Dragalia Lost Will Have Its Own 304-Page Artbook On Its Upcoming Anniversary

It’s only a month away until the really awesome mobile RPG Dragalia Lost, which is way better-localized & flavourful than most gacha-based RPGs like Fate: GO, is celebrating its first-every anniversary. What better way to party than with an official artbook from Cygames?

Developer Cygames announced via Dengeki Online that it will be releasing the 304-page A4-sized artbook on 27th September. The book will come with the following:

Character illustrations and their Japanese flavour text.
Dragon artwork, from actual dragons to the ones who look like hot women like Mym above.
Wyrmprint artwork from their base to leveled up forms.
In-game event scene artworks and Twitter illustrations.

Best you go check those Kinokuniyas in Malaysia/Singapore whether they’ll have these bad boys in stock. I’ll say this: Cygames are well-aware of Mym being a fan-favourite since she’s way at the front of the book’s cover.


The Boys Are Assembling In Call Of Duty

Activision has announced that Season 4 Reloaded of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone are crossing over with Amazon Prime Video hit series The Boys with Homelander, Starlight, and Black Noir joining the game.
Each hero receives their own Operator Bundle, with Starlight hitting 12 July 2023, Homelander on 16 July 2023, and Black Noir on 20 July 2023. Each is priced at 2,400 COD points and includes the character along with items such as weapon charms, stickers, emblems, and weapon blueprints. Each character also comes with a unique finishing move. The update includes The Boys-themed map elements and an additional 6v6 map, a Temp V field upgrade, Diabolical Camo challenges, Battle Royale hitting Vondel, and The Raid finale.
The Boys Season 3 concluded its eight-episode run on Amazon Prime Video in 2022 and while Season 4 is already confirmed, we’re getting that spinoff series, Gen V, first. The Boys spinoff series was originally announced almost two years ago in September 2020, but Gen V finally received its own teaser trailer in late 2022.


Tekken World Tour Finals 2022: Full Schedule & Results [Update]

The biggest Tekken 7 esports 3D fighting game tournament is coming to a close after a long year. Players will get to see the best players from all over the world duke it out in the finals that’s taking place this weekend.
Here’s all the info you need on one feature page, from the scheduling to the winners (which we’ll update when the respective fights are done).

Time & Schedule

Date: 4-5 February
Series: Tekken World Tour Finals, Tekken World Tour
Location: Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam
Prize Pool: US$100,000
Day 1 Schedule
Last Chance Qualifiers + LCQ Top 8 – 4:30pm
Pools Draw – 12:00am (5th February)
Global Finals Pools – 1am (5th February)

Wondering what's on store for the first day of the #TWT2022 Global Finals?
Check out our schedule!
? LCQ & Global Finals Pools? February 4th? https://t.co/O4vCootYNZ pic.twitter.com/igiXUGZGdT
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 2, 2023

Day 2 Schedule
Finals – 4pm

Players List

Pic: Tekken World Tour 2017 winners

Joey Fury (USA)
Anakin (USA)
Divine_Exorcist4 (Mexico)
Noel (Bolivia)
K-Wiss (UK)
Joka (UK)
Ghirlanda (East Europe)
Unknown.EXE (North Africa)
Skywalker (West Africa)
Callym Beukes (South Africa)
Raef (Middle East)
Arslan Ash (Pakistan)
Atif Butt (Pakistan)
Tejan (India)
Shin Akuma (Thailand)
AK (The Philippines)
Yagami (Australia)
Knee (South Korea)
Yeonarang (South Korea)
Nobi (Japan)
AO (Japan)
Last Chance Qualifier winner #1
Last Chance Qualifier winner #2
Last Chance Qualifier winner #3

Livestream
?
Twitch link
YouTube link

Tekken World Tour 2022 Results
1. Ashes| Atif Butt (Akuma, Leo)
2. DH| JeonDDing (Julia, Eddy)
3. THY| Chikurin (Leroy, Akuma)
4. Ghirlanda (Katarina)
5. Yamasa| Nobi (Feng, Dragunov)
5. Yeonarang (Hwoarang)
7. LNC| Joey Fury (Marduk)
7. Dragons| Raef (Jin)
Last Chance Qualifier
1. DRX| Chanel (Zafina, Eliza)
2. THY| Chikurin (Leroy, Geese, Jin)
3. DH| JeonDDing (Julia, Eddy, Lucky Chloe)
4. Jodd (Nina)
5. Yamasa| Take (Bob)
5. TZ| Pekos (Geese)
7. Shadow20z (Zafina, Claudio)
7. CRaZY| SuperAkouma (Akuma)

?? @AtifButt540 is your #TWT2022 Champion! pic.twitter.com/TCrU6kNwiv
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 5, 2023

One clutch pixel to rule game 1!
? https://t.co/MdGqwfu4Z8#TWT2022 pic.twitter.com/Td0JZa5SVf
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 5, 2023

Champion no more!
?? @Jeondding_tk  snatches the championship belt from ?? @chikurintut and advances to the Grand Final!
? https://t.co/MdGqwfu4Z8#TWT2022 pic.twitter.com/okibffhwea
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 5, 2023

Our Losers Final goes the distance!
?? @Jeondding_tk regains the advantage of his opponent and challenges him to a 5th game!
? https://t.co/MdGqwfu4Z8#TWT2022 pic.twitter.com/QqtadIPhOX
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 5, 2023

?? @AtifButt540 has his back to the wall, down 0-2 to a ruthless ?? @chikurintut
Does he have what it takes to turn things around with such a difficult start?
? https://t.co/MdGqwfu4Z8#TWT2022 pic.twitter.com/GFCZDWu6uF
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) February 5, 2023


The Top Final Fantasy Characters In The Series’ 35th Anniversary May Surprise You

Square Enix has posted the results of its Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary best character poll, and it seems that the influence of Final Fantasy XIV has run deep.
FFXIV is considered to be everybody’s favourite Final Fantasy for the past few years and is arguably the game that saved Square Enix from going in the red, so much so that a number of its characters have dominated the top 10 in the favourite character poll. Yes, three Final Fantasy XIV characters have made it in the top 10: Emet-Selch, G’raha Tia, and Haurchefant.
FFX’s Wakka is at second place, though this could be the result of a homophobic meme that’s been going around this year. Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith are in the top spots though this isn’t surprising given FFVII’s popularity. Zidane from FF9 is at 5th place while Vivi is at 8th place. FFX’s Tidus is in 9th place.
Here’s the full top 20 list from top to bottom:

Emet-Selch (FF14)
Wakka (FF10)
Cloud (FF7)
Tifa (FF7)
Zidane (FF9)
Aerith (FF7)
G’raha Tia (FF14)
Vivi (FF9)
Tidus (FF10)
Haurchefant (FF14)
Squall (FF8)
Terra (FF6)
Yuna (FF10)
Lightning (FF13)
Bartz (FF5)
Noctis (FF15)
Celes (FF6)
Zack (FF7)
Locke (FF6)
Sephiroth (FF7)

Fans of Final Fantasy XIII -all 13 of you- should be pleased that Lightning is in 14th place. In any case, FFXIV is clearly the de facto Final Fantasy in all corners of the world, and it makes sense for FFXIV’s producer Naoki Yoshida to take the reins over FFXVI.


Cyberpunk 2077 Has A Kamen Rider-esque Bike And It Is Awesome

Update
Great news for those who are restarting the game with a fresh save, or just jumping in. You can actually acquire Nazare ‘Itsumade’ bike way earlier in the game, even before the prologue conclude WITHOUT having to complete the sidequest below.
Drive or just take Fast Travel to All Foods.Â Right next to All Foods Plant is the hidden garage where the Itsumade is kept. Just head over to it, key in ‘0214’ into the panel and the bike is yours. No fuss, no foul.
This method also works if you can’t be bothered to run around the map to complete the quest – that you just want the bike. Have fun!
______________________________________________________________________________
Cyberpunk 2077, when it works as intended, is a gem of an open world RPG chockful of fun side quests, quirky characters and some really unique and fun vehicles to discover.
Today we are going to share with you on how to get what we feel is one of the coolest looking bike in the game which you are able to obtain for free. It looks so good, that we have been ditching our Yaiba Kaneda bike for this one for a while now. Props to ESO who first discovered this fun but worthy sidequest.
It’s nimble, handles like a dream, fast and best of all, it is free.Â Behold, the Tyger Claws inspired Nazare, the ‘Itsumade’ a.k.a The Battle Hopper.

Sporting a slick, dark green color scheme, the bike also comes with oni-inspired headlights with glowing eyes to boot. If you are still unable to appreciate this, we honestly question your taste in motorcycles.
This vehicle is obtainable via a secret side quest by which is not marked on the map. To get it started, head over to Santo Domingo in this marked position. You’d want to look for the gun shop.

The name of the gun shop is Gun-O-Rama. Facing it, turn right and walk down the stairs. Once you’re on the road, turn left and walk uphill for a bit. At the first bend, turn left and look for a garage with a graffiti of a white horse on it. Walk up to the garage entrance and you should be able to open it.

Once you are in it, you will trigger a cutscene with Johnny Silverhand. Feel free to scrounge around for loot and once you are done, head over to the laptop on the table. It is important that you open the message tab and read it. This will then trigger another quick cutscene showing a photo of a couple.

Take note of the background and the incomplete graffiti on the bench in the background. Note that since the photo was taken via selfie mode so it’s flipped. It’s basically a huge heart shape with at least one written ‘J’ on it. There’s an overhead bridge in the background so it gives a clue of where the picture was taken. Your next step? To locate it. Lucky you, we’ll show you how.
First up, the message mentioned Tyger Claws. So naturally, we head over to their stronghold. What you want to do is to take a Fast Travel to this exact location in Japantown West.Â

Also, remember to mark a waypoint just under the big bridge just south of the Japantown West Fast Travel spot. (See above). Once you’ve arrived, proceed to walk down south to the said marker until you spot a 24/7 Store to your left.

In the plaza, look around the benches for a specific one that has the graffiti shown in the earlier picture. It should be somewhere right in front of the 24/7 Store. Scan around for a bit and voila.

If you think that’s it and want to go get your Kamen Rider bike now, stop. We are not done yet. There’s another elaborate step to get the Itsumade. Show the photo to James and he’ll talk about what happened to him and LÌ¶uÌ¶nÌ¶aÌ¶Â  … we mean Josie. Feel free to grill the guy for more info, or just for his hairstyle of choice.
Next, following the conversation, you’d want to return to the earlier Fast Travel point and travel to this Fast Travel spot around The Glen area called Metro: Glen North

Once you exit the metro, you’ll notice two available Drop Off points near you. Proceed to walk to the one second-nearest to you. Mark it and head towards the direction. Continue walking until you are able to spot a tall building which read ‘Fuyutsuki’ in a distance. It should look something like this:

Switch to your scanner and you’ll spot a vanishing puddle just in front of the vending machine. Head over to it and scan the said puddle.

Next you’d want to take the immediate alley way to your right. Walk shortly until you spot a dumpster with white markings on it. Scan the body just next to it.

After a short chat with Johnny, pick up the notes and Fast Travel back to where you met James in Japantown earlier.Â  We are almost there. Sorry for your demise, Josie. Your bike is now mine. After a short back and forth with James, take note of the numbers on the graffiti. This is the clue for your final puzzle.

Now take the Fast Travel (again!) to All Foods Plant in the Northside area. All Foods Plant is the location for your mission to acquire the flathead with Jackie earlier. Coming right out of the Fast Travel, scan around for a blue-green building with a white horse graffiti. We suggest you do this during the day so it is easier to spot. But once you see it, it’s almost impossible to miss. Walk right up to it and just around the corner, you’d spot a sealed garage door also adorned with the white horse graffiti. Key in the following numbers from the bench, ‘0214’ into the wall panel and lo and behold: the coolest looking two-wheeled vehicle in the game. It is now yours and you can call it anytime in the game. Have fun!
Also, you can check out what we thought of the game hereÂ and if you are one of the lucky few â€“ for whatever reason â€“ who are able to play the game with minimum fuss or issues, youâ€™d want to check out some of our guides here:

How to make easy money in Cyberpunk 2077
How to obtain unlimited Epic & Legendary crafting items in an instant
How to get a pair of Legendary Mantis Blades for free early in the game

For more news on this yearâ€™s biggest bust of a game and much more gaming news, reviews and guides, youâ€™re already at the right place!


So What The Heck Happened In Borderlands 1, 2, and So Forth? A Recap Before You Touch Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 director Paul Sage told us that part 3 will be accommodating to newcomers. Having said that, having a “3” in your title means that there’s going to be some history to unpack.
So let’s point you to the right direction so you can get the Cliff’s Notes version of the backstory (via oboeshoesgame)
Borderlands
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdNYZjkQOTs&w=560&h=315]
Ah yes, the OG looter shooter. It’s where we first we meet Claptrap, learn about skags, and kill a lot of bandits and Crimson Raider soldiers. Ah, good times.
Basically, the first Borderlands implemented the well-known formula of asking the players to find three macguffins in order to save the world. Or at least prevent bad guys from getting access to what could destroy the crappy planet we live on.
Either way, you get to get missions delivered by folks like Scooter (Catch A Ride!) and Helena Pierce (who made her debut in the very first Borderlands trailer), and fight a giant space vagina monster with tentacles as the last boss.
Borderlands 2
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3MsfkZA_CM&w=560&h=315]
More guns, shinier graphics, and a less textbook plot. Borderlands 2 promised those things, delivered them, and went a bit further.
This time we’re introduced to a more colourful cast of characters spearheaded by the belo- I mean absolutely hated, Handsome Jack. We also meet the heroes and heroines from the first game who are NPCs who give you missions.
We also get a dose of memorable side characters like Sir Hammerlock, Ellie, and Tiny Tina, all thanks to the comedic and serious tone-balanced writing of one Anthony Burch.
Tales of the Borderlands
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBtRVuoXOfg&w=560&h=315]
Look, I don’t blame you if you call yourself a Borderlands fan but never played Tales of the Borderlands. It’s more common than you think.
So there’s nothing wrong in watching a recap of the game and in fact, you should because there are characters and important plot points that will carry over to Borderlands 3.
Also, this is that game where we get a scene of everyone gets into a finger-gun fight. Don’t worry, it’s also in the recap video below.
Borderlands The Pre-Sequel
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClTsbGEBsnM&w=560&h=315]
The bastard child of the Borderlands saga. The gameplay is rote and not as impactful as the second game. However, it does shed some light at the state of gun manufacturer Hyperion pre-Borderlands 2 and paint Jack in a different light before he became all psycho in part 2.
Also, tons of Australian accents.
That’s it for our recap. Let us know your favourite Borderlands moment on the comments below or on Facebook.


Who Will The Rest Of The Suicide Squad Cast Play As? Let’s Take A Guess…

While we still have a whole two years before James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad arrives, the director has already revealed the full cast for the upcoming movie. The list includes a whopping 24 actors and actresses, only four of which will be reprising their roles from 2016’s Suicide Squad.
The four are Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag.
There are also unconfirmed reports that state newcomers Steve Agee as King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, John Cena as Peacemaker, and Idris Elba as Bronze Tiger.
That leaves 15 names unaccounted for, in as-of-yet unconfirmed roles. This includes:

Storm Reid
JoaquÃn Cosio
Nathan Fillion
Mayling Ng
Flula Borg
Sean Gunn
Juan Diego Botto
Pete Davidson
Taika Waititi
Alice Braga
Tinashe Kajese
Peter Capaldi
Julio Ruiz
Jennifer Holland
Michael Rooker

The only thing we know for sure so far is that Zatanna won’t be in the movie, which was confirmed by Gunn himself in a recent tweet.

I have nothing against Zatanna, but I have no idea where some of this stuff comes from. I never even thought of including her in #TSS (nor many of the other characters I keep hearing are in the film). I canâ€™t comment on every rumor but just know many arenâ€™t true. !sromur yawA https://t.co/fPTB510I77
â€” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 11, 2019
Because of that, I’ll base my choices on past members of the Suicide Squad through every iteration of the team in the comics and villains who are non-members, as well as who I think is best suited for that role. Heck, some of these actors might even be playing heroes instead of villains.
In addition, Gunn warned viewers in his The Suicide Squad announcement tweet to “not get attached.” That means several of these actors and actresses will likely only have small cameo roles in the upcoming movie.
Keep in mind almost all of this is mere speculation for now.
Steve Agee (King Shark)

King Shark is a pretty popular villain and a mainstay of the Suicide Squad in the comics. He is pretty much what his name suggests, as he is a giant man-shark creature. He was originally slated to appear in 2016’s Suicide Squad, but it was cheaper and more practical to use Killer Croc instead.
Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, reports strongly suggest that Steve Agee will be providing the voice for a fully-CGI King Shark.
Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher)

Ratcatcher started as a Batman villain, who has the ability to control an army of rats and wields a gas gun, which can manipulate various things with cyanide gas. Gunn will be genderbending the character by casting Melchior into the role, as the character is male in the comics.
Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, reports strongly suggest that she will be playing Ratcatcher.
David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man)

				LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 22:  David Dastmalchian attends the World Premiere Of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures “Avengers: Endgame” at Los Angeles Convention Center on April 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Polka-Dot Man is one of many gag villains introduced during the Silver Age of DC Comics when many comic book villains were colourful and funny instead of actually being menacing in any way. Starting as a Batman villain, he never posed much of a threat.
His shtick is that the dots on his costume each has a gimmick or gadget. For example, one of his dots may turn out to be a projectile weapon or it could be used for gliding through the air.
Dastmalchian is no stranger to comic book movies, as he previously appeared in CW’s The Flash as tech-mage villain Abra Kadabra. Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, reports strongly suggest that he will be playing Polka-Dot Man.
John Cena (Peacemaker)

Peacemaker is an obscure anti-hero that’s never actually been a member of the Suicide Squad in the comics. He’s a deadly vigilante, who’s also mentally unstable, as he believes that the ghosts of the people he killed are collected inside his helmet (including his own father), offering him the occasional advice and commentary.
I don’t know if John Cena will be able to pull this off, but judging from his performance in 2018’s Bumblebee, he will likely be charming enough to pull off a goofy but fun portrayal of Peacemaker.
Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, reports strongly suggest that John Cena will be playing the Peacemaker.
Idris Elba (Bronze Tiger)

Ben Turner AKA Bronze Tiger is a supervillain and sometimes anti-hero in the comics. He doesn’t have any powers, but he makes up for it with martial arts expertise and deadly combat skills.
Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, reports strongly suggest that Idris Elba will be playing the Bronze Tiger.
Storm Reid (Idris Elba’s character’s daughter)

As far as I know, Bronze Tiger doesn’t have a daughter in the comics. As such, she could just be playing the part of Bronze Tiger’s daughter the same way Shailyn Pierre-Dixon portrayed Deadshot’s daughter in 2016’s Suicide Squad.
Besides, Storm Reid is 16 years old in real life. I don’t think she’s old enough to be part of the Suicide Squad just yet.
JoaquÃn Cosio (Solomon Grundy)

JoaquÃn Cosio is a Mexican actor, who recently played Don Neto in Narcos: Mexico and voiced Scorpion in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. I reckon that he would maybe a good choice for playing Solomon Grundy via motion capture in the vein of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in the MCU.
For those unfamiliar with Solomon Grundy, he’s basically a zombified DC version of Hulk.
Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern)

I have no idea who Nathan Fillion would be a good fit for. This might be wishful thinking but he has always to be Green Lantern. So why not?
Mayling Ng (Lady Shiva)

While Lady Shiva has never been a member of the Suicide Squad in the comics, she is one of the best melee fighters in the DC universe. Even the likes of Batman and Deathstroke would think twice before engaging her in battle.
Not only is Mayling Ng Asian (just like Sandra Wu-San AKA Lady Shiva), she is also a black belt martial artist and fitness champion in real life.
Flula Borg (Multiplex)

Multiplex is a villain with the ability to create duplicate bodies of himself. While this doesn’t sound impressive on paper, there’s supposedly no limit to how many clones he can make.
Flula Borg is an actor best known for being that German guy in the German acapella group in Pitch Perfect 2. I just think that he would rock Multiplex.
Sean Gunn (Nemesis)

Sean Gunn is actually the brother of director James Gunn, and this could be one of his smaller roles or cameos, just like his role as Ravager member Kraglin in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies.
Nemesis is a secret-agent type man who’s working for the US government, so he could be the opposing force to Rick Flagg’s (Joel Kinnaman) command. He also falls in love with Nightshade, another Suicide Squad member.
Juan Diego Botto (Count Vertigo)

Juan Diego Botto is another Mexican actor, who I think would suit Count Vertigo. He’s a pretty prominent enemy of Green Arrow, who has the power to disrupt his enemies’ minds and disorient them with a so-called Vertigo Effect.
Pete Davidson (Black Spider)

Pete Davidson is a young actor who I think would suit the role of Black Spider. This villain is basically DC’s version of Spider-Man, albeit one who’s a straight-up villain. It’ll be ironic to see DC’s “Spider-Man” on the big screen, especially after Marvel and Sony’s deal recently breaking down.
Taika Waititi (Parasite)

Taika Waititi will probably have just a cameo role in The Suicide Squad, perhaps a fully-CGI character like Parasite, the same way that he voiced Korg in the MCU.
Alice Braga (Nightshade)

Nightshade is actually a heroine who often finds herself at the wrong side of the law, with the powers to teleport herself to another dimension called the Land of Nightshades.
Tinashe Kajese (Vixen)

Vixen is actually a prominent hero who’s actually been a member of the Justice League in the comics. Tinashe Kajese would make a great Vixen.
Peter Capaldi (King Faraday)

Peter Capaldi AKA the 13th Doctor has the gravitas necessary to bring King Faraday to life, a secret agent character similar to Marvel’s own Nick Fury.
Julio Ruiz (Copperhead)

A relatively unknown actor, I believe that Julio Ruiz could be playing an expendable character like Copperhead, who possesses snake-like abilities.
Jennifer Holland (Killer Frost)

Killer Frost is one of the most popular ice-based DC villains after Mr Freeze so it would be great to see her in The Suicide Squad.
Michael Rooker (Merlyn)

Merlyn is the nemesis of Green Arrow, whom I think Michael Rooker would fill the shoes of rather nicely.
Those are my guesses so far. What do you think; are we on or off the mark? Let us know on this feature or on Facebook.


Kakuchopurei Toy Time: Nendoroid Tracer Review

Us at Kakuchopurei.com love Overwatch and at that, equally love our toys. So you can only imagine our excitement when we first saw the reveal that Japanese toymakers famous for their Nendoroid line – Good Smile Company are releasing their own rendition of Blizzard’s Overwatch heroes starting with our favorite Brit, Tracer. The prototype pics shows a chibi version of the Overwatch mascot we come to love but as all product reveal do, they normally do not represent the final released product. Will it hold? And how does the final product do justice to the character?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpyRavogoBM&w=560&h=315]
After months of waiting, we finally got our grubby hands on it yesterday and without further ado, here’s our review of this super cute Nendoroid figure.
Packaging: 4/5

As seen on the box, the Nendoroid Tracer: Classic Skin Edition is the 730th figure released under the Nendoroid range (duh!) and while this is our first ever Nendoroid purchase, we are pretty confident that they’ve perfected the production quality, paint apps overall and features. The figure comes packaged in a windowed box as seen above with smaller clear windows on each sides and images of the Tracer figure adorn it all around.
Accessories: 3/5
Straight out of the box, you’ll get your Tracer figure and all its accessories held in place by a clear plastic shell. Additional clear sheathes of plastic protect her head and body while a sturdy plug is attached to the extra bendy right leg.

Along with the main figure, you will get the following:
One pair of pistol holding hands, one pair of open-palmed hands, two Tracer pistols (for the pistol holding hands), a sticky bomb, a plastic clear stand with a bendable arm and two sets of interchangeable faceplates which can be swapped with other Nendoroid figures. In case you are wondering, yes, you can remove Tracer’s goggles. It is secured via a small slit inside the sculpt of her hair.

The Actual Figure: 5/5
Size-wise, the Nendoroid Tracer stands about 10-cm or roughly four inches tall. The paint application is astounding and we didn’t notice any splotches. She’s got different patches on each of her shoulders and the way her yellow tracksuit shifts to orange towards her feet shows how much detail and care Good Smile put into producing this figure. Here’s a quick comparison with some of our other toys on the shelf.

				Nendoroid Tracer & SH Figuarts Iron Man Mark 3

				Nendoroid Tracer & Funko Pop D.Va

				Nendoroid Tracer & PS4 DualShock 4 controller

Articulation: 2/5Â
Let’s be clear early on: Nendoroids are not known for their articulation. The chibi versions in the range emphasizes more on aesthetics, rather than functionality hence the low score, which we put quite high on the priority when talking about action figures.Â
On the articulation side of things, due to its sculpt and size, the Nendoroid Tracer is quite limited. Her stubby arms can stretch out to a limited degree and you can only bend the elbows via a single-jointed system. The wrists are connected via tiny pegs for some swivel and minimal pivots. Swapping her hands is a straight-forward case of unplugging and plugging in parts as you wish and we are happy to announce that the joints are sturdy.
Her legs bend can kick out forward to a limited degree but does not go back that much at all. For those who want to pull off her pose as seen on the Overwatch promo screens, Good Smile included an extra mold of her right leg which can be swapped by unplugging her leg off the ball-joint.Â One cool feature they included into the figure is her articulated fringe, allowing you to replicate one of her famous emotes of blowing her hair off her face.

She’s a top-heavy figure a due to the proportions of her head so we do not recommend posing her on shelves without securing her to a stand. The stand and extended arm included with the figure allows you to put her in various action poses including a mid-air jump. Also included (not pictured) is the recall effect that can be attached to a small plug on the figure’s back. We had a good time playing with the figure and experimentingÂ  about with various poses and are sure you will too.

				The cavalry’s ‘ere!

				Oi! This is no time for standin’ around!

				And for that classic pose …

Final Thoughts & Overall Score: 3.5/5Â
Overall we are very satisfied with this figure. While we are not huge fans of the Nendoroid series, this is a definite pick for us simply for being a brilliant action figure with clean paint app, fun features and a brilliant Good Smile debut for an Overwatch character. The articulation bit pulled the overall score to 3.5/5 but for those willing to overlook that minor nit, this is a must-pick figure for any action figure (and of course, Overwatch) fans out there.
Good Smile have revealed that two more Overwatch characters are coming to their Nendoroid lineup – Mei and Mercy – and we cannot wait to get our hands on them as well. The Good SmileÂ Nendoroid Tracer: Classic Skin Edition is now available on all good toy stores near you.

What do you think of our first ever toy review? Think we can improve on it? (well of course we can!). Drop us your thoughts in the comments section below!


EVO 2022 Final Game Registration Numbers Highlights Guilty Gear Strive Being On Top

The organizers of the upcoming EVO 2022 fighting game tournament this early August just revealed the number of entrants in its stable of fighting game competitions.
Unsurprisingly, Guilty Gear Strive is in first place with 2,161 entrants. This is followed by Street Fighter 5 with 1,320 entrants and Tekken 7 with 1,220 entrants. The organizers also announced that the tournament’s Sunday finals events will include The King of Fighters XV, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5, and Guilty Gear Strive. Also, 63 countries will be participating in this major fighting game event.
EVO 2022 Entrant Numbers

Guilty Gear Strive – 2,161
Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition – 1,320
Tekken 7 – 1,220
King of Fighters 15 – 1,014
Dragon Ball FighterZ – 636
Granblue Fantasy: Versus – 528
Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate – 464
Melty Blood: Type Lumina – 411
Skullgirls 2nd Encore – 295

Evo 2022 Tournament Reg:1. GGST – 21612. SFV – 13203. T7 – 12204. KOFXV – 10145. DBFZ – 6366. GBVS – 5287. MK11 – 4648. MBTL – 4119. SG – 295Attending Countries – 63
Top 4 titles featured in the Evo 2022 Arena Finals!
Tickets are available at https://t.co/WgXv1e2fEK.
— EVO (@EVO) July 18, 2022

Being the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, this also means that SNK, Bandai Namco, Arc System Works, and Capcom will be making major fighting game announcements and reveals of existing fighting games. Expect big news for Street Fighter 6, a new Tekken, additions to KOF XV and DNF Duel, as well as Guilty Gear Strive’s second season megaton announcement and character reveals.
EVO 2022 will take place from 6th to 8th August (GMT+8) in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the US of A. Livestreams for the tournament will be available for everyone on twitch.tv/evo.


The Division 2 Trial Gives You 8 Hours Of Free Playtime

Ubisoft’s The Division 2 now has a free trial, letting interested players sample up to eight hours of the base game on Xbox One, PS4, Uplay, and the Epic Games Store.
The trial will give players access to both solo and co-op play, and progression will carry over if you end up buying the game. The trial also has a level cap of level eight, which unfortunately takes into account any level progression you might have made during a previous Free Weekend.
Even so, this is a generous trial, and frankly, I’m just glad to see more demos and trials spring out again. The Division 2 is a pretty fun looter-shooter too, although I might be slightly biased since I got it during its RM10 promotion.
If you already own the base game, check out our review of the Warlords of New York expansion.


A Fan-Favourite Character Pops Up In The Post-Credits Bit Of Spider-Man: Far From Home (SPOILERS)

Hope you guys and girls enjoyed Spider-Man: Far From Home, the next entry in the ever-growing MCU universe. We certainly did, especially the bits after the mid-credits bit and end credits section.
Let’s talk about them. Here are your multiple warnings in case you haven’t seen the film yet.

It’s safe to say that the ultimate version of J. Jonah Jameson is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You know, the one played by J.K. Simmons, arguably the best live-action version of the most disgruntled EIC in a fictional universe since forever.
To which we say “hell yes”.

After saving the world from obvious bad guy Mysterio, who is jazzed up with sci-fi hologram tech to fool the world that he fights supervillains and subsequently dies from self-inflicted drone fire wounds, Spider-Man/Peter Parker hooks up with MJ (played by Zendaya) and takes her for a web-swing. To which she regrets in a comical ending to a really fantastic action-driven film.
After that, the main displays of Times Square plays and showcases some words from Quentin Beck, who shows off some spliced and edited footage that frames Spider-Man for unleashing the drones and causing world havoc instead. The news outlet that breaks the news? The Daily Bugle, of course, with the said headline and breaking news segment announced by J.J himself. To add salt to the Spider-wound, they also outed Peter Parker in public, via the same source of the previous altered footage.

We do wonder how this will all pan out, since now we may not get to see bits where MJ/Zendaya copes with how she gets to keep Peter Parker’s identity a secret. Back in the 80s and 90s, seeing MJ wrestle with this deep dark secret was part of the drama, though the tone will have to change since that was the period Spider-Man got Spider-Edgelordey.
This J.Jonah Jameson may also be different in terms of how he works, but he’s still going to be the charmingly asshole-ish editor in chief of the online Daily Bugle. And he’ll still make headlines out of Spider-Man and his infamous acts of collateral damage and reckless heroism.
Will He Be The Next Villain?
Perhaps, but not directly. He’s responsible for “creating” the Scorpion and the Spider-Slayers, as well as funding comic book Mysterio and the Anti-Spider Squad.
In an effort to contain the Web-Headed Wizard, he ends up unintentionally going overboard since his screening process for his clients and benefactors is pretty crap.

What Else Happened?
At the end of the credits for Spider-Man: Far From Home, it’s revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D agents Nick Fury and Maria Hill are Skrulls Talos and his wife from Captain Marvel. Yep, the same good guy Skrulls in that other movie. The real Nick Fury? He’s in some spaceship with other Skrulls, probably protecting Earth from outside.
We suspect that this is the MCU equivalent of S.W.O.R.D, which is short for Sentient World Observation and Response Department. This organization, led by one Abigail Brand in the comics, is formed to protect Earth from anything related to extraterrestrial threats and encounters.
The organization was introduced in Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday; it even had its own miniseries written by former games journalist Kieron Gillen.

For all you know, this could end up being the MCU’s way of slowly adding in the X-Men into the mix. If Sony and Disney can work together in bringing back the OG live action J.Jonah Jameson, anything’s possible. This is Disney money we’re talking about.


Bleach: A Brief Recap Before The Thousand Year Blood War Arc

With the return of Bleach and its final arc finally being animated after a whole decade, we expect our orange-haired deathberry to get a lot of attention later this year. Knowing that the anime is plunging into the deep end with the climax of Ichigoâ€™s story through the Thousand Year Blood War arc, we expect s**t to hit the fan.
With that said, we at KKP think now more than ever is the best time to give you readers a brief refresher on the denizens of Karakura Town, Soul Society and the rest of the world of Bleach.

Disclaimer: we will be referring to and talking about spoilers of the previous story arcs prior to the Thousand Year Blood War arc.

Where we left Ichigo off
The last arc to be adapted into the anime was the Fullbringer arc, where most shonen at the time was having timeskips for their respective series. Seriously, it was a trend and Bleach was no different. Set 17 months after the final battle with Aizen, we find an older Ichigo struggling to cope with the loss of his powers from his last battle and feeling useless as his friends continue to clear out Hollows while he’s busy having to live a boring, mundane life. Ichigo then comes across a group of enhanced humans calling themselves Xcution, that utilize the power of Fullbring.
Chad, one of Ichigo’s closest friends, reveals himself to be a member and fellow Fullbringer and introduces him to their leader, Kugo Ginjo. Ginjo invites Ichigo to join their ranks with the promise of regaining his powers, and Ichigo accepts.
Although that friendship didn’t last long as it turns out Xcution’s plan from the get-go was to rebuild Ichigo’s power into a Fullbringer to then steal those powers to enhance their very own. However, during their betrayal, Ichigo is stabbed from behind with a sword made out of reishi (spirit particles) with his old shinigami (soul reaper, not the apple-eating kind) friend Rukia holding the blade.

Ichigo then finally regains his original shinigami powers, giant black sword in hand then promptly hands Ginjo’s ass to him. With his powers returned, all is well in the worldâ€¦ until the beginning of the Thousand-Year Blood War.
TL;DR – Ichigo lost his powers in the last big battle, gets new powers from new friends, new friends backstab Ichigo and he loses his powers again, Ichigo then gets stabbed by his real friends and he regains his OG powers. Deus ex machina nonsense, in other words.
Speaking of which, we’ll need to touch upon the main faction involved in the upcoming Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
The Soul Society
The setting for the majority of Bleach’s story, and its history will play a prominent role in the coming arc, the Soul Society is one of two places souls can go to after they die and pass on, the other being hell. Yes, in case you forgot the entirety of Bleach is set in the afterlife, and the Soul Society is where souls and shinigami reside. Soul Society’s design is a giant city district that’s closed off by a ring of giant walls, with the outer district called Rukongai, houses human souls in modest villages.
The inner city is where the shinigami live and operate, with several districts that are controlled by their respective squads from the Gotei 13.
The Gotei 13

The Gotei 13 is the general term for the shinigami organization and their main role is in entering the human world, disposing of monstrous Hollows, and helping lingering souls to move on into the Soul Society. Shinigami fight with special katana swords called Zanpakuto that house a spirit, which can be released to transform, with each one being unique to their shinigami Albeit being their main role, the Gotei 13 is divided into 13 Divisions, that each govern their respective parts of Soul Society along with playing their own specialized roles. For example, the 4th division is the medical corps while the 11th division is the combat squad, specializing in swordsmanship.
Despite the samurai theme they have going on, the Gotei 13 is militaristic in nature, with each division sharing a ranking system, with the lowest-numbered rank designated to more important, powerful members. The first seat of each Division is held by the Captain, followed by the second seat held by the Vice-Captain or Lieutenants, and so on. Captains represent the very best and strongest of the Gotei 13, denoted by their white overcoats that are often at the forefront of major battles and make up the bulk of Bleach’s cast.
In simpler terms, imagine 13 different Hokage levelled badasses. Vice-captains on the other hand are powerful shinigami, but nowhere near their Captain counterparts, but each one shares a close relationship with them and support them in whatever way they can
Notable Captains
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto – 1st Division Captain and Captain Commander of Gotei 13

Despite the many leading positions, all Captains answer to one figure without question and that man is GenryÅ«sai Yamamoto, the founder of Soul Society itself. He is the Captain of the 1st Division along with being the Captain Commander. His appearance is that of an aged old man, but looks can be deceiving as under his garment is a body sculpted with iron-like muscles and covered in numerous battle scars. His personality is reserved and quiet, but when he gets serious is when both allies and enemies alike learn what true fear is.
His Zanpakuto release is Ry?jin Jakka, a form that wraps his sword in intense flames. You’ll get to find out how hot his Bankai gets in the upcoming story arc.
Byakuya Kuchiki – 6th Division Captain and Head of Kuchiki Clan

In the past he played the main antagonist role before Ichigo aligned himself with Soul Society, prim and proper Byakuya Kuchiki holds the seat of 6th Division Captain and is also the head of the Kuchiki Clan. Very serious and deadpan, he shares a condescending relationship with Ichigo but holds a deep respect for him. His adopted sister is Rukia Kuchiki, someone very close to Ichigo while his Vice-captain Renji Abarai, has a budding rivalry with Ichigo.
His Zanpakuto release is Senbonzakura, a torrent of small sakura-petal-like blades that he can manipulate at will. His other special skill is being a terrible artist just like his little sister.
The Many Races in Bleach
You would be surprised to learn that most of Bleachls characters aren’t technically human. Most of the characters are actually ghosts or spirits, with others being completely different beings. Here’s a brief rundown of each race.
Humans – Your run off the mill humans. Ichigo and his ragtag team of best friends are human, with Ichigo having inherited shinigami powers from his dad and training. In general they have no power, but certain humans with high spiritual pressure can develop powers in the form of Fullbring like Chad and the organization Xcution.

Shinigami – Spirits that have high spiritual pressure and make up the ranks of the Gotei 13. Technically are not human, as they regard humanity as something beneath them. They are recognized by their iconic black shihakusho garment, it being the standardized uniform for all shinigami. They fight using Zanpakuto, sentient swords that can change form and are unique to each person. Zanpakuto releases have two levels, Shikai release, which is the base form and the Bankai release, which is the final, most powerful form a shinigami can possess. One of the bare minimum requirements to become a Captain is to achieve Bankai, which is a rare and tough process.

Hollows – Hollows are corrupted souls who stayed in the human world for too long without passing on and are one of the major antagonistic forces in Bleach. Each hollow has a white mask with their bodies having the monstrous and varied appearance, but each one has a gaping hole in their chest, hence the name. Hollows can evolve and grow their spiritual power to the point where they become Arrancars, gaining a human form with a broken white mask and fight with katanas, a direct parallel to shinigami. Hollows reside in the world Hueco Mundo, a desolate desert of white sand.

Quincy – The Quincy are a special breed of humans, often regarded as a different race altogether. They fight using weapons made out of reishi (spirit particles) and are signified by their use of the bow and white, gothic clothing. They have a dark past with the shinigami as they essentially committed genocide on their race in a previous war. The Quincy are an endangered race, with Ichigo’s close friend Uryuu Ishida, said to be the last of his kind but the new arc seems to show that he’s not alone. This should make for an interesting conflict between the Shinigami and Quincy.

Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War arc anime will be out this October.


We Sum Up 2019 In One Sweet Recap Video

Yes, we get it: 2019 is over. It’s already 2020; let’s get on with it.
But we have to pay tribute to a particularly bountiful year of gaming, so here’s an epic recap video from an Asian perspective. Enjoy!

Did we miss any big moments in video games or any game for that matter? Let us know on the comments here, on YouTube, and on Facebook. We totally appreciate it!
Okay, NOW we can move onwards to 2020.


World Of Warships Update Brings Superships & Huge Graphical Improvements

World of Warshipsâ€™ latest update 0.10.10 is packed full of changes, including the fifth season of Ranked Battles with superships, the return of popular battle type â€Armâ€™s Raceâ€ and huge graphical improvements to the game, alongside much more.
Massive Visual Improvements
World of Warships prides itself on offering stunning visual displays of naval combat for gamers and military history enthusiasts across the world, and this update is set to make the gameâ€™s visuals bolder and better than ever before.
Firstly, the simulation of water on all maps has been completely changed. The new simulation system allows you to get waves of almost any shape and height, and also makes their dynamics realistic, with ships visually swaying on the waves. Some maps have also been updated with HD textures and animated objects. Vegetation has been improved and it looks more realistic on all maps. Besides the surface, changes have been made on the underwater world as well, which continue to be vastly improved as Submarines continue to roll-out in the game.
Superships in Ranked and Co-op Battles
As World of Warships enters into its fifth season of ranked battles, a new range of superships is here to shake things up, as well as changes to the existing superships. In addition to the existing super ships Satsuma and Hannover, there will be 4 more super-ships: CondÃ©, Annapolis, Yamagiri and Zorkiy.
In true supership style, these new vessels will have unique features that offer players alternative gameplay tactics and diversify decision-making in battle. Conde, Annapolis and Zorkiy can boast an alternate firing mode, which makes all their turrets fire several salvos in rapid succession. The Yamagiri, meanwhile, offers two types of torpedoes, that can be exchanged during the battle enabling players to prioritise either range, speed, or damage in their combat engagements. The existing superships, Satsuma and Hannover will see some changes with their unique feature – Combat Instructions. Instead of it being automatically triggered, players will now be able to activate it themselves at the most opportune moment in the battle.
All six superships will be available for rent from random bundles that can be purchased from the Armory for a new temporary resource – Supership Tokens. Tokens can be obtained for completing special combat missions on Tier X ships. Superships will be available to play in both Ranked and Co-op battles.
Soviet Aircraft Carriers Enter the Fray
With the release of Update 0.10.10, “Komsomolets”, “Serov”, “Pobeda” and “Admiral Nakhimov” will be available for research to all players. These formidable ships will offer players devastating attacks with their whole squadron, rocket boosters, long-range torpedoes as well as skip bombers.
The second week of the Update will bring five thematic groups of combat missions, upon its completion players will be rewarded with a historical Soviet battleship Novorossiysk, a commander with 6 skill points and a port slot.
As the Soviets complete their full release, German battleships Tier III-IX continue their early access through Update 0.10.10. The iconic Hamburg port has been decked out, and players can trade German tokens for these ships, and with the release of the update, a special combat mission will be available, awarding players with a themed patch and a flag.
Arms Race
The popular Arms race battle type is back, as Wargaming gradually prepares to launch the game mode into Random Battles in the future. Players will need to coordinate with their team in a 12 vs 12 format, capturing special boost zones as reinforcements continue to arrive. Improving on the original format, the new iteration will see several changes including two new buffs that will increase armament damage and HP pool of ships.
This update also includes significant changes to Submarines as they continue to be tested by the community. Finally, festive battle performance bonuses arrived early this year. Starting from Tier V onwards players can grab Coal, Steel, or a special temporary resource called New Year Certificates that can be exchanged for Santa’s Gift containers in the next update.


Square Enix To Announce A New Mobile Dragon Quest Game Next Week

Square Enix has announced that they will unveil a new Dragon Quest mobile game for Android and iOS next week on 18 January 2023 at 8pm GMT+8 on YouTube.
As of now, we know almost nothing about the game. It may very well be a spinoff of an existing Dragon Quest game, a brand new Dragon Quest title or perhaps even the upcoming Dragon Quest XII The Flames Of Fate. Speaking Dragon Quest XII The Flames Of Fate, it’s been almost two years since the original announcement so maybe this year we might finally get more concrete news about the game.
In the meantime, you can stay updated on the game’s official Twitter account here.


Netflix February 2022: Our Picks & Highlights

Itâ€™s going to be a brand new year, so Iâ€™m sure you wonâ€™t want to waste time sifting through Netflixâ€™s extensive catalogue of shows and movies just to decide on what to watch. The streaming giant updates its site every day, week, and month with new content, so Iâ€™m here to save your precious time.
Here are my personal recommendations and highlights for Netflix Malaysiaâ€™s February 2022 lineup and how to fill up your free time with worthwhile content at home:
Murderville (3 February 2022)
Murderville. (L to R) Will Arnett as Terry Seattle, Ken Jeong as Guest 106 in episode 106 of Murderville. Cr. Darren Michaels/Netflix Â© 2021
Meet Senior Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett), Homicide Division. For Terry, every day means a new murder case and a new celebrity guest star as his partner. But hereâ€™s the catch: each episode’s guest star isnâ€™t being given the script. They have no idea whatâ€™s about to happen to them. Together, the guest star and Terry Seattle will have to improvise their way through the case… but it will be up to each celebrity guest alone to name the killer. Join them as they punch a one-way ticket to Murderville.
The six-episode procedural crime comedy premieres globally on Netflix on February 3. Based on the BAFTA award-winning BBC3 series Murder In Successville by Tiger Aspect Productions and Shiny Button Productions.Â
Celebrity Guest Stars: Annie Murphy, Conan Oâ€™Brien, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch, Sharon Stone

Disenchantment Season 4 (9 February 2022)
Disenchantment (L to R) Eric AndrÃ© as Luci, Abbi Jacobson as Bean and Nat Faxon as Elfo in Disenchantment. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX Â© 2022
The misadventures of hard-hitting, hard-drinking Queen Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo and her personal demon Luci return and deepen in Part 4 of Matt Groeningâ€™s comedy fantasy series Disenchantment.Â
The mystery of Dreamlandâ€™s origins – and the stakes for its future – become ever clearer as our trio – and King ZÃ¸g – find themselves on personal journeys that will ultimately tie into the kingdomâ€™s fate. Separated at the end of Part III, our heroes race to reunite in this sweeping series of ten episodes.
Theyâ€™ll find themselves everywhere from the depths of Hell to the clouds of Heaven and everywhere in between, including Ogreland, Steamland, underwater, monasteries, insane asylums, the Enchanted Forest, the Dreamscape and more. All the while, puzzle pieces both canonical and personal will reveal themselves to eager fans.

Space Force Season 2 (18 February 2022)
Space Force. (L to R) Ben Schwartz as F. Tony Scarapiducci, Tawny Newsome as Angela Ali, Steve Carell as General Mark Naird, Jimmy O. Yang as Dr. Chan Kaifang, Don Lake as Brad Gregory, Diana Silvers as Erin Naird, John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory in episode 201 of Space Force. Cr. Diyah Pera/Netflix Â© 2021
Under a new administration, General Naird and his dysfunctional but endearing crew have four months to prove that the Space Force is worth keeping around.
This sitcom is created by Greg Daniels (who created The Office) and Steve Carell.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (18 February 2022)
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Cr. Yana Blajeva / Â©2021 Legendary, Courtesy of Netflix
After nearly 50 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorise a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.Â
It is intended to be a direct sequel to the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and ignoring all the other sequels. It stars Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Jacob Latimore as Dante, Moe Dunford as Richter, Olwen FouÃ©rÃ©, Alice Krige, Jessica Allain, Nell Hudson, Sam Douglas, William Hope, and Jolyon Coy.

The Cuphead Show! (18 February 2022)
The Cuphead Show! (L to R) Frank Todaro as Mugman and Tru Valentino as Cuphead in The Cuphead Show! Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX Â© 2022
Based on the award-winning video game, THE CUPHEAD SHOW! follows the unique misadventures of loveable, impulsive scamp Cuphead and his cautious but easily swayed brother Mugman.

Vikings Valhalla (25 February 2022)
Vikings: Valhalla. (L to R) Bradley Freegard as Canute, Leo Suter as Harald in episode 102 of Vikings: Valhalla. Cr. Bernard Walsh/Netflix Â© 2021
In this sequel to “Vikings,” 100 years have passed and a new generation of legendary heroes arises to forge its own destiny â€” and make history.

Those are just several selected highlights from next monthâ€™s offerings of new TV series and movies on Netflix. Now you can plan your Netflix binge-fest for February 2022.


The Creators Of Endless Legend Is Working On A New 4X Game

Founded by former Ubisoft employees, Amplitude Studios has become one of the most interesting strategy game developers in the past eight years. With titles like Endless Space and Endless Legend, it seemed like the studio was trying to create something that would rival Sid Meier’s Civilization, the undisputed king of 4X.
Unveiled at Gamescom 2019, Humankind is Amplitude’s latest title and it might just be the Civ-killer that 4X fans have been waiting for. The game is still early in development so there’s not much to be shown. However, PC Gamer and Game Informer have gotten a chance to take a closer look.
It’s worth noting that Amplitude considers this game their magnum opus. In fact, studio head Romain de Waubert de Genlis said that the reason they “created Amplitude was to make Humankind”.
Fame Is The Name Of The Game

Amplitude understood that 4X games often have the same issue of having an endgame phase that only consists of completing checklists of minor objectives dotted around the map. Instead of focusing on conquering the world, Humanity is more about leaving a mark.
The game’s main scoring system uses Fame. To accrue Fame, you need to do things that would make your civilisation memorable such as building a megalopolis or getting into an epic battle. At the end of a game, Fame is totaled up and if you have the highest score, you win.
So how does this solve the issue of 4X endgame sluggishness? Well, you can farm for Fame at any point in your civilisation’s history. Each era will offer you the chance to potentially earn 21 stars. Once you get seven stars, you can advance to the next age. With each star you acquire, you gain more Fame.
That’s Not How History Works

When we put on our thinking caps, we start to realise that civilisations aren’t formed in a vacuum. The evolution of mankind’s various cultures involves a lot of mixing between different nations and ideologies. Humanity wants players to go through that journey of creating their own unique civilisation by playing around with the game’s various options of advancement.
There will be six Eras to play through and at the end of each Era, players will choose a culture or civilisation that they wish to adopt. Each of the options will have their own benefits that accompany their unique architecture. As you carve your path through history, you’ll pick more traits from different civilisations at the end of each Era.
Here’s where it gets really interesting. The path you choose will be visible through the structure of your cities. For example, you could have a city with the modern roads of Germany and the occasional pyramid. In a glance, you (and other civilisations) can identify the path you’ve recently chosen and also what you picked in the past.

For now, that’s pretty much everything we know about the game. The descriptions I’ve given above are summarised versions of what PC Gamer and Game Informer have reported. I definitely recommend checking out their coverage on the game.
Humankind is scheduled to be released in 2020 for PC. It will be published by Sega, who bought Amplitude Studios in 2016.


The M5 World Championship Will Take Place In The Philippines

The M5 World Championship of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament will take place in the Philippines, according to Moonton, the game developer. The Philippines has had a strong showing in the tournament in recent years, leading to the decision to host the event there. The M5 World Championship is set to take place in December 2023.

It was announced that the M5 World Championship, following the successful hosting of the M4 World Championship in Indonesia, will be held in the Philippines. This was revealed through a video during the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship event. The Philippines’ dominance in the game, as well as their achievement of having “All Filipino Finals” for two seasons in a row, were factors in the decision to hold the event in the Philippines. The M5 World Championship is planned to take place in December 2023, according to Moonton’s Road Map for 2023.

As per Moonton’s Road Map, there are several upcoming competitions that will take place this year. Following the M4 World Championship, an official tournament specifically for the women’s competitive scene named the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Woman Invitational, is scheduled to occur in February 2023.
After the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Woman Invitational, the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) and other official competitions in various countries will take place. Additionally, the 2023 Cambodian Sea Games will be held in May, followed by the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2023 in June, and ending with the MPL Invitational 2023 before the M5 World Championship.
Currently, there is no additional information available about the specifics of the M5 World Championship. However, based on the format of the previous season, it is expected that the event will again invite 16 teams from the top 12 countries to participate.


Star Wars The High Republic Opening Crawl Unveiled

Earlier this year, Disney officially announced Star Wars The High Republic, which will be the canon prequel for the entire franchise and replace the popular Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic.
The series is set to begin in January 2021 with the release of adult and young adult novels, childrenâ€™s books, and comics from multiple publishers including Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, IDW Publishing, and Marvel.
Star Wars The High RepublicÂ is set in a time when the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their zenith, about 200 years before the events ofÂ Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace.
Check out the opening crawl below, courtesy of the official website:


Here’s A Sneak Listen At Streets Of Rage 4’s Soundtrack

It’s been a month or less since we’ve heard any developments from the upcoming sequel to Sega’s Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle from Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games. So it’s only apt that the latest from the trio of publishers and developers is focused on the heart and soul of the series: the music.
The game’s main composer is none other than Olivier DeriviÃ¨re, the same guy who did the music for one of last year’s finest game soundtracks A Plague Tale: Innocence.

The title will also include new contributions from Scattle (Hotline Miami 1 & 2), Das MÃ¶rtal (Hotline Miami 2), XL Middleton, and Groundislava. Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima, the OG composers of the series, will be contributing as guests.
Unfortunately, Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma will not be joining this eclectic list due to scheduling conflicts. But taking his place is legendary Capcom composer Harumi Fujita. Her works include Â Mega Man 3,Â Final Fight,Â Strider, Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, Bionic Commando, and a lot of arcade hits. We’ll be doing a SoundScape on her work next month, rest assured.
Check out the samples below courtesy of Dotemu’s SoundCloud page.

My Take?
I have to be honest here: it’s definitely different. The OST seems to be channelling neo-wave synth work in games like Katana Zero and the Hotline Miami series. And really, it’s the best way to pivot to instead of channelling the Eurodance movement of the 90s like Yuzo Koshiro did with his Streets of Rage music work.
If you’re expecting something from that era coming in full blast, you’re going to be very disappointed. However, if you come in with an open mind, you’ll find a lot of tunes that pay homage to the games while emanating their own style of current beats.


Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 9: The Full Schedule & Results [Update]

MPL Malaysia has officially gone offline, and the ninth season of Malaysia’s current big Mobile Legends tournament is coming to an end.
Eight teams will be fighting for glory and bragging rights to be the best Mobile Legends team this season. The Playoffs and Finals will be held later this April. Here’s the schedule and how you can watch the playoffs and finals.
Mobile Legends MPL Malaysia Season 9 Schedule

Date: 22-24 April
Venue: EBN Esports City, Quill City Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Teams
Upper Bracket
Team SMG
Suhaz Esports
RED Esports
Todak
Lower Bracket
HomeBois
Orange Esports
RSG Malaysia
Team Caracal
Results

Todak (YUS$25,000)
Orange Esports (US$12,000)
Suhaz Esports (US$5,000)
Team Caracal (US$3,000)
RED Esports MY ($1,500)
Team SMG (US$1,500)
RSG Malaysia (US$1,000)
Homebois (US$1,000)
MAB Esports
Geek Fam

Playoffs & Finals Matches Schedule

21 April
Team SMG vs Todak (Upper Bracket): 0-2
HomeBois vs Team Caracal (Lower Bracket): 0-2
RSG Malaysia vs Orange Esports (Lower Bracket): 0-2
22 April
RED Esports vs Suhaz Esports (Upper Bracket): 1-2
Quarterfinals Match #1 Team SMG vs Team Caracel: 0-2
Quarterfinals Match #2 RED Esports vs Orange Esports: 1-2
23 April
Todak vs Suhaz Esports: 3-0
Team Caracal vs Orange Esports: 1-2
Suhaz Esports vs Orange Esports: 0-3
24 April
Grand Finals (Best of 7): Todak vs Orange Esports: 4-1
How To Watch The MPL MY Season 9 Finals
You can watch the finals on the Mobile Legends esports YouTube page here. The livestream will happen starting 22nd April; we’ll be sure to put the embedded video here.

Season Recap
Week 1

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8


Why The Neo Geo Pocket Could Have Been A Game Changer

Welcome to yet another entry of Kakuchopurei and Retro DNA’s SNK 40th Anniversary retrospective celebration which will end in about 2 week’s time. Check out the rest of the features here.Â

The 13 Most Influential SNK Fighting Game Moves

Hail To The King (Of Fighters)

The Top 15 SNK Games You Must Play Before You Die

The Art of Shinkiro

Why The Neo Geo Was Successful

So, it’s the 20th anniversary of SNK’s first and only portable system: the Neo Geo Pocket. In a long period of the 90s where the portable gaming scene was almost trashed by Tiger Electronics but was a revelation thanks to Nintendo and its monochrome pocket wonder – the Nintendo Game Boy.
The scene was also filled with potential heirs to the throne like Sega’s Game Gear and Atari’s Lynx. And then came the Neo Geo Pocket, considered an anomaly to many.
Why Was It So?

At the time, it made sense for other companies like Bandai Namco and NEC to make the brief jump to portable consoles just for that sweet niche money. We ended up with the Wonderswan from the former and TurboXpress from the latter. The Neo Geo Pocket may have stood out because of its legacy.
For context, the original Neo Geo MVS itself was an old-school Porsche: expensive, powerful for its time, and delivers a quality experience that can’t be found elsewhere. So how can that legacy work in the portable gaming industry where low tech and long battery staying power are favoured over high-powered hardware?

Simple: SNK just said “screw it” and went the compacting route.

They took the framework of their high-quality fighting games and truncated the experience into a non-colour screen device with a d-pad and a few buttons. SNK worked with the platform’s limitations, hence the different and simple “pint-sized” art style of NGP versions of your Fatal Fury and KOF games.
Even games like Magical Drop and Metal Slug had NGP version that kept to the source material’s spirit. To make up for downscaled graphics, the developers added in extra options and expansive stages.
When Nintendo released the Game Boy Color back in 1998 to make most of the aforementioned competitor’s devices obsolete, SNK were quick to react with an NGP Color 5 months after. It didn’t do them any favours though: half of the NGP back catalogue could not work on the NGP Color since the device couldn’t support monochrome mode for that half.
The Devil Is In The Details

While it didn’t shake up the scene sales-wise, the NGP Color did amass a good number of supporters because its games looked good and played smoothly.

The NGP Color had a 16-bit processor and more RAM than the Game Boy Color, which meant more detailed graphics and better processing power.
It also helped that the wide horizontal format of the NGP is easier on the hands for most players. Imagine a revved-up version of the Game Gear but with a ton of lovely-looking cartoony fighting games.
Oh, and let’s not forget the “click stick”, the portable’s control interface that socketed into eight directional grooves which just feels right and natural for a handheld. It’s more responsive and accurate than most d-pad interfaces on other portables back in the day. And you need a responsive directional input for your fighting games, which the NGP had in spades.
Since the device only had two buttons, devs had to use software to make two additional inputs for their fighting games. To do Light attacks, you just press the button lightly, and to do Strong actions, just sustain your button presses. Easy peasy!

In fact, one could argue that without the “click stick”, we won’t be getting the PSP and 3DS analog sliders which are lesser versions of its source. Props for trying though.

https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/1458693094235101/
A Sad Ending
A system of this calibre should succeed in theory, right? Unfortunately, any portable that dared to challenge Nintendo pre-smartphone era would be obliterated. SNK sold 2 million units of the NGP total during its one-year lifespan.
One. Year.

This was due to a bad combination of lacking software support and limited retail reach.

As great as the NGP’s library was, there weren’t that many studios willing to make games for it like they did for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. The NGP couldn’t sustain the frequency of releases the Game Boy had to compete.

There also were a limited variety of games for the NGP: everyone eventually wanted more than just great pint-sized arcade ports. Sure, there were long-term games like Fasalei! and SNK Vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash, but it was too little, too late.
And here’s the kicker: these games were hard to find worldwide. Sure, your Singapore and Malaysia mom-and-pop game shops (you know, the ones with the not-so-legal copies of CD games) had them in stock, but their prices are jacked up due to their rarity in the SEA region. At the very least, SNK had some level of retail presence though it’s relatively minor compared to Sega and Nintendo’s.

Speaking of Sega, SNK did partner up with Sega via cross-platform collusion with Sonic Pocket Adventure. Though this would have worked out better if the Sega Dreamcast at the time did not have its VMU memory cards with their built-in portable elements. And if it, of course, survived a tad longer than its 4-year lifespan.
And then there was that whole bit where SNK went bankrupt, came back as SNK Playmore, did a bunch of pachinko games and terrible KOF titles, and then teamed up with a China bigwig partner Leyou Technologies Holdings in recent years. But you already knew that, right?
In The End, Did It Matter?

Despite its 1-year lifespan, the NGP and NGPC had its place in retro-gaming and SNK history. It was a technological bridge between 8-bit to whatever-bits the Game Boy Advance was.

It had better technology than the Game Boy while it still maintained its compact design and games library. Its ergonomics and controls inspired other companies to do the same with its then-future platforms.

Most importantly, the games have that “same but different” feel to them. Titles like SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters Clash, SNK vs Capcom, Metal Slug: 2nd Mission, and the other games I mentioned above are awesome titles unique to the NGP Color. Even after 20 years, Gals Fighters is a superior title than SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. It just doesn’t look as robust & as 3D.
Here’s to you, Neo Geo Pocket. You’ll at least be a remembered-if-niche footnote in portable gaming history.
Image credit: ConsoleMad.uk


DNF Duel Trailer Unveils First Look At New Arc System Works Game

Nexon has released a new trailer for the upcoming fighting game DNF Duel, which is inspired by the Dungeon Fighter franchise. The game is developed by three studios, includingÂ Arc System Works, Eighting and Neople.
Arc System Works is best known for their Guilty Gear fighting games and Dragon Ball FighterZ, while Eighting co-developed Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Meanwhile, Neople made Dungeon Fighter Online.
The description for the trailer reads:
The Dungeon and Fighter RPG franchise of 16 years is now back as a 2.5D fighting game!
Join the battle as a Berserker, Inquisitor, Striker, Grappler, Ranger, and more!
More details and information were not revealed, such as the platforms or release window/date for the game. In the meantime, you can follow the official Facebook page for the game here.
Check out the trailer below:


E3 2019: Would Tom Clancy Approve The Use Of His Name On A Mobile Game?

Novelist Tom Clancy and his works has inspired game studio Ubisoft into doing gripping war tales and espionage fares like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and Splinter Cell. As such, he wouldn’t mind having his name on said titles if he were still alive today.
I do wonder if he would feel the same when his name is slapped onto a mobile game, called Tom Clancy’s Elite Agents, which has next to nothing to do with gripping political drama related to real-life events. Probably not, especially if the mobile game is just like every other real-time RPG involving up to 5 characters in a party defeating waves of enemies and levelling up in obtuse ways.
But hey, you get to play your favourite Tom Clancy characters like Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell, some lady with a gun and backpack in The Division, and the bearded guy in Ghost Recon. This isn’t exactly like your all-star games with Nintendo or Sega characters, you know?
No, really. Watch the gameplay trailer below. It’s basically Dot Arena, Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, and all those other South Korean RPGs but with guns and grenades instead of swords and lightsabers.

There’s no release date for this mobile game as of yet.


Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Will Not Have Loot Boxes

We’re less than two weeks away from the release of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare and developer Infinity Ward has finally clarified one important thing about the upcoming game. The game won’t feature any loot boxes whatsoeverÂ unlike 2017’s Call Of Duty WW2.
This was confirmed by Infinity Ward’s Joel Emslie, who posted the following on Reddit:

“Sigh.
There continues to be misinformed and incorrect info being pushed about Modern Warfare.
What I can say right now is that we are definitely NOT working on any kind of supply drop or loot box system.
Also, functional stuff is unlocked through GAMEPLAY.
Stay tuned, we’re planning to release info this week.”

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won’t have loot boxes, it may still feature the Call of Duty Points virtual currency from previous games. Players will be able to buy these with real money to spend them on cosmetic items like weapon skins and emotes, that don’t affect gameplay.
Call Of Duty Modern WarfareÂ is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC onÂ 25 October 2019.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGjUSyETd1U&w=560&h=315]


[Rumour] The Last Of Us Part 3 Will Be The Next Naughty Dog Game

It looks like the next game from Naughty Dog will be The Last Of Us Part 3. This is according to a reputable leaker named ViewerAnon, who previously leaked Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time and other news that turned out to be true in the past.

Well, I'm not watching anything, so… Dr. Uckmann's next game is THE LAST OF US PART III which is currently in production at Naughty Dog. https://t.co/MxN8aBq9cy
— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) December 13, 2022

The leaker also claims that a new Uncharted game is in development but not by Naughty Dog, as well as that the The Last Of Us multiplayer Factions will be launching first before anything else. However, he doesn’t know anything about Naughty Dog’s new IP, which was previously rumoured to be in development.

UNCHARTED will be handled by another studio, FACTIONS is coming first, not sure on the new IP.
— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) December 13, 2022

For now, it’s best to take all this with a grain of salt. We’ll have to wait until Naughty Dog officially announces anything in the future. In the meantime, check out my review of the recently-released The Last Of Us Part 1 for the PS5 by heading over here, or check out my review of The Last Of Us Part 2 here.
Meanwhile, The Last Of Us HBO series will premiere on HBO GO on 15 January 2023.


China Hero Project RPG Will Be Published By Sony Interactive Entertainment

Back in 2016, PlayStation China Hero Project title Lost Soul Aside had a trailer and wowed a number of JRPG lovers and enthusiasts. The game’s development went on for quite a while, but at least now in 2022 we get word of the game’s publishing partner.
The Ultizero Games-developed RPG will have Lost Soul Aside published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game will be available for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, naturally. Here’s the official press release regarding the game’s new publishing partner:

“Set in a fantasy world where science-fiction, swords, and superpowers coexist, Lost Soul Aside is an action RPG that tells the story of Kazer, following his accidental merger with the symbiont Arena. With combat at its heart, Lost Soul Aside has a rich and rewarding combat system that gives player the flexibility to adapt their playstyle, and weapon choice to suit their playstyle to the battle at hand.
Since its first reveal, Lost Soul Aside has been very well received, including collecting the Most Anticipated Game award and Dev Grant from Epic Games, as well as strong local praise in China, reinforcing its position as one of the most anticipated titles to come from a China-based developer.
With the strong support of Sony Interactive Entertainment ‘China Hero Project,’ as well as development funding and the opportunity to bring Lost Soul Aside to a global audience, the development progress of Lost Soul Aside is steadily progressing and we are looking forward to providing more updates and details soon.”


GTA V Is Still Popular & Selling Like Hot Cakes

The gaming industry has been abuzz with published financial reports recently, revealing unannounced milestones and revelations. The latest is Take-Two Interactive‘s, which has disclosed new sales milestones and achievements for the publisher in terms of revenue.
Take-Two has reported net revenue up 74 percent year-over-year to a whopping US$859 million. The high earnings can be attributed to the successful launches of Borderlands 3 and NBA 2K20 in 2019, as well as ongoing revenue from older titles like NBA 2K19 and GTA V.
Borderlands 3 has sold seven million units since it launched in September 2019. What’s surprising is that games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V are still selling like they’re the hottest properties around.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has now sold a total of 26.5 million copies as it passes its one-year anniversary (and recently releasing its PC version), but the biggest story here is aboutÂ GTA V. The open-world title, which originally released back in 2013, has hit an incredible new sales milestone, and likely breaking records in the process.
GTA V has sold an unthinkable 115 million copies, which is made even more impressive when the sales tally was 110 million just several months ago in May 2019. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said (about the sales milestone of GTA V):

“I think as the install base grows, if you’re over the age of 17, it’s a must-have title.
This title, remember, was developed for the last generation originally and then a new version was developed for this generation.
And it’s pretty amazing that a title originally developed for last generation remains the standard-bearer for quality more than six years later.”

The 2019 holiday season has been sorely lacking compared to 2018’s, with only several noteworthy and highly-anticipated games like Death Stranding and Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order slated for release. Zelnick is confident that the high-quality games the publisher already has under its belt are enough to drive sales:

“It isn’t a strongly competitive holiday season, and given that we’re actively in the market with Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3 and most recently with Outer Worlds, I think there’s some benefit to having less competition,.
But…everything’s got to stand on its own.
When you have a very thin quarter, if what you put out isn’t the highest possible quality, it’s not going to perform.
Consumers will not show up unless it’s the highest quality, even if there’s nothing else out there.
So our strategy is to create the highest quality entertainment experience worldwide of any type.”


Project Power Is A Summer Blockbuster To Fill Up Your Superhero Thirst

Superheroes are all the rage, there’s no doubt about that. Everything from Marvel to DC, and even more niche stuff like Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys and most recently, Netflix’s own The Old Guard movie adaptation. Now, Netflix is going the next step with its own original comics-style movie with the star-studded Project Power.
It’s based on a script from relative newcomer Mattson Tomlin, who is also currently co-writing the script for Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2021. The premise is familiar and familiar to anyone well-versed in any related to superheroes; in the world of Project Power, there is a drug that gives anyone a superhuman ability for five minutes.
Superhero Junkies

Project Power starts with a benefactor distributing a new and mysterious drug on the streets of New Orleans. What’s weird about the entire affair is that the drugs are being given away for free and that they bestow a superhuman ability to anyone who consumes them. There’s a catch, they only gain access to that power for five minutes, but there’s always a risk of overdosing and going boom as well.
There are three main protagonists in Project Power, all three of whom have simple names that are easy to remember: Robin (Dominique Fishback), Art (Jamie Foxx), and Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Without spoiling anything, Robin is a schoolgirl who gets wrapped up in dealing this new Power drug, Art is a man on a revenge quest and is looking to find the makers of the drug, and Frank is a police officer of the NOYD who has to take the drug in order to equal the playing field with newly-arrived superpowered criminals.
Despite its familiar setting, Project Power managed to hold my intrigue and attention throughout the duration of its one-hour-and-53-minute runtime. The plot is pretty straightforward with not much in terms of genuine surprises, but the pacing is almost perfect with a mix of action and even sprinklings of humour.
In fact, that humour is where the writing shines the most, and combine that with the great performances of the lead actors, there was nary a boring moment in Project Power. Even though I could see a lot of the narrative choices coming from a mile away, they didn’t take anything away from this movie.

The action is better than average for a Netflix original movie as well, following a welcome trend from The Old Guard, which featured great action scenes as well. My absolute fave is this one chase scene between Frank and a superpowered bank robber, which is made unique and memorable due to the nature of the band robber’s powers (I won’t reveal it though).
A lot of the elements that did surprise and entertain me as a long-time ardent comic book fan is how Project Power smartly portrays the superpowers given by the drug. As a way to inject more realism into the movie, these powers aren’t glorified or awe-inspiring as they would often be in other conventional superhero movies. They’re quite often depicted as the opposite; usually harmful to both the user and the people around them.
If you’re tired of glorified superheroes, Project Power is the perfect movie for you. That said, it’s still not as cynical as Watchmen or as over-the-top as The Boys. While there are meta comic book references here and there, Project Power is no Deadpool or Doom Patrol either. This movie is a meant to be blockbuster and it’s a good one.
Holding Her Own In A Star-Studded Cast

What surprised me most about Project Power is that the highlight and MVP of the movie aren’t even Jamie Foxx or Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but Dominique Fishback. Yes, this 29-year-old actress impressively manages to hold her own amongst the two biggest stars of the movie.
Fishback exhibits her own charm as the teenage Robin, who is forced to deal the new Power drug to make ends meet for herself and her mother. They live in a poor and ghetto-like neighbourhood, and she portrays a believable teenager who lives in the hood with dreams of becoming a rapper.
She actually raps several times in the movie, and they’re some of the best parts in the movie. When Fishback’s Robin raps in a scene with Foxx’s Art, it feels like Foxx is genuinely impressed by her amazing rapping skills. Speaking of Art, Jamie Foxx is incredible as usual, and best of all, he’s intense as hell in Project Power.
Joesph Gordon-Levitt is another highlight as the NOPD cop Frank, as he’s the one who viewers usually see in superhero movies; the overzealous cop who would stoop to the level of the bad guys and use the same Power drugs to give himself powers. While his character is probably the least complex and developed compared to Fishback’s or Foxx’s, Gordon-Levitt never fails to steal the show in every scene that he’s in.
Supporting characters like real-life rapper Machine Gun Kelly’s Newt and Rodrigo Santoro’s antagonist Biggie do the best they can with what little material they had, though they’re ultimately not in the movie much to leave as much of an impact as the lead actors and actresses.
In addition, I’d also like to praise directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost for not ending this movie with a tight and satisfying conclusion. Project Power doesn’t succumb to the same mistake of having a sequel-bait ending like the recently-released The Old Guard, which makes this movie more refreshing. Still, there was still a bit of ambiguity left in the ending that leaves the room open for a sequel, should Netflix order one.
A Blockbuster For The Summer

Project Power is a hell of a good time; a summer blockbuster you can watch from the comfort of your own home or mobile phone. With the summer of 2020 turning out to be non-existent (due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), Netflix is there to fill the gaping void with blockbuster-worthy movies like this one and the recently-released The Old Guard.
Netflix original movies have never had the reputation of their TV series counterparts, thanks to the difference in overall quality. However, that’s slowly changing. Project Power is clear proof of that, and traditional Hollywood studios should probably start getting afraid.
FINAL SCORE: 80/100


Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot Is A Roguelite Featuring A Giant Blob Killing Red Folks

The folks behind Despotism 3K and Despot’s Game, tinyBuild and Konfa Games, will be releasing a new roguelite action title that uses its past assets for a brand-new indie experience.
The new title is called Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot and it’s coming out for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch in 2023. The game is about a sentient slime monster hellbent on destruction in a roguelite fashion. You navigate through a familiar post-apocalyptic labyrinth and fight enemies while overcoming obstacles.

Features

Strategy. Your decision-making skills are more important than your ability to press buttons at the right time.
Snowball. Enemies are getting twice as strong every minute, which means you have to be even more powerful! Become the ultimate jelly death machine!
Rewards. A huge amount of content unlockable between sessions allows you to constantly experiment with new builds and overcome new challenges.
Fun. It’s fun to watch little pink humans pop when you crush them!


Ace Combat 7 Season Pass Adds Fan-Favourite Planes From Previous Games

Bandai Namco has revealed the three DLC packs that come together with the season pass. The planes were teased back a few months ago. Each pack contains an aircraft which comes from previous games, and they are sweet planes to fly.

Here’s the breakdown of the planes:
The ADF-11F Raven Set

Arriving on 22 May, the ADF-11F Raven is a manned version of the large fighter developed in Erusea. Its ADF-11 nose unit is uniquely equipped with an F-type flight unit designed for combat. ADF Stands for Advance Dominance Fighter.

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will also be available as a special weapon as well as an alternate skin for the ADF-11F Raven.
TheÃ‚Â ADF-01 FALKEN Set

Arriving on 26 June, the ADF-01 FALKEN is a large fighter developed by North Osea GrÃƒÂ¼nder Industries. Representing the culmination of BelkaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s military technology, it is highly manoeuvrable, capable of stealth flight and loaded with high-output lasers and fuel-air explosive (FAE) bombs.

The Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb (FAEB) makes a return in this pack as a special weapon, as well as alternate skins for the plane featured above.
TheÃ‚Â ADFX-01 Morgan Set
Arriving on 31 July, theÃ‚Â ADFX-01 Morgan is large, multi-role, experimental Belkan aircraft later completed by the Allied Forces. Loaded with equipment such as high-output lasers and multi-use air-burst missiles, it is an incredibly diverse fighter.

The Multi-Purpose Burst Missile (MPBM) will be offered together with this pack.
In addition to the aircraft, each DLC will also include a brand new weapon, exclusive skins and emblems.
Those forthcoming content packs will be available as standalone sets or as a part of the Season Pass for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

If you haven’t noticed, all the planes above can be equipped with the Tactical Laser System (TLS). Yes, it shoots lasers.
As an Ace Combat fan, I can’t wait to see these planes being remastered for the PlayStation 4. The planes were my favourite back in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War,Ã‚Â especially the X-02 Wyvern and the ADF-01 FALKEN. These were defining planes of my childhood.
Anyhow, the Season Pass is available on the PS Store and Steam for RM89.


Here’s Our First Look At The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Return To Hogwarts Special

HBO Asia has revealed the official key art for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Return To Hogwarts. The highly-anticipated retrospective special is set to premiere exclusively on HBOÂ GO on 1 January 2022.
Originally announced last month,Â the retrospective special invites fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time as it reunitesÂ Daniel Radcliffe,Â Rupert Grint,Â Emma Watson,Â and other esteemed cast members and filmmakers across all eightÂ Harry PotterÂ films for the first time to celebrate the anniversary of the franchiseâ€™s first film,Â Harry Potter And The Sorcererâ€™s Stone.

AdditionalÂ Harry PotterÂ film alumni joining the memorable tribute includeÂ Helena Bonham Carter,Â Robbie Coltrane,Â Ralph Fiennes,Â Jason Isaacs,Â Gary Oldman,Â Tom Felton,Â James Phelps,Â Oliver Phelps,Â Mark Williams,Â Bonnie Wright,Â Alfred Enoch,Â Ian Hart, Toby Jones,Â Matthew Lewis,Â Evanna Lynch, producer David Heyman and filmmaker Chris Columbus, Alfonso CuarÃ³n, Mike Newell and David Yates.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Return To Hogwarts is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon at the iconic Warner Bros. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter. The special is executive produced byÂ Casey Patterson of Casey Patterson Entertainment (A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote) and Pulse FilmsÂ (Beastie Boys Story).
You can catch up on all eightÂ Harry PotterÂ filmsÂ or streamÂ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses by subscribing to HBOÂ GOÂ onlineÂ atÂ https://www.hbogoasia.my/Â or the mobile appÂ via theÂ App StoreÂ orÂ Play Store for RM23.30/month. HBOÂ GOÂ is also available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.


A Quiet Place Part II Gets New June Release Date In Malaysia

United International Pictures (UIP) Malaysia has announced its new schedule for the rest of 2021, including a new release date for the highly-anticipated A Quiet Place Part II.
A Quiet Place Part II will now premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 3 June 2021.
Check out the full UIP Malaysia schedule below:
2021

Promising Young Woman â€“ 15 April 2021
Nobody â€“ 13 May 2021
The Croods: A New Age â€“ 13 May 2021
Spirit Untamed – 27 May 2021
A Quiet Place Part II â€“ 3 June 2021
Fast & Furious 9 â€“ 24 June 2021
The Forever Purge â€“ 8 July 2021
Top Gun Maverick â€“ 15 July 2021
Old â€“ 22 July 2021
Bios â€“ 19 August 2021
Paw Patrol â€“ 19 August 2021
Candyman â€“ 26 August 2021
Respect â€“ 2 September 2021
The Boss Baby: Family Business â€“ 9 September 2021
Dear Evan Hansen â€“ 23 September 2021
No Time To Die â€“ 30 September 2021
The Addams Family Sequel â€“ 7 October 2021
Halloween Kills â€“ 14 October 2021
G.I. Joe Snake Eyes â€“ 21 October 2021
Clifford The Big Red Dog â€“ 4 November 2021
Last Night In Soho â€“ 11 November 2021
Mission Impossible 7 â€“ 18 November 2021
Sing 2 â€“ 23 December 2021

2022

Scream â€“ 20 January 2022
House of Gucci â€“ 3 February 2022
Marry Me â€“ 10 February 2022
Ambulance â€“ 17 February 2022
Cryano â€“ 24 February 2022
Rumble â€“ 17 March 2022
The Lost City of D â€“ 14 April 2022
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 â€“ 28 April 2022
Legally Blonde 3 â€“ 19 May 2022
Dungeons & Dragons â€“ 26 May 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion â€“ 9 June 2022
Transformer â€“ 23 June 2022
Minions: The Rise of Gru â€“ 30 June 2022
Bros â€“ 11 August 2022
Under the Broadwalk â€“ 18 August 2022
Halloween End â€“ 13 October 2022
Mission Impossible 8 â€“ 3 November 2022

Check out the latest trailer for A Quiet Place Part 2 below:


X-Men and Fantastic Four MCU Movies Could Be In Development by 2019

We already know that the cinematic rights for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will finally be returning home thanks to Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Surprisingly, these properties could be entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sooner than we initially thought.
In Variety’s Playback Podcast, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spilled the beans on when we could expect these previously Fox-owned characters in the MCU. He confirmed that X-Men and Fantastic Four movies could even begin developing in the first half of 2019.
â€œWeâ€™ve been told itâ€™s looking very, very good and could happen in the first six months of next year,â€ said Feige. â€œThe notion of the characters coming back is great. Itâ€™s nice when a company that created all these characters can have access to all those characters. Itâ€™s unusual not to. But in terms of actually thinking about it and actually planning things, we havenâ€™t started that yet.â€
However, he also clarified that the studio hasn’t been given the official green light to start integrating the X-Men and the Fantastic Four into the MCU just yet. With no plans set in stone yet, it’ll be realistic to say that the earliest possible time we could be seeing these characters appearing in the MCU is sometime in 2020.
Fox will be releasing X-Men Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, which will be the last two Marvel movies to be produced by the company. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios will be busy with three planned movies in 2019, which includes Captain Marvel followed by Avengers Endgame and Spider-Man Far From Home.
While I’m looking forward to seeing the Children of the Atom and Marvel’s First Family making their long-awaited debut in the MCU, Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios shouldn’t rush into it and make DCEU-like mistakes. Plan it right and take it slow, so that these properties can finally receive their due.


We’re Getting A New Crysis Game…Maybe

The shooter that created the “can you run it?” meme and internet jokes might be making a comeback.
This recent tweet from the official Crysis Twitter page may hint that the game may be coming back. Keep in mind that this is the first tease that’s been posted on the account since December 2016.

RECEIVING DATA
— Crysis (@Crysis) April 13, 2020

This, followed by company Crytek’s CryEngine showcase video back in March (below), seems to indicate that we may be in for some Crysis action later this month.

We’ll be sure to keep you guys and gals updated. For now, fans of shooters that can potentially melt PCs will have to wait with bated breath.


Warzone Will Be Updated & Tied With Future Call Of Duty Games

Infinity Wardâ€™s Design Director Geoff Smith recently spoke with GamesRadar in an interview ahead of the Call Of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 5 launch, which is slated for 5 August 2020.
In the interview, Smith confirmed that Call Of Duty Warzone was “built to be a standalone game”, and is not only tied specifically to 2019’s Call Of Duty Modern Warfare, as was previously believed.
He also said that it will continue to be updated and “evolve”, thereby tieing into other future Call of Duty games, whatever they may be (it might be Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War, as far as we know).
Smith said:

â€œAlthough Warzone is very closely tied to Modern Warfare, it was designed from the beginning as its own game.
As the game continues to be updated over time, it will evolve and become tied to other games in the Call of Duty universe.â€

However, Activision has yet to reveal any details on the supposed Call Of Duty 2020 title, so it remains to be seen how Warzone will be integrated. For instance, the Verdansk map could potentially receive a 70s redesign with Vietnam War-era weapons and vehicles.
Smith added:

â€œItâ€™s extremely important to us that the game continues to evolve.
From the beginning, weâ€™ve strived to continuously bring new and different ways for fans to play and continue having fun in both Modern Warfare and Warzone.â€

Check out more details about Season 5 here.