The World Is Yours: Kakuchopurei’s Favourite Bioware Games & Moments

In February 1995, a bunch of guys and their close friends and cousins, some of them with medical degrees and programming, decided to create a medical simulation programme to help people. They also happen to play video games during their spare time. With their medical field funds and profit, they figured “screw it”, launch a video game company with their pooled resources of US$100,000, and made a Mechwarrior clone.
They only found huge success after their publisher at the time, Interplay, gave them the Dungeons & Dragons license to make a game using their patented Infinity engine. Those founding guys were Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, and that company was Bioware.
Even after getting out of the games industry, both of them are still getting accolades from Canada.
It’s easy to list Bioware as the de facto company that created the best Western RPGs on god’s green earth. It’s also easy to list Bioware as the company that fell from grace with the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda – god help the publications who gave that game a near-perfect rating. No matter what, Bioware is a game development company that has touched every PC gamer and console gamer’s heart with its legacy of narrative-heavy experiences.
To celebrate the launch week of their next game Anthem, the Kakuchopurei team will talk about the first Bioware game they played and loved, as well as their favourite experiences from their many titles.
Alleef

People who know me will know that I’m a massive sci-fi geek, including the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, and much more. The reason why is that science fiction is a genre brimming with limitless potential. People often say the sky’s the limit, but in sci-fi, there is no limit.
You can now probably guess what my favourite Bioware game is, but I’ll tell you anyway, it’s the Mass Effect trilogy, or more specifically, Mass Effect 3. I wasn’t really a fan of Bioware then, so when I launched the first Mass Effect for the first time, I was instantly mesmerized and taken in by the grand space opera before me.
Just like Star Trek, every race of aliens in the Mass Effect franchise has its own distinct cultures and characteristics, ranging from the militaristic Krogans and the scientific Salarians to the nomadic Quarians and the sentient machines that make up the Geth.

Just like Babylon 5, the Mass Effect protagonist Commander Shepard has to unite all the races against all odds in an effort to fight back against an ancient unstoppable force from beyond the fringes of the known galaxy, the Reapers.
Just like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, there are space battles and conflicts on a scale that spans planets and stars, with the fate of entire species at stake. This sense of urgency could be felt the most in Mass Effect 3, which remains one of the most emotionally satisfying payoffs I’ve ever experienced in gaming.

Despite Mass Effect 3‘s controversial and divisive ending, I loved the game. In this game, all the relationships I cultivated and choices I made throughout the previous two games finally came to fruition.

I cried as Mordin Solus sacrificed himself to cure the entire Krogan race from the genophage. I scrambled to help between the Quarians and the Geth settle their differences, although it meant the death of my AI friend Legion. Those were just some of the heartwrenching moments I experienced in Mass Effect 3.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, Tali’Zorah is best waifu. Don’t @ me.

Seriously though, the Mass Effect trilogy remains one of the most sprawling and expansive games I’ve ever played to this day, with an emotional core unmatched since or perhaps rivalled by games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Kingdom Hearts 3 (yes, really). I’m still waiting for Bioware to spin their magic once again, whenever that may be.
Before I go, here’s a sweet cover of my favourite theme from the Mass Effect franchise. Enjoy!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVLWyt66Yj4&w=560&h=315]
Syazwan

While Alleef’s favourite game was Mass Effect 3,Â I have to say that my favourite BioWare game would be my first foray into the gameography of Bioware. It wasÂ Mass Effect 2.Â I was introduced to Mass Effect 2 circa 2011 when my best friend, Nasir, brought his copy of Mass Effect 2 to school just to geek out and share it with me.
When we arrived home, we popped the disc into the old faithful PlayStation 3, which is now dead (RIP PS3 Slim), and started our adventure with the Lazarus Project. It was truly a moment to remember.
While I would agree that Mass Effect 3 has better mechanics, improved graphics and QoL upgrades, however, I would maintain that Mass Effect 2 had a more, direct and honest approach which I grew affectionate upon. The clunkiness of the characters’ face during dialogues would keep me company during long hours of gameplay.

It’s been quite a while since my last playthrough of the game, and I have forgotten most of the game, but one moment stuck with me forever that paved the future of my gaming career. The final mission, or to be more precise, The Suicide Mission.

How many games out there would give you the sheer responsibility of your crew members? Not many. Mass Effect 2 was the first game that introduced to me the concept of permanently killing your crew members, and the impacts are surreal. I never had an in-game moment in which I felt that my actions could save someone’s life, or end another.

The approach to the Collector Base, together with the ominous yet epic soundtrackÂ during Sheperd’s speech, plus with most of the crew being confident that this was a one-way trip, makes for an epic gaming moment for books of gaming history. Even writing this sentence takes me back to the moment and gives me goosebumps.
Gosh, the thought of losing my squadmates, and restarting the game just to save them brings back the fondest memories with BioWare’s legendary trilogy. It’s a small wonder why two Mass Effect games wound up on this feature.
Alleef ended with a sombre cover of one of his favourite soundtracks. For my side of the story, I will restore the spirit with an epic piece:
[youtubeÂ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb6_J1dq1hk]
Mr Toffee
My favourite game from these Canadians will always be the original Baldur’s Gate 2. I remember waiting day and night for the sequel, back in the days when “software boutiques” were up-and-coming in the PJ and Klang Valley area. The first Baldur’s Gate was a surprise hit for me, but I wasn’t a fan of the really huge graphics.

Still, I soldiered on through and found a really awesome D&D CRPG experience with a bunch of awesome characters with well-written side stories. Minsc and space hamster Boo will always be in my party. And the party dynamic; it’s cool that they added party members who cannot work with specific people. Random fights would trigger if you put Minsc and Edwin together in the same party.
So obviously, I was stoked for the sequel. I read up about it on PC Gamer and PC Magazine, and other mags in the Indian magazine shops. When it was on sale, I spent the money I saved up, booted the game, and never left my seat and monitor. The game was so addictive, Bioware went out of their way to put on this tip on one of the loading screens:

Yep, these guys clearly speak to me. Long college hours were spent on studying law AND studying how to deal with the githayki, umber hulks, and the politics of the drow in Baldur’s Gate 2. I ran my own stronghold, I sorted out the main villain’s god complex (Irenicus is definitely top-50 game villains material), fought a bunch of dragons (and died multiple times doing so), and had the moral dilemma of either siding with a vampire or a thieves’ guild.

Also, I took part in a play that was doomed to failure while in the midst of solving a cult involving beholder worshipers. Fun times.

I may have flunked law school, but thanks to some good ol’ CRPG story inspiration, at least I made my mark in a Sega JRPG while behind the trenches:

Yes, I wrote the stories of Ronda the crab puncher and Nikolas the haughty scientist in Chain Chronicle. Were it not for the past inspiration of Bioware games, I wouldn’t have thought of doing something like this for a video game. So thanks, Canada!
Kenn Leandre
When I hear the name “BioWare”, a few things pop up in my mind: dialogue wheels. And vast, open spaces, super convoluted storylines … and my favourite warrior-class character.
Didn’t even noticed the scar…
Yup. I had a thing for Cassandra Pentaghast.
While many would talk about the vast world which BioWare create in their games in, I’ve always been more intrigued by the effort they put into the history and lore of some the characters. Not only limited to Cassandra, mind you, but the rest of your companions in Inquisition as well; Blackwall, Dorian, Solas… you get the picture.
My favourite of the Dragon Age games is Inquisition which I poured countless hours into and she’s one of the enjoyable parts of that journey. Writing believable characters which contain several layers to their personality is no mean feat and I believe the BioWare team’s hit it out of the park with Cassandra.

Her characterization in Inquisition proves that you can write a tough, no-nonsense female character while at the same time maintaining her femininity. You don’t need to be butch to appear badass nor wear a skirt to be attractive.
Oh and let’s not forget; her tsundere demeanour makes her an attractive yet challenging romance option as well.


Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Is A Fun-Filled Fantasy Looter Shooter Trip, Albeit A Familiar One

Platform(s): PC (version played), Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4
Genre: Loose fantasy looter shooter set in the mind of a deranged teenage dungeon master
The Borderlands 2 DLC Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep was a hit among Borderlands and looter shooter fans. It not only became a one-shot spin-off that did not require the base Borderlands 2 title last year, but also made Gearbox use the Borderlands 3 engine and assets to create an all-new self-contained game based on the eccentric Tiny Tina’s Bunkers & Badasses game module (Dungeons & Dragons, but in the Borderlands universe).
This year, looter shooter players and religious Borderlands players will be graced with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the next entry in the FPS RPG saga and will act as the successor to Borderlands 3. Does it do a good job at doing so while keeping in spirit with how a dungeon master handles a tabletop role-playing game session? For the most parts, yes.
SAVING THROW

The best part about starting fresh and not worried too much about Borderlands canon is you can make brand-new self-contained stories for your side game. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands does this well and has no lore baggage to worry about.
It’s just your eccentric dungeon master (voiced by Ashly Burch) handling an ever-changing tabletop RPG game, your two celebrity-voiced compadres Valentine and Frette (delivered eloquently by one Andy Samberg and Wanda Sykes), and your created character’s one-liners and quips. The main story centers around certain key characters coming to terms with crippling loneliness, but it doesn’t feel like it ups the stakes compared to the Borderlands 2 DLC it originated from. Still, the fun performances and scenarios do make the tale captivating and it doesn’t really get in the way of the gameplay most of the time. And it doesn’t feel like forced padding most of the time.
The humour is definitely all over the place, but there are more hits than misses, at least when compared to Borderlands 3’s cringe-infested story bits and attempt at humour. My favourite quests and funny bits involve a beanstalk mission with a Borderlands character dolled up as a fairy, a battle between two gay pirate skeletons, anything with Claptrap in it, and one where a dialogue option involves you seducing everything you find (before you shoot them to death, of course). There’s even one sidequest where said compadres Valentine and Frette are obsessed with a blue-hat wearing background character when they’re supposed to be talking to someone else to get the quest going, prompting Tiny Tina to come up with stuff at the last minute. Plus, Will Arnett’s delivery for the game’s antagonist The Dragon Lord has the right amount of dark humour and snark.
It’s very in-your-face with its quirky humour and goes meta at times, and I like it for just going with it. As someone who has played his fair share of terrible Dungeons & Dragons RPG sessions as both a DM and a player, I can certainly relate.
And for you RPG fans out there, there is a Witcher spoof inside that’s worth participating in.
Spell Bound
Speaking of gameplay, how does it all pan out? If you’ve played a first-person looter shooter RPG-type action title for the past decade or so, you know what you’re getting here. You play a custom character whose class and skills you can pick, you go through a bunch of fantasy quests filled with guns, spells, and other sorts of imagination bits concocted from the title 13-year old nutjob, fight enemies and bosses ranging from zombies to skeletons to land sharks, and get sweet loot out of it.
Your level cap is 40, with some main quest stages prompting you to go level up if you’re not at its level requirements. For you Borderlands veterans, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands ditches the vehicles in favour of a Wonderlands Overworld where you move your character across a giant map going from point A to B, doing more sidequests and even fighting encounters along the way. The Overworld not only has some secrets, but also unlockable shortcuts and even shrines that give you permanent buffs if you collect the four pieces hidden within the shrine’s vicinity. Optional areas like the Tangledrift and Sunfang Oasis let you grind for levels as well as procure more loot to power your character up.

What sets this Borderlands game apart from the others is character progression and customizability. Like I said earlier, you don’t need to pick between four pre-determined Vault Hunters with set skill trees and skills. You get your choice of six different classes from the tanky Brr-zerker to the spell-flinging Spellshot; you start with one, then are able to multi-class to another class of your choice to mix and match between the two. As you level up, you get skill points and Hero points to allocate onto your skill tree and your character stat sheet. And true to character creation standards, you can change up your appearance, your garb, your voice, and also your banner.
You can also equip up to six different items plus the four weapons you can switch around with. Your character can use up to two rings, an amulet, a piece of armour (this universe’s version of Class Mods), a Ward (Borderland’s Shield Mods), and a spell. This definitely beats the Borderlands’ series current equipment system, as more is always better.
Coupled with the game’s weapon types being a tad different but still similar to Borderlands 3 -like crossbow guns with rapid fire, shotguns that fire Moonveil beams, an SMG that  lobs fireballs in addition to its rapid-fire bullets- as well as the multitude of spells that freeze, explodes, and even send shockwaves & tremors to enemies, there is no shortage of ass-kicking potential in Gearbox’s latest.
I tried most of the classes, and I personally leaned towards the Spellshot/Graveborn combo. I not only can use two spells at once (a unique Spellshot skill), but I get a huge Dark Magic buff and life leeching from my default attacks thanks to the Graveborn’s skills. I’m very sure you will find your favourite multi-class mix: Stabbomancer/Brr-zerker and Spellshot/Spore Warden combos seem to be promising, at least until a month or two has passed and the Borderlands community has decided the class combo tier list. But for now, Spellshot combos are the way to go to melt most enemies and bosses, at least from my 25-hour experience.
Kills For Skills

Speaking of which, there’s a lot of enemy types to kill, each with their own quirks and sets of skills to hamper and challenge you. The Coiled warriors have ranged dominance, while the Skeleton goons the Dragonlord summons can only be killed effectively by Cold damage. The land sharks can bury themselves into the ground to avoid damage, while the Wyverns stay airborne, meaning your ground-based weapon and spells like Tremor are useless against them. You’ll need to switch weapons and spells around, or at least farm enough to equip yourself for a “jack of all trades” situation.
Or you could just get a friend or three to join your game and make the experience a lot less tough and a lot more exhilarating. The Borderlands series has always been built with co-op in mind, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is no different. The challenges get buffed but your loot chances get higher too, so it’s always going to be a pleasant experience co-operating with like-minded players who put in their weight. It’ll be nice to have more communication UI options apart from pinging and standard voice chat, but at least apps like Discord exists.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands also fixes the 2019 version of Borderlands 3: a randomized endgame section. Once you completed the main quest which should take you about 20 hours or even less, you can unlock the Chaos Chamber which lets you play through randomized levels with escalating difficulty, different side objectives to boost your rewards, and a ton of crystals to collect to cash out for more loot when you completed a run. A Chaos Chamber run also adds modifiers as you progress: you can either get hampered with double damage-dealing enemies or have them explode into elemental pools -my least favourite debuff since the elemental type is random.
Still, the challenge can be managed with skill, teamwork, and good loot to get through, thus adding a lot to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ replayability. Plus, when the going gets too tough, you have the Mythic Rank system that powers you up beyond Level 40 with extra stat boosts like luck loot drops and even elemental damage, similar to how Diablo 3’s Paragon system and Borderlands 3’s Guardian Rank work.
A NATURAL 20?
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands might seem familiar if this isn’t your first looter shooter game. And its UI and map navigation is incredibly cumbersome and is probably worse if you’re on mouse and keyboard.
However, it’s still a heckuva ball of a time if you love making your own builds and playing beyond the story campaign for more leveling up and loot opportunities. Gearbox did an excellent job in making a meatier and less padded-out affair.
Long story short: immerse yourself into the Wonderlands if you fancy a long-term first-person shooter loot-driven RPG experience. You won’t regret it.
Pros

Fun action shooting and looting with improved controls and weapon feel.
Customizable classes and equipment galore.
Well-paced story with some appreciated humour & writing.
Chaos Chamber adds more endgame replayability.
Online co-op plays great.

Cons

Not quite a breakthrough from past Borderlands titles (solo game issues especially).
SHIFT crossplay and UI controls need some work.
Dedicated drop issues for the long-term.

Final Score: 80/100
Review copy provided by 2K Games.


Overwatch Is Free To Play For Two Weeks

Just in time for the holidays, Overwatch is now free to play for a whopping two weeks from now until 4 January 2020. It is also available for 50 percent off if you wish to purchase the game.
With the free trial, players can experience the full game, including all 32 heroes and 28 maps. Any progress that they make during this time will be carried on to the full game if they choose to buy it.
This is the first time that the game will be made free for two weeks. Previously, a free trial usually lasted a week at most. Head on over here now to download your platform of choice.


Anime Shoot-Em-Up Risk System Launches On PS4 & PS5

Hidden Trap and Newt Industries have announced the release of the anime shoot-em-up (or shmup) Risk System on the PS4 and PS5. This handcrafted sci-fi adventure is now available for US$9.99/â‚¬9.99/Â£7.99. It was originally released on Nintendo Switch in July 2021, and PC via Steam back in 2019.
Risk System brings a unique twist to the genre: rather than having an arsenal of weapons at your disposal, you charge your attacks by getting as close as possible to enemy fire or taking damage. The more risks you take, the more powerful you get — but if you get too close to danger, your ship will eventually be destroyed.

It’s a horizontal shoot-’em-up with a unique core mechanic where you boost your ship’s firepower by performing stunts and weaving between enemies’ fire. It was handcrafted by Newt Industries, a two-person studio with an emphasis both on aesthetics and the feel of gameplay. The complete cohesion between the gameplay and its visual aspect transforms the game into an incredible roleplay experience.
After a race of energy parasites overcome mankindâ€™s defences, all hope rests in the RSK9, an experimental ship that feeds on the parasite energy to deploy its incredible arsenal. Piloting the RSK9 is Alys, an ace pilot previously missing in action that has returned seemingly immune to parasite control. Her skill and resistance to the parasite energies influence make her the only pilot capable of preventing the extinction of mankind.
Check out the trailer below:


There’s A New Titanfall Game Coming, But…

As Respawn surprised us with Apex Legends, theyÂ also surprised us when they announced they weren’t making a new Titanfall game,Â as they were focused on Apex Legends in terms of Titanfall games. However, that is only a fraction of the picture.

The bigger picture is seen when EA reveals, in their earnings call, that there would be a newÂ TitanfallÂ game this year, aside fromÂ Apex Legends,Â but with a ‘twist’.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson highlighted the stellar overnight success ofÂ Apex LegendsÂ in what is a bad year for EA. Wilson said in a prepared remark that “As the live service evolved,Â Respawn also plans to launch a premium game this year that is a new twist on the Titanfall universe. More to come on that in the months ahead.”
Premium game. That’s definitely spells paid title, unlike Apex Legends which is free-to-play, which could mean Titanfall 3!
With all the great news though, there are tons of speculations to make. Whether we’re receiving a direct sequel or a new story, or a new form of a game in the Titanfall universe, is still unclear. According to Kotaku, we’re supposed to seeÂ Titanfall 3 this year, but Respawn held back due to the ancient nature of the Source engine in the rather evolving landscape of gaming engines and speculated that the game is cancelled since Respawn’s stated that they are not developing the game.
Whatever it is, the players can only wait and see what will Respawn churn out this year, as they are also working on Jedi: Fallen Order, a Star Wars game slated for release later this year, which EA reconfirmed today.

In the meantime, why don’t you play Respawn’s version of battle royale,Â Apex Legends, and emerge as the champion with our ever-updated guide.


This Classic 90s Visual Novel Is Finally Out In English For The First Time

Tokimeki Memorial from Konami is the de facto visual novel game that defined all future visual novels. It’s basically the reason why most games adopt the dating sim/visual novel genre in hybrid form, or why titles like the Persona series added that element in its JRPG mechanics. Heck, it even inspired a C’s Ware hentai game tribute called True Love which came out a year later.
The 1994 game, which also features gameplay where you balance your school and social life while romancing the girl of your dreams, was never released in English until recently. The SNES port of Tokimeki Memorial, which was also for PC Engine, Windows 95, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn, was recently made available in English thanks to SNES patchers Translated.Games. It’s a dialogue-heavy game so it was no easy task translating and localizing everything.

The patch is under the name Heartthrob Memorial: Under the Tree of Legends (probably the literal translation of the full JP title), and you can pop this alongside the game in an emulator like Snes9x. The patch also adds in extra things not in the SNES original like an animated intro and voiced confession scenes, as well as the ending song. Plus, the team smoothed the rate of the scrolling tiled background, which was a common complaint about the original that’s fixed thanks to hardworking emulation scene folks.
I cannot stress how important Tokimeki Memorial is in video game design in general; it also had Castlevania: Symphony of the Night assistant director/writer/programmer Koji Igarashi writing for the game prior to the vampire killer series. He used his success of Tokimeki Memorial as a springboard to switch series.


New Kingdom Hearts 3 Trailer Showcases Tangled’s Kingdom of Corona

After being bombarded with Frozen’s Arendelle in previous Kingdom Hearts 3 trailers, Square Enix has finally given us a glimpse into Tangled‘s Kingdom of Corona featured in the upcoming highly-anticipated JRPG. It’s a glorious sight to behold, with Corona’s lush green forests a stark contrast to Arendelle’s pure white snowy environments.
In the trailer, we see Sora, Donald, and Goofy helping Tangled protagonists Rapunzel and Flynn Rider on their journey, encountering enemies along the way. There’s also a bunch of new cool-looking Heartless and Nobodies for the gang to beat up.
Awesome new Nobody!
Disney fans would appreciate hearing the original voices of Rapunzel and Flynn, with Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi reprising their respective roles. Besides that, the new Attractions attacks look like a blast to activate during gameplay. The one based on Disneyland’s Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride is featured in this new trailer.
Near the end of the trailer, it looks like Sora and Rapunzel are executing what might be a Link attack stated as ‘Tangled Twist.’ It literally has Rapunzel spinning around a tree with her hair, just like in the 2010 movie.
I’m personally very much looking forward to Kingdom Hearts 3. By the time the game releases in a few months, it will have been almost a whopping 13 years since Kingdom Hearts 2 on the PS2.
Flynn is up to no good.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is slated to release for the PS4 and Xbox One in Japan on January 25, 2019, and worldwide on January 29, 2019. In case you missed it, here’s what’s included in the Deluxe Edition of the game revealed earlier this year.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunHzNTCpx8&w=560&h=315]


Venom Joins The Midnight Suns Roster Next Week

2K and Marvel Entertainment have debuted a new trailer for Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ second post-launch DLC – Redemption and the addition of Venom as a playable character, which will launch next week on 23 February 2023.
Available for either standalone purchase or as part of Marvel’s Midnight Suns Season Pass (included in the Legendary Edition), each DLC brings a new recruitable hero and adds three new story missions, a new upgrade for the Abbey, and a selection of new skins and outfits for the hero. Once you recruit a hero, they’ll be added as permanent members to your roster and you can take them on missions, customize their abilities and build Friendships outside of battle throughout the game.
In Redemption, Venom – the deadly amalgam of Eddie Brock and an alien symbiote – joins the Midnight Suns as a recruitable hero to right the wrongs he committed under Lilith’s demonic influence, bringing new abilities and an insatiable appetite to chew through evildoers. Redemption includes three new story missions that continue off of the first DLC, which introduced the threat of vampires in New York City. Players will want to build Venom’s unique Research project Whisper Web, which expands the tactical options for the Intel resource.
In addition to today’s trailer reveal for Venom, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is available for 40% off for a limited time:
Limited Time Deal Dates for Marvel’s Midnight Suns:

Xbox (Microsoft Store): 40% off Enhanced and Legendary editions from February 7 to February 20
PlayStation (PlayStation Store): 40% off Enhanced and Legendary editions from February 15 to March 1, only for PlayStation Plus subscribers
Steam: 40% off all editions from February 16 to March 2
Separately; for those looking to try out the beginning hours of the game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns Game Trial is available for all players on Xbox Series X/S and is available for PlayStation Plus Premium players on PS5. To get the Game Trial, navigate to Marvel’s Midnight Suns store page on your console and select the Trial option.

When you start the Game Trial, you’ll begin the three-hour period on Xbox Series X|S and the two-hour period on PS5 for PlayStation Plus Premium players. The time limit counts any time that the game is open; after you hit the trial time limit, you’ll be given the option to view the game’s store page.
For PC players, Marvel’s Midnight Suns (Standard Edition) will also be available to try out at no cost as part of an All-Access Weekend on Steam from Thursday, February 16 at 10:00 AM PT to Sunday, February 19 at 9:59 AM PT. To keep playing after the All-Access Weekend, you must buy the game.
Any progress or purchases made during the Game Trial and All-Access Weekend will transfer over to the full game if purchased.
Venom can be recruited by completing his first story mission “The Devil’s Due,” which becomes playable after completing the “Shattering Expectations” mission at the end of Act One.
In the meantime, check out our review by heading over here.


More Than 10,000 Players Joined The Blood Bowl 3 Beta

The third phase of the Blood Bowl 3 beta came to an end on 12 June 2022, and the feedback from fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Nearly 11,000 coaches led their teams onto the pitches, with a total of 35,755 hours of game time. The coaches’ strategies led to 23,823 touchdowns, 2,668 completed passes, and 216,933 tackles were expertly dodged (though sometimes it was just blind luck).
Speaking of luck, a few coaches had less than their fair share: there were 752 dropped passes, and 26,884 (intentional) fouls were called by the referees – to the crowd’s evident displeasure. Dices do count, but by the end of the day, victory rewards no one but the best tactician!
“What about brutality” you’re asking? There were 224,194 injuries, 4,618 players left the pitch in a coffin and… 575 team-mates were hurled across several yards by Ogres, Trolls and Treemen. This is Blood Bowl after all.
Let’s take a look at a few stats from the beta, which saw an abundance of blood, sweat and tears, along with a heavy dose of stunning successes and failures.

For those unfamiliar, Blood Bowl 3 is a turn-based fantasy American football game but with characters from the Warhammer universe, so you’ll have orcs, dwarfs, skaven and even chaos units duking it out on the field. At launch, the game will include 12 teams each with their own pitch and cheerleaders, Solo and Multiplayer modes, and more customization options than any Blood Bowl game has offered before.
Blood Bowl 3 will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch later in 2022.


Dragon Ball Super Super Hero Trailer Teases Older Pan, Broly & More

During New York Comic Con 2021, Toei Animation has revealed the first teaser trailer for the upcoming anime movie; Dragon Ball Super Super Hero. It is slated to premiere sometime in 2022.

The newÂ Dragon Ball SuperÂ movie is a sequel and follow-up toÂ Dragon Ball Super Broly, which was released back in 2018. Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama is writing the story for the upcoming movie.
Fans will be happy to learn that the Red Ribbon Army and Dragon Ball Super Broly‘s Broly will return in Dragon Ball Super Super Hero.
Plus, the older Pan looks so cute.

Written by Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou, theÂ Dragon Ball SuperÂ manga originally premiered in June 2015 as a sequel to Toriyamaâ€™s originalÂ Dragon BallÂ manga, which initially ran from 1984 to 1995. TheÂ Dragon BallÂ Super anime launched in Japan one month after the manga, running for 131 episodes from July 2015 to March 2018.
Dragon Ball Super BrolyÂ premiered in 2018 as the first film to carry theÂ Dragon Ball SuperÂ branding. It is also the 20thÂ Dragon BallÂ feature film overall, though only the third to be made with Toriyamaâ€™s direct involvement after 2013â€™sÂ Dragon Ball Z Battle Of GodsÂ and 2015â€™sÂ Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F.
In the meantime, you can check out my review ofÂ Dragon Ball Super BrolyÂ byÂ heading over here.


New Shazam Trailer Grants First Look At The Shazam/Marvel Family

Warner Bros Pictures and DC Comics have just released the second trailer for Shazam, which showcases more of its titular hero’s specific powers and the upcoming movie’s unique brand of comedy (compared to other DCEU/Worlds of DC movies).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uilJZZ_iVwY&w=560&h=315]
The second Shazam trailer features Billy Batson’s invulnerability, super strength, electrical manipulation, and super speed. Check them out in that order below:

That already represents theÂ stamina of Atlas, the strength of Hercules, the power of Zeus, and the speed of Mercury. Hopefully, we’ll see the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of Achilles represented in the movie too.
However, the most interesting part of the new Shazam trailer isn’t even all that, but a brief glimpse at the entire Shazam family. The most recent version of the Shazam family (also widely known as the Marvel family back when Shazam was still called Captain Marvel) aren’t related by blood, but consist of Billy Batson’s five foster siblings.
When Billy Batson shared his secret word (Shazam) with his family, they all obtained the ability to transform into superpowered adult versions of themselves just like him. Here’s what they look like in the comics when they tap into the magical power of Shazam:
From left to right: Eugene Choi, Darla Dudley, Pedro PeÃ±a, Mary Bromfield, Freddy Freeman.
And here’s what they look like in the upcoming Shazam movie in their non-powered forms:
From left to right: Pedro PeÃ±a (Jovan Armand), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), Eugene Choi (Ian Chen).
There’s only four in the screenshot above because Billy Batson’s other remaining foster brother is Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), the disabled boy teaching him to become a superhero in all the trailers so far.
Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer).
This is a huge revelation, but one that probably not many will pick up on. I was pleasantly surprised that they included the whole Shazam/Marvel family, as relatively obscure as they are. Now there’s a golden cinematic opportunity for Shazam to share his powers with his family, turning them into the Shazam family. That would be an epic sight to behold.
From the looks of things, it seems that Warner Bros and DC are really redeeming the disasters that were the earlier movies in the DCEU/Worlds of DC. After Aquaman, Shazam might be their next big hit, if the trailers are any indication.
Shazam is slated to release on 4 April 2019. In the meantime, rewatch that most epic Shazam scene again below.


Get Ready to Serve with Suku Suku Separuh, An Upcoming Educational Game

Picture this; in the school canteen, hungry kids waiting for their meal. You’re the kakak in charge of serving them, and you’ve also got to make sure they eat something balanced; all good for their growing bodies and changing minds. All within a time limit, too!
Enter: Suku Suku Separuh (translation: Quarter Quarter Half), a new edutainment game aimed at primary school students from ages 9-12. The game was developed by local studio Kindling Interactive, in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia and the Health Ministry of Malaysia.
Using your keyboard and mouse, you’ll drag and drop the student’s desired food onto their plate. Once the food pyramid bars are up to green, you’re good to go! But how long can you keep it up before time runs out? Here’s what you need to know about one of this year’s more unique regional educational offerings.

Healthy eating is the way!

The player takes on the role of a “kakak” in a school canteen, serving balanced and nutritional meals to children during their recess period. However, the menu changes up every time you play.
The game places emphasis on the food pyramid and portion sizes, educating students on what it means to eat a balanced meal. The in-game food menu even features scientific nutritional information on the items, provided by KKM themselves.

A familiar art style!

The game’s character art is also heavily inspired by the Kampung Boy series by Lat, as well as “It’s a Durian Life” – which has an instant nostalgic and eye-catching appeal to players of all ages. The choice to rely on this distinctively Malaysian caricature style was to also present a very strong Malaysian artistic identity.
Students featured in the game were also designed with the diversity of Malaysian students in mind, featuring characters of different races and body types.
Aligning with that, the game’s menus and interfaces are based on familiar aspects of the Malaysian school canteen – from the tiled walls, to the rolling shutters of the food counter, to even the menu board and metal trays that the food is served in.

Edutainment For All

Suku Suku Separuh is being made available on primary school computers nationwide, as well as for download on the developer’s itch.io account.
The version available on school computers are also set to feature a back-end database that records the data of a student’s playthrough, making it easier for teachers to identify students who need external help understanding the importance of healthy eating habits, and the food pyramid.
Games are an amazing medium that can not only entertain and engage, but also educate. Major kudos to the development team of three for putting this all together!

You can download Suku Suku Separuh for FREE on itch.io today!


France & Singapore Dominates SoulCalibur 6 In Evo Japan 2019

The last time Southeast Asia got Evo gold in fighting games was back in Evo 2013 courtesy of Xian. Fast forward to Evo Japan 2019, and we have two sleeping dragons in the Southeast Asian SoulCalibur scene tearing it up: Singapore’s Jovian “Shen Chan” Chan and Raymus “Shen Yuan” Chang Yin Yuan.
After some news about some little girl appearing in SoulCalibur 6, both Singaporeans ended up at Evo Japan’s SoulCalibur 6 top 4 fights a few hours ago, Both of them played their hearts out, defeating the likes of the world’s best Ivy, Sophitia, Taki, and Maxi.

Since both of them were at loser’s bracket, it was only a matter of time until they had to fight each other. Needless to say, it was a very poke-heavy and low-hit savvy matchup since the both of them have been sparring with each other since the SoulCalibur 2 days. Shen Chan’s Cervantes persevered.

Elsewhere, Keev basically went nuts against the sole Japanese player SHK with his Nightmare mixups and punishes.

Shen Chan then had another obstacle to deal with: SHK’s Zasalamel in loser’s finals. Shen Chan knew the matchup pretty well and used Zasalamel during the early weeks of SoulCalibur 6’s launch in late October, so he got the win.

After that, it was down to the wire with the Grand Finals. Between Keev’s Nightmare and Shen Chan’s Cervantes, the odds were in the French player’s favour due to his damage output and harder punishes. But Shen Chan wouldn’t go down without a fight though.

In the end, France’s Keev had his Nightmare on point while dealing with Singapore’s Shen Chan and his Cervantes. Despite the pokes and safe bets Shen Chan made, Keev took a lot of chances and went full-out on the offensive.

While Singapore did not win the gold in SoulCalibur 6, they were at least in the top 4 on a global fighting game platform, which itself is a very tough feat to achieve for most pro players. Good job; you’ve made the little red dot and Southeast Asia proud with your GIs and well-timed CEs. And of course, congratulations to France for their hometown hero winning the entire SoulCalibur 6 tournament.
Here are the top 8 players in the tournament:

Keev
Shen Chan
SHK
Shen Yuan
Shiwapon
Tamonegi
KANG_MIN
é‚ªç¥ž

So what’s next for Southeast Asia’s Evo Japan chances?Â  Tekken 7’s top 8 will feature two Southeast Asian players: AK and Book. Taiwan’s Street Fighter V golden child OilKing is sitting in loser’s bracket in Street Fighter V’s top 8 fight. Tune in to these fights tomorrow at 2pm and 5pm GMT+8 respectively.


CD Projekt Red Will Stop Selling Games In Russia and Belarus

CD Projekt Red, the makers of Cyberpunk 2077 and owners of GOG.com (Good Old Games), are taking a stand in the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on 25 February.
The company has halted the sales of its games in Russia and Belarus “until further notice”.
“Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Project Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus.
The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine. While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and donâ€™t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people.
We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe.
To our brothers and sisters fighting for their home country â€“ stay strong!â€

pic.twitter.com/C2TMk7m2KC
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) March 3, 2022

That’s one way to make people forget about CD Projekt’s past botches for Cyberpunk 2077. In related news, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister called on Xbox and PlayStation to halt product support in both Russia and Belarus. Also, companies like EA and GSC Game World are doing their part in helping Ukraine out while boycotting Russia and Belarus.


Nier Automata 2B Live-Sized Statue In The Works

For those clamouring a 1:1 version of the famous Nier Automata android, you’re in luck.
Design COCO is developing a 1/1 scale figure and statue of 2B from Nier: Automata. When the design is finished, players and fans will be able to order it from AmiAmi. We think pre-orders will be ready at least by this year.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a 1/1 scale Life-size figure & Statue announced by Design COCO!!#NieRAutomata #AmiAmiLive #WF2023W pic.twitter.com/MvvBpatlWl
— AmiAmi English (@AmiAmi_English) February 12, 2023

This being a life-sized statue, shipping cost and actual cost will be astronomical like the plot and climax of the game. No other information about the statue is out, whether it’s a bust or a full-sized statue legs and all. If you must know, 2B is 5’5 feet tall, so that’s a lot of android to ship to your place outside of Japan.


We’re Getting An Epic Games Store Mega Sale

Steam is best known for its massive holiday sales but it looks like a contender is about to join the fray. The Epic Games Store may be gearing up for its first major sale, as evident by a message of the day that appeared when everyone logged into Fortnite yesterday.
As posted on Reddit, the panel in question states:

â€œThe Epic Games store Megasale is happening right now! Sign up for [two-factor authentication] in order to get $10 to spend in the store.â€

Many Fortnite players were surprised because there obviously wasn’t any sale currently going on, which must mean that it was a leak. Not long after, Epic Games themselves confirmed that the Epic Games Store Mega Sale is coming, but it hasn’t launched yet.

Whoops! An MOTD snuck out about a sale. There is an Epic Games store sale on games in the works, but it hasn’t launched yet. Stay tuned to @EpicGames for details in a few days.
â€” Fortnite (@FortniteGame) May 14, 2019
The company promised more details in the coming days. It will be interesting to see how the Epic Games Store Mega Sale will fare against Steam’s famous sales. Valve will probably be preparing for its summer sale soon (perhaps by the end of June), so this will be the first time in a while that there will be real competition for them.


Samba De Amigo: Party Central Adds Sonic The Hedgehog Content

SEGA has announced that Samba De Amigo: Party Central will welcome in-game content from Sonic the Hedgehog series.
The in-game content features two notable songs from the Sonic franchise — ‘Escape from the City’ from Sonic Adventure 2 and ‘Fist Bump’ from Sonic Forces. In addition, The City Escape level from Sonic Adventure 2 will also be in the upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive rhythm game. The Blue Blur will shake his tooshie along with Samba on the San Francisco-inspired stage.
Samba De Amigo was originally developed by Sonic Team, which is why the two have always been connected. This brand-new Samba de Amigo rhythm game was announced during the most recent Nintendo Direct in February 2023. Feel free to find out more about the maracas rhythm game here.
Samba De Amigo: Party Central will launch on the Nintendo Switch this Summer.


Platinum Games Is Making A GranBlue Fantasy Action RPG; Looks Amazing So Far

Remember that super-popular GranBlue Fantasy browser/mobile RPG in Japan that took the whole country by storm back in 2014? As of now, it’s been downloaded 18 million times and is still going strong; stronger than even mainstays like Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and Fire Emblem Heroes. Publisher/developer Cygames is so bloody rich from that game that they can probably still pull off almost-to-scale fantasy airship displays in trade shows.Â
Point is, action game team wunderkind Platinum Games are going to create an action game set in the GranBlue Fantasy universe exclusively for the PS4. And you know those guys are REALLY damn good with their action games if NieR Automata and the Bayonetta games are any indications.
Currently the codename’s Granblue Fantasy: Project Re:Link. Yes, it’s full of colons so the title is a work in progress.
But you know what? It’s best if you just see it in action below:

After you’re done picking up your jaw from the floor, you’ll be disappointed to know that there’s no release date set yet. The action game stays true to the mobile game where you can pull off chain burst attacks in tandem while fighting mobs of enemies. Only this time, you can’t rely too much on turn-based menus; you have to use your reflexes to dodge and deal damage.
Fun stuff! It’s got the trademark Platinum Games 60fps and more mandate, and the action flows great. We can’t wait to see more.


Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Might Be Xbox’s Version Of Nioh

Tecmo Koei and Xbox has announced an upcoming action game called Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting a Nioh vibe from this trailer below:

Basically, it’s an action game set in feudal China with mythical elements thrown in here and there, where your main character will fight dragons, demons, and rogue soldiers all in one mish-mash Forbidden City-style landscape.
The game will be out in Early 2023 for Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.


TGS 2023 Launches Its Official Website Today, Tickets Go On Sale Later This Month

Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA, Chairperson: Haruhiro Tsujimoto) has launched the official website (https://tgs.cesa.or.jp/en) for the visitors of TOKYO GAME SHOW 2023 (TGS 2023) to be held in-person at Makuhari Messe from 21 September 2023 (Thursday) to 24 September 2023 (Sunday) The website unveiled the list of exhibitors (as of 4 July 2023), ticket information, and other updates on the exhibition.
As of today, 646 exhibitors, including 389 from Japan and 257 from overseas, will participate in TGS 2023 with 2629 exhibition booths. The event will be held at the largest-ever scale, with additional exhibitors expected to participate later. The Selected Indie 80 (ex-Selected Exhibit) project, which offers free exhibition opportunities for outstanding game titles at the TGS 2023 Indie Game Area, also received a record-breaking 793 entries. After the screening process, 81 titles were picked for the Exhibition.
The sales of general admission tickets for Japanese residents and TGS Supporters Club Tickets with benefits will start from noon, 8 July 2023 (Saturday), Japan Standard Time (JST.) Ticket sales for overseas visitors will start on 26 July 2023. No fee is required for elementary school children and younger. At TGS 2023, the Family Game Park and the Cosplay area will come back for the first time in four years. Moreover, this year’s event will invite popular influencers and video creators selected after the screening in advance to the venue on Business Day 2 (candidates need to fulfil the entry requirements and pay a registration fee).
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2023 will finally be back at a full scale, held in the entire Makuhari Messe for the first time in four years.


Guilty Gear Strive Closed Beta Sign-Ups Have Begun

Want to be the first to get your hands-on with Arc System Works’ latest? Then jump on to the game’s closed beta right now.Â
The actual beta will take place from 16th to 19th April, which will lead to its eventual release later this year. The beta will give you access to 7 characters:

Sol Badguy
Ky Kiske
May
Axl
Chip Zanuff
Potemkin
Faust

(1/3) Closed Beta sign-ups for #GuiltyGearStrive have begun! For details, please check the official website! https://t.co/ZFz5XaFVS9 Sign-ups via this website will be decided by lottery, so there is no guarantee that you will receive a Beta code. pic.twitter.com/crDHDGkAsY
— ArcSystemWorks (@ArcSystemWorksU) March 19, 2020

This version of the game also comes with a new character screen and in-game UI, different from past builds in arcade and anime expos. And the best part? Guilty Gear: Strive will use rollback netcode for online play. Which is good for fighting games because it has both players run simulations of the game state simultaneously, with inputs being marked with the time at which they occur. This, in turn, keeps timing of moves consistent during combos.
So far, the community and fanbase have been mixed in regards to this Guilty Gear entry. While influencers and YouTube content creators like all the new bells and whistles this game brings in, the rest of them are not fans of the new changes and removals. Also, they’re not fans of the delayed air dash mechanics and “lack of combos” like in previous entries.
I haven’t played this sequel yet, but I do understand Arc System Works’ direction in making a new Guilty Gear catered for all walks of fighters from your casuals to hardcore. I do hope they don’t forget who they’re making their game for lest they end up with something as soulless as the first season of Street Fighter V. Besides, if we wanted a more mainstream Guilty Gear anime fighter-like game, Granblue Fantasy: Versus has got you covered.Â
At the very least, Guilty Gear Strive is going to kick ass in visuals. Have you SEEN this game in motion? And I thought GBVS was the apex of 2D anime fighter visuals…


Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Delayed To Summer 2020

Bad news for Final Fantasy fans who want their multiplayer co-op JRPGing fix.
The remastered edition of GameCube oddity Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles will be delayed. to Summer 2020. Previously, the game was supposed to be out 23rd January 2020, but Square Enix is withholding the game to make final adjustments to make it the “best experience possible”.
Full presser below.

Since announcingÂ Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, weâ€™ve read so many positive messages filled with encouragement, and all of us on the team would like to thank you for the support youâ€™ve shown us so far.
Today weâ€™re announcing that the release date for the game is being moved to summer 2020. Weâ€™ve made the decision to adjust the release date to allow the development team some extra time to make final adjustments to the game to make this the best experience possible.
We know youâ€™ve been waiting patiently for this game, and we hope youâ€™ll continue to support us as you have done so far, over the coming months through to launch.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered EditionÂ is coming to PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices. Youâ€™ll be able to play online with your friends and transfer your save file across all four platforms when the game launches in Summer 2020.
Thank you again, from all of us on theÂ Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered EditionÂ team.


Sentinels Add Another To Valorant Team

Literally three days after announcing the addition of Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek to their Valorant roster, they go on and sign Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro from Version1.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, SENTINELS SIGNED SHROUD TO THEIR VALORANT TEAM
Sentinels have yet again left us gob-smacked as they Zellsis as their official fifth man going into the VCT Champions’ North American Last Chance Qualifier. I understand that those who very close attention to the Valorant competitive scene already knew that Eric “Kanpeki” Xu wasn’t going to be playing for Sentinels in the upcoming LCQ. So for ill-informed fans — like myself — we were left speechless to hear this.

Oh, you thought we were done?
We have acquired @Zellsis for the Sentinels Valorant roster pic.twitter.com/l5FC4SiMCU
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) July 11, 2022

This move in fact was leaked a couple of hours earlier by George Geddes from Dot Esports. Geddes allegedly was unaware of the signing of Shroud prior to the announcement, so Sentinels’ social media head decided to take a swing with a cheeky response.
To add fuel to fire, Rob Moore, Sentinels’ CEO came out and replied to a fan’s Tweet saying:
“We aren’t done making announcements before boot camp.. Stay tuned”
This is hinting to the fact that Sentinels are indeed thinking about bringing analysts to add to their strategic arsenal.


Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Sticks The Landing

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: Arcade Flight Simulator, Action, Vehicular Combat

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown brings back a genre long-lost in the steady stream of mindless battle royales and MOBAs saturating the market; the arcade flight sim. It’s been a whopping 12 years since the last major numbered entry in Ace Combat franchise, excluding the horrid spinoffs (Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Ace Combat: Infinity, I’m looking at you).

For gamers not familiar with the Ace Combat franchise, here’s a simple analogy for you; it’s essentially Konami’s Metal Gear with fighter jets, rife with the same melodramatic political and war themes permeating throughout the convoluted and oft-times confusing story. Oh, and don’t forget the ominous-sounding weapons of mass destruction present in practically every title.

Before I get off-course, let me just reassure veteran fans that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is indeed a return to form for the franchise; a true sequel to the Strangereal world which consisted of Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: Unsung War and the underrated prequel Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (which remains my all-time favorite). However, the bigger question should be: Does it revitalize the entire genre for a new generation of arcade flight sim games? Yes, and no.
Fly Like An Eagle

If the last Ace Combat game you played was any of the three I mentioned above (or even the Xbox 360 exclusive Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation), you’ll feel like you never left the cockpit all those years ago. What I mean by that is the gameplay is almost exactly the same as it was more than a decade ago, up to the identical UI and HUD utilized in those games.
That said, the combat does feel a tad too simplified at times, as the wingman commands from past games are not present in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. No longer is the player the leader of a ragtag badass squadron of aces like the Demons of Razgriz in Ace Combat 5: Unsung War, issuing directives in the heat of battle. Frankly, I miss that mechanic, which really helped sell the immersive experience of being an ace pilot even more, as well as making the gameplay more dynamic at times.

Don’t get me wrong, the core gameplay is still very much classic Ace Combat, making the player feel like an ace pilot defying physics, chasing down other jets in intense dogfights.
Every single time my missile hits and the target destroyed notification pops never fails to make my adrenaline pump, especially when I’ve just narrowly escaped close calls myself.

Despite the regrettable loss of wingman commands, Bandai Namco has managed to spice up the core combat cycle of locking on enemies and firing missiles with additional elements. This includes dynamic weather effects that actually affected my jet during gameplay, as well as clouds that provide cover and opportunities to launch surprise attacks but also stall my jet’s engine and leave me incapacitated for a few precious seconds that will leave me vulnerable to enemy projectiles.

Getting struck by thunder can disrupt my jet’s radar and weapon systems, and flying through sandstorms or heavy winds can sway my jet off-course (if I’m flying too low or too slow) and crash if I’m not careful.
All of this adds to the immersive experience of flying a jet, making Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown the most dynamic and realistic (to a point) than the franchise has ever been.

I do have to warn new players though, as Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown only offers the simplest of tutorials during its early missions in campaign mode by teaching you the game’s controls once and never again. I consider myself a long-time Ace Combat fan and it still took me a mission or two to reorient myself to the controls. Newcomers will definitely struggle (and crash a lot) while learning the controls in their attempt to become an ace pilot.
Nosedive Of A Story

Look, I know no one plays Ace Combat games for their story. However, past Ace Combat games, especially Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (in my opinion), had endearing characters that you actually cared for and narratives that make enough sense to be somewhat epic (no matter how corny it can be). Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown doesn’t have any of those in its plot.
The game’s story takes place on an Earth where factions called the Osean Federation and Erusea exist are at conflict with each other. Amidst the war between these two, a mechanic named Avril Mead, who narrates the whole AC7 story through her perspective, ends up arrested and is forced to work at the 444th Osean Air Base. You play one of the unlucky soldiers stuck at that air base who goes by the callsign Trigger, doing thankless flight missions under the Spare Squadron.
I tried following the narrative at the beginning, but the terrible pacing and the messy plot made me give up halfway through. All these nations seem like carbon copies of each other, albeit being at opposing sides. It seems that the game’s story is trying to tell me that there are no true bad guys in war and that the opportunists (those who profit from war) are to blame.

Honestly, I don’t even really know who the antagonists are in the end, or maybe that’s the point? I have no idea.

I cared for my wingmen and fellow aces in previous games; I did not in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. I didn’t care if they lived or died, and the fact that the game’s friendly AIs suck is another matter altogether. My squadron was useless and unreliable, only attacking enemies occasionally and even then, it seemed like their missiles do little to no damage.
In fact, I grew to resent and hate them throughout the game’s campaign, which was the opposite of what was supposed to happen.
Frustrating Level Designs and Mission Objectives

I mentioned earlier in my review that Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War was my favourite game in the franchise, and the biggest reason for that is due to the game’s focus on delivering intense dogfights with enemy aces (boss fights) in almost every mission. I loved that, and I looked forward to seeing what else the game could throw at me since I enjoyed it immensely.
One other major problem I encountered with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the frustrating level designs and mission objectives, that led to many unnecessary deaths due to annoying unavoidable circumstances and not because of difficulty (although I did choose to play at hard).

It also didn’t help that checkpoints are sparse (only one in the middle of each mission) and deaths will often mean I had to start again from the beginning.

In one mission, I had to destroy moving trucks in a freaking sandstorm which was disrupting my radar capabilities while hordes of autonomous drones are chasing me down. In another mission, I had to precisely mark missile launch silos (do you know how tiny they are from the air?!!) for bombers to hit them in real-time, which means I had to steadily maintain my reticule while hordes of autonomous drones are chasing me down.
In fact, the game’s solution to providing me with a challenge was forcing me to do impossibly mundane yet tedious tasks in a fighter jet while being chased by hordes of autonomous drones. This is all made worse by the previously-mentioned atrocious friendly AI of my allies.
Thankfully, these missions are few and far in between, with the majority of missions featuring classic Ace Combat-style objectives (racking up points from kills or pure dogfights).
Multiplayer Is A Blast; Even The Battle Royale Mode

I rarely play online multiplayer games, and I especially dislike the fact that many developers choose to shoehorn in multiplayer into traditionally single-player games. While many games suffer from that problem, I’m glad to say that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown does not.

Although I usually abhor multiplayer games and modes, I found the multiplayer in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown to be fun and great for short bursts of intense dogfighting when I’m not in the mood for the game’s nonsensical campaign. There are only two multiplayer modes available as of now: battle royal and team deathmatch.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown‘s battle royale mode pits up to 8 players in a single match. You can set a limit to the strength of usable jets and/or disable special weapons to level the playing field and make it fairer for less-skilled players. You can also go all out and leave the rules open for anything and everything to truly challenge yourselves as ace pilots.
I’ve played a considerable amount of battle royale matches thus far, and results have been varied. Sometimes I would come out first and other times, last. Nothing can compare to the thrill of successfully shooting down other players. It’s also great that the MRP (in-game currency) received in multiplayer accumulates with the MRP received in the game’s story campaign.
Jet Porn

Speaking of MRP, I like unlocking new jets and new parts (to enhance stats of jets) as it feels satisfying. Each jet is painstakingly rendered in Unreal Engine 4, as are the environments and everything else in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Add smooth 60 FPS to that on the PS4 Pro and the game moves like an anything you see in Top Gun. The free flight mode is there for any player who wants to just soar through the skies in any of the game’s levels without worrying about time limits, enemies or completing mission objectives.
All in all, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the furious comeback that we’ve all been waiting for. It may have its flaws, but the core gameplay and sheer fun of its intense dogfighting make up for everything else.

Where else can you find a superb arcade flight sim like this in the current age of games saturated with battle royales and MOBAs?

Pros:

Flight controls are the best they’ve ever been.
Intense and exhilarating dogfighting combat.
Dynamic weather effects and more adds to the core gameplay.
Fun and satisfying online multiplayer.
The comeback of the arcade flight sim genre.

Cons:

Nonsensical plot.
Unreliable and useless friendly AI.
A few badly-designed levels.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was reviewed on the PlayStation 4 Pro, via a review copy courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment.


Capcom Releases Its Own Version Of Hearthstone, With Ryu & Mega Man As Cards

This came as a surprise to a lot of us; Capcom and GungHo (the Puzzle x Dragon guys) have teamed up to release a card-battling game called Teppen. Its hook? It features a ton of licensed Capcom characters as cards.
We have characters from Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, and even Devil May Cry popping up as battle cards that “features dynamic action with over-the-top attacks blowing up your screen”. These are the ad’s words, not mine.

So how do you play it? You have to fill up your MP gauge to select cards for battle…

…as well as attack and defend in real-time. No turn-taking in this card battle game.

Basically, it’s almost like Hearthstone but with real-time elements. Except I may have a chance to build the Mega Man X deck I always dreamed of.

The game is available now on iOS and Android in select countries. Do check your respective app stores to see if it’s available in your country. It doesn’t seem to be in Southeast Asia; guess it’s time to pull out your Japanese iTunes account and Android buddy QooApp.


The Razer Kraken Ultimate Headphones Are 100% Tailored For Your PC Audio Needs…

Trust Razer to brand itself as the go-to gaming peripheral brand for the elite and the hardcore, all the while charging its base audience up the wazoo. Don’t feel too sorry for them; they have the disposable income to fall for this ploy time and again.
But I digress. Even if most of these peripherals are overpriced to the point of absurdity, the company has at least released one or two gems worth keeping. And surprise, surprise: the best ones aren’t obnoxiously splattered with their signature lizard green.
Like the classy-looking Kraken Ultimate PC-branded headphones, which thankfully doesn’t look as monstrous as its namesake squid monster.
Sexy Beast

In fact, let me point out how sleek and classy these gaming headsets look. The Razer logo only lights up if you turn on the “Chroma” RGB lighting options (which can be tweaked via the Razer Central app). But again, you can turn it off if you can’t stand it.

That’s not the whole point of the Kraken Ultimate though. The only thing that matters is that it feels good on your ears and it sounds excellent.

I’m sure you already know by now that I’m not a fan of peripheral buzzwords. Razer’s got a ton of them at the back of their sleek packagings, but this is probably the first time I’m sold on headphone “cooling gel cushions”. The headphone pads feel so, so good to even to the most sensitive and abrasive of ears.
It’s not pressing down onto your ears and the headband notches can keep track of your size fit. I can definitely attest to this after 10 hours of combined Borderlands 3 grinding and Slay The Spire sessions with the Kraken Ultimate being my audio companion.
I’m also a fan of minimalism on peripherals; the Kraken Ultimate only features a volume dial, a spatial audio toggle button on the left rear side of the headphones, and a mic mute button on the retractable mic. The latter lights up red via an LED strip on its receiver if it’s on mute, so it’s a nice indicator for your teammates if they can hear you or not.
Talk about saving space in the best of ways; I do hope other peripheral companies copy this. Also, props to them for upgrading its cans using hardier materials and not feeling like you’re wearing two plastic cups.
Coupled with its sleek look, I can assure that the Kraken Ultimate is more attuned to human heads. Actual kraken heads? Not likely.
Earful of Myth
Speaking of sound quality, the Kraken Ultimate features THX Spatial Audio than you can toggle on and off on the fly. Basically, it’s just another version of surround sound to make your gaming experience more immersive and precise; you can detect footsteps in CS:GO or Overwatch better with this. Our favourite headphones of 2019 do this well, so can the Kraken Ultimate keep up? Yes, it can.
The THX Spatial Audio option can make certain non-echo sounds feel, well, echo-ey, so the headphones’ stereo setting is still the more flexible choice for overall gaming audio-listening. Everything from the aforementioned Borderlands 3 loot-hunting to even some Outer Wilds space-faring sounds really vibrant and impactful on my Kraken Ultimate. You may need to spend more time using the Razer Synapse app to get the sound equalization you need, but it’s worth it just to amplify the respective sounds of space-themed gunfire and banjo-strummings.

I should also point out that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s gunplay gets way more heated and tense in the best of ways.

With the good comes the bad, and the Kraken Ultimate has a few problems that need addressing. The lack of a 3.5-millimeter audio option limits its potential to be used outside of pure PC gaming. Sure, you can use a USB female to audio jack to solve that problem, but you can hear some compromise in its overall output.
Its price tag may seem like a lot -RM600+ – given its inclusiveness towards PC-centric gamers and audiophiles. Still, if you’re not too hung up on not using it outside of PC gaming, then, dive in. This is a Razer product after all; the company lives in a world of their own when it comes to market rates for peripherals.
Squid Worth

The Kraken Ultimate may seem like much for a PC-only USB-specific headset, but its aesthetics, its ergonomics, and great surround sound capabilities justify its price tag a tad.

Razer fans will eat this up, no questions asked. With these, at least they have a good strong counterpoint to naysayers who declare Razer products as “overpriced substandard gaming peripherals”.

I’m still on the fence on whether it deserves the “Ultimate” moniker, but I’m willing to dub it “Better Than The Sum Of Its Parts” instead. Let this Kraken’s tentacles sink into your ears for your PC aural pleasure, possibly for all of eternity.
Final Score: 80/100

Vital Statistics
General

THX Spatial Audio
Custom-tuned 50mm drivers
Active noise-canceling microphone
Eyewear-friendly cooling gel cushions
Razer Chromaâ„¢ RGB underglow lighting

Headphones

Frequency response: 20 Hz â€“ 20 kHz
Impedance: 32 â„¦ @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity (@1 kHz): 112 dB
Drivers: 50 mm, with Neodymium magnets
Inner ear cup diameter: 65 x 60 mm
Connection type: USB Digital
Cable length: 2.0 m / 6.56 ft.
Approx. weight: 390 g / 0.86 lbs
Oval ear cushions: Designed for full-ear coverage with cooling gel, for sound isolation and comfort

Microphone

Frequency response: 100 Hz â€“ 10 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: > 60 dB
Sensitivity (@1 kHz): -38 Â± 3 dB
Pick-up pattern: Unidirectional ECM boom
Mute Function: Click-to-mute

On-Earcup Controls

Volume up and down
THX Spatial Audio on/off toggle

Audio Usage

Audio Usage: Devices with USB Connector
Audio + Microphone Usage: Devices with USB Connect


World Of Warcraft Classic Breaks Twitch Launch-Day Viewership Record

World Of Warcraft Classic has defied expectations and turned out to be incredibly successful. Blizzard has announced that WoW Classic has broken the launch-day record for peak concurrent viewers on Twitch, exceeding more than a whopping 1.1 million unique viewers.
According to the developer, the peak concurrent viewers for World Of Warcraft Classic reached a total of 1,165,793 at 3.05pm PDT on 26 August 2019 (or 6.05am GMT+8 on 27 August 2019).
The first 24 hours within WoW Classic’s launch ultimately saw more than 6.1 million unique viewers, which is an impressive feat.
All this comes shortly after news of overpopulated servers that resulted in long queues to retrieve quest items in the game. To combat this problem, Blizzard has since increased the WoW Classic server capacity, which was announced via a news post on the official WoW Classic forums.


Thor Love And Thunder Hot Toys Showcases His New Golden Armour

In anticipation to the release of Thor Love And Thunder, Hot Toys has announced a Deluxe Version of the new 1/6th scale collectible figure of the God of Thunder – Thor with his new metallic gold and blue costume.
Thor’s retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of his alliance and embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
The brand-new collectible figure is skillfully crafted based on the appearance of Chris Hemsworth’s as Thor in Thor Love And Thunder. It features a head sculpt with specially applied with luminous reflective effect that accentuates Thor using his thunder power, a specialized body to depicts his muscular physique, red-colored cape, gold and blue body armor with LED light up function, LED light up Stormbreaker, assorted lightning effect accessories with luminous reflective effect applied, and a figure stand.
In addition, this Deluxe Version will exclusively include accessories for alternative styling, such as a LED light-up helmeted head sculpt, interchangeable chest armor, one pair of armored arms, and lightning effect accessories attachable to helmet.
However, there is no price or release date yet.
The official synopsis of the movie reads:
The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods.
To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
In the meantime, check out my breakdown of the Thor Love And Thunder trailers 1 and 2 here. Thor Love And Thunder tickets are now on sale in Malaysia. The movie premieres on 7 July 2022.


PlayStation 5 Shipments Reach 21.7 Million, But Signals A Q1 Decline Overall

PlayStation’s lifetime shipments of the PS5 have reached 21.7 million units during Sony’s recent quarter. However, the company’s Game & Network Services division has posted a drop in sales and operating income.
According to its FY 2022 Q1 report, the company has shipped 2.4 million PS5 units during the three months ended 30th June. It’s a 0.1 million increase when compared to the same quarter a year earlier. Furthermore, during its earnings call, the company refused to be drawn on whether the current economic pressures could lead the company to increase the price of the PS5.
The company also saw a notable decrease in software sales and PSN monthly active users. PS4 and PS5 games software sales totalled 47.1 million during the first quarter, which is down from 63.6 million units sold in the same period last year. The number of PlayStation Plus users are at 47.3 million.
The decline is attributed to sales decrease of third-party titles and the increase in expenses associated with Sony’s acquisitions, particularly the one involving Bungie.


Congrats, Rumiko Takahashi, For The Eisner Hall Of Famer Win

History has been made in one of the world’s most prestigious comic book awards ceremony. During the Eisner Awards nomination and winners ceremony, the Hall of Famer segment has announced its first-ever female mangaka artist to be in this prestigious category.
That artist is Rumiko Takahashi. You may remember her as the woman who created Maison Ikkokku, Ranma 1/2, Inu Yasha, and Urusei Yatsura.Â Other manga creators in the Hall of Fame include Osamu Tezuka, Katsuhiro Otomo and Takahashiâ€™s early teacher, Kazuo Koike.
As a big Rumiko Takahashi fan since the 90s, I’m just glad that her landmark work finally received the recognition it deserved, at least from the many Western supporters and the Eisner Awards. She’s obviously been recognized outside of the Eisners, but this is definitely a big win for her and for all manga-creationkind.

In related news, there were a few other notable winners in the Hall of Famer list: Carol Kalish, Jackie Ormes, Charles Addams, Karen Berger, and Dave Gibbons; all of them well-deserved. We’ve also listed down the full list of Eisner Award 2018 winners below in case you need to know what’s good to pick up and read this year.
Best Short Storyâ€” â€œA Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green,â€ by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017)
Best Single Issue/One-Shotâ€”Hellboy: Krampusnacht, by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)
Best Continuing Seriesâ€”Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
Best Limited Seriesâ€”Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel)
Best New Seriesâ€”Black Bolt, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)â€”Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9â€“12)â€”The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie Oâ€™Neill (Oni)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)â€”Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)
Best Humor Publicationâ€”Baking with Kafka, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Anthologyâ€”Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)
Best Reality-Based Workâ€”Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)
Best Graphic Albumâ€”Newâ€”My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Albumâ€”Reprintâ€”Boundless, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Adaptation from Another Mediumâ€”Kindred, by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
Best U.S. Edition of International Materialâ€”Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom, by Marcelo Dâ€™Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Materialâ€”Asiaâ€”My Brotherâ€™s Husband, vol. 1 , by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon)
Best Archival Collection/Projectâ€”Stripsâ€”Celebrating Snoopy, by Charles M. Shulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy Oâ€™Brien (Andrews McMeel)
Best Archival Collection/Projectâ€”Comic Booksâ€”Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan(Kodansha)
Best Writerâ€”Tom King,Â Batman,Â Batman Annual #2,Â Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1,Â Mister MiracleÂ (DC) and Marjorie Liu,Â MonstressÂ (Image)
Best Writer/Artistâ€”Emil Ferris,Â My Favorite Thing Is MonstersÂ (Fantagraphics)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Teamâ€”Mitch Gerads,Â Mister Miracle(DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)â€”Sana Takeda,Â Monstress(Image)
Best Cover Artistâ€”Sana Takeda,Â MonstressÂ (Image)
Best Coloringâ€”Emil Ferris,Â My Favorite Thing Is MonstersÂ (Fantagraphics)
Best Letteringâ€”Stan Sakai,Â Usagi Yojimbo,Â Groo: Slay of the GodsÂ (Dark Horse)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalismâ€”The Comics Journal, edited by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler, and Tucker Stone, tcj.com (Fantagraphics)
Best Comics-Related Bookâ€”How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics)
Best Academic/Scholarly Workâ€”Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, by Frederick Luis Aldama (University of Arizona Press)
Best Publication Designâ€”Akira 35th Anniversary Edition,designed by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASHâ€¢ROOM (Kodansha)
Best Digital Comicâ€”Harvey Kurtzmanâ€™s Marleyâ€™s Ghost, by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh Oâ€™Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Gideo Kendall (comiXology Originals/Kitchen, Lind & Associates)
Best Webcomicâ€”The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie Oâ€™Neill (teadragonsociety.com)


A New Professor Layton Adventure Game Is In The Works

Level-5 has announced a brand-new Professor Layton adventure game entry.
The game is called Professor Layton and the New World Of Steam. All we know is that it’s coming out for Nintendo Switch since we don’t see any gameplay in the announcement trailer. We’ll most likely solve puzzles and deduce logical outcomes, and also order around a new assistant in the series.


The Black Phone Delivers Some Stephen King-Like Scares

At its best, The Black Phone feels like a Stephen King movie, but that’s not coincidental. It’s based on a short story of the same name by Joe Hill, who’s actually the son of the legendary Stephen King and also a great author in his own right, with famous works such as Locke & Key (which is now a Netflix series).
Director Scott Derrickson is also no stranger to horror, having directed 2005’s The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, 2012’s Sinister and more. As a result of the creative talent involved, The Black Phone is an intense horror movie, but it’s not without its flaws.
Signature King Horror

Joe Hill is not his father; he has his own signature style and his own works. Despite that, The Black Phone has all the elements of a classic Stephen King story. The Black Phone is set in the late 70s in the suburbs, following young kids and siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine MsGraw). One-thirds or almost the first half of the movie focuses on introducing them and fleshing them out. This being a Stephen King-like story, well, there’s a lot of triggering subject matter here (similar to Stephen King’s It) as Finney and Gwen not only has to contend with violent bullies at school, but also their drunk and abusive father at home.
The main meat of the story concerns the looming threat of a serial murderer and kidnapper known only as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). There are also other Stephen King-like elements, like the fact that Finney can communicate with the spirits of the dead victims of the Grabber or there’s even some sort of The Shining-like powers (no spoilers). The Black Phone doesn’t really feel like a standard horror movie. There are a few cheap jump scares here and there, but the movie mostly relies on atmospheric dread and tension.

The Black Phone is 20 minutes shy of being two hours long, and it suffers a bit from that. There’s not enough material from the short story, so the filmmakers were surely forced to stretch and add to whatever they had. Like I previously mentioned, one-thirds or almost the first half of the movie depicts the lives of Finney and Gwen. It’s only the second half of the movie, once Finney is kidnapped by the Grabber, that the pacing considerably picks up. Before that though, it might feel like a slog for those looking for quick scares.
The performances of both child actors, Mason Thames and Madeleine MsGraw, are the highlight of the movie. This movie can be very depressing with its themes of bullying, abuse, kidnapping and murder, but both of them are talented enough to do whatever the situation calls for, be it in moments of despair or fear. As for Ethan Hawke, he’s definitely killing it with his recent antagonistic roles. What’s even more impressive is that as the Grabber, he has to wear masks during the duration of the entire movie, but his piercing eyes and sinister growls make him a terrifying villain. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t reveal much about what motivates the Grabber, which remains a mystery even as the credits roll.
Dial H For Horror

Joe Hill’s stories, albeit horror, usually have more a sort of fantasy elements to them, and The Black Phone is no exception. This movie isn’t really that particularly scary or gory, but it can still be terrifying and triggering. If you like Stephen King-like horror stories, you’ll probably like The Black Phone. Just don’t expect a conventional slasher or horror movie, but the intense third act of The Black Phone is worth waiting for.
FINAL SCORE: 70/100
We attended a press screening of The Black Phone courtesy of United International Pictures (UIP) Malaysia. The Black Phone premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 23 June 2022.


Palworld Is Still Shaping Up To Be The Pokemon With Guns Game We Dream About

Ever wanted to play a Pokemon game that’s open world, kinda battle royale-y, and lets you use your indentured pet slaves as labour? Then Palworld might be the game for you!
Developer Pocketpair has released a new gameplay trailer of its upcoming multiplayer open-world survival crafting game Palworld, where you capture monsters and use them to build stuff while you shoot rival poachers and untamed beasts with your AK-47. Here’s a quick features overview from the game’s Steam page:

Survival – This world is full of dangers such as food shortages, harsh weather, and illegal poachers. You must be prepared to do anything if you want to survive. You may even need to consume Pals sometimes…
Riding and exploration – Fly, swim, dig holes… you can explore all kinds of places on lands, the sea, and in the sky by riding Pals.
Building – Do you want to build a pyramid? You can have a large number of Pals work on the construction. Don’t worry; labor laws won’t be applied to Pals.
Life – Make your life more comfortable by collecting a variety of valuable Pals to light fires, generate power, and mine minerals.
Farming – Different Pals are good at different things such as sowing, watering, harvesting, or else. Create attractive farms and orchards with your Pals. There are also Pals that can duplicate themselves when they’re planted.
Factory and Automation – It is essential for automation to let Pals do the manual work. Build a factory and place Pals in it. They will work forever as long as they’re fed until the end of their lifetime.
Dungeon Exploration – With Pals, you’ll be safe in dangerous areas. If you are in danger, you use Pals to cover your escape! They’ll give their lives to protect you.
Breeding and Heredity – When you breed Pals, they inherit the parents’ characteristics. Mix rare species Pals to raise the strongest Pals!
Poaching and Crime – Endangered species Pals live in the hunting prohibited area. If you sneak in and catch them, you’ll get tons of money! It’s only illegal if you get caught.
Multiplayer – This game supports multiplayer. Invite your friends to go on an adventure together. Of course, you can battle and trade with other players!

Check out the short but oh-so-sweet gameplay snippet below. Palworld will be out for PC in 2022.


Romance of The Three Kingdoms  Gets A 14th Game Next January

Good news, Three Kingdom fans who want more strategy gaming out of their beloved literature series. Tecmo Koei announces that Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV will be out for PC and PS4 next year on 16thÂ  January in Japan.
New features include Administration and Doctrines, where your ROTK officer can get bonuses out of policies and styles of rule. For example,Â  Cao Cao’s Might doctrine gives him an edge in battle while Sun Quan’s Local doctrine makes him better at handling domestics and personnel.

No news on an English version, though that version may be out a few months after. In the meantime, check out the key visuals and the actual hex-filled gameplay below with the occasional pillaging icon to spice up the green and blue.


Get Stuffed With Shoryukens & Chicken Dinners With PS Plus September 2020

Asian gamers will have two new games to look forward to in the PlayStation Plus Asia September 2020 lineup. From 1 September to 5 October 2020, PS Plus Asia subscribers will be able to redeem Street Fighter V and PUBG.
Street Fighter V

New competitors and iconic world warriors square off in Street Fighter V, Capcomâ€™s blisteringly ferocious fighter and the latest entry in the legendary Street Fighter franchise.
In addition, Capcom is kicking offÂ Street Fighter V PS4 TournamentsÂ starting from 4 September 2020 in the U.S. and Canada. These events will offer eligible fighters of all skill levels in those regions the opportunity to compete for cash prizing, a unique PS4 theme and a custom in-game title.
PUBG

Before Fortnite and Apex Legends, PUBG came first. Now’s the chance for all PS Plus subscribers to try out one of the biggest battle royale games in the world if they haven’t. Winner winner chicken dinner.
It’s another great month for PS Plus subscribers, after being treated to Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered last month. They’re still available to claim if you haven’t.
In the meantime, check out this trailer below:


UK’s Top Mental Health Nurse Warns Against Gambling In Gaming

Lootboxes have been a hot topic ever since EA’s Star Wars: Battlefront II fiasco. That game had so much predatory elements built into its lootbox system that entire governments were demanding for investigation.
Recently, England’s National Health Service (NHS) has also taken a stand against gambling in video games, especially in the form of lootboxes. NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch has issued a warning against video game companies that put kids at risk of becoming addicted to gambling.
Photo courtesy of the NHS.
In the UK, investigations have found numerous cases of children spending exorbitant amounts of their parents’ money on lootboxes. There was even a case of a 16-year-old spending Â£2,000 on a basketball game. That’s almost RM11,000.

“Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble on the content of these loot boxes. No firm should sell to children loot box games with this element of chance, so yes those sales should end.”
– Claire Murdoch, NHS Mental Health Director.
Murdoch is demanding that game companies ban sales of games with lootboxes that encourage children to gamble. On top of that, she also wants developers to make it clear to the players the chances of obtaining items in a lootbox.
One of her more controversial requests is to introduce “fair and realistic spending limits” that would prevent people from spending thousands in games. Good as that may seem, it would encroach upon players’ freedom to spend their money however they want.
No matter how you twist it, Murdoch is demanding for the right things. Predatory gambling elements in video games is seriously affecting children. They don’t have the cognitive maturity that assists them in making those kinds of decisions.
Companies like EA and dozens of other mobile game publishers should take heed of Murdoch’s warnings. The unhealthy practice of designing games that prey on people will eventually backfire horribly. Here’s hoping those companies do something.
Thanks, PC Gamer.


Microsoft Developed An AI To Play Minecraft For You

Microsoft has created an exciting AI that can play Minecraft using only natural language text commands. The AI was shown off to Microsoft employees and was created using different technology from the one used for the new Bing chat, which ChatGPT developed.
According to insider information from Semafor, the Minecraft-playing AI is currently just an experiment and is not planned to be available to the public anytime soon. This is not surprising, given that past language or voice control experiments in gaming have usually been disappointing.
However, the idea that an AI can understand and implement commands like “build a house” or “cut down a tree” in Minecraft is quite impressive. Microsoft had previously announced their intentions to work on this kind of project back in May of last year, and it seems like they have made some progress towards that goal.
Kotaku had an interesting suggestion for the future use of the Minecraft-playing AI: as an accessibility option for those who cannot use traditional input devices like keyboards and mice. Despite advances in control technology for those individuals, such equipment can still be expensive or unattainable. This new natural-language system could provide a new way for more people to enjoy gaming.
It’s noteworthy that Microsoft is not the only company using Minecraft to teach AI. OpenAI worked on a similar project last year, and in 2016, another company used the game for AI research. It seems that Minecraft is a popular choice for this type of experimentation.


Respawn’s Doing A New Titanfall Game; Also Apex Legend Is Doing Fine & Dandy

It’s a good day to be Vince Zampella; his company’s new game Apex Legend is doing great. It’s attracted 2.5 million unique users and 600,000 concurrent users at its peak in the past 24 hours since its release. Those numbers might grow since Respawn Entertainment and EA just revealed that there’s a new Titanfall game in the works.

Tons of things planned for @PlayApex in the future. We are also committed to listening to player feedback.
We are also working on more Titanfall for later in the year (yes, I said the T word). We love being able to experiment in this crazy universe!
— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) February 5, 2019

Yeah, that pilot/mecha hybrid shooter series is still Respawn’s baby, so think of Apex Legend as a precursor to tide Titanfall fans over before their next entry comes out later this year. EA head honcho/fistbump in human form Andrew Wilson said Apex Legend is “very early, but the response to the game has been very, very strong. We’ve been the number one views game on Twitch since launch and player sentiment seems to be very, very high right now.”

“We expect that many, many tens, maybe at some point hundreds and millions of people will look play this game. It was important for them to think it through, [and] they are completely proud of where they got to.” Fistbump said the “premium game” will be a “truly creative take on what Titanfall is in a premium context.”

At least we know EA isn’t giving up on Titanfall yet despite them bungling up the release of Titanfall 2. Yes, releasing a critically-acclaimed shooter with other similar and bigger-named multiplayer shooters within the same seasonal window is still a dumb move that EA may have done on purpose for god-knows-what reason.