introduced some lore into the game as you can see with the Wattson origin story above, and here’s an interesting lore piece, she helped created the moving Ring in the arena. This is very interesting as Blizzard’s OverwatchÂ took the same approach to its universe and lore building to great success,
McCoy also said ‘something big’ is coming to King’s Canyon, the beloved map, and has included a teaser.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!
This is the most complete battle royale experience I have ever seen, and I am onboard on spending some bling for the battle pass! July cannot come any faster!
Respawn, you’ve only gone and done it and I am proud of you!


Signalis Is A Decent Horror Throwback To The 32-Bit PS1 Days

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Survival Horror, Retro, Puzzle, Action
Remember those 32-bit survival horror games from the PS1 era? Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alone In The Dark and others were influential and would go on to become iconic franchises. rose-engine’s Signalis is a throwback to that era of survival horror games; a classic survival horror experience set in a dystopian future where humanity has uncovered a dark secret.
Event Horizon

While Signalis does play a lot like the classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, the tone and setting in the game are closer to that of games like Dead Space or movies like Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon. It’s cosmic horror, or Lovecraftian horror in space.
In Signalis, you play as Elster, a technician Replika with no memories. You’ll have to navigate the abandoned bowels of a derelict and seemingly empty spaceship. Of course, it’s never really empty. Before I get ahead of myself, a Replika is Signalis’ version of an android, similar to those from Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise, or the Replicants from the Blade Runner franchise. Seeing me spouting all these science fiction inspirations and references is proof enough that the game will appeal to sci-fi fans, not just horror fans.
What stands out the most in Signalis is definitely its unique visuals and aesthetics, which is inspired by retro 32-bit games. What’s even more impressive is that the game will switch between a third-person top-down Resident Evil-like viewpoint and controls and a first-person 3D perspective during selected story sequences. Most of the game takes place in the former (this is where the combat of the game is), while the first-person mode is purely for certain narratives and puzzles on rare occasions in the game.
The game is creepy not only because of the visuals, but also for the foreboding and sinister music. It’s full of mechanical sounds, white noise, unholy screeching and other sounds that will make you tense and make your skin crawl.

Meanwhile, the core gameplay in Signalis is classic survival horror, consisting of combat, puzzles, exploration and resource management. There’s very limited ammo and healing (though there’s actually a difficulty option), enemies that can come back to life even after you kill them (ala classic Resident Evil), and specific save rooms with storage chests that let you lighten your limited inventory space. Yes, most of the game’s mechanics feel retro but still acceptable by modern standards. Unfortunately, the limited inventory space is an outdated mechanic that even the Resident Evil franchise has made more accessible. There are only six inventory slots in the game from beginning to end, and you’ll need at least two for a single weapon and its ammo.
What this means is that you’ll have to do a lot of backtracking to safe rooms just to store items to open up slots for important items that you need to solve a puzzle. It makes the game more tedious than it has to be. Having only six inventory slots for the entire game translates to a frustrating experience, especially when you want to enjoy the other aspects and mechanics in the game. Fortunately, the map in the game is a helpful one. It marks the doors; yellow doors are the ones you need keys for, red doors cannot be opened at all, and blue doors can be opened. Oh, but the game suddenly throws you a curveball in the endgame.
The one accessibility feature that’s the most helpful is suddenly removed and taken from the player. Suddenly, I couldn’t access the map near the end of the game, which made things harder simply for the sake of being harder.

Besides the combat, the puzzles in the game consist of different random puzzles. Some puzzles require players to utilize a built-in radio frequency mechanic while others include weird stuff like figuring out the correct way to lower the temperature of an incinerator. Some of these puzzles can be too vague and it’s difficult to discern how to solve them. In a game where there are no checkpoints, it makes the game a more annoying experience than it should be. There’s no reason why a game released in 2022 can’t have checkpoints or autosaves. Going retro or classic doesn’t excuse that.
Resident Evil In Space

Signalis is worth playing for fans of horror and sci-fi, especially for its visuals, aesthetics and overall atmosphere. That’s not even mentioning the music and how much effort the developer put into the artistic side of the game. However, the game lacks a lot of accessibility features that make the experience more frustrating and annoying than it should be.
PROS

Beautiful and unique art style and visuals.
Genuinely tense and scary.
Gameplay that’s nostalgic but still feels modern.

CONS

A lot of the puzzles can be too vague to understand.
The game throws a curveball in the endgame.
Inventory system is outdated.
No checkpoints or autosaves.

FINAL SCORE: 60/100
Signalis was reviewed on Steam (PC) via a review code from publisher Humble Games. It releases on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on 27 October 2022.


Esports Is Now Recognized As A Professional Sport In Thailand

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has announced that Thailand has now officially recognised esports as a professional sport. According to the AESF, the Thai Government now understands the full potential of the esports industry. They will be working alongside the Thai E-Sports Federation (TESF) to provide training in esports in the country.
What this means is that esports is now regarded on the same level as other professional sports in Thailand including football, golf, badminton, and more.
Recently, esports has experienced massive growth in Asia through official participation in various regional Olympic events such as the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Philippines. The momentum will continue as Esports will also feature at the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand and the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.
For more details and information on esports titles at the upcoming 2022 Asian Games, head on over here.

Thailand officially recognises Esports as a professional sport!
The Thai Government has caught wind of the industry's potential and has been working alongside TESF to provide training and better understand on Esports! pic.twitter.com/XyS5YdgMvu
— Asian Electronic Sports Federation (@AESF_Official) October 7, 2021


The AESF Is Partnering With One Of The Largest Esports Federations In The World

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has announced that it will officially be collaborating and working together with the International Esports Federation (IESF), one of the biggest esports federations in the world.
Earlier today on 31 March 2020, IESF President Colin Webster and AESF President Kenneth Fok both signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Their objective is to begin a collaborative relationship to promote and advance esports worldwide and across Asia.
Under this MOU, the IESF recognises and acknowledges the AESF as the sole federation for esports in Asia while the AESF recognises and acknowledges the IESF as the sole international federation for esports.
AESF President Kenneth Fok holding up the MOU.
Due to the outbreak of Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the signing ceremony was conducted remotely and digitally in the home nations of all signatories of this important partnership, which includes Hong Kong, Johannesburg in South Africa and Abu Dhabi.
Why is this agreement such a big deal? Well, the IESF is best known for organizing annual World Championships, as well as being composed of more than 60 members of national federations across all continents. This collaboration will bring even more legitimacy and validation to the activities of the AESF from now on.
In an official statement, AESF President Kenneth Fok said:

â€œI am sure that the partnership today is strong enough to unite the esports community, including publishers, organisations, and most importantly our esports players.
It is also groundbreaking as it paves way for better collaboration and cooperation between the International Esports Federation, IESF and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, AESF.
This is an exciting day for us and we look forward to new initiatives from this partnership.
Lastly, I like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved.â€

Earlier this year, the AESF made a huge step for esports in Asia when they announced their list of over 16 full members of the organization, despite some glaring omissions. In other related news, their first-ever AESF e-Masters Chengdu 2020 tournament was recently postponed indefinitely due to the effects of COVID-19.
IESF President Colin Webster holding up the MOU.


Godzilla & Kong Are Stomping Into Call Of Duty Warzone

Godzilla and Kong are coming to Call Of Duty Warzone on 11 May 2022. The crossover is titled Operation Monarch.
However, no other details have been revealed as of yet.


EA Origin Exclusive Games Are Now Available On Steam

EA just released a number of its Origin-exclusive titles onto Steam, and with a lovely discount to boot.
Titles include:

Dragon Age Inquisition: Game of the Year Edition for RM79.50.
Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville for RM99.60.
Need For Speed Deluxe Edition for RM39.27.
Need For Speed Heat for RM119.60.
Unravel for RM39.50.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst for RM39.50.
Sea of Solitude for RM39.50.
Fe for RM39.50.

It took EA a while to play nice and share the love to Steam PC players, but at least it’s done. As a bonus, Origin Access will be available on Steam in the near future. This means that exclusive trials and previews of upcoming EA games will also be available for PC Steam players.


Diablo 4 Release Date Leaked Ahead Of The Game Awards

It seems like the Diablo 4 release date has been leaked. A data miner discovered the release date and size for Diablo 4 in the Microsoft Store backend. According to the data, Diablo 4 will allegedly launch on 5 June 2023 and will be a whopping 80GB in size.
There will also apparently be three editions at launch; Standard, Digital Deluxe and Ultimate.

Diablo® IV ?? Release Date: June 5, 2023 23:00:00 (Size: 80GB) | XBOX pic.twitter.com/jop761VxDw
— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) December 7, 2022

A previous source from one of our reports claimed that the game will be releasing in April 2023. As such, we should take all of this with a grain of salt for now. Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo 4 will be featured at the upcoming The Game Awards 2022 live stream, which will take place on 9 December 2022 from 8.30am.
We’ll cover the official release date when it’s eventually announced. Stay tuned!


New Black Adam Trailer Reveals Main Villain Sabbac

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Black Adam showing us our first look at main antagonist Sabbac.
In the comics, Sabbac is depicted as a “dark opposite” to the Marvels or the Shazam family. The dark forces of Hell gave the human Timothy Karnes (alternatively spelt as Barnes) the power to become a being with powers to rival Captain Marvel. To access this power, all Karnes has to do is say the magic word Sabbac, and magic black lightning strikes up from the underworld and transforms him into a muscle-bound demon with super-strength, super-speed, flight, fire breath, and the ability to emit fire blasts from the palms of his hands.
His powers match those of the Marvels. Like Captain Marvel’s magic word Shazam, the word Sabbac is an acronym for the six beings who empower Sabbac: the demons Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Crateis.

However, this might also be the other person to have been Sabbac in the comics, Ishmael Gregor. He’s a Russian immigrant who had become a New York City mob boss. Gregor lusted after the power of Sabbac and had his men find Timothy Karnes, who had been incarcerated and had his voice box removed to prevent him from speaking. Gregor kills Karnes and gains the power of Sabbac for himself. This version of Sabbac possesses amplified demonic powers and a hairy beast-like appearance with horns instead of the more humanoid original form.
The synopsis of the movie reads:
In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed and Black Adam has gone from man, to myth, to legend. Now released, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone.
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “One Night in Miami”) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (“Sex/Life,” “Rush Hour 3”), Marwan Kenzari (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mummy”), Quintessa Swindell (“Voyagers,” “Trinkets”) as Cyclone, Mo Amer (“Mo,” “Ramy”), Bodhi Sabongui (“A Million Little Things”), and Pierce Brosnan (the “Mamma Mia!” and James Bond franchises) as Dr. Fate.
Black Adam smashes into theaters and IMAX internationally beginning from 21 October 2022. Black Adam is now the last DC Comics movie adaptation to be released this year.
For my breakdown of the previous full trailer with details on some of the characters, head on over here.
Check out the trailer below:


E3 2019: Songs of Conquest Screams Of Heroes Of Might & Magic, Graphics & All

If you miss Heroes of Might & Magic back in the 90s and wished it had more pixelated graphics, you may want to keep your eye out for Coffee Stain and Lava Potion’s latest reveal: Songs of Conquest.
Part turn-based strategy game, part exploration and open-world adventure title, Songs of Conquest pit you as a lord of an empire where you have to build it up from scratch, explore the lands, conquer everything else, and be the last kingdom standing. If you’re familiar with the Heroes of Might & Magic series, then you’ll have fun going to town with this ode to the 90s strategy classic.
While most of its elements and gameplay mechanics are based on the aforementioned 90s series, magic is handled a little different. Lava Potion lead designer Carl Toftfelt said that magic requires the right kind of essence; you need to group your mages and spellcasters with the right essence so they cast the right amount of spells. This can either be a resource nearby or a building; if it’s gone, you can’t cast magic anymore.
Here’s a sneak peek at the game in its 16-bit-to-32-bit graphical glory:

Looks good, right? Well you’ll have to wait a while: the game will only be out late 2020. However, you can sign up for the closed alpha on their website songsofconquest.com.


MultiVersus Free-To-Play & Microtransaction Guide: Who Is Free & Who Has A Price Tag?

The Warner Bros. 2D fighting game with platforming elements, MultiVersus, is out now in open beta form for a select few, with the game being available for everyone with PCs and consoles (sans Nintendo Switch) this 26 July. The fighting game is a free-to-play title, meaning that extra costumes and cosmetics will cost you real-life money.
How does the game’s microtransactions work? And what is inside the game’s dubbed Founder’s Pack where Warner Bros is giving you the privilege to buy the game early? Stick around this feature and find out as we dissect what we know so far from the open beta.
How To Get Into MultiVersus Beta Early

If you managed to gain Early Access before July, then you can play the game right now in open beta form.
You can also buy the MultiVersus Foudner’s Pack, which grants instant access to the beta in addition to instant character unlocks, premium currency, and other premium items for the free-to-play game. Here are the prices for the Founder’s Pack from Standard to Premium Editions.
Founder’s Pack – Standard Edition
The Standard version costs US$39.99 and includes the following:

15 Character Tokens for instant character unlocks
1 Exclusive Banner (Rare)
300 Gleamium (in-game currency)

Founder’s Pack – Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition of the MultiVersus Founder’s Pack costs US$59.99, with all the below contents packaged inside:

20 Character Tokens
1 Exclusive Banner (Rare)
1 Premium Battle Pass
1 Banner (Epic)
1 Ring Out Effect (Epic)
1,000 Gleamium

Founder’s Pack – Premium Edition
Finally, the Premium offering costs a gargantuan US$99.99, features the items below:

30 Character Tokens
1 Exclusive Banner (Rare)
3 Premium Battle Passes
2 Banners (Epic and Legendary)
2 Ring Out Effects (Epic and Legendary)
1 Unique Nameplate
2,500 Gleamium

What Is Free In MultiVersus?
For starters, the following characters from the 16-character roster are available from the get-go:

Shaggy
Harley Quinn
Jake the Dog
Taz

Complete the tutorial to unlock Wonder Woman; no additional money is required. However, you need to spend in-game or premium currency (Gleamium) to buy the rest of the characters If you plan to use in-game currency to buy the characters, you need to spend 1,500 to 3,000 coins to get them. You earn these by playing matches and completing missions. If you want to spend real money, the characters are worth up to 700 Gleamium. :

Batman – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Superman – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Iron Giant – 3,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Garnet – 1,500 coins or 700 Gleamium
Steven Universe – 3,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
 Reindog – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Finn – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Velma – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Arya – 3,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Bugs – 2,000 coins or 700 Gleamium
Tom & Jerry – 3,000 coins or 700 Gleamium

Keep in mind that all characters are available free of charge in the Training Room called The Lab, so you can get the feel of each fighter before you commit to buying them. If you buy the aforementioned Founder’s Pack for US$39.99, you unlock all 16 characters.
Each character’s alternate costume is also locked behind a paywall; either they’re available in the store or obtainable by farming for the game’s Battle Pass system. Here’s the Early Access list so far:

Shaggy (Uncle Shagworth) – Premium Battle Pass tier 1
Wonder Woman (Bloodlines) – 500 Gleamium
Batman (The Animated Series) – 2,000 Gleamium
Superman (One Million) – 1,500 Gleamium
Taz (Beachcomber) – 500 Gleamium
Iron Giant (Classic) – 250 coins
Iron Giant (Beach Giant) – 800 Gleamium
Garnet (First Fusion) – 800 Gleamium
Steven (Coach) – 500 Gleamium
Jake (Cake) – Premium Battle Pass tier 15
Reindog (Battle) – 1,500 Gleamium
Finn (Pajama) – Free Battle Pass tier 15
Velma (Luau) – 1,500 Gleamium
Arya (Waterdancer) – 800 Gleamium
Bugs (Hollywood) – 1,500 Gleamium
Harley (Mad Love) – 1,500 Gleamium
Tom & Jerry (Pirates) – 500 Gleamium

To find out who might be in MultiVersus post-open beta, head to this newspiece.


Psychological Horror Game DarKnot Drops On Steam Early Access This Year

Indie game studio DarKnot Team has announced that their game DarKnot will be launching on Steam Early Access sometime in 2022.
DarKnot is a third-person, non-linear psychological horror game experience, focusing on a high level of detail and immersion. The game’s world is gloomy and terrifying. DarKnot is set in a labyrinth made from the streets of a huge city. You have been abandoned, left alone, and you’ll have to face death in this endless labyrinth. They seem deceptively calm at first but the truth is much darker than that.
You can play the game the way you want, as a Warrior, an Explorer, a Survivor, or as a Fugitive. Currently, a demo version of DarKnot is available on Steam for you to experience a snippet of the game.
Developer DarKnot Team has heavily focused on reworking different game locations and levels. The Apartment has received a substantial update and a lot of new mechanics to make DarKnot a lot more immersive. Some other changes include:

Added the ability for NPCs to aim down (they were limited to a horizontal point of aime previously).
Added voice acting for the cutscene after the ritual completion.
Added an inspection of the fallen frame.
Added the live camera effect and the open window effect.
Added sounds for doors – clicking the door handle, slamming it shut, and creaking when opening.
Added physics: the doors now are interactive.
Added the sound of burning paper notes.
Added more hints to the book describing the “Ritual of Immersion”.
Added sound to candles.
Sound occlusion has been added when the windows are closed.
Tuned the attenuation: when approaching an open window, the sounds of the thunderstorm increase.

Fixes:

The awakening cutscene has been fixed.
Worked out animations for the cultist’s hands.
Fixed errors in the ritual description’s text on the table.
Fixed the sitting animations for the child.

Features

Replayability: We use immersive simulation, and design the lore in a way where you will be able to shape your story for a new experience every time you play the game.
Hardcore: Survival will not be easy. Each death will affect the plot of your story, and change the way you will continue your playthrough.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Ragnarok X Collaborates With That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Anime

After much excitement and anticipation, Nuverse has announced that the latest collaboration event between their smash-hit MMORPG, Ragnarok X: Next Generation, and the famous anime series â€œThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimeâ€ is now live, with all-new quests, outfits, MVPs, mini-bosses, and much, much more.
The collaboration event will only be running between 10 September and 10 October 2021, so log in as soon as the event begins and start earning your rewards early.

For those not in the know, â€œThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimeâ€ (also known as â€˜Tensuraâ€™ for short) is a popular Japanese anime series that first aired in 2018, with Part 1 of its second season having recently concluded in July of 2021. Corporate worker Mikami Satoru is stabbed by a random killer and is reborn in an alternate world.
But it turns out that he’s reborn as a Slime! Thrown into this new and unfamiliar place with the name Rimuru, he begins his quest to create a world that’s welcoming to all races. As fans who are familiar with the series may know, the design of the slime protagonist from the anime bears a striking resemblance to the lovable Poring, so this collaboration should fit right in with the art and style of ROX.

In the world of Midgard, players will be able to face the new MVP boss â€˜Storm Dragonâ€™ as well as the â€˜Orc Disasterâ€™ Mini-Boss in a new event quest. Players will have the chance to earn cards from these two powerful bosses, as well as event coins that can be redeemed for other prizes.

The collaboration will also feature the â€˜Slime Fantasy Worldâ€™ event, which will allow players to complete a Monopoly-like board game to earn lots of exciting collab items such as headgear and costumes based on the anime showâ€™s characters.
Players can earn â€˜diceâ€™ to be used in the board game by completing daily quests & event quests. Certain spots on the board will also feature one of three awesome mini-games for players to enjoy! Accumulate points and exchange them for prizes whenever you land on a ‘store’ tile of the board.

You can downloadÂ Ragnarok X Next GenerationÂ on iOS (Link) or Android (Link).


The Dying Light Games Sold A Combined Total Of 25+ Million Copies

Techland’s Dying Light games are making bank, showing that there’s still staying power for open-world zombie games with parkour mechanics.
Techland has announced that Dying Light 2: Stay Human sold 5 million copies in its first month of release. The first Dying Light has surpassed 20 million units. That makes it a total of 25 million copies. Here’s a comment from Techland CEO Pawel Marchewka:
“The success of the Dying Light franchise is a great example of the unforgettable experiences we create for our players.”
Will there be more Dying Light 2? Yes; Techland will be announcing new content next week. We can’t wait; we had fun with the base game and can’t wait to see more crazy zombie parkour action unfold in the near future. Check out our glowing review of Dying Light 2 here.


Treat Yourself To This Cute Genshin Impact Taroumaru Plushie

If you’ve played all the Inazuma quests in Genshin Impact, you’ll notice that the game features a teahouse guard dog named Taroumaru who is a really good boy. For a few US$, you can order yourself a plushie version of this loveable doggie.
The Genshin Impact Tmall online store is selling the Taroumaru plushie for 149 Chinese yuan (US$23 with shipping & tax, RM96). It measures about 15x23x20cm in width and height. That’s a good plushie carry and table display size, if we say so ourselves.

The online store also has character-themed birthday cards (from Xiao to Qiqi) and metallic plate charms featuring Raiden Shogun in all her ass-kicking glory. But after seeing the Taroumaro plushie, I doubt you’ll care much about the rest of the items on sale. And I don’t blame you: he’s adorable!


Snyder Cut Movement Teases Something Big For Justice League Movie Anniversary

The ‘Release The Snyder Cut’ movement is picking up again on after trending worldwide once again, as many of the people involved with making 2017’s Justice LeagueÂ have been teasing the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and releasing new images from the Snyder’s version of the movie leading to its two-year anniversary on 17 November 2019.
It all started when Aquaman actor Jason Momoa recently confirming that he’s seen the Snyder cut of Justice League, as well as saying that “the public needs to see it”. Composer Tom Holkenborg AKA Junkie XL also fueled the flames last month when he confirmed that he did indeed completed the score for the Snyder cut of Justice League before Warner Bros. ultimately replaced his score with Danny Elfman’s.
Other members of the crew, from VFX supervisors to the aerial second unit director, have joined in the Snyder Cut movement, further strengthening the notion that it truly exists and is almost certainly ready for release, despite what Warner Bros. has been claiming.
However, the biggest spark came from director Zack Snyder himself, who only last week published a never-before-seen image from his cut of the Justice League movie, depicting Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen and Kiersey Clemons’ Iris West in what seems to be a cute romantic moment between the two.

Just two days ago, Momoa posted another never-before-seen image from the Snyder Cut of Justice League, this time showing Aquaman impaling the movie’s antagonist Steppenwolf from behind with his trident (which was not included in the theatrical version of the movie that was released.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)

Justice League artist Jay Oliva posted a storyboard image from the Snyder Cut of Justice League on his personal Twitter account, depicting Superman delivering an earth-shattering punch against Steppenwolf while bombarding him with his heat vision beams.

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut pic.twitter.com/K9MuD2E8tO
â€” Jay Oliva (@jayoliva1) November 9, 2019
Cyborg actor Ray Fisher also chimed in just yesterday, as he posted a never-before-seen image from the Snyder Cut of Justice League on his personal Twitter account, depicting a pre-Cyborg Victor Stone smiling and sitting outside the dean’s office while his mother, Elinore Stone played by Karen Bryson, is inside talking to the dean. This scene would have fleshed out Cyborg’s character arc had it been included in the theatrical cut.

When you overhear your dean refer to your mom as â€œMrs.â€œ instead of â€œDr.â€ and you know heâ€™s about to get DESTROYED! @Karen_Bryson #educatedcharactersofcolor #BORGLIFE #RELEASETHESNYDERCUT pic.twitter.com/KxeMRblqAp
â€” Ray Fisher (@rehsifyar) November 10, 2019
With the ‘Release The Snyder Cut’ hashtag increasingly becoming more prevalent as Justice League two-year anniversary inches closer, we might have to brace ourselves for something big to finally happen. It remains to be seen if something will happen since it’s ultimately up to Warner Bros.
If we’ll ever get to see the Snyder Cut of Justice League, then it should be now as the movement is at its peak. With Joker‘s box office revenue almost reaching one billion at the time of writing, Warner Bros has more to gain from releasing the Snyder Cut rather than keeping it hidden in the vault.
In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for more news, or head on over to the official Snyder Cut website here for more information.


Here’s How You Can Get The Spitfire Flying Ace Winston Skin In Overwatch

To celebrate the historic event of London Spitfire becoming champions of the Overwatch League Grand Finals last year, Blizzard has released a new Spitfire Flying Ace skin for Winston in Overwatch.

On 29 July 2019, the London Spitfire team visited Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, California to get a sneak peek at the new skin, which you can check out in the video below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYgtVvgdmJU&w=560&h=315]
The Spitfire Flying Ace Winston skin is now available for 200 League Tokens on all versions of Overwatch until 16 September 2019.
In addition, Blizzard has announced the Overwatch Leagueâ€™s 2019 Role Stars winners, where general managers, head coaches, broadcast talent, and global media voted on the top Overwatch League players in each of the three in-game roles: damage, tank, and support.

The resulting top four players in each role have been selected as a Role Star for the 2019 regular season, representing the best-of-the-best for the year in competitive Overwatch:
Damage

Corey â€“ Core Nigra, Washington Justice
Dding â€“ Jinhyeok Yang, Shanghai Dragons
Haksal â€“ Hyojong Kim, Vancouver Titans
sinatraa â€“ Jay Won, San Francisco Shock

Support

iDK â€“ Ho jin Park, Hangzhou Spark
KariV â€“ YoungSeo Bak, Los Angeles Valiant
moth â€“ Grant Espe, San Francisco Shock
Twilight â€“ Juseok Lee, Vancouver Titans

Tank

Choihyobin â€“ Hyobin Choi, San Francisco Shock
Guxue â€“ Qiulin Xu, Hangzhou Spark
Mano â€“ Dong-Gyu Kim, New York Excelsior
Super â€“ Matthew DeLisi, San Francisco Shock


Behold: The Ultimate Version Of Streets Of Rage 4 Is Available For Order

Are you a huge 2D beat-em-up fan and have a lot of money to burn? Then this Limited Run Games Streets Of Rage 4 Limited Edition for Nintendo Switch and PS4 is for you!
This super-limited package has it all: a premium box packaging, a chicken stress ball, a reversible cover, a soundtrack CD, a metal Sega Megadrive cartridge, a 19×24 poster, an art book, and a statue featuring the game’s protagonists Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding. Oh, and the game too.

This edition will be available in limited supply; 1,500 units for Switch. You can order it on the site starting this Friday, 1st May at 10am and 6pm Eastern Time. Hope you have a lot of money: this bundle will set you back for US$149.99 (RM653).
If you ordered the previous collector’s edition, you can cancel your order in favour of this SoR4 bundle, though you need to open a ticket on Limited Run’s support page. In any case, you’ll be the envy of old-school Sega fans everywhere if you secure this for your display desk.
Streets Of Rage 4 will be out later this week on 30th April.


Spider-Man Miles Morales Is Getting A Brand New Costume

Despite becoming so popular and so iconic, Miles Morales Spider-Man was only introduced just 10 years ago in August 2011 in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. To celebrate his 10th birthday, Miles is getting a brand new costume in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, which is slated to release on 1 September 2021.
Writer Saladin Ahmed and series artist Carmen Carnero, along with several writers and artists previously involved with Miles, will be creating new stories featuring the character. These include:

Miles Morales co-creatorÂ Sara Pichelli.
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse co-writer/producer Phil Lord.
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse producer Chris Miller.
The as-yet-untitled Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse sequel’s co-director Kemp Powers.

The new costume for Miles Morales is designed by Chase Conley, who is a veteran artist with experience in multiple Spider-Man animated series over the years. Spider-Man Miles Morales’ new costume looks similar or at least inspired by Kaine’s Scarlet Spider costume.
Let’s compare them:
The cover to September 1’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30.

In addition, Marvel will also be publishing a number of Miles-themed variant covers for other titles in September 2021.
Check them out below, courtesy of GamesRadar:

Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man Miles MoralesÂ hasÂ sold more than 4.1 million copiesÂ as of February 2021. You canÂ head on over hereÂ to check out our full review ofÂ Marvelâ€™s Spider-Man Miles Morales.


Lady Gaga Will Appear In Cyberpunk 2077

Mad props to Actugaming from France (and Reddit) for discovering this weird little Cyberpunk 2077 nugget of information.
Pop singer and Oscar-nominated actress Lady Gaga paid a visit to CD Projekt Red recently to perform a motion capture session for Cyberpunk 2077. This coincides with a 2012 tweet made by the creator of the catchy-as-hell “Bad Romance” and infectious “Poker Face”, complete with a reply six years later. Huh.

Of course! Of course we will! ?
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 18, 2018

Whether Lady Gaga will be an NPC in the game or create a track or two specifically for the upcoming CRPG is anyone’s guess.Â All I want right now is a release window for the game; having this lady of pop in the game kinda sweetens the deal. 10 bucks say she’ll be a hologram dance star for the city.


New Discord Update Adds Soundboard; Lets You React In Voice Channels

If you have ever been on a voice call and felt the need to punctuate the conversation with a sad trombone or a funny duck quack noise, Discord allows you to do just that.

Today, Discord is finally introducing its own in-app Soundboard in its voice channels, allowing users to use audio files curated by Discord or the ones uploaded by managers of individual communities. The Soundboard enables one to play all sorts of sounds to have some fun or troll a friend. According to a Discord blog, the feature had been available to a limited number of communities previously, but it will now be rolling out over “the coming weeks.”
However, there is a catch. The Soundboard can only be used on Discord’s desktop app. On mobile, users will hear the sounds but will not be able to interact with the board itself. Even so, the Discord Soundboard is still an improvement, since previous soundboard required a third-party software app like Voicemod.
To adjust or turn down the Soundboard’s volume, you can turn it down to 0% in the user settings. Moreover, if you wish to restrict who can use a soundboard on your server, you can set those permissions accordingly. Interestingly, you can also upload your audio-reactions across different servers.
Soundboard will be available for Discord Nitro subscribers in the coming weeks. Check out the company’s blog for a full rundown of the new feature.


Classic Strategy RPG Yggdra Union Gets A PC Port This February

Sting, a company known for some unique Game Boy Advance games, will be releasing one of its classic titles onto the PC after so many years.
They’re porting Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone in Early Access for PC via Steam on 6 February. This version of the game is playable from start to finish, including some extra side content. The game will be in Early Access for three to five months.
Yggdra Union was a unique turn-based strategy RPG with a Union System that allows up to five characters to fight in a battle at once depending on positioning, as well as a cards system that turns the tide of battle in a flash. Compared to the 2006 Fire Emblem entry, Yggdra Union was way ahead of its time.
The port features the following functions like a rewind and auto-save feature (see below).
Port Additional Features

Added a rewind function. (You can undo your actions as much as you like.)
Added auto-save function. (Even if you quit midway, you can start from your favourite turn.)
Added conversation log function.
Added item hints to EXTRA content. (Hints are given on which stage the item is on.)
Addition of battle speed adjustment function. (You can play at up to five times speed from the beginning.)
The unit “Flunky” will participate under certain conditions! (What if Flunky achieved results in the first stage…?)
Sound set function! (You can play by choosing from three types of sound sources.)

Trick Features

A function that makes Milanor look like Cruz. (Milanor will play an active role as a hunter.)
Enemy / Allies no critical function.
Skill gauge MAX at the start of battle (skill gauge starts at MAX state only for own army).
Formation type reversal function. (Male and female formation types are reversed.)
The trick function is to press a specific button to appear. The appearance method is described in the manual.

PC Version New Features

Japanese voice / English voice can be switched. (Easy to switch at any time during the event.)
Addition of free save. (You can now save freely during battle.)
Infinite use of items in EASY mode. (Items can now be used indefinitely only in EASY mode.)
Equipment removal (equipment can now be removed in the middle)
Adjustment of Itembreak. (Weapon does not break with Itembreak and is unusable.)
Completely compatible with in-game mouse/keyboard/controller.
You can adjust the layout of the keyboard buttons.


Remember That Time Hellboy Visited Malaysia? Yeah, That Happened!

The Hellboy movie reboot in coming out soon. In anticipation of the upcoming movie, let’s revisit the time when Big Red visited Malaysia and fought a Penanggalan. Yes, you read that right, Hellboy in Malaysia.
In the comics, Hellboy has visited many places, from Mexico to Africa, and even the depths of hell, fighting everything from demons to creatures from folklore and legends. One of his earlier adventures actually took him to our little corner of the world, where he came face to face with a creature from local myth.
Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, originally wrote and published the one-shot story ‘The Penanggalan’ in 2004. It was then reprinted as part of a trade paperback collection in 2007’s Hellboy Volume 7: The Troll Witch And Others.
According to Mignola’s own testimony, he first learned of the Penanggalan after reading Bernhardt J. Hurwood’s Passport To The Supernatural, a book about supernatural creatures from cultures and religions all over the world.
To my fellow Malaysians, let’s take pride in the fact that out of hundreds of different supernatural creatures in that book, our Penanggalan is the one that he chose to feature in a Hellboy story.
How awesome is that?
But What The Heck Is A Penanggalan?
Image Credit: Pinterest
Our non-Malaysian readers might not know what a Penanggalan is, so let’s get everyone up to speed. The closest thing to a Penanggalan in western legends would probably a vampire. There are multiple variations of the Penanggalan across Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.), each with its own unique characteristics.
A Penanggalan is a detached or disembodied female head that flies or floats in midair. If that’s not frightening enough, the one defining grotesque trait of the creature is that its stomach and entrails remain dangling below its head as it flies/floats through the air.
In Malaysian folklore, a woman becomes a Penanggalan when she dabbles in black magic or demonic forces to obtain beauty. Other variations of the myth state that the woman either died during childbirth or broke her pact with demonic forces, resulting in a curse.
During the day, a Penanggalan looks like a normal human being. At night, its head will detach from its body and search for fresh blood to drink. Its victims are often young women, children, or pregnant women who are giving birth.
Now that you know what a Penanggalan is, it’s time to finally check out Hellboy‘s adventure in Malaysia.
Hellboy In Malaysia
The story begins with Hellboy arriving in Malaysia. The year was 1958, just one year after the country gained independence. He came to investigate reports of a creature called the Penanggalan from a friend of his.

What’s interesting here is that Mignola chose to incorporate one of the (frankly) sillier takes on the Penanggalan’s origins, where the woman becomes a Penanggalan after being “startled by a strange man and accidentally kicked her own head off.” Hellboy even remarks on how stupid that sounds.

A Bomoh is a local witch doctor or shaman who has knowledge of the arcane arts and the supernatural. In Hellboy‘s world, the last Bomoh is dead when in reality, Bomohs still exist in the seedy underbelly of Malaysia.
That’s the reason why Big Red is in Malaysia; to hunt down the Penanggalan. Mignola does misspell Bomoh as Bomah, but I guess that’s forgivable assuming his only point of reference comes from a book that was written by a non-Malaysian.
Mignola must have done his research well because that traditional Malay kampung (village) house looks pretty authentic. It just goes to show how much of an artistic genius Mignola is.

Hellboy follows the girl at the beginning of the comic to a cave when it turns out that she was the Penanggalan all along.

Hellboy gets entangled by the Penanggalan’s entrails but manages to drag her outside of the cave, where the new dawn is just breaking. The Penanggalan disintegrates into dust because it can’t survive in direct sunlight during the day without being reattached to its body.

And that’s it. Thus ends Hellboy‘s epic Malaysian odyssey to defeat the vicious Penanggalan.

If the bat-wrestler from the Hellboy in Mexico comic book could be in the new movie (it was in glimpsed in the trailer), why can’t our very own Penanggalan be making an appearance?
Hellboy is slated to release on 11 April 2019. In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the first and second trailers for all the confirmed easter eggs and references.


Here’s When You Can Tune Into The Dragalia Lost First Anniversary Stream

In a couple of days, one of last year’s best mobile guilty pleasures will be celebrating its first anniversary: Dragalia Lost.
You can tune into the YouTube livestream on 26th September, 11am GMT+8. Gaze at Notte’s new garbs.

What’s going to be announced? We have no clue; maybe a new bunch of story chapters, a new slew of 5-star waifus and husbandos, and more free Wyrmite and summon vouchers.
In the meantime, you can log into the game to get your free summon vouchers from now until the 27th. Hardworking Dragalia players would already have 14 free vouchers to gacha whatever is in store this 27th.


Jeff Goldblum Joins A Dungeons & Dragons Podcast

Veteran actor Jeff Goldblum is venturing into a new world; the world of Dungeons & Dragons. According to Deadline, he will be voicing an elven sorcerer named Balmur on an upcoming season of the Dungeons & Dragons podcast Dark Dice.
Balmur is one of the five player-characters in the audio drama. Just like a game of Dungeons & Dragons, the outcome of the story is determined by the fated rolling of dice, so it’ll be exciting and random.
Dark Diceâ€™s quest takes place after a failed attempt to save the world and follows the teamâ€™s hunt for revenge against the other player-controlled team. In the story, Goldblumâ€™s team is stalked by a creature known as The Silent One, a deceptive being that steals the face and voice of any creature it chooses.
The new season of Dark Dice is titled The Long March and will launch on 12 May 2021. It’s not just any normal podcast, since it featuresÂ immersive soundscapes, a diverse international cast, and an original soundtrack featuring an orchestra, over thirty medieval instruments, and a live choir singing in Infernal, Icelandic, and Elvish.
New episodes of the podcast will release monthly on all podcasting platforms. Dark Dice was originally created by Fool & Scholar Productions.


Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age Is A 2v2 Fighting Game With Lane-Switching

It’s been ages since we’ve had a fighting game with lane-switching ala Fatal Fury, or even the Bleach games on the Nintendo DS. That’s making a comeback with this new indie fighter title.
Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age is a 2-versus-2 fighting game from Modus Games and Modus Studios where four players fight on the same stage at the same time. You and your teammate can switch between three different lanes to position yourself, as well as pull off special moves and attacks to fight off your opponents. Also, the game’s setting is pretty unique, featuring a steampunk aesthetic.
The game’s playtest is happening right now; head on over to the game’s Steam page and sign up. The game will be out in 2023. Full-length overview trailer and key features are below:
Key Features

Determine the Fate of the Iron City – Lead 10 characters through their own unique story mode in an expansive dieselpunk-inspired universe. The battle for the future has reached its breaking point!
2v2 Action Packed Brawls – Four players choose from a roster of 10 dynamic playable characters and battle it out simultaneously online or offline!
One Battle, Three Lanes – Run circles around your opponents across 10+ vividly detailed stages. Hop and dash between lanes to press the advantage and take the fight to a new dimension!
Down…Not Out! – Even when a player is defeated, their fight isn’t over. Parry attacks from beyond the grave, channel your essence to help them break free, and assist your teammate to overcome the odds!
Worldwide Netplay – 4-player online multiplayer battles featuring RealMatch rollback netcode ensures every match is virtually lag-free.
Comprehensive Training Mode – Level up your skills solo or with a partner! Practice combos, record or analyze situations, view hitboxes and frame data, and refine team strategy together using an extensive set of training tools tailored to players of all skill levels.
Advanced Replay System – Learn from your mistakes…and the mistakes of others! Play back matches with fast-forward, rewind, hitbox / frame data display and frame advance, plus take control at any point to redo the fight and change your fate.


You Can Pre-Load Final Fantasy VII Remake A Week Before Launch

The Final Fantasy VII Remake is so close now that we can almost taste it. Most games usually allow pre-loading several days prior to launch (at most), but it seems like Square Enix will be changing that by allowing pre-load for Final Fantasy VII Remake up to a week before launch.
Several users on Reddit and ResetEra are claiming that the new pre-load date for Final Fantasy VII Remake is now starting from 3 April 2020, instead of 7 or 8 April 2020 as was previously believed. They have the proof for it too, with screenshots showing the new pre-load date, like user hashtagtylerh below.

This is a good move on Square Enix, considering that the game is rumoured to be more than a whopping 100GB. If true, many players will very much need that week to pre-load the game, especially if they don’t have high-speed Internet.
Just a few days ago, Square Enix has clarified thatÃ‚Â physical copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake could be delayedÃ‚Â due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The devs have also been requesting players (who somehow manage to obtain early copies) not to stream or share images from the game ahead of its slated release date of 10 April 2020.


Adidas Xbox Shoes Coming In 2021

Adidas is planning to release Xbox shoes, according to leaked sources from Complex. However, neither company has confirmed or denied the news yet.
The first is a promo version of a new shoe called the Forum Tech Boost in June 2021, which will be followed by two pairs of Adidasâ€™ retro Forum Mid basketball sneaker in October 2021 and then a release of the Forum Tech in November 2021. The leaked schedule also references more Xbox x Adidas sneakers planned for 2022.
All of the sneakers will come in black and green boxes with Xbox logos on them.
Check out a work-in-progress version of the upcoming Xbox x Adidas Forum Tech Boost below. The final product will likely be different.


Esports To Generate Over $1 Billion In Revenue, According To Newzoo Report

It looks like esports is about to get even bigger.
According to a report released by Newzoo, global esports revenues will, for the first time, exceed $1 Billion sans platform revenue.
“Global esports revenues will grow to $1.1 billion in 2020, a year-on-year growth of
+15.7%, up from $950.6 million in 2019,” reads the report. It also states that $822.4 million in revenues will be delivered by “media rights and sponsorship”, with the number to increase to $1.2 billion by 2023.
The report notes that the Chinese market is expected to deliver “total revenues of $385.1 million” this year, an 18% increase from 2019’s $326.2 million.
In addition, Newzoo expects the esports audience to hit a total of 495 million people this year, with 222.9 million being “esports enthusiasts” (a year-on-year growth of 11.7% and 10.8% respectively).
Here are some of the other key points provided in the report:

“In 2019, there were 885 major events. Together, they generated $56.3 million in ticket revenues, up from $54.7 million in 2018.“
“Total prize money in 2019 reached $167.4 million, a slight increase from 2018â€™s $150.8 million.”
“The League of Legends World Championship was 2019â€™s biggest tournament by live viewership hours on Twitch and YouTube, with 105.5 million hours. The Overwatch League was the most-watched league by live viewership hours on Twitch and YouTube, generating 104.1 million hours.”

The report also mentions the most-watched games of 2019, taking into account platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. League of Legends came out on top on Twitch and Youtube in terms of “live esports hours”, but was only number two in “live non-esports hours” thanks to Fortnite.
Hearing that China, League of Legends,Â and Fortnite are dominating in their respective fields isn’t surprising,. But as someone who doesn’t pay much attention to esports, the numbers in the report are impressive. You can check out the full report here.


This Paper Mario-Inspired RPG Will Have A Kickstarter Campaign Soon

Developer Azurexis will be making its own version of hit Nintendo RPG Paper Mario, and will need your help in doing so.
The game they’ve announced is Paper Animal RPG and it’s a combination of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Paper Mario in both mechanics and aesthetics. You play in a roguelike dungeon-crawling setting filled with scary enemies, but also relax with your pals at a campfire.
Looks pretty cute! You can support the game and its devs via its upcoming Kickstarter campaign; the game will be out for consoles and PC.


MechWarrior 5 Delayed, Pushed to Next Year

Guess we will have to wait a little longer for some hot metal – to -metal action asÂ developers Piranha Games announced today that to ensure it delivers “the best single-player Mechwarrior experience to date,” the game will be held back until sometime in 2019.
“As everyone knows, this is the first single-player experience Mechwarrior title released since 2002 and we are well aware of the responsibility and great opportunity we have in re-introducing Mechwarrior to the world,” Piranha Games President, Russ Bullock said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Important message regarding MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries pic.twitter.com/HKlTSu1EWz
â€” Russ Bullock (@russ_bullock) June 18, 2018
“At this time we’re only prepared to announce a slip into 2019 and would like to give ourselves until MechCon this December 1 in Vancouver to determine and announce the specific launch date in 2019 so that we can be as accurate with our estimations as possible and avoid further delays. Although undoubtedly many Mechwarrior fans will initially be disappointed by the longer wait, we also feel confident and assured that we will get 100 percent support from Mechwarrior fans to release the best product possible.”Â  he added.
Earlier pegged for release this December, the game has garnered significant attention considering the last MechWarrior singleplayer title was released late 2000.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBpw6plYfc&w=560&h=315]
For hardcore fans, rest assured that this game will deliver as this isn’t Piranha Games’ first rodeo with the MechWarrior franchise having worked on MechWarrior Online in 2013.


New Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse Trailer Breakdown: Spider-People & More

Sony Pictures unveiled the second and latest trailer for Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse yesterday.
Here’s a breakdown:
The Spider-Man No Way Home Reference

The trailer starts with quotes from Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. The trailer also later shows Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) mentioning the events of Spider-Man No Way Home, saying “Doctor Strange and the little nerd on Earth-19999.”
In Spider-Man No Way Home, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man caused the Multiverse to split open. Maybe that will somehow factor into the events of Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse? We’ll have to wait and see.
Spider-Man Villain Spot Makes His Debut

We start with a fresh look at one of the movie’s villain: The Spot. Played by Jason Schwartzman, The Spot is seen here robbing a convenience store and shoving things into the interdimensional holes that cover his body — and then hilariously dropping slices of bread from one of those holes.
Real name Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, the Spot first appeared in the comics in the mid-1980s. He’s an ex-MIT scientist working for the Kingpin who accidentally transforms himself into the Spot while attempting to artificially recreate the transdimensional powers of the superhero known as Cloak. Now permanently connected to a dimension he knows as “Spotworld,” Jonathan is functionally immortal. His body is able to reconstitute on death in this mysterious alternate dimension he can travel through, either fully or partially, by manipulating and summoning localized portals—and he quickly sets about using his newfound abilities for evil.
Here Are The Spider-People In The Trailer

Jessica Drew Spider-Woman.

Hobart “Hobie” Brown Spider-Punk.

Pavitr Prabhakar Spider-Man India.

Miguel O’Hara Spider-Man 2099.

Peter and Mary-Jane’s young child, Mayday Parker.

Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider.

The one in the middle is Spider-Man Unlimited.
The one on the right is from Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man.
The synopsis reads:
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse premieres in cinemas on 1  June 2023.
Check out the trailer below:


Assassin’s Creed Movie Writer To Helm New Battlestar Galactica Series

Fans rejoiced when they found out that Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail will be the executive producer of the new exclusive Battlestar Galactica series for NBC’s Peacock streaming service. However, the latest news might not elicit the same positive reaction.
According to Deadline, Michael Lesslie will be responsible for creating, writing and executive producing Peacock’s new Battlestar Galactica series. Unfortunately, he is best known for writing 2016’s widely-derided Assassin’s Creed movie starring Michael Fassbender.
While that might not bode well for the upcoming series, Esmail has previously clarified that the new Battlestar Galactica series won’t be a remake or reboot, but will instead be a new story within the established canon of the franchise’s universe.
In other words, it will likely be a sequel or prequel of some sort, just like the Caprica spinoff series in 2010 (which was cancelled after just one season). It could also be possible that Esmail will explore whatâ€™s happening in other parts of the galaxy set concurrently with the events of the 2004 series.
Originally running from 2004 to 2009, the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series by Ronald D. Moore is itself a reboot of the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica by Glen A. Larson. It starred the likes of Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park.
It followed the remnants of humanity escaping from the android race called the Cylons after losing the war. The Battlestar Galactica is the only remaining military ship in the Colonial Fleet, which is where the name of the series is derived from.
In an official statement, Lesslie said:

“I am beyond excited to be taking on this iconic and inspirational show.
As a lifelong devotee, I know that the possibilities of Battlestar Galacticaâ€™s world are infinite and that each iteration has raised the bar for epic and intelligent sci-fi storytelling.
The teams at Esmail Corp, UCP and Peacock are second to none, and I already know that we are going to honour Glen A Larson and Ronald D Mooreâ€™s landmark series and break new boundaries with our own vision.
Itâ€™s a dream come true â€“ one I just canâ€™t wait to share with fans, new and old alike. So say we all.â€


More Re:Legend Updates Coming Soon, According To Creator DC Gan

Re:Legend is an RPG featuring simulation mechanics like farming, crafting, fishing, and even PokÃ©mon-like monster breeding. In our review, we gave it a 60/100, though it should be noted that the game is still currently in Early Access on Steam. The best thing about the game is that it is being developed by Malaysian-based Magnus Games Studio.
During Level Up KL 2019, we received the opportunity to interview Magnus Games Studio’s co-founder DC Gan. He spoke about what games he’s currently playing, the origin of Re:Legend and its name, and more.
Check out an excerpt of one of Gan’s responses below; confirming that a major update will be arriving before the end of 2019, which will rework many of the core gameplay mechanics in the game.

“I would say before the year ends, we will have a really big patch and rework of a lot of core features in the game to change the experience that players are experiencing.
So I would say that it’s coming out real soon and we are almost there to do our internal QAs and to make sure that the game is really, really stable before we release it to the public.
Although it’s still in early access, but we have learned that we still need to make sure that the game is as polished as possible before we, you know, launch it on the public.
So, for now, the first thing we do is to make sure that the game is as stable as possible and the second thing is gonna be the implementation of new cool features.
I don’t want to give out too much but it’s going to be a lot of new content coming out real soon.”

Check out our full 9-minute video interview with Magnus Game Studio co-founder DC Gan below. The full version of Re:Legend is slated to release for the PC and PS4 sometime next year after it leaves Early Access.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StV7ST_SGjM&w=560&h=315]


The ePremier League Is Expanding Into China

It was announced late last year that the ePremier League is returning for its third year and season in 2021, offering UK-based players of FIFA 21 the chance to represent their favourite Premier League club in a virtual football tournament. Now, the ePremier League has announced that it is expanding into China.
According to the press release (via Esports Insider), the Premier League has partnered with Tencent Sports, Tencent Gaming, and EA SPORTS to bring the ePremier League to China. This will be the first ePremier League event to be staged outside of the UK. The tournament will take place on EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 and kick off on 28 April 2021.
The ePremier League event will assemble â€˜some of the best Chinese gamersâ€™ from FIFA Online 4, as well as hand-picked content creators and influencers, who will represent all 20 Premier League clubs.
The tournament will also be streamed live by Tencent, Huya, Douyu and Yizhibo in China.
Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said:
â€œThe EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 video game series is one of the key channels through which fans in Asia can engage with Premier League clubs and players.
After three successful ePremier League season in the UK, it is exciting to now be able to take this overseas for the first time and particularly to China â€“ a hotbed for gaming and football.â€
All Premier League clubs will be divided into four groups of five teams, with the winners of each group advancing to the knockout stage. The group-stage matches will take place online, but the knockout matches will happen at a LAN event in Wisdom Bay, Shanghai, China starting from 14 May 2021.


Every Theatrical Batman Movie, Ranked

With Matt Reeves The Batman coming to theatres next week starring Robert Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne, it’s high time we ranked all our favourite live-action and animated Batman movies that came out on the big screen. You know, before all that COVID-19 nonsense.
Note that we’re just focusing on major releases and they all need to star Batman/Bruce Wayne. So no Joker or Suicide Squad (2016).
#11. Batman & Robin (1997)

More like Joel Schumacher’s Batman ’69. The campy and kid-friendly Batman here is a far cry from the Tim Burton film adaptations, and does a disservice to all the characters involved. While it’s a “so bad it’s maybe good” kind of experience, it’s still a low-hanging fruit for listicles like this and for good reason: it’s misguided, corny, and is an outlier that really soured the comic book movie genre until the resurgence from Marvel via Blade and Spider-Man.
#10. Batman Forever (1995)

While the third Batman film in the 90s has its moments, it hasn’t aged well over time. The other Batman films that came out basically succeeded over any of the Joel Schumacher directorial works. Still, it was entertaining in its own right thanks to Tommy Lee Jones hamming it up as Two-Face and Jim Carrey basically being 90s Jim Carrey but in Riddler cosplay. And Val Kilmer makes a good Batman to a point.
We also have to bring up the fact that the Seal song and U2 end credits theme in the film’s soundtrack are amazing contributions to pop culture and wicked karaoke nights. So it’s not a complete wash.

#9. Justice League (Snyder Cut, 2017/2021)
We might be cheating a bit here, but Justice League did come out in theatres before getting a re-release that fleshes everything out, years later.
This DC Expanded Universe movie is pretty dang long -4 freakin’ hours- but does feel more epic in scope and storyline. Is it a good Batman movie? Well, if it’s about him making a team of superheroes, then perhaps. Despite its length, it is worth sitting through for how it portrays and fleshes out its heroes, with Batman and his butler Alfred being his linchpin.
#8. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
As confusing as the movie gets in the first half since it crams so much inside, it’s quite a spectacle to watch. The second half of the film is action-packed and adrenaline filled. The warehouse scene alone where Batman works his magic, along with that one car chase scene where he probably murdered people, is just popcorn-inducing fun.
Ben Affleck somehow gets a lot of flak for his portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne; we thought he’s one of the key reasons both this and the Justice League movie weren’t complete snoozefest and plodding plot contradictions.
#7. The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

A great animated film about needing pals and sidekicks focused on the most edgelord Batman ever portrayed. Will Arnett just sells it as the smarmy yet seemingly cool LEGO Batman. While it’s more humourous and less serious than its Bat-counterparts, there’s a lot of nods and touches that make this LEGO movie stay true to some aspects of the comic book, specifically the Silver Age nonsense.
#6. Batman Returns (1992)

This one Batman film is pretty wild as it’s more a dark Tim Burton film that’s unrestrained than a comic book movie follow-up. The Penguin is quite a monster here, there are a lot of deaths that really stretch that PG-13 rating, and it’s just bleak. We feel that this Batman tale may need some fine-tuning in tone, but Batman Returns has its moments.
Like Christopher Walken’s portrayal of villain Max Shreck and Catwoman’s debut-slash-seduction of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Michael Keaton’s Batman is great here, but he’s clearly overshadowed by the trio of villains here. Hear them roar.
#5. Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The follow-up to Dark Knight was a Herculean task indeed, but somehow Dark Knight Rises mostly caps off the trilogy in the best way possible. While it’s considered the weakest among the Christopher Nolan Batman films, the No Man’s Land story arc is weaved well into this alongside villain Bane’s League of Shadows group story bits. And short of a weak final fight, the moments with Bane for the first and second thirds of the film are just chilling and menacing. Plus, Han Zimmer’s score goes all-out here.
#4. Batman Begins (2005)

The first of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies starts off really, really slow in building up the comic book mythos for the mainstream audience. But it pulled it off because the process of seeing Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, become the Batman is done and paced really well here. The Dark Knight wouldn’t be the masterpiece it is in comic book films were it not for the building blocks set up by this origin story.
While the villain The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) was fine and all, it was Christian Bale, Michael Caine (Alfred), and Liam Neeson who stole the show with their respective roles.
#3. Batman (1989)

The Batman film that started it all. It is an understatement to declare this one of the pioneer Batman movies out there. Next to the 1979 Richard Donner-directed Superman, Tim Burton’s Batman is important in setting the stage for comic book movies that can be taken seriously and are big mainstream audience draws. This is all thanks to a simple story of a guy dressed as a bat to combat vigilantism set up by a crazy clown mobster played by Jack Nicholson, who was born for the role.
Speaking of roles, Michael Keaton is arguably the best Batman/Bruce Wayne combo out there. Without him playing the dual-natured role, this Batman movie wouldn’t be as engrossing and charming.
#2. The Dark Knight (2008)

The best Batman movie starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger in his best role yet as the chaotic version of The Joker. It made superhero movies cool and edgy again, much like how 1989’s Batman did for that era. While Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne was fine and all, it was Ledger and Aaron Eckhart’s show where one was revelling in dismantling the city Batman is protecting, while the other was trying to do good but ends up on a downward spiral. It’s a three-way battle
#1. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

A great standalone Batman film from the Batman: The Animated Series canon starring the voice of the best Batman ever: Kevin Conroy. Anyone who hasn’t even seen this 90s animated feature does not deserve to be called a true Batman fan if we’re being frank.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a dramatic and action-packed piece of animated film-making that looks damn good even to this day. It also introduced us to an awesome villain in the Batman rogue’s gallery in the form of The Phantasm. And it also reminded us why Mark Hamill’s portrayal of The Joker, who worked his way into the story, is the best all around. God, any scene of The Joker with his evil face and his maniacal laughter alone puts this film leagues beyond the Nolan and Snyder-directed Batman flicks.


A Saga Ends In Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker Final Trailer

Disney has unveiled the final trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker, marking the highly-anticipated end of a saga for the four-decade-old franchise.
The Resistance (Rebellion?) Strikes Back

The early scenes of the final Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker reminds me of the forest moon of Yavin IV or Endor, though it’s much likely the latter or even a new planet entirely. The likelihood is strong considering we already saw the remnants of the second Death Star (as seen in the first Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker trailer).
We also see a new ice planet, which may or may not be Hoth (probably not). This is where the secret fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers was possibly kept hidden all these years, which still remains a theory at this point.
Massive Space Battle And The Appearance Of A Fan-Favourite Ship

It looks like director J.J. Abrams is going to try and cram every ship in the history of the franchise into a massive space battle, the likes of which have not been witnessed in Star Wars since 2005’s Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.
One notable ship that can be glimpsed during a brief few seconds of that scene in the trailer is what seems to be the Ghost, the ship of the crew from the animated series Star Wars Rebels (which ran from 2014 to 2018). It was last seen during the Battle of Scarif in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and who knows where it’s been since then.
Rey And Kylo Ren Joining Forces Against Emperor Palpatine?

In the trailer, we also see Rey and Kylo Ren seemingly working together to destroy an effigy of some kind that looks similar to Supreme Leader Snoke or Darth Vader, though we can’t see enough to clearly ascertain what it is.
However, the most exciting shot in the trailer comes at the very end, as we see Rey facing what might very well be Emperor Palpatine, though it is purposely left vague since we only see the person from the back. It could also easily be Supreme Leader Snoke, or someone else, even the Dark Rey we saw in the previous Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker D23 trailer.

Besides all that, the final trailer doesn’t really reveal much about the movie’s plot, which was also the same case for the trailers of the previous two movies. The D23 trailer was personally more exciting in terms of reveals, as it hinted at possible time travel being involved.
Time Travel In Star Wars
My working theory is that an earlier version of Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (not the one that died in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi) could have somehow survived all these decades and years by transporting himself to the future. Time travel is a relatively new concept in the franchise, as it was introduced inÂ the final season of the Star Wars Rebels animated series.
In the thirteenth episode of the final season, protagonist Ezra Bridger saved Ahsoka Tano from dying at Darth Vaderâ€™s hand by pulling her into the World Between Worlds, a dimension that exists outside of time and space but linking all moments in time together at the same time.
This act proved that time could be manipulated and altered in the Star Wars universe. In the same episode, Emperor Palpatine himself could project an astral form into the World Between Worlds but he needed Ezraâ€™s help to physically enter. His plans were foiled when Ezra retaliated against him and destroyed the portal.
It could be possible that Darth Sidious managed to find another way into the World Between Worlds, and used it to transport himself into the future. If he had access to it, he could have amassed a secret Imperial army and stayed alive all this time without anyone knowing.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkywalkerÂ is slated to release on 20 December 2019. In the meantime, check out the final trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qn_spdM5Zg&w=560&h=315]


League Of Legends Esports Team Racism Drama Is Far From Over

What began as a controversy sparked by racist remarks has now become a multi-million dollar issue. In fact, it was probably planned to be that way from the beginning. There are some new developments in the story surrounding esports organisation Echo Fox and the dispute between its founder Rick Fox and shareholder Amit Raizada who was accused of using racist slurs.
Just about a week ago, Echo Fox was about enter a deal to sell their League of Legends Championship Series slot to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. This was after Riot Games decided that what Amit Razaida did was unacceptable and that Echo Fox would be facing repercussions if they didn’t remove him.
The final agreement for the deal to sell their LCS slot has not yet been reached so there’s still no confirmation on who’s going to take Echo Fox’s spot in the tournament.
PC Gamer reported that in a recent interview with Richard Lewis (embedded below), Rick Fox revealed that Amit Raizada basically “put a gun to the company’s head” by buying the debt that the company owed. The debt was supposed to be pushed out to the end of 2019 but Raizada acquired the debt and then asked for immediate payment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60RC0oi0CjU&w=560&h=315]
This move doesn’t necessarily make sense from Raizada’s perspective since it would actually adversely affect him as a shareholder of Echo Fox. Rick Fox explained that it depends on how much he bought the debt for. It’s possible that he acquired the debt at a lower price and thus would be in a position to make a profit by asking for repayment of the debt at full price.
Fox went on to further reveal that Raizada actually tried to make even more money by offering to convert the debt to senior preferred but at the same time, doubling the amount.
To make it less confusing, this means that Raizada created an immediate problem by asking for repayment of a debt that was supposed to be paid later. He then offered Echo Fox a “solution” by deciding to hold off the debt if the company agreed to double the debt and make repayment a priority.
It was a few weeks after this that the whole racist drama began. By then Echo Fox management had already agreed to Raizada’s proposition.
Second from left: Rick Fox, Far right: Amit Raizada. Picture from Amit Raizada’s Twitter account.
This is all from Rick Fox’s side of the story and it’d be unfair to ignore what Raizada has to say. Fortunately for us, Raizada sent Kotaku a few statements to defend himself.
According to Raizada, the company wasn’t doing all that well under Rick Fox and that Fox himself was the one who approved the debt conversion. He stated all of the company’s partners were also asked to participate and that he wasn’t the scheming mastermind that Rick Fox painted him to be.

“Iâ€™m a passive investor, and do not run the company. I have never been part of the General Partner â€“ which is the equivalent of a CEO. Rick never invested any of his personal money into Echo Fox and now he is blaming his investors and me for his failures as the head of Echo Fox.”

– part of Amit Raizada’s statement to Kotaku.
It seems that there’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Riot is still investigating the issue and working on finalising the deal between Echo Fox and Kroenke or whoever is going to buy the team’s LCS slot.
The only thing we know for sure that Raizada definitely used improper language in an email sent to Jace Hall, CEO of Echo Fox. He admitted it in the same statement he sent to Kotaku.


CW’s Superman & Lois To Premiere In January 2021

CW has announced that its latest adaptation based on DC Comics, Superman & Lois, will premiere in January 2021. The new TV series stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the titular Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, as they raise their newborn sons in the city of Metropolis.
Superman & Lois is set to show on Tuesday nights after its premiere. It is set in the Arrowverse, the same shared cinematic universe as CW’s other shows like The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Legends Of Tomorrow, and Black Lightning.
In fact, the next Arrowverse has been confirmed to involve a crossover between Batwoman and Superman & Lois in a more personal two-part event sometime in 2021. It’s on a much smaller scale than 2019’s Crisis On Infinite Earths, which resulted in all the CW Arrowverse shows now taking place on the same Earth.
Check out the official poster for Superman & Lois below:


Clid The Snail Mixes Twin Stick Shooting With A Unique Fantasy Look

Ever wonder what happens when an anthropomorphic snail gets kicked out of its commune and is forced to fend for itself? Well, you get a fantasy sci-fi hybrid tale from Spanish developers Weird Beluga featuring a gun-toting twin-stick shooter adventure extraordinaire.
Our first 20 minutes with Clid The Snail is packed with shooting, puzzle-solving, and some snippy dialogue from our grumpy title character. It’s also capped off with aÂ  boss fight against a psychopathic anthropomorphic rat. Go check it out!
Clid The Snail will be out for PS4 and PS5 this 2021. The game will be out for PC too.


Space Strategy Sim Pixel Starships Beams Out Of Early Access

Pixel Starships, the highly anticipated space strategy MMORPG developed by SavySoda, is officially leaving Early Access on Steam. After months of development and refinement to be Steam Deck verified, and following a successful round of crowdfunding on Kickstarter, the game is now ready to voyage into deep space. Offering players an immersive and captivating adventure in a single persistent world, Pixel Starships is waiting for a legendary new captain to make their mark as part of the 6 million players to have already launched into orbit during Early Access.
Available on Mac and PC, Pixel Starships has also been meticulously developed to provide Steam Deck fans with an optimised experience that utilises the full capabilities of the increasingly popular handheld. Taking aspiring captains on an epic odyssey across the galaxy, Pixel Starships lets players design, build, and command their own fleet of starships. Assemble a team of skilled crewmates, upgrade ship modules, and engage in thrilling tactical battles against friends and foes alike with a roster of epic space-age weapons. Through its unique blend of strategy, resource management, multiplayer competition, and unprecedented success on Kickstarter, Pixel Starships has already garnered a dedicated following, with over 6 million players earning their captain stripes during its Early Access phase.
Players can now look forward to a full range of features and enhancements in the launch version of Pixel Starships, including an expanded ship-building system and a wide variety of ship classes to command in a deep and engaging single-player campaign. In addition to the single-player campaign, Pixel Starships offers thrilling PVP battles that will put each captain’s strategic skills to the test or else be turned into space junk! As such, ensure negotiations don’t fail through clever diplomacy to build powerful alliances with other players.
Budding captains eagerly awaiting to take the helm can launch into the captivating world of interstellar exploration for free on Steam. Pixel Starships is playable in 17 languages, including Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. For the latest updates and news from ground control, follow the SavySoda team on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Kickstarter.


Konami’s eFootball Signs Exclusive Deal With US Major League Soccer

Konami has announced that eFootball is getting exclusive rights to Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) teams and players from the United States Of America.
According to the Japanese company, MLSPA players will officially appear in the licensed eFootball video game franchise via a new agreement with the MLSPA group licensing representative OneTeam.
In addition to securing the full MLSPA player roster, the eFootball video game series confirmed 11 MLSPA stars as ambassadors including Jonathan Dos Santos, Josef Martinez and Eduard Atuesta.

Great news for US soccer fans! ??https://t.co/5K85pG0TXC https://t.co/pXaVtv3gXZ
— KONAMI UK (@KONAMIUK) August 23, 2021

For those unfamiliar, eFootball will be Konami’s free-to-plat football/soccer game moving forward. It is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Android and iOS.
In the meantime, check out the 11 MLSPA football players who will be eFootball ambassadors in the video below:


Red Solstice 2: Survivors Gets New DLC Today

Red Solstice 2: Survivors, a pretty awesome squad-based real-time tactical strategy RPG involving alien extermination and space marine management, is getting some DLC today.
The new DLC is dubbed the Howell-Barrex Inc. and also comes with a Season Pass, introducing a new story campaign, pilotable destructive Exoskeletons to destroy aliens with, and new gameplay mechanics. Here is the DLC’s story:
“The fall of Elysium Corporation created a power vacuum Howell-Barrex Inc. was happy to wield to its advantage. As the Strike Commander, follow the story of Edward Howell, General Barrex, and the IRON HAWKS in their campaign to fend off the STROL mutants invading Mars. Reign victorious solo or with up to seven friends wielding devastating new armaments across 11 new story missions, 28 side missions, and eight new maps.”
That’s quite a bunch of additions for RM22/S$13, especially if you already love Red Solstice 2’s gameplay and real-time combat. The title will also be getting three more major updates in 2022 and beyond, so you can get the Season Pass which gives you the Howell-Barrex Inc. DLC and three more DLCs for RM79/S$45.5.

Red Solstice 2: Survivors is out now for PC. We played a few hours of the strategy game, and it’s pretty fun!


Raya And The Last Dragon Trailer Teases Epic Southeast Asian Flavour

Disney has released the first trailer for its upcoming animated movie Raya And The Last Dragon.

The synopsis for the movie reads:
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and itâ€™s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people.However, along her journey, sheâ€™ll learn that itâ€™ll take more than a dragon to save the world; itâ€™s going to take trust and teamwork as well. From directors Don Hall and Carlos LÃ³pez Estrada, co-directors Paul Briggs and John Ripa, producers Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho, and featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as the last dragon Sisu.
Raya And The Last Dragon is inspired by Southeast Asian legends and folklore, as well as written by Malaysian-born screenwriter Adele Lim (best known for Crazy Rich Asians).
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Raya And The Last Dragon producer Osnat Schurer said that the filmmakers took research trips to countries including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
In addition, they also tried martial arts and gamelan instruments as part of their creative process.
Earlier this year, Disney delayed their upcoming animated movie Raya And The Last Dragon to 12 March 2021, due to the uncertainty of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This means that we wonâ€™t be getting a single feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2020 (if we donâ€™t count Pixarâ€™s Onward and the upcoming Pixarâ€™s Soul).
In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


More Assassin’s Creed Mirage Details Emerge; Game To Go Back To Stealth Roots

Following Ubisoft’s announcement of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and its upcoming livestream detailing the game on 10 September PST, there’s now more info about the game.
Further details about the game have leaked; according to a renowned AC leaker named j0nathan, the game will feature one main city, Baghdad, and will feature four separate districts each with their own bosses. The new AC game will go back to basics (more stealth than action RPG) and bring back some old favourites like throwing knives, hiding places on rooftops, and NPCs galore. And also slow-motion assassinations and a lot more parkour than usual.

Additional Assassins Creed Mirage information has been shared by j0nathan (YouTube). -Baghdad is the only city-Throwing knives and roof hiding spots-A lot of NPCs in the streets -A lot of parkour-Some slow motion assassinations#AssassinsCreedMirage pic.twitter.com/gkUv1QF1lx
— Rebs Gaming (@Mr_Rebs_) September 2, 2022

The game will also recreate crowd density ala 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity, but better due to newer technology that’s more stable. Remember the issues and bugs with AC Unity? Thought so.
The upcoming title will star Basim Ibn Ishaq whom you may remember from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game’s slated release period? Probably Spring 2023. Guess we’ll have to wait until 10 September PST for all the good news about Ubisoft’s stealth game future.


MSI Gaming Announces New Small, Medium, & Large Powerful Gaming Laptops We Can’t Afford

Power usually comes at a price. The kind of price that takes your wallet, empties it, flogs it like a dead horse, and then lights it on fire for good measure.Â The Taiwanese gaming computer-making company MSI Gaming are at it again with their sleek-looking-if-pricey computers and laptops.
These new laptops will be powered up by Intel’s 8th Generation Processor; the one called Coffee Lake.
They are:

The GS65 Stealth, which is a thin gaming laptop and considered the world’s first 144HZ bezel gaming laptop. The GS65 also boasts 8+ hours worth of battery life and a sweet display.

The GE Raider, RGB Edition, because people below the age of 25 still love their blinking LED lights on their keyboards. Apart from looking like a 70s Chinese disco parlour in portable form, this laptop also has DDR4-2400 memory support, and pretty good booming speakers.
Based on the specs and setup, I’m sure this will be the more reasonable gaming laptop to buy. If you think SG$3,399 is reasonable.

The GT75 Titan with a special i9 Hexacore Processor. Last we checked, the previous version of the GT75 was about SG$6,000+. Let that price sink in. However, you’re getting everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink. We’re talking 17″ clear screen, a GeForce GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X, and a ton more.
The full press release and spec sheets are below:
April 3, 2018 â€“ MSI, the world leader in gaming hardware, launches a suite of gaming laptops powered by Intel 8th Generation processors, headlined by three models: the new GS65 Stealth Thin gaming notebook, GT75VR Titan with i9 processor and GE Raider RGB Edition. MSI is also announcing a new GT83 Titan, as well as 8th generation processor updates to its GP. GT75VR Titan and GE73 Raider RGB Edition are available for pre-order on Challenger, Gamepro and Harvey Norman on April 6th.
â€œThese new models are like nothing the gaming laptop market has seen before,â€ said Eric Kuo, MSI Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing. â€œWeâ€™re breaking gaming laptop conventions with the Stealth Thinâ€™s beautiful new design, the unmatched performance of the GT75 with an i9 processor and the Raiderâ€™s unique RGB lighting.â€
GS65 Stealth Thin Gaming Laptop
The GS65 Stealth Thin is the first gaming laptop to feature a 144Hz 7ms IPS display with 4.9mm bezels â€“ achieving a stunning 82 percent screen-to-body ratio. While the bezels are extremely thin, MSI did not compromise on the placement of the webcam. MSI left just enough room in the top bezel for the webcam, as opposed to being awkwardly placed within the bottom bezel. With its thin dimensions and golden styling, the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin brings gaming laptops into a new stylish era.
To power the 144Hz panel, the Stealth Thin is equipped with up to a GTX 1070 with NVIDIA Max-Q technology and the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, which gains up to a 40 percent performance enhancement over the previous generation. With its new processor, GeForce GTX 10 series graphics and MSI Cooler Boost Trinity cooling design, the GS65 offers an uncompromised gaming performance for all gaming enthusiasts.
When designing the Stealth Thin, MSI sought to break all the stereotypes traditionally seen in gaming laptops. MSI chose a bold new golden accent and trim to make the smallest details of the laptop glint. Weighing just 1.8kg, the Stealth Thin packs 8+ hours of battery life into an incredibly slim chassis, providing real portability not traditionally found in powerful gaming laptops. Its 82Whr battery is one of the largest batteries available in a laptop this size.
The Stealth Thin also features a new per-key RGB keyboard designed by SteelSeries. Users can customize each key and receive real-time game status through keyboard lighting. MSI is also rolling out a massive update for Dragon Center 2.0 that comes with an exclusive gaming mode. The redesign brings a sleek new UI that is intuitive while still offering advanced configurations for power users. The gaming mode now optimizes system performance and game-specific keyboard lighting for a list of supported new titles.
Specifications:

GS65 Stealth Thin

CPU
Intel 8th Gen. Processor + HM370

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Max-Q)/1060

Display
FHD 144Hz/7ms IPS-level Thin Bezel (72% NTSC)

Memory
DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM x2 (Max 32GB)

Storage
1st Slot: PCIe Gen3 x 4 SSD & SATA SSD (combo)

2nd Slot: PCIe Gen3 x 4 SSD

Audio
2W x2 Dynaudio (Hi-Res Audio, Nahimic 3)

Communication
Killer E2500/Killer1550+BT5 (GTX 1070)

Killer E2500/Intel 9560+BT5 (GTX 1060)

I/O
3 x USB 3.1 Type-A

1 x Thunderbolt (Type-C USB 3.1)

1 x HDMI 2.0

1 x mDP 1.2

1 x Mic-in, Headphone-out

Power
82Whr Battery / 180W Slim Type Adapter

Dimension/Weight
357.7 x 247.7 x 17.7mm / 1.8Kg

Stealth Pro Processor Updates
In addition to the new GS65 Stealth Thin, MSIâ€™s entire Stealth Pro line is also getting upgraded with the newest processors. The new processor improves performance by almost 20 percent compared to the previous generation. The new Stealth Pro laptops also feature 102 keys of per-key RGB lighting, smaller fan blades, Dynaudio Certified speakers, upgraded Killer 1550 and Bluetooth v5, and Dragon Center 2.0.
GE Raider RGB Edition
First announced at CES to high praise, the GE63/73 Raider RGB Edition is inspired by sports cars and the PC Master Raceâ€™s love for RGB. It was perfectly crafted for ultra-illumination with RGB lighting on the top cover, keyboard and USB ports. The top cover features 24 separate zones of RGB lighting with more than 16.8 million colours available.
The GE Raider RGB Edition is configurable with up to the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics. Additionally, the Raider can be equipped with up to a 120Hz 3ms. This high performance is cooled by MSI Cooler Boost 5, a cooling design with dual fans and seven copper heats pipes offering the most stable experience on a laptop.
With Nahimic 3, Killer networking, Bluetooth 5.0, and much more, the GE Raider comes with many exclusive features and the latest technology under the hood. Both gamers and power users alike can take advantage of the well-refined powerful laptop to enjoy huge boost in gaming experience and productivity. The GE63/73 Raider RGB undoubtedly stands out from the crowd and is surely a choice thatâ€™s too shiny to ignore.
Specifications:

GE63 Raider RGB
GE73 Raider RGB

Processor
Up to 8th Gen. Intel Core i7 Processor

Chipset
HM370

Panel
15.6â€ FHD (1920×1080), 120Hz, 3ms, Wide-View
17.3â€ FHD (1920×1080), 120Hz, 3ms, Wide-View

GPU
GeForce GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5

Memory
DDR4-2400, 2 x SO-DIMM up to 32GB

Storage
1st M.2 slot: NVMe PCIe Gen3 / SATA3 M.2 SSD (combo)

2nd M.2 slot: NVMe PCIe Gen3 M.2 SSD

1 x 2.5â€ HDD SATA Gen3

Communication
Intel 9560 (802.11 ac 2×2 /BT 5.0)

I/O
1 x USB Type-C USB 3.1

3 x USB Type-A USB 3.1

1 x HDMI (4K@60Hz) + 1 x Mini-DisplayPort

1 x RJ45 (Killer LAN)

1 x SD (XC/HC)
1 x Mic-in + 1x Headphone-out (HiFi / SPDIF)

Adapter
230W/180W (for GTX 1070/1060)

Dimensions
383x260x29.5 mm
419.2×287.1×30.15 mm

Weight
2.49Kg
2.80Kg

Â
GT75 Titan with i9 Hexacore Processor
With the introduction of the latest 8th Generation Intel processors, the GT series is taking one step further by featuring the worldâ€™s first Core i9 overclocked processors in a gaming laptop. Together with NVIDIA graphics and mechanical keyboards, the new GT series pushes performance beyond its limits and offers uncompromising desktop gaming experiences for casual and pro gamers alike.
The GT75 Titan is the first gaming laptop to ever feature Intel Core i9 processors with fully unlocked hexa-core performance. Combined with MSIâ€™s Cooler Boost Titan cooling design, the six-core 12-thread configuration results in up to a 70 percent performance leap over the previous Core i7. The extra cores are especially beneficial for gamers who stream their gameplay, or for advanced multitasking workloads.
Specifications:

GT75 Titan

Processor
Up to 8th Gen Intel Core i9

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

Display
17.3â€ FHD (1920×1080), 120Hz, 3ms, Wide-View

Keyboard
Rapid Mechanical RGB Keyboard by SteelSeries

Storage
2 x M.2 SSD Combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 / SATA)

1 x M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4)

1 x 2.5â€ HDD

*supports Super RAID 4

I/O
1 x ThunderBolt 3

5 x Type-A USB 3.1

1 x HDMI

1 x mDP

Network
Killer DoubleShot Pro with 10Gbps Killer Ethernet and Killer Wireless-AC 1550

In addition to the updates to the GT75 Titan and the GT83 Titan are also getting updated with the latest 8th generation processors.
The GT83 Titan is designed to pack a full desktop gaming experience in a mobile form factor and is the first laptop to integrate a full Cherry MX Speed Silver switch keyboard. The new 8th generation Intel processor comes with six cores and boosts the performance by up to 40 percent. Along with the GeForce GTX 1080 SLI graphics and exceptional cooling, the new GT83 is not only more powerful than ever, but the best desktop replacement to date.
Specifications:

GT83 Titan

Processor
8th Gen Intel Core i7

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI

Display
18.4â€ FHD (1920×1080), IPS-Level

Keyboard
Cherry MX Speed Silver Mechanical Keyboard

Storage
2 x M.2 SSD Combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 / SATA)

1 x M.2 SSD (SATA)

1 x 2.5â€ HDD

*supports Super RAID 4

Network
Killer DoubleShot Pro with Gigabit Killer Ethernet and Killer Wireless-AC 1550

More Intel 8th Generation Processor Updates
In addition to all the exciting new products listed above, laptops across MSIâ€™s lines are getting updated with the newest 8th generation processors including the GP series.
GT75VR Titan and GE73 Raider RGB Edition are available for pre-order on Challenger, Gamepro and Harvey Norman on April 6th.