Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Guide: How To Be The Best Viking In The Animus

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is out now for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox One. If you want some smooth-sailing and meaty open world viking action that’s reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but without the weapon-breaking, AC Valhalla will sort you out.
We’ve played many hours of this, so why not get started with these tips and tricks? Here’s how you can get the most out of razing Europe to the ground and building your viking operation. SkÃ¥l!

Get The Following Skills On The Skill Tree
Stomp (Up, Bear): Half the time, enemies will be keeling on the ground and knocked down. Why not take advantage of that with an OTG move?
Brush With Death (Left, Raven): Gives you Bayonetta-style Witch Time when you dodge, slowing time down and making you do a counterattack.
Backstab (Down, Raven): Makes you deal more stagger bonus and more damage on enemies when their backs are turned. This will happen a lot during Raids, so make your killing go by faster with this.
Advanced Assassination (Down, Raven): Some high-level enemies are tough to fight head-on. Get this skill to activate an easy-to-win minigame that lets you sneak up and nearly kill these tough baddies.

Counter Roll (Left, Bear): When an enemy does a Rune Attack (ie: an unblockable attack), you can dodge forward with this skill and vault directly behind him/her. This is essentially the AC Valhalla version of Sekiro’s Mikiro Counter: used skillfully, you can easily win battles against Zealots and big health bar bosses with mediocre stagger bars. Found in the far left of the Raven school skill tree.
Auto-Loot (Bottom-Left, Raven): It’s exactly what it sounds like. This skill will help you save time, as every time that you melee kill or assassinate a target, you automatically loot them in the process. However, this skill doesn’t work if you kill enemies with arrows or ranged attacks.
Heavy Dual Wield (Top-Left, Bear): From the very start of the game, you can dual wield most weapons, with the exception of heavy two-handed weapons like Dane axes, spears and more.
This skill allows you to dual-wield heavy weapons. You haven’t seen the fury of a Viking until you see one wield dual spears.
Breakfall (Bottom, Raven): If you like jumping for great heights but hate that you almost always die from it, this skill will allow you to automatically roll when landing from a high jump.
However, keep in mind that unlike Odyssey, it doesn’t completely negate fall damage. You’ll still die after extremely high falls. Eivor isn’t a demi-god like Kassandra/Alexios.
Save Your Leather & Iron Ore For Quivers & Rations Upgrades

What’s better than upgrading your weapon(s) and armour? Upgrading your essentials and pouches so you can store more healing items and arrows for long-ranged attacks. Healing works a little different here; you collect berries to build up a stock, then save that health stock for emergency use.
 Use Leather and Iron Ore to upgrade that stock number to three. You’ll survive longer in case a high-level Zealot hits you with a near-death claymore swing. Ditto for quivers; it’s basically free kills from afar if you have a hunter’s bow.
Find Armour Sets To Complement Your Playstyle

Armour sets in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla usually give bonuses to certain playstyles. Ravens boost stealth, Wolf boosts ranged, and Bear boosts Heavy; you can look at the cool graphic next to the armour name to see which set is which.
Make sure to equip each part of your body with a full set, because the secondary bonus (when you get 5/5 of the armour pieces) are incredibly beneficial. If you like sneaking around and dealing crit damage, go for the Raven armour set. If you like shooting things dead from afar and are too lazy to get close, go for the Wolf armour set. Point is, don’t half-and-half it: commit to a set or don’t.
Get All The Books Of Knowledge In Norway

Don’t rush to get to England by doing the story mode. Spend the majority of time getting the starting country (Norway, the one with all the snow & Northern Lights) finding every Book of Knowledge in every dungeon, treasure hoard, or secret room.
Raid Early To Upgrade Your Settlement Quick

You may want to get a lot of resources to get your Settlement level to a high number like 3 or more. To do that and get a lot at one go, you need to do Raids at monasteries and villages near your settlement, along the river, and somewhere where the power level nearly matches yours.
When your Settlement gets to a good level, you start opening up fun features like Reda’s contracts, Legendary Animals, and more. Oh, and you can also build a Stable to make your horse get the most essential skill in the game: Horse Swimming.
Build The Stable In Your Settlement And Purchase Horse’s Ability To Swim

Building a Stable should be one of your main priorities when developing your settlement in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Why? You can actually spend Silver to upgrade your horse, from increasing its stamina, health, and most importantly, unlock it’s ability to swim.
Now you can just ride into rivers and lakes while riding your horse. It’s only a little bit faster than swimming but it still saves a lot of time by not having to dismount every time you have to cross a body of water.
Raid Smart When You’re At Power Level 100 Or Close

As you keep doing story missions and sidequests, you’ll start building up your power level. Once you get to about 100 or so, that’s the perfect time to start raiding higher-level areas.
Obviously you can’t just sound the horn right off the bat unless you want to get your viking squad executed. The trick here is to sneak in, assassinate heavy hitters (Advanced Assassination helps immensely), and then sound the Raid horn. Rob every special gold-highlighted spot and chests, and the Raid’s done. After that, you can run off since that quest is already over and the spoils are already in your cache.

Minor spoilers for the next few tips; we’ll put a warning in case.

Don’t Rush To Vinland (North America) Just Yet

After many hours into the game, you’ll unlock the option to visit Vinland at a certain point in the story. We’re sure that you’ll probably want to go as soon as you can, but it’s worth pointing out that it’s a separate and self-contained region. What does that mean?
Well, Eivor leaves behind all his equipment and gear behind when he goes to Vinland. One you get there, you’ll have literally nothing but the clothes you’re wearing. The story quest gives you just enough material to unlock a new Native American weapon, but you’ll have to visit all the yellow Wealth dots in Vinland to afford the rest of the Native American set.
However, we were disappointed to learn how self-contained the Vinland story arc really is. You don’t really get anything worthwhile from the two hours or so that you’ll spend there. You don’t even get to bring back your Native American weapons and gear back to England.
At the end of the Vinland story arc, you’ll simply be able to return to England empty-handed. All you get is a bit of narrative progress, and the fact that it ties to an older Assassin’s Creed title, but that’s all there is to it.
You Can Romance Petra, Broder, & Randvi

Not really a gameplay tip, but more a narrative tip. You can start with Petra when you open up the Hunter’s Shack. Broder’s option starts during the East Anglia questline.
Randvi’s romance option starts once you completed three of the pledge quests, when you ask her to take a break from all this viking-conquering business.


Pirate RPG King Of Seas Will Set Sail This May

Arr, matey? Fancy an RPG that makes your foes walk the plank? Developer 3DClouds and publisher Team 17 will be releasing its pirate-themed action RPG King of Seas this 25th May for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Best of all, you can see what the fuss is all about by giving this ship a test drive in the oceans via the PC Steam demo, which is out right now.Â
King of Seas features a sea-faring pirate story, procedural generated levels and dynamic world, a nifty ship customization option, and a combat system involving flinging cannons at your enemies while outmaneuvering them for boarding & plundering. The game will cost you US$24.99.
Check out the gameplay below:


Guess Which 2009-Made Game Sold 200 Million Copies?

If you guessed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you’re totally wrong.
Unsurprisingly, the game that made its way onto schools as an educational program AND also still making waves on streams to this day will usually covet the 200 million sales mark. That title is, of course, Mojang’s Minecraft, celebrating its 11th anniversary with this piece of news.
Also, the company will be rebranding itself and teasing a slew of brand new games. In addition to the sales figures milestone, Studio head Helen Chiang also shared the game’s many contributions, such as free educational worlds on the Minecraft Marketplace that schools can use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some other Minecraft figures to take note:

The game’s monthly player count is at 126 million. This also includes the Chinese free-to-play version, which features over 300 million players in 2019 alone.
Minecraft is YouTube’s most-watched game; it racked up 100.2 billion views total. For comparison’s sake, battle royale title Fortnite has 60.9 billion.

Here’s to another few years of Minecraft shenanigans, I guess. We need something to placate children and young ones into gaming without it being inherently violent and senseless.


Thor 4 Will Feature The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love And Thunder is starting to take shape, as we keep learning more and more about the upcoming movie. A few days ago, we learned that Christian Bale would be playing the villain in the movie (check out my predictions here). Now, actor Vin Diesel has reportedly spilt the beans on who else will be featured in Thor 4.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Diesel (who voices the character, Groot) accidentally revealed that Thor 4 will feature members of the Guardians Of The Galaxy, though he did not specify whom, especially after he realised that this news hasn’t been announced yet.
He said:

“I am waiting and excited for my friend James Gunn to knock this next one out of the park.
He took The Suicide Squad so he’s about to embark on it.
Thor will also, the director talked to me about Thor will incorporate some of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
That’ll be very interesting, nobody knows, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

The news isn’t totally unexpected since Thor was already last seen embarking into space with the Guardians Of The Galaxy at the end of 2019’s Avengers Endgame. It’s possible that Thor: Love And Thunder will pick up from there.
While Thor: Love And Thunder is slated to release on 5 November 2021, we still don’t have a release date for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Meanwhile, Natalie Portman will be reprising her role as Jane Foster and become the new Thor.


EA Play 2020 Was A Lot Of Hot Air

The EA Play 2020 live stream took place earlier today, revealing several new games, as well as new information for existing games like Apex Legends and recently-announced games like Star Wars Squadrons.
Check them out below:
Apex Legends
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1c842i_joo&w=560&h=315]
Respawn Entertainment announced a new Lost Treasures Collection Event for Apex Legends, which will begin on 23 June 2020 and run until 7 July 2020. Players can expect the following:

Limited Time Mode – Armed and Dangerous Evolved.
All-new Town Takeover – Cryptoâ€™s Map Room.
Exclusive Event Prize Track with two Legendary Weapon skins.
24 Event Limited premium cosmetics available directly or through Lost Treasure Event Packs.
Introducing â€˜Special Offersâ€™ page featuring all-new Rare skins and charms.
Mirage Heirloom Set Preview; unlock all 24 Lost Treasures cosmetics during the event and unlock the Mirage Heirloom set for free.

The developer also confirmed that crossplay support is coming to the battle royale game sometime in fall 2020, alongside new Steam and Nintendo Switch versions of the game.

The Sims 4

EA announced that The Sims 4 is now available on Steam. It’s currently 50 percent off at only RM79.50.
More EA Games On Steam And Nintendo Switch

Seven EA games will be made available on Nintendo Switch, including Burnout Paradise Remastered starting from today on 19 June 2020, and Apex Legends sometime in fall 2020.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm_Fe8VtTB8&w=560&h=315]
For all the EA games available now or coming soon on Steam, check out the EA Steam publisher page here.
It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a new co-op action-adventure platformer game from Josef Fares and Hazelight Studios. The game follows a child whose parents are divorcing and to cope, she creates imaginary versions of them who must work together.
It is scheduled to be released sometime in 2021, but platforms have not been specified.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blwlcwlAXwA&w=560&h=315]
Lost In Random

Developed by Zoink Games, Lost In Random is a new fantasy action game set in the world of Random, a dark kingdom where every citizenâ€™s future is determined by the roll of a dice.
Players will assume the role of Even and her sidekick Dicey to play the odds and break the curse of Random. It is scheduled to be released for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and Origin) sometime in 2021.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdM8pFtjtcI&w=560&h=315]
Rocket Arena

Developed by Final Strike Games, Rocket Arena is a new 3v3 multiplayer hero shooter with a focus on rockets in gameplay. It’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Origin) on 14 July 2020, with crossplay support at launch.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZJ-tIQukmE&w=560&h=315]
Star Wars Squadrons

Star Wars Squadrons will support crossplay for all platforms at launch. There will be eight ships from four classes and two factions (New Republic and Galactic Empire), as well as over 50 ship loadout components to customize ships with.

The two main multiplayer modes will be Dogfight Mode (5v5 multiplayer battles), and Fleet Battles; a multi-stage conflict (PvE or PvP) in teams of five, starting by fighting in a central area of the map, then attacking or defending several capital ships, before finally attempting to destroy the flagship.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCcfJ9uEwvs&w=560&h=315]
EA Sports Next-Gen: FIFA 21 & Madden NFL 21
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfvMNaphiUE&w=560&h=315]
EA Sports gave our first look at FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 on next-gen consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X). However, they’re also coming out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Origin).
You can already pre-order FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 starting from now.
New Skate Game

Skate is Back! pic.twitter.com/EAQgt95HW2
â€” Electronic Arts (@EA) June 18, 2020
The biggest surprise of the night (it really wasn’t) was the reveal of a new Skate game. The last entry was Skate 3 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2010 over a decade ago.
 Skate series producer Chris “Cuz” Perry appeared to announce the studio is working on a new Skate game, but he didn’t reveal any other details about the game, including what its official title is.

Overall, EA Play 2020 felt underwhelming and a bit meh, considering how expected several of the announcements and reveals were. The best bit of the live stream was the Star Wars Squadrons gameplay reveal, and we already know that was coming beforehand.
The three EA Originals (It Takes Two, Lost In Random and Rocket Arena) looks fine for the most part, but only one of those is releasing soon. Personally, I wasn’t really expecting anything from BioWare, but it was still disappointing to see nothing new or concrete from them.
No Mass Effect or Dragon Age news? Boo. Plus, does anyone even care about a new Skate game, especially considering that we’re already getting a remastered version of Tony Hawkâ€™s Pro Skater 1 And 2 later this year.
You can watch the 50-minute entire EA Play 2020 presentation below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Ow-M-1K_c&w=560&h=315]


LG Launches 48″ Gaming Monitor & More

Today LG Electronics announced the launch of its new LG UltraGear gaming monitors line-up that allows gamers to Gear Up for the next-level gaming experience.
With an all-new design language, the latest display technology, and a range of gaming as well as connectivity features, the new LG UltraGear gaming monitors line-up is a game-changer, satisfying gamers’ needs.
The LG UltraGear gaming monitors’ latest line-up celebrates the much-anticipated arrival of LG UltraGear’s first OLED gaming monitor – the 48GQ900 model, and the flagship 32GQ850 model that comes with a QHD Nano IPS display, and Advanced True Wide (ATW).Polarizer technology. The gaming monitors will bring forth a holistic immersive gaming experience with viewing displays built from the industry’s leading technological innovations.
“We are proud to introduce the first-ever OLED gaming monitor that applies cutting-edge technology and design in meeting the high standards of today’s consumers’ needs and expectations for gaming display monitors,”
– Justin Choi, Managing Director of LG Electronics Malaysia
Ultimate OLED Gaming Display

A Red Dot and iF Design Award-winning product, the self-emissive LG UltraGear 48GQ900 gaming monitor boasts a 48-inch 4K display, 120Hz refresh rate, overclocked (O/C) up to 138Hz, 0.1millisecond (ms) response time, impeccable colour accuracy and a fully borderless design.
The new model is perfect for PC and console gaming as it offers superb colour reproduction and contrast to OLED. It features LG’s anti-glare low reflection (AGLR) coating, which reduces visual distractions, enabling users to focus their full attention on the gameplay.
The 48GQ900 model also comes with a remote control specially designed for enhanced gaming convenience and a stylish stand that provides optimal stability without intrusion into users’ desks or table space.
Levelling Up with Ultra-Large Nano IPS

Along with the new lineup, the 32GQ850 presents the next generation of visual performance and speed. The monitor is certified with the VESA® AdaptiveSync Display that is launched by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA).
LG’s VESA AdaptiveSync Display-certified monitor has a QHD (2,560 x 1,440) Nano IPS panel with ATW Polarizer technology that guarantees seamless visuals and consistent colours from almost any vantage point. The 32GQ850 also comes with VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, covers 98% of DCI-P3, and has a three-sided borderless design that helps to draw gamers deeper into the action of their favourite games.
The monitor also includes an ultra-high 240Hz (O/C 260Hz) refresh rate, overclocked, and a 1ms response time. To put it simply, the performance speed is impeccably fast.
Game On with Full HD Display

The LG UltraGear 27GQ50F and 24GQ50F models sport even sleeker gaming aesthetics with sharp, angular stands and the Hexagon shape. The base of the monitor can be adjusted to change the tilt of the monitor for more comfort thanks to its chic and sleek design with slim bezels on three sides.
To complete the gaming experience, LG’s latest UltraGear gaming monitors – the 48GQ900 and 32GQ850 models incorporate a 4-pole headphone jack that allows users to plug in a gaming headset and chat as they play. The 2022 models also offer the superior surround sound of DTS Headphone: X, which reproduces every sound in the game with stunning clarity.
“Whether it is raising the bar or setting new standards in the gaming monitor industry, the LG UltraGear monitors and its display performance showcase our commitment to lead with high levels of innovation to fulfil consumers’ needs. We are consistently striving to forge a ground-breaking trajectory in the gaming monitor industry while putting the needs of our consumers first,”
– Justin Choi, Managing Director of LG Electronics Malaysia
Prices
Starting today, the latest LG UltraGear gaming monitors will be available in Malaysia nationwide at an MSRP of RM5,922 for the 48GQ900 model and an MSRP of RM3,150 for the 32GQ850 model. Additionally, the LG UltraGear 27GQ50F and 24GQ50F models will be available in the market at MRSP of RM934 and RM765, respectively.
For more information to purchase the latest LG UltraGear gaming monitors, visit the nearest LG authorised dealer and LG Electronics Malaysia’s website, or check out the LG Monitor Official Store at Lazada and Shopee for more platform-exclusive deals.


Here Is The First Game PlayStation Studios Is Involved In, Available On Other Platforms Including PS5

The new baseball game MLB: The Show 22 marks the first time one of Malaysian’s finest development studios are involved: PlayStation Studios Malaysia. It’s also the first time a Malaysian studio under PlayStation and Sony has worked on other platforms including the PlayStation 5.
According to the game’s credits, the following PlayStation Studios Malaysia members are involved in the development of the new baseball game, available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Xbox Game Pass, and Nintendo Switch.

Major Milestone: Our first production involvement!The first game @PlayStation Studios Malaysia is part of. What a "Batter" game than the @MLBTheShow 22! Our first "Show"! #fortheplayers #proudoftheteam #milestone pic.twitter.com/mQVHMs2K2n
— Hasnul Hadi ? (@mistahasnul) April 7, 2022

Hasnul Samsudin -Senior Director of Malaysia
Abhinav Pradhan – Manager of Production
Aisyah Kamilah – Project Manager
Benjamin Wu – Senior Manager of Art
Azmi Mohd Amin – Outsource Supervisor
Michael Whiteley – Senior Asset Artist
Issac Tan, Malerie Leow, Tze Ting Chuah, Xiao Yang – Associate Asset Artists
Muhammad Aiman Zubir – Character Artist
Dom Drane – Senior Manager of Tech Art & Engineering
Bharath Metpally – Lead Tech Artist
Sueki Yap – Manager – Human Resources
Daniel Lim – Senior System Admin.
Belle Ibrahim – Senior Specialist, Govt. & General Affairs
Suzana Abdul Muttalip- Specialist HR & Admin
Bazi Buzz Bidin – Outreach & Training Manager
Syazmeen Othman – Senior Recruiter

PlayStation Studios Malaysia have basically produced its first game for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles alongside the main San Diego Studio; that’s a heckuva milestone! We hope to see more of their works and handprints on other major PlayStation projects, be it exclusives or multiplatform titles that happen to be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.


One Of The Most Messed-Up Visual Novels Of This Century Will Be Out Tomorrow

Visual novel fans in need of a surreal horror fix not unlike Doki Doki Literature Club may want to check out this remastered version of Saya no Uta – The Song of Saya. This version of the game will be available for Steam this 13th August.
Originally released back in 2009, the game is about a boy who survives a car crash but has a different worldview after that fated day. This infamous visual novel is known for its descriptions of gratuitous violence, sexual assault, adult scenes featuring a young female character, and a lot of other f***ed up imagery and situations that are Lovecraftian by nature.

It’s also well-done thanks to the writing courtesy of Gen Urobuchi, renowned for shows like Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass. If you can stomach through the gore, you’ll find an engrossing story within.
You can get the game when it’s available tomorrow.Â


We Know One Other Villain Who Will Appear In Spider-Man: Far From Home

If you’re knee-deep in your Spider-Man lore, you’ll want to see this piece of news concerning the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next Spider-Man film. Spoilers, of course.

According to Deadline, Turkish actor Numan Acar has joined the film to play a character named Dmitri. Spider-Man comic book fans may recognize that name since it’s the civilian name for one of his trickier face-changing foes: the Chameleon.
Â
As a bonus, the Chameleon is also the half-brother of another notable Spider-Man villain: Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a Kraven the Hunter. You know, the guy who buried Spider-Man alive at one point and then masqueraded as him.
Numan Acar will be joining new cast member J.B. Smoove and potentially Jake Gyllenhaal, who isÂ in talksÂ to play the magic-laden special effects wiz Mysterio.
Michael Keaton, Zendaya and Marisa Tomei will be returning, with Jon Watts taking directorial reins again from a script by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna. The film will be out July 5, 2019, meaning that there will be three MCU films next year: this one, Captain Marvel, and that fourth Avengers film.


[Rumour] Atlus Will Bring The Best Persona Games On PC

It’s 2020, meaning that it’s high time PC folks should experience the best JRPGs Atlus has to offer more than a decade ago, at least from the PS2 and PS Vita side of things.
According to some sources on Twitter (via Wario64 and SabiWabii), the two best Persona games will be going onto PC via Steam. We’re talking about Persona 3...

…and Persona 4, coming out on Steam this 13th June.

This may be related to the big news Atlus may be sharing on the upcoming PC Gaming Show 2020 digital showcase, as well as the fact that the company just opened a Steam page. Atlus will be porting the PS Vita version of Persona 4. It’s not confirmed which version Atlus will be porting for part 3; we’re hoping it’s the PSP version with the FES expansion.
In any case, we hope this news turns out true because JRPG fans need to experience the best sequels in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona spin-offs. Plus, it’s been a while since Atlus published a PC game; the last time they did that was Shin Megami Tensei Imagine back in 2007. Yikes….
Persona 3 combined visual novel social mechanics with turn-based dungeon-crawling in procedurally-generated levels. It also set the template for future Persona games to follow from.
Persona 4 basically upped the ante with more social links, a more refined combat system, and an arguably compelling cast. The Golden update also proves that you can do some retcon work that adds more to the Persona lore if you’re a talented enough designer.
Most importantly, DAT MUSIC!


Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Will Quench Your 2D Action Ninja Bloodthirst

Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Nintendo Switch, PS4
Genre: 2D action ninja platformer
If you fondly miss 16-bit fast-paced action games like Shinobi 3, Hagane, and Run Saber, the two-man developer group Joymash will sort you out with 2023’s first-ever arcade offering that slaps and slashes.
Flip Out & Kill People

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is about a rogue robot guardian who goes on a hunt for evil, helping out the in-game’s rebellions against the oppressive government and its other guardians. The titular Moonrider plays like a 90s action ninja hero: he runs, has a 3-hit combo sword slash, a running slash that’s very useful once you get the gauge of its distance and reach, has wall jumps, and has ninja divekicks.
In fact, developer Joymash’s love for 90s 16-bit action games like Super Shinobi (specifically part 2) and Hagane is so apparent here, you’d swear Moonrider is the amalgamation of both Joe Musashi and Hagane. themselves. He plays exactly like the two, only with less shuriken ammo and rapid-fire properties. See, the only way Moonrider can chuck projectiles is by killing one of the Mega Man-esque bosses by tackling their respective themed levels: water plant, forest area, lost ruins with demons residing underneath, the usual. After defeating them, he steals their powers that you can use as much as you want as long as you have mana available.
Moonrider also has collectibles in the form of chips. They give him new abilities you can swap out for each stage playthrough, be it a double jump, a secret area locator, or a modifier that turns you into a glass cannon (one hit and you’re dead). These help make the game either easier or brutally hard just for kicks. Each stage you complete will bestow you a ranking; the faster you complete the stage and the less hits you take, the better your score. This is a great incentive for me to replay levels and be the best cyber shinobi in Moonrider, with each challenge and boss being tough but fair, only requiring memorization and reflexes to conquer. The stages too are laid out in a linear yet fast-paced fashion, with lovely-yet-muted backdrops and sights for the eyes. From the cityscape to the detailed demon in the aforementioned ruins, there’s a lot of material to make desktop wallpaper from if you’re a connoisseur of 2D pixel art.
The Secret Of Shinobi? Add Dive Kicks!
The only crime Moonrider has committed is that it left me wanting more of the action and genre. 90s action titles starring ninjas/samurais/hybrid-of-the-two have distinct controls and feel, and Moonrider captures that to a tee, especially with its speed and plethora of attacks and skills on tap. I just wished there were more stages for me to test my skills on, but I understand that adding more means a bloated title from two developers who are making this game. Thus, I can’t be too hard on this awesome effort that bore amazing results. Still, I hope to see a future update where we get a boss rush mode and a couple of modified levels, or even new ones down the line.

Believe me, when the only flaw of your game is that you want way more out of it, that’s a sign stating that your core design and gameplay have stuck their proverbial landings. Much like the graceful yet homicidal cyborg ninja you control who is about to plant his foot through someone’s mind.
Pros

Well-made tribute to 90s action games like Shinobi 3.
Lovely pixel art and music.
Action-packed fast-paced levels and combat that encourage multiple playthroughs

Cons

Could use varied bosses.
Short, and leaves fans wanting way more.

Final Score: 80/100


PUBG Lite Finally Coming To Malaysia, Available 14th February

It has been a great moment of growth for battle royale games recently. PUBG Corporation announced that the Open Beta Test for PUBG Lite will be expanded to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore. Previously it was only available to Thailand.

The aforementioned regions are able to pre-download the game on 13 February , while the official Beta Test will begin on the next day, 14 February .
PUBG Lite is adapted from the main game, PLAYERUNKNOWNâ€™S BATTLEGROUNDS, stripped out of its beautiful graphics to a basic form of presentation, retaining all the mechanics and gunplay but at the same time, accessible even to most laptops and bare desktops.
The minimum and recommended requirements are as follows:

The game follows a free-to-play model served through PUBG and Garenaâ€™s platform. Players of the premium PUBG and PUBG Lite will dish it out on the same server while the main developer, PUBG Corporation, will handle all customer support, events, and activities.
Keep an eye out on Garena and this official Facebook page, or you can register a PUBG account if haven’t, so you wonâ€™t miss PUBG Liteâ€™s release on our shores.


Here Are 5 Possible Ways Avengers: Endgame Could End

We’re only several days away from Avengers Endgame, and the hype is bubbling at the surface for many fans who’ve been waiting for the sequel to last year’s shocking finale in Avengers Infinity War. There have been many fan theories floating around online, but most of them don’t make a lick of sense anyway.
Let’s go back to the source material and find out how Thanos was defeated in the comics. The Avengers (and other heroes in the Marvel Universe) have won against Thanos time and time again, but there were only a few occasions which can be applied to Avengers Endgame.
Besides three possible endings from the comics, I’ve chosen the most popular online fan theory as well as my own theory of what will most likely happen in Avengers Endgame.
1. Infinity Gauntlet (1991)

Jim Starlin’s Infinity Gauntlet crossover in the comics remain one of the most iconic in history, hence why it’s the main inspiration for both Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame. However, the MCU version of events differs greatly from the source material, but things could still end up pretty similar in the end.
In the Infinity Gauntlet comic, Thanos collects all six Infinity Gems (read: Infinity Stones) and used them together with the Infinity Gauntlet to decimate half of the universe’s population. However, instead of the reason that the universe is overpopulated and unsustainable, it was done to satisfy Mistress Death (the living embodiment of death in the Marvel universe) because Thanos was in love in her.
Thanos was only defeated when Nebula manipulated him into separating his consciousness from his physical body, thereby becoming one with the universe (in order to become a ‘true’ god in the process). What Thanos failed to realize is that the Infinity Gauntlet was still physically attached to his body. Nebula took advantage of this by grabbing the Infinity Gauntlet while Thanos wasn’t in control and banished him to space.

Adam Warlock saved Thanos and told the Mad Titan of his weakness: that Thanos will eventually lose each and every time because, deep inside his inner subconscious, he ultimately believes himself to be unworthy. An inferiority complex, if you will. Then they both work together to reclaim the Infinity Gauntlet from Nebula, in the process convincing her to restore the universe back to the state it was (one day) before Thanos’ snap.
In the end, Adam Warlock gained possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, and all was well. The biggest problem with this ending working in Avengers Endgame is that Adam Warlock hasn’t appeared in the MCU (we only saw his cocoon at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), though that could be rectified by simply introducing him in the upcoming movie.

Nebula could still play a pivotal part in stopping Thanos in Avengers Endgame, doing the same thing that her comic book counterpart did, manipulating Thanos into becoming a bodiless consciousness and snatching the Infinity Gauntlet while the Mad Titan’s not in control of his body.

It would be interesting to see if the MCU version of Thanos does turn out to have the same psychological weakness as his comic book counterpart. However, the chances of Adam Warlock actually appearing in Avengers Endgame is pretty low at this point, though someone manipulating Thanos and somehow snatching the Infinity Gauntlet away from him remains a credible plan.
2. Infinity (2013)

Thanos was only one of two main antagonists in Jonathan Hickman’s sweeping crossoverÂ Infinity.
In fact, Thanos didn’t even have the Infinity Gauntlet or any of the Infinity Stones this time around. He attacked Earth just to take advantage of the fact that most of the Avengers were away fighting an intergalactic war with an enemy called the Builders and find his secret half-Inhuman son named Thane.
Thanos was then ultimately defeated by his own son, Thane, who imprisoned the Mad Titan in a seemingly permanent state of limbo in stasis (or a state of living death as it was described in the comic).

Imagine Han Solo trapped in carbonite in Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; that’s what it was like for Thanos.

This ending seems unlikely for Avengers Endgame because one, the Inhumans aren’t clearly established in the MCU (Agents of SHIELD isn’t as ‘connected’ as we were made to believe), and two, the MCU’s version of Thanos has never been to Earth (that we know of). Introducing Thane now will just seem like a strange and jarring twist.
Still, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch of the imagination for Avengers Endgame to suddenly introduce us to the MCU version of Thane. If that happens, it would be quite anti-climactic for viewers, with Thane functioning as essentially a (Deus Ex Machina) plot device to defeat Thanos. Where’s the emotional payoff in that?
3. Captain Marvel Issues 25-33 (1973)

Thanos’ first ever defeat in the comics came at the hands of the original Captain Marvel. Sorry, it’s not him, and oh, not her, either. I’m talking about the Kree warrior Mar-Vell (who appeared in the MCU as a female Kree scientist in the pretty blandÂ Captain Marvel movie but you can learn more about the original Mar-Vell here).
Of course, at this point in time, the Infinity Gauntlet didn’t exist, but Thanos did have the Cosmic Cube (known as the Tesseract or the Space Stone in the MCU) at his disposal. Captain Marvel (with the help of the Avengers) defeated Thanos by destroying the Cosmic Cube while the Mad Titan was once again in the form of a disembodied god. It seems that he didn’t learn his lesson, later doomed to repeat the same mistake in 1991’s Infinity Gauntlet (see above).

Since there’s no Mar-Vell in the MCU, Carol Danvers could theoretically play the same role by somehow destroying the Infinity Gauntlet or one of the Infinity Stones. A few facts support an ending like that for Avengers Endgame. Captain Marvel is not only purported to be the strongest hero yet in the MCU, but even Scarlet Witch proved herself capable of destroying an Infinity Stone (as seen in Avengers Infinity War when she destroyed Vision’s mind stone on his forehead).
4. The Time Travel Theory

One of the most prominent fan theories running wild for Avengers Endgame involves time travel. This fan theory started gaining traction when leaked images of the Avengers Endgame set showed scenes from earlier movies, particularly the Battle of New York in 2012’s The Avengers.
Fans also started noticing weird details in the trailers for Avengers Endgame, including inconsistencies involving the character’s costumes and hairstyles, which seems to change from scene to scene.

For example, some scenes in the trailers featured Black Widow with blond hair like she had in Avengers Infinity War while other scenes featured her with her old red locks again.

Another notable example of this is Captain America’s costume in one of the Avengers Endgame trailers, where he can clearly be seen wearing his old stealth suit from 2014’s Captain America The Winter Soldier. All of these point to one logical conclusion: that the Avengers will resort to time travel in Avengers Endgame by summoning past Avengers from different timelines to help defeat Thanos.
Then there are the new matching white suits worn by the living Avengers. Some speculate that these suits are for traversing the Quantum Realm, though the question remains that why do the Avengers need to go to the Quantum Realm in the first place. If they’re for space travel, then why didn’t the Avengers wear it in any of the scenes set in space seen in the trailers?
5. The ComicsLordÂ© Theory

I don’t usually like formulating wild theories, but here we are. While I do read the comics, I’ll never claim to know the definitive ending to Avengers Endgame in any way.
So here goes: even before Avengers Endgame received its official title, I was already predicting it to be either Avengers Annihilation or Avengers Forever. I was wrong on both accounts, but the latter might turn out to be true just yet. What most fans might not know is that the popular time travel theory (see above) already sort of happened in the comics, in the pages of Avengers Forever (1998-1999).
In the Avengers Forever comic, Rick Jones (a character who’s not in the MCU) possesses a godly power called the Destiny Force. When a villain named Immortus sends his forces to kill him, unlikely allies in the form of Kang the Conqueror and the Kree Supreme Intelligence convinced him to get help.
Rick Jones then uses his power to summon various Avengers the past, present, and future to help him defeat Immortus. The most fascinating part of this story is that the Avengers summoned by the Destiny Force were less than ideal, including the likes of when Captain America was going by his Nomad persona and a mentally-unstable Hank Pym/Yellowjacket.
While nothing remotely similar to all that could possibly happen in Avengers Endgame due to the unavailability of most of those characters, the time travel mechanic of summoning Avengers from different points in history is definitely a very likely theory for Avengers Endgame.

I also think that Captain America will die (for good) in Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing himself in the process of fighting against Thanos. Being the heart of the MCU, his death would hit the hardest, with Iron Man probably a close second.

There are also fan theories of there being another Infinity Gauntlet (or Tony Stark building one), which the Avengers will use to restore their fallen Avengers. While this never happened in the comics, it sounds plausible enough, though how they’d find another Infinity Gauntlet (or build one) is beyond me.
Perhaps we might finally see this iconic page come to life as well. Fingers crossed. It’s high time that scene from Avengers Age of Ultron paid off, and the phrase “Avengers Assemble” uttered aloud in the MCU.

In the end, the possibilities are endless, so we have no way of knowing for sure what Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers have in store for us. Last year I dubbed Avengers Infinity War the “Crisis On Infinite Earths” of comic book adaptations.
All I’m really sure of right now is that I’ll soon be eating my words by this time next week because that was one of the highest praises I could give a comic book movie.

If Avengers Endgame does live up to its enormous hype, what the heck can I compare it to? The “Final Crisis” of comic book adaptations? Nah.

Avengers EndgameÂ is slated to release on 24 April 2019 in Malaysia,Â two days earlier than in the US. In the meantime, check out theÂ latest Entertainment Weekly covers forÂ Avenger EndgameÂ here.


The Best Games To Play On Steam Next Fest

This week until 27 February, you’ll get to check out a bunch of PC indie game demos on Steam. About 600 of them, in fact.

Valve’s big showcase of games will be going on in a few days, but with so little time, it’s hard to pick the best games to play through. Luckily, we’re here to help. Here are our top picks form the 600+ demos during this PC games fest. We’ll add more when we find more noteworthy titles throughout the week.

Ghostlore – This isometric action RPG is fun to play and represents Southeast Asian ghost stories and myths pretty well. Go give it a shot!
Ixion – A space-station management sim with a unique spin of its own.
Card Shark – Play as a card cheat in 18th century France.
Neon White – Deckbuilding + FPS + Mirror’s Edge parkour = a unique indie title.
McPixel 3 – An adventure game featuring silly scenarios and a bunch of out-there world-saving mayhem.

Souldiers – Need a 2D Metroidvania with puzzles and Soulslike combat? You got it!
Crossfire Legion – Not quite an indie game, but still a worthy RTS title if you want to relive the golden age of 2000s strategy gaming.
Madshot – Acrobatic roguelite shooting action with 50+ bosses to kill off. Fun!


Forspoken Gameplay Teases Devil May Cry-Style Combo Grading System

At Gamescom 2022, publisher Square Enix and developer Luminous Productions have unveiled a brand new gameplay video for Forspoken with 10 minutes of new footage.
It looks like the game will include a Devil May Cry-style combo grading system. As Frey, players will be graded on their spell use with meter counts up from rank D to A, with experience multipliers offered for doing well. The meter increases based on a number of situations, from using specific spells enemies are vulnerable to, stringing multiple spells together, evading enemies using parkour, and switching spells mid-combat.
There will also be over 100 different spells and abilities.
Open-world action RPG Forspoken was recently delayed yet again from its previously-planned 11 October 2022 release date (which itself was already a delay) to 24 January 2023. It will be available for PS5 and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store.


AniManGaki Is Returning This August

Animangaki has announced that they are returning this year with a live event for the first time since 2019. It’s slated to take place from 27 to 28 August 2022 at Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre.
Activities include artist alley, cosplay alley, Vtuber showcase, game tournaments, stage performance, exhibitors, carnival games, live stage performances, special guests, cosplay competition, animangaki idol, art competition and more.
However, more details and information will probably be unveiled closer to the event itself.
In the meantime, stay tuned on Kakuchopurei or the official Animangaki Facebook page here.
https://www.facebook.com/animangaki/posts/4936605113074458


Top Gun & Mission: Impossible Sequels Delayed Due To COVID-19

Sad news for 80s pilot-filled drama and spy thriller fans everywhere. Paramount is pushing back its two big Tom Cruise-starring films to mid-2022 (via Deadline).
Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the awesome film Top Gun, is pushed back to 27th May, 2022. Mission: Impossible 7, sequel to the ongoing spy thriller film that featured Henry Cavill and his moustache the last time, is pushed back to 30th September, 2022.
These films have international acclaim status, so to release them worldwide while more than half the world is still on lockdown and still being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic would not be ideal if Paramount wishes to rake in billions for these films. In any case, sate yourself with the Top Gun: Maverick trailer and hope that 2022 will turn out rosier for blockbuster films overall.


Xbox Live Is Currently Down

[Update: 11am 13/11/2021]: Xbox Live is back online.Â

Players should once again be able to launch their games and apps in all available regions! Happy gaming and as always, we're listening. https://t.co/i2zQIxmIUV
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) November 13, 2021

Original story
It seems that Xbox Live is facing some unexpected downtime on a possible global scale.
Just about an hour ago, Xbox users have stated on social media that Xbox Live is currently down. We tested out our own Xbox Series X console to load up Forza Horizon 5, Unsighted, Moonglow Bay, and Tales of Arise: we could not access either one of them and the Xbox Game Pass titles. We are instead greeted with the “Something went wrong” with the error code 0x8007023e.
Website Downdetector.com has stated the downtime happened during the last few hours from 8am onward (via PressStart). So far the downtime is happening on the Australian and Oceanic side of things.

We’ll be keeping an eye on future updates; hopefully Xbox will fix this issue as soon as possible.


The King Of Fighters XV Delayed To 2022

SNK has announced that they have delayedÂ The King Of Fighters XV to sometime in Q1 2022. The latest in the long-running fighting game franchise was previously slated to release sometime in 2021.
SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda gave a statement on the delay:
There are many fans who are anticipating the release ofÂ The King Of Fighters XVÂ in 2021, however at this point in time, we unfortunately have to announce thatÂ The King Of Fighters XVÂ will now be launching within the 1st quarter of 2022.
The development timeline we set out to reach in the beginning has been affected by the ever-still rising cases of COVID-19 within Japan. We have made the ultimate decision in the end that the productâ€™s quality must come first, and so with that decision comes an altered release window.
We sincerely ask for your kind patience and understanding as our development teams continue to work hard onÂ The King Of Fighters XVÂ as we draw closer to its release.
In addition, SNK has yet to announce the platforms for The King Of Fighters XV as well. You can check out all the characters announced so far by heading over here.


Solar Ash Voidrunner Stash Guide: How To Collect Them All

Solar Ash is out now, and if you love 3D platformers that mixes Jet Set Radio skating & traversing together with Shadow of the Colossus giant-slaying, you’ve come to the right place.
The desolate-yet-pretty world of Solar Ash is full of secrets which include Voidrunner caches and lost journals that tell a deeper story within. Here’s how you can find them.
What Are Voidrunner Stashes?
Voidrunner Stashes are purple tubes with a light on the front, and a blue pillar of light coming out the top. Finding the complete set of them will reward you with new outfits to put onto your character Rei. Your hub person Cyd will tell you how many stashes are remaining in an area if you ask her. Also, if you find a sigil carved anywhere, the Stash is nearby the area.
Here are the locations of each Stash in each area.
Crater
1st Stash: The Stash is on a ledge near the middle outer wall of the area. It’s just before one of the paths leading to one of the areaâ€™s anomalies.
Broken Capital

1st Stash: Take an immediate right when you enter the area. Then continue past the tree with the sigil on it to find this in the corner of the area.
2nd Stash: In the second area, go back up the grind rail that leads to Cyd. Grab the grapple point midway up. Climb the ooze on the wall to get to this Stash.
3rd Stash: In the area with Cyd, go down to the right where there is a large rail with a train car at the top. Follow the rail after the car into an area with some enemies and a wall, which has the Stash behind it.
4th Stash: When climbing the first area, before entering into the building at the top, you can spot the stash on top of the statue on the right. You can get onto the statue through the window from the rail room directly beside it.

5th Stash: From the top of the building with the large spikey anomaly, take the grind rail off the side that has the sigil on it (see picture above). Follow the path with the grapple points; you’ll find the stash there.
Ironroot Basin

1st Stash: After climbing up to the building with the big machine with the pipes (Dross Harvester), jump down to the rock wall to the right where the sigil is. Follow the path around to near where you entered the area to find this stash.
2nd Stash: In the area where you break through a barrier to get to an anomaly, just before going up to the left you can see some mines leading to the right. Move past them and you’ll eventually find the Stash.
3rd Stash: Around the area with the anomaly in the building, go below and you can find a sigil on a wall pointing into an area with a bunch of mines. At the end of this area, you can go into a building with this Stash.

4th Stash: Around the left side of the building with the door that requires 3 switches to enter, you encounter spikes that appear on the ground when you move over them with a red damage point at the end to shut them off. Follow the path around the area and deal with the next two spike areas. The stash is there.
5th Stash: Head to the same building with the Dross Harvester. Walk around the left side where the sigil is. Follow the edge all the way around the back to find this stash.

Eternal Garden

1st Stash: From the Cyd activation point, turn around to spot a large cloud pillar. At the top is the building with this Stash. To get inside you need to hit the yellow mushroom beside Cyd, then rush over to this location to open the door while the effect is active.

2nd Stash: In the area to the right of Cyd, there will be a large bone sticking out of the ground with the Stash light on top. Climb the ooze on the back to reach it.
3rd Stash: In the dark area underground from the central building, when you activate the final yellow rail to go back up, you can jump off to the left to find this Stash.
4th Stash: In the area left of Cyd, follow the path to where you find some blocks with a sigil pointing forward. Follow the path around the back of the building to find this Stash.

5th Stash: In the area to the right of Cyd, you can see this Stash on top of a building near the start of the area. To get to it, go to the back right where you can find another sigil pointing you towards the row of bones (and grapple points) you can use to get to the Stash.
Mirrorsea
1st Stash: To the right of the central pavilion area after the Cyd point, there is the area at the top of the large cloud pillar. At the bottom of this area, where the dark part is, you can find a breakable wall beside a sigil. Go through there, then jump up to the left where you find a clam rail that leads down to an area with this Stash.

2nd Stash: Out the right side of the pavilion, go around the large cloud pillar to find a building set in the rock wall. The Stash is just at the back.
3rd Stash: While continuing through the area before reaching the Cyd point, you will reach an area with a bunch of white buildings that you use the fungus rails to get between. When going between the two buildings, direct the rail into the building on the left, where there will be another rail you can take up to this Stash.

4th Stash: Again on the bottom area at the top of the cloud pillar, you will make your way to the anomaly using the clam rails. When you reach the final rail leading to the anomaly you can see a sigil directly beside it. Hit the clam to set the rail, then take the rail back into the building it goes through to the Stash’s location.

5th Stash: After destroying the anomaly in the large pavilion, you can see a sigil on the middle structure pointing upwards. Climb up the ooze to the second floor, then jump to the large dangling one in the middle to climb to the rooftop. The Stash is right there.
6th Stash: While progressing up the first area to get to the ship, you will reach a point with a sigil on some floating metal pointing left. Take the grapple point going to the left and then grind the rails to reach this Stash.
Luminous Peak

1st Stash: After the Remnant cutscene when you’re at the main area, there’s a sigil on a rock that’s pointing left. Follow the path around and jump on top of the building to find this Stash.
2nd Stash: When travelling to the Cyd hub point, you’ll pass a sigil on a low wall point downwards. Follow the black ooze down the wall to a lower area; the Stash is just below.

3rd Stash: While progressing up the walls of the broken building, you can spot a sigil on the right side partway up pointing towards a Stash on another floor of the building. To get it you need to progress slightly further to find the red mushroom, and use it to create a grind rail to lead you to the 3rd Stash.

4th Stash: Once youâ€™ve been through the long area with the floor spikes, youâ€™ll eventually reach a point where there is a Stash obviously off to the right. Before you can grab it you need to follow the path to the back to be able to turn off the floor spikes for this area.

5th Stash: After you progress to the area past the really long grind rail, you will go up a wall and the Stash will be directly in front of you to the left. Before you can grab it though you need to deal with the wall laser enemy off in the distance because it will shoot at you if you try and grab the Stash before itâ€™s dead. You will deal with the turrets in the area while destroying the anomaly, then you can come back to the stash.

6th Stash: In the area leading towards Cyd, there is an area you can go to with an anomaly on top of a large tower. To get up the tower you hit one of the mushrooms that spits out the long rail. At the top, drop back down onto the roof above the mushroom to find this Stash.


Here’s When Brigette Will Be Playable on Competitive Mode

While Overwatch’s 27th hero, Brigette is set to drop into the live servers in a couple days, we will have to wait a little longer before we are able to play her on competitive mode. Following a post by the Principal Designer at Blizzard, Scott Mercer, we now know that Brigette will only be available for competitive mode use in Season 10.

So when will it be, exactly?
We know Season 9 ends on May 13th 2018 and taking into account the standard one-week break of competitive play before the following season, we *should* see Brigette available on comp on May 20th 2018.
Too long of a wait perhaps? While we would certainly love to see her available during Season 9, it is understandable that Blizzard sought to have more players get accustomed to her before tossing her into ladder.


Watch Speedrunners Marathon Through Games For Coronavirus Relief

This year’s Summer Games Done Quick by the folks from GDQ is pushed back to August due to COVID-19 coronavirus concerns, but that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be any speedrunning marathon action. In fact, from today until Monday morning 20th April, GDQ will be running an online speedrunning marathon called Corona Relief Done Quick.
All donations and proceeds to watch and keep the livestream and speedrunning action going will be benefitting global response organization Direct Relief. All involved speedrunners are currently speedrunning their game(s) of choice online on GDQ’s Twitch channel.
Check out the stream below.
Watch live video from GamesDoneQuick on www.twitch.tv
If you want to tune to your favourite speedrunner, check out the schedule below. Click on the image to enlarge it:

I can’t wait to see NieR Automata and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.


These Are The Best Deals During Steam Lunar New Year Sale

Turns out Valve is in a festive Lunar New Year mood this year; the company has just launched its Steam platform Lunar New Year Sale today. It’ll go on until 12 February, 2am.
To sweeten the deal, users will get RM10 off their first purchase of RM60 or more. With that said, here are our favourite picks to tide you over if you’re diligent enough to book holiday leave for the entire week:
Dark Souls III Deluxe Edition (70% off)

Need a hardcore dark fantasy RPG fix? The third Dark Souls game is going for RM72; you get both the original game and the Season Pass which features a few extra levels and content in case you thought the original wasn’t soul-crushing enough.
Life Is Strange 2 (50% off)

This Square Enix adventure game features two brothers on a lam while attempting to conceal a sudden & mysterious supernatural power. Any sequel to Life Is Strange is always a plus in our book. This deal will cost you RM13.Â
XCOM 2 (75% off)

One of 2016’s best turn-based strategy games is getting a major discount. If you haven’t felt what it’s like to miss a 99% accurate shot when under pressure against a superior alien force, now’s a good time as any. That’ll be RM47.50.
Far Cry 5 (75% off)

Last year’s open world shooter darling featuring doomsday cultists and our favourite AI companions is getting a mega-sale. The whole PC package will cost you RM52.25.
Overcooked! 2 (25% off)

Team17’s current shot at relevance is going strong with its zany multiplayer co-op indie title. It’s going for RM33 now.
Tekken 7 (50% off)

The 3D fighting game is still going strong since it’s now in its 2nd season. Yes, you still have to pay separately for the Season 2 pass (RM89), but at least you can still have fun with the base roster and the tutorial/story mode/other stuff for RM74.50.
Total War Titles (33%-75% off)

Most of the real-time strategy titles in Creative Assembly’s line of historical and fantasy settings are currently going for less than RM50 each. Some of the newer titles may be a bit more expensive but they’re still great deals.
Fancy subjugating the Roman Empire at its peak, play Total War: Attila. If you’re a fan of Vikings like me, the more recent Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia would be a great choice. Feel like reuniting Japan under one banner, and you can’t go wrong with Total War: Shogun 2. Want to command giant trolls and legions of orcs, then Total War: Warhammer 2 is the game for you.
Here are several recommended Total War titles:

Total War: Attila – RM21.25
Total War: Rome 2 – RM26.25
Total War: Shogun 2 – RM14
Total War: Warhammer 2 – RM57.50
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia – RM75.71

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (50% off)

The most recent title in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is already selling at half its original price after just four months since its initial launch. In our review, we stated that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey improved on almost everything from its predecessor, 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, as well as re-introducing naval combat as a core mechanic and more. Your gateway to a mythical Greek world is currently going for RM104.50.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game Of The Year Edition (70% off)

Why the hell haven’t you bought the definitive version of 2015’s Game of The Year? You really should since it has it all: a great main hero, a lovely cast of characters, a ton of women to fornicate with a gripping tale, and awesome action and a plethora of sidequests.
We’ll add more deals as the week goes by. Be sure to tune here every day for our top picks!Â


May the Fourth Be With You: Celebrating Star Wars in Video Games

Happy Star Wars day folks! To celebrate this momentous day, we came up with this awesome video recapping the best Star Wars game through the years for your viewing pleasure.
[wpvideo KFnCn8UN]
Which one’s your favorite? Sound off in the comments section below!


Capcom To Reveal More Monster Hunter Rise DLC News Next Week

The next expansion for Monster Hunter Rise will be coming out later in 2022. As such, Capcom will be getting ready some new info and gameplay in a future video update.
The company will be revealing new details about Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on its Twitch channel on 15 March, 10pm GMT+8. The new paid expansion will feature new stories, locales, and monsters, as well as new hunting actions and quest ranks. The video update will definitely touch more on these new features.
Monster Hunter Rise came out lastÂ  year for Nintendo Switch, with the PC port out in January 2022. The game shipped 4 million units in its first weekend, with the total Monster Hunter sales being over 70 million units combined. Basically this puts it close to the Resident Evil franchise’s sales number which is over 10 million units.


Ace Combat 7 Story DLC 4 Gets Mysterious New Trailer

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for the upcoming story DLC for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Dubbed DLC 4: Unexpected Visitor, the trailer in question is cryptic in nature, featuring a conversation between two people communicating through a messaging app.
What’s interesting here is that they’re looking at news footage taken from previous games in the franchise, including Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, and Ace Combat Zero: Belkan War.
Chronologically, it seems like DLC 4: Unexpected Visitor (or Operation Sighthound, as previously revealed) will take place between Mission 13: Bunker Buster and Mission 14: Cape Rainy Assault in the gameâ€™s main campaign story.
The previous trailer for Ace Combat 7 DLC 4 announced that it was slated to arrive sometime in fall 2019. However, the new trailer doesn’t even mention that or another release date/window, only that it’s “coming soon”.
In the meantime, check out my review of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown here, and watch the new trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGJa5fkOWB4&w=560&h=315]


The Five Nights At Freddy’s Movie Will Be Out This October

Horror fans, unite! The game that popularized murderous Chucky Cheese restaurant-like killer machines and jump scares in gaming in the last few generations is getting a movie done.
And it’s got a release date too: 27 October. The show is being produced by Blumhouse, known for its cheap brand of horror films that mostly do well.

Can you survive #FiveNightsAtFreddys? Coming October 27 pic.twitter.com/dJZT6jpjVx
— Blumhouse (@blumhouse) May 16, 2023

The show is directed by Emma Tammi, and written by the trio of Scott Cawthon (the game series’ creator), Emma Tammi, and Seth Cuddeback. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Matthew Lillard of Scream & Scooby Doo fame.
Check out the trailer below.


GTA Online The Contract Features The Return Of GTA V’s Franklin Clinton

GTA Online The Contract is an all-new story featuring the return of GTA Vâ€™s Franklin Clinton as you help Franklin and friends set up his â€œfixerâ€ agency and land their first big-ticket client: Dr. Dre. It is slated to arrive in a free update on 15 December 2021.
Players can connect with Franklin, expert hacker Imani, Lamar Davis and Chop the dog as they work to track down the legendary producerâ€™s missing phone and the unreleased music it contains in this massive new update. It also features exclusive brand new tracks from Dr. Dre alongside a heavy-hitting line-up of artists, as well as first-of-their-kind updates to the radio dial, including an all-new radio station, and more.
The synopsis of the story reads:
In the years since he and his accomplices knocked over the Union Depository, renowned Los Santos hustler Franklin Clinton has been making moves of his own.
Welcome to F. Clinton and Partner, a new â€œcelebrity solutions agencyâ€ catering to the Vinewood elite in need of solutions to high-society problems. Franklin needs two things to get the agency off the ground: a reliable partner and a big-ticket, high-profile client.
With your longtime LS contact â€” and newly aspiring cannabis entrepreneur â€” Lamar Davis making the connection, you can be the partner that helps Franklin take the business to the next level.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, DJ Pooh has been reaching out to Franklin about an exciting potential client: his close friend, Dr. Dre.
Lost in the shuffle on his way to Cayo Perico last year, it turns out Dr. Dreâ€™s phone isnâ€™t just missing â€” itâ€™s in the wrong hands. Not only that, but the phone also contains the hottest property in the city: new, unreleased music from Dr. Dre himself. This could be the big break your agency needs.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:


Shin Megami Tensei 5 Ending & New Game Plus Guide: How To Get All Of Them

This guide is still a work-in-progress.
Shin Megami Tensei 5, like all SMT games before it, has multiple endings. Unlike some of the entries, however, SMT5 has a New Game+ that lets you carry your first game’s progress.
If you want a general spoiler-free idea of what you’re going into, read on ahead. The spoiler-heavy stuff is right after, warnings and all.
How Long To Beat?
Shin Megami Tensei 5 takes about 60 hours or so to beat. This includes some sidequest work, grinding, demon fusion-hunting, and updating your demon compendium (for easier summoning via Macca).
How Long To Get All The Endings
SMT 5 has four endings. It’ll take you at least 80 hours (up to 90+ or more) just to get them all. The initial playthrough will take longer, but you can skip through a lot using the New Game+ feature.
There’s A New Game+?
Yes! Once you finish the game, you’ll get to choose between different types of New Game Plus options. Here they are:
New Game Plus Newborn Mode
The following will be carried over in your new playthrough:

Enemy info.
Demon compendium.
Unlocked fusions.
Some Miracles.

New Game Plus Reborn Mode
The following will be carried over in your new playthrough:

Enemy info.
Demon compendium.
Unlocked fusions.
Some Miracles.
Nahobino’s stats, level, Miracles.
Macca and items (except key items).
Glory.

If you want a challenge in your new playthrough, play New Game Plus Newborn. If you want to breeze through the game to get the remaining three endings, pick the New Game Plus Reborn Mode. A “speed run” of SMT5 with an OP party will take you about 5 hours or so, even without the Talismans needed for your Magatsuhi skills.
Alright, here’s the spoiler-heavy portion on ending conditions and other story stuff. You’ve been warned.

Like we said, there are four endings in Shin Megami Tensei 5. Three of them are branching route endings while the fourth ending is hidden.
So there’s a final choice you have to make in the game at the top of the Temple of Eternity. You will get to make this decision after defeating Metatron. We suggest making a separate save file before you make your final decision.
Each choice will lead you to your ending:

I will uphold God’s Order.

This isÂ the ending aligned with Abdiel and Ichiro Dazai.

I will recreateÂ the world and save Tokyo.

This is the ending aligned withÂ Hayao Koshimizu and Yuzuru Atsuta.

I will destroy the throne.

This is the ending aligned with Nuwa and Shohei Yakumo.

Create a world for humanity alone.

This is the hidden ending.

The choices you make along the way in the game do play a role in what ending will suit your alignment. If you pick the ending that matches your alignment, you’ll get a bonus Miracle for that choice. Otherwise, you get nothing.
There is an end-game quest where you are charged 666,000 Macca to accept if your ending choice does not match your alignment.

The Empyrean
After picking one of the choices, you’ll get to head to this final dungeon. Here are some things to keep track of about this area:

TheÂ Empyrean area is alwaysÂ the same layout no matter which ending you pick, but the main bosses you face will be different.
Three mini-boss fights in the Empyrean will always be the same no matter which ending you pick. These are three Melchizedek, one Sraosha, and one Alilat.
Demeter will always be in the Empyrean with the final quest in her questline no matter which choice you pick. You do have to have completed “The Bull Godâ€™s Lineage” first, though. This quest unlocks Demeter and Zeus for fusion, so you can get this on any route.
AÂ Maria NPC will always have a quest in theÂ EmpyreanÂ if you have the Seed of Life key item (obtained at 75% Compendium). However, the quest will be slightly different for each of the three routes. For completionists, you want to do this quest on each of the three normal routes, because you unlock a different demon on each route.
After the credits, you will unlockÂ Lady Nuwa, Herald Abdiel, and Fallen Abdiel for fusion no matter which ending you pick.
In NG+ you will unlock two more Miracles, no matter which route you pick. These are:

Divine Persuasion – which allows demons you fight to sometimes join randomly.
Divine Eminence – which allows the Nahobino to negotiate with higher-level demons.

Ending #1: I will uphold God’s Order
This ending is the Law Route for SMT5. Humanity will devote itself to God and will lead a prosperous life in exchange for individuality.
Here’s what you get on this path:

If you picked this ending AND your choices made throughout the game align with it, you will get the bonus MiracleÂ Rank Violation, which removes theÂ Level limitation for Demon Fusion.
Herald Abdiel is automatically unlocked for fusion (though you seem to get her after the credits regardless of route).
Mariaâ€™s quest is â€˜The Compassionate Queenâ€™ and unlocks Maria for fusion, unique to this route.
A Melchizedek NPC is here with a message from Michael. Go to the end of the Temple of Eternity to meet Michael and the ‘The Seraphâ€™s Return’Â quest. If you pick thisÂ route unaligned with your actual choices, you have to pay 660,000 Macca to proceed.

Completing this quest adds Michael to your party and unlocks him for fusion, unique to this route.

Ending #2: I will recreate the world and save Tokyo
This ending is kind of like the Chaos Route, but less severe than previous SMT title’s Chaos endings. People and gods are allowed to choose for themselves, but will be in conflict with one another all day, err day.
Here’s what you get on this path:

If you picked this ending AND your choices made throughout the game align with it, you will get the bonus MiracleÂ Inheritance Violation, which allows aÂ demonâ€™s starting skills to be overwritten when they are fused.
Holy Hayataro automatically joins the party and is unlocked for fusion, unique to this route.
Mariaâ€™s quest is â€˜The Wrathful Queenâ€™ and unlocks Inanna for fusion, unique to this route.
A Nebiros NPC is here with a message from Belial. Go to the end of the Demon King castle to meet Belial and the â€˜The Red Dragonâ€™s Invitationâ€™ quest. If you pick this route unaligned with your actual choices, you have to pay 660,000 Macca to proceed.

Completing this quest adds Belial to your party and unlocks him for fusion, unique to this route

Ending #3: I will destroy the throne
This ending is the shortest of all; you literally destroy the throne and declare that there’s no ruler needed. Everyone fends for themselves. You still need to go through the final dungeon though, but you’ll face less bosses.
Here’s what you get:

Mariaâ€™s quest is â€˜The Noble Queenâ€™ and unlocks Danu for fusion, unique to this route.

Ending #4: Create a world for humanity alone
This is the hidden ending of the game. Here, the Nahobino doesn’t align with any entity, and instead creates a new world for humanity alone with no gods or demons. This is the hardest ending to achieve in the game and can’t be procured on a single playthrough.
Here are the conditions needed to trigger the bit that allows the fourth ending(update):

Finish the game once with any of the endings above, then play the game again via New Game Plus. We suggest you just use Reborn mode to speed through the game. Thanks to a number of emails and messages, it turns out you can get the “secret” ending the first time around provided you finish the quests below.
Finish the Egyptian god questlines,: “The Falcon’s Head”, “The Egyptians’ Fate”, “The Winged Sun”, “The Succession of Ra”. To unlock the last quest, spare Khonsu after you fight him.
Finish quests involving Fionn mac Cumhaill: “A Goddess Stolen”, “The Root of the Problem”, “The One I Love”, “An Unusual Forecast”, “Fionn’s Resolve”
Finish quests involving Shiva: “A Universe in Peril”.

Here’s what you need to do once you fulfil the above conditions.

Pick the Destroy The Throne ending.
As you go through the Empyrean, after you defeat Abdiel, Nuwa may reappear. You will be given a choice to “Create a world for humanity alone”. If she doesn’t pop up, you didn’t do the requirements above.


Microsoft’s E3 2019 To Feature Its Biggest Ever Lineup Of First-Party Games

With Sony and EA out of the way at E3 2019, Microsoft has a huge opportunity to grab the spotlight and turn out as the ‘winner’ at this year’s event. That could become a possibility as Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms that Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference will feature a whopping 14 first-party titles from Xbox Game Studios.
In his tweet, Spencer stated that Microsoft will show off “more first party games than we’ve ever had in the show.” In comparison, last year’s E3 2018 had the company show a gazillion world exclusive announcements, only a handful of which were even first-party Xbox exclusives.

Just finishing our final E3 rehearsal here with the team in Redmond. Feel really good about the briefing. Lots to show. We have 14 Xbox Game Studios games in the show this year, more first party games than we’ve ever had in the show. Fun times. #XboxE3
â€” Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 30, 2019
Confirmed first-part titles from Xbox Game Studios to be featured at Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference include (via Gematsu):

Battletoads (Rare / DLaLa Studios)
Gears 5 (The Coalition)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios)

There are 10 more first-party exclusives that haven’t been revealed, so rest assured that there’ll probably be plenty of unexpected surprises for Xbox players and gamers at E3 2019.
Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference is slated for 10 June at 4am GMT+8 this year (9 June 4pm ET). Head on over here to find out where to watch live stream when it happens.


Avengers Endgame Trailer Teases Kate Bishop, Stark’s Return To Earth And More

The latest Avengers: Endgame trailer is here, and it’s a much clearer look at the upcoming movie than the first trailer and Super Bowl TV spot combined. Let’s break it down and see what’s in store, shall we?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMBFSGVi1c&w=560&h=315]
The new trailer begins with Tony Stark reminiscing about his origins, with footage from the first Iron Man movie slotted in.
“Gosh, seems like a thousand years ago. I fought my way out of that cave, became Iron Man, realized I loved you (referring to Pepper Potts), and we said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one.”
A female voice then says:
“The world has changed. None of us can go back.” All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best we can do is to start over.”
Thor chimes in:
“I saw all these people die.”
Then it’s Steve Rogers’ turn, as he says:
“I keep telling people to move on. Some did, but not us.”
Black Widow replies:
“Even if there’s a small chance, we owe this, to everyone who’s not in this room, to try.”
To which Steve replies:
“We will.
Whatever it takes.”
This is followed by an increasingly epic crescendo of other fellow Avengers echoing the same words, including Tony Stark.
Let’s take a look at all the interesting tidbits of the new Avengers: Endgame trailer.
The Potential Debut Of Kate Bishop AKA Hawkeye
In the images below, it shows Clint Barton (Hawkeye) can be seen training archery to a girl. However, we have no idea who this girl is. She could be his daughter, or more interestingly, a Marvel Comics character named Kate Bishop.

In the comics, Kate Bishop is Hawkeye’s young protege, who also takes on the name Hawkeye (it’s confusing, I know). She debuted as part of Young Avengers team in 2005. Her relationship with Clint Barton is that of a mentor/mentee and less like a typical hero/sidekick kind of dynamic. Her archery skills are comparable to that of Barton’s, and she’s also well-versed in several martial arts techniques thanks to Mockingbird.

If this really turns out to be Kate Bishop, it could mean that Marvel is already planning the next generation of the Avengers. On the other hand, the girl in question could just be Clint’s daughter, or perhaps a brand new MCU version of Kate Bishop that combines the two into one (just like Iron Man 2’s Ivan Vanko combined comic book villains Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo).
War Machine and Rocket Raccoon Teaming Up

It’s an odd pairing, that’s for sure, but I for one am excited to see how this will turn out. Rocket must’ve been impressed by the heavy-duty arsenal of the Rhodey’s War Machine armor, and thus taken a liking to him. We all know of Rocket’s fondness for all things that go “Blam!” and “Boom!”.
Still Calling It, Captain America Will Die

We saw footage of Captain America gripping his shield tightly in the previous Super Bowl TV spot, and now we see his face after. We can see that his face is blackened with soot, and he’s gritting his teeth for what might be his final sacrifice. I’ve been calling it since the first Avengers: Endgame trailer and I’m sticking with it: Captain America will die.
All The Remaining Avengers In Their New White ‘Advanced Tech’ Suits, Including Tony Stark And Nebula

We see the Avengers preparing to mobilize for a mission in their new white suits, the purpose of which we still don’t know. These new suits could either be to travel in the Quantum Realm or they might just be space suits. I think it’s the latter, as the heroes should be going after Thanos again. It all remains speculative for now. Very mysterious indeed.
What’s interesting about this scene is that it basically confirms that Tony Stark and Nebula, both of which were presumed to be lost in space, will return to Earth sometime in the movie. It’s great to see them safe and ready to avenge. Also, another fun fact is that the official toy merchandise for Avengers: Endgame referred to these new suits as the ‘Advanced Tech’ suits.
Thor And Captain Marvel’s Meet Cute Moment

Awww, Thor’s first ever meeting with Captain Marvel, with hilarious results. Thor immediately likes Carol for standing her ground despite him summoning Stormbreaker so close to her. She didn’t even flinch. She even smirked. I can already tell this is going to be a new obsession for the fan-shippers.

Final thoughts: This might be the final trailer for Avengers: Endgame and it’s a great one to build up hype for the upcoming blockbuster. If the words of the Russo Brothers are to be taken at face value, then all of that we’ve seen so far have only been taken from the first 20 minutes of the entire movie.
However, they also claimed that the toy leaks were fake, and they clearly turned to be legit, as evident from the white suits seen in the new Avengers: Endgame trailer. Despite all that we’ve seen, we still know next to nothing about what our heroes will be up to in the upcoming movie.
What do you think of the new Avengers: Endgame trailer? Let me know in the comments below. Avengers: Endgame is slated to arrive in cinemas on 25 April 2019.


You Can Pre-Order Horizon Forbidden West DLC Right Now

The shores, they be burning!
PlayStation has opened up pre-orders for its upcoming Horizon Forbidden West expansion Burning Shores. The DLC will be out for PlayStation 5 on 19 April for US$19.99; the Asian versions have yet to show up live on the PlayStation Store page at this point in writing.
The pre-order bonuses for the game include the Blacktide Dye Outfit and Blacktide Sharpshot Bow which should go well if you want main character Aloy to go all goth in the Forbidden West.

Apart from those bonuses, the DLC will have Aloy travel beyond the Forbidden West (a new region south of the Tenakth Clan Lands) and fighting new machines, as well as explore a new story. Just a heads up: you need to complete the main quest (up to and including Singularity) to access Burning Shores content.
Check out the new pre-order trailer below.


The Major Esports Tournaments Affected By COVID-19

The COVID-19 coronavirus has been affecting one esports tournament after the other, to the extent that such news is almost expected rather than surprising now.
If you’re wondering what got cancelled, postponed, or moved online, we’ve made a list of major tournaments (or tournaments involving major games) that got affected by this pandemic.
Various EA Tournaments

EA announced that they would be suspending all of their live esports events. This meant that the EA Sports FIFA 20 Global Series, FIFA Online 4 Live Events, Madden NFL 20 Championship Series, and the inaugural Apex Legends Global Series were affected.

EA didn’t mention when the events would be rescheduled to, but said that “This suspension of events and broadcasts will start today, March 13th, and will be in effect until the global coronavirus situation improves.”

League of Legends

Near the middle of March, it was announced that the Legends European Championship (LEC) Spring Splits would be broadcast from studios with no audience or press present. Then, the LEC was suspended entirely. Later, it ended up coming back but in an online-only format.

Riot Gameâ€™s Head of Esports Europe Alberto Guerrero explained that after the suspension, no staff or player have yet to test positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, they decided to adopt a work from home stance as a safety measure.

Similarly, the League of Legends Championship Series and Academy Spring Split were suspended, but later returned with online matches.
Dota 2

The ESL One Dota 2 Major was postponed due to both the Covid-19 situation and the US travel restriction. It was originally meant to be held in Los Angeles from 20 March to 22 March. ESL said that they were working with Valve to decide on a new date and venue.
In addition, the fourth “minor and major tournaments of the DPC season” have been cancelled.
Overwatch

The Overwatch League was originally meant to persevere with online matches after some of its live events were cancelled, but those matches ended up being postponed due to California’s stay-at-home order.

“We will share more details on match rescheduling and look forward to returning to action soon,” the Overwatch League said.

Call of Duty

The Call of Duty League swapped live events for online-only matches for health and safety reasons. In a statement, they said:

“Call of Duty League has seen firsthand the power of our live events in our inaugural season and will return to city-based competition in front of live audiences as soon as it is safe and logistically possible.
In the interim, Call of Duty League is confident it will continue to deliver fans what they want: amazing competition between the best players, competing at the highest level, for the right to be considered the greatest team on earth.”

Hearthstone

After shifting to an online format in early March, the Masters Tour Los Angeles found itself partially affected recently by California’s stay-at-home order.
The matches will still take place, but broadcasts have been cancelled. The tournament still hopes to showcase the Top 8 matches though.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The ESL Pro League Season 11 also went for an online format, with the venue of the finals shifting from 1STBANK Center in Denver to a studio location sans live audience in Europe. ESL originally planned to have the studio location be in Malta, but the decision was affected by the country’s “wide range of ravel restrictions and quarantine regulations”.
In late February, the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2020 was held sans live audience, as its mass event license was revoked less than a day before the event due to COVID-19 fears (via Rock, Paper, Shotgun).
Rainbow Six Siege

Ubisoft and ESL decided to cancel the APAC LAN finals and the Rainbow Six Pro League Season 11 Finals in SÃ£o Paulo, Brazil as a result of Covid-19 and travel restrictions.

However, it was announced that “The online portion of Rainbow Six Pro League will proceed as planned”.

PUBG and PUBG Mobile

In mid-February,Â PlayerUnknownâ€™s Battlegrounds postponed its Aprilâ€™s PUBG Global Series (PGS) Berlin event and cancelled its Chinese qualifiers for the event (via Reuters). More recently, in mid-March, PUBG Mobile announced that they would postpone the PUBG Mobile Pro League Americas and the PUBG Mobile World League to later this year.

“The health of our players, staff and contractors is our highest priority. While weâ€™re saddened to post-pone our tournament, weâ€™re dedicated to ensuring the safety of everyone involved.”
“We also see this as an opportunity to mobilize esports, and we’re working closely with our teams to further improve coverage of our servers around the world & Americas.” says Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports James Yang.

NBA 2K

The NBA 2K League announced that they would postpone the start of their 2020 season, which was meant to kick off on 24 March.
“The health and well-being of our players, teams and fans are of paramount importance,” they wrote.

“We will continue to evaluate the situation and do everything possible to bring the excitement of the NBA 2K League to our fans through remote preseason exhibitions and other content. We look forward to sharing additional information about these exhibitions and the start of the 2020 season as it becomes available.”

Tekken 7

Bandai Namco announced that they had postponed the Tokyo TEKKEN Masters Tournament to a “later date in 2020” in early March.
“Due to the highly dynamic nature surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which has had global health implications, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. will take every possible consideration into account prior to rescheduling the Tokyo TEKKEN Masters Tournament,” they wrote.

“Our goal and focus are to provide safe and healthy conditions for all of our tournaments to take place.”

Various Capcom stuff

Capcom decided to cancel/postpone several fighting game tournaments due to health concerns. The cancelled ones are the Brussels Challenge (Belgium), Norcal Regionals (USA), April Annihilation (USA), and Taipei Major (Taiwan).
Meanwhile, the Fighter’s Spirit (Korea) and the MIXUP (France) were postponed to August. The former’s dates were moved from March 28-29 to August 11-12, while the latter had its dates moved from April 18-19 to August 18-19.

“CAPCOM will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments to the schedule as the need arises,” they said in a statement. “The safety of our fans and players is our top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience to the players, community, production partners and tournament organizers; and we thank you for your understanding.”

Know of any regional or local tournaments and esports events that are postponed, made into online events, or cancelled? Let us know either here or on our Facebook page.


Baldur’s Gate 3’s Latest Update Brings In Bear-Changing Fire Sphere-Rolling Druids

Larian Studios just announced the fourth major update to its Early Access CRPG magnum opus Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s called Nature’s Power and it will bring in the latest class to the game: the Druid.
The Druid can not only transform into a dangerous burrowing badger or a giant killer bear (or a dangerous wolf), but it can also summon tangle vines that can whip enemies off of ledges and rolling fire spheres that can obstruct and deal flaming damage to anything in its way. Druids in Baldur’s Gate 3 have more than 30 spells and abilities, along with a new set of voiced dialogue. Also, you can chat with animals in the Druid’s animal form.
Apart from that major class addition, the update will also add in:

Loaded Dice feature, which “helps smooth out the extremes of the bell curve” so that players can no longer be unlucky or lucky with several dice rolls in a row.
The much-requested ability to target by clicking on portraits.
A “torch” button to easily equip torches when in dark places.
The ability to flee in battle.

The Nature’s Power update will be out soon, according to Larian. Check out the full gameplay below:


Back 4 Blood Deck Building Guide: How To Create The Best Kit For Your Playstyle

Turtle Rock is back in the co-op zombie-killing game again with Back 4 Blood, basically a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series. Unlike those games, Back 4 Blood comes with a nifty deck building system that determines your powerups and skills.
These cards will determine whether you live through a multiplayer session, or die by zombie horde. Here are some tips to deck building in Back 4 Blood, especially with the beta popping up later this weekend.
Sort Out Your Playstyle
Before building a deck, you need to figure out what your role is on a team. When you unlock more cards as you play, you’ll start seeing themes.
There are cards that grant bonuses to stamina, reload speed, and movement speed; the kind designed for Assault roles. There are cards that improve a player’s ability to heal others (Support roles) and even cards that grant the whole team extra inventory slots (pack mules & supply).
Once you start unlocking cards with supply points, try to make a number of different decks that allow you to play different roles. This is to ensure you can not only find a deck and role that suits your playstyle, but also fill a role that is currently not in use on your squad.
On that note, don’t be the jerk who wants to stick to a role stubbornly when a team wants you to play another. A flexible player is a well-liked team player.
If You’re New, Pick Reload Speed & Stamina

Two things that are universally important in an online co-op first-person shooter are reload speed and stamina. Gravitate towards cards that provide bonuses to those two things.
The advantage of a fast reload speed is that it gives you less downtime between your shots and allows you to keep firing more often. The advantages of stamina are a little less obvious though; stamina is not only tied to your sprint, but it’s also tied to your melee bash attack. This melee move is important for getting grab-happy zombies off of you. Or even killing them outright if you have the card that adds a knife to your bash attack.
Having a lot of stamina will also save your life in certain sections of certain levels that basically require you to run away from pursuing zombie hordes
Use Cards That Add +1 Or More To Your Inventory
Hoarding stuff can help you out in Back 4 Blood. You are only able to carry one of every type of item. This means you will likely find yourself having to leave behind crucial pieces of equipment.
You can avoid this by adding cards that add +1 to your inventory slots, allowing you to pick up another identical item. These bonuses stack as well, and there are even cards that can add +1 to the entire team’s inventory, but those typically have a significant drawback.
Check The Card To See If Its Negative Effect(s) Are Worth The Hassle
Many cards in Back 4 Blood that are extraordinarily powerful are typically balanced by having a negative effect. For example, the Box of Bags card provides the whole team with +1 Support Inventory, but penalizes the person with the card by taking away 10% of their health.
Depending on your playstyle and team dynamic, this may be a sacrifice that can certainly be worth it. For example, that player who uses the “Box of Bags” card can be typecasted as the team mule: useful to give players inventory space and stuff, but can’t do much in a fight apart from support.
Conversely, many of the cards with significant drawbacks are actually worth it if you’re able to play around their negative effects. One example is Adrenaline Fueled, which reduces your stamina regeneration by 75%, but increases your stamina itself by 100%, while also giving you the ability to regain stamina by killing enemies.
With the right build, this drawback can keep you mobile as long as you’re continuously killing enemies, which makes the reduced stamina regen a possible non-issue. Another card that is super valuable in a healer deck is Rousing Speech which disables your offensive items, like grenades, molotovs, and pipe bombs, but in exchange, you get 150% increased revive speed and 50% less trauma damage when you revive someone.
Considering how slow revives are normally, and how much trauma damage a revive can inflict, this is a tremendous boost to the healing capabilities of one player. Plus, someone else can be in charge of disposing grenades and molotovs onto the undead horde.
Make Sure The Order Of Cards Are What You Want

The order of your cards in your deck matter. Cards at the top of the deck will be given to you earlier in the run, with the card at the very top being your starting card that you get for free.
Make sure to think about which cards you’ll need early on in a campaign, and which cards you might be able to do without until later in the game. You will definitely want to keep core cards closer to the top.
When In Doubt, Use These Cards
The following cards should be able to complement any playstyle whether you’re Assault or Support.
Inspiring Sacrifice is a card that grants your whole team health over time when one teammate gets incapacitated. This not only takes some of the sting out of getting knocked down, but can also be just the boost a team needs to survive a tough fight and keep on surviving.
Overwatch can be an absolute lifesaver. It gives 5 temporary health to any ally within 10 meters of an enemy shot and killed from 15 meters away.
Marked for Death highlights pinged special zombies and causes your whole team to deal an extra 15% damage to them. This card is useful for all roles since players in a team should be calling out and pinging special zombies.