Zombieland Double Tap Serves A Second Serving Of Familiar Meta Undead Fun

Romero introduced the concept of zombies into popular culture in 1968 and we still can’t get enough of the brain-eating undead more than 50 years later. However, five decades of material means that we have bashed the proverbial zombie head to death (pardon the pun) and everything felt derivative until 2004’s Shaun Of the Dead arrived.
2009’s Zombieland continued that same trend of a refreshing meta and tongue-in-cheek take on the tired zombie genre by being sort of an American version of the iconic British film with its own unique quirks. Ten years later, a sequel surprisingly arrives in the form of Zombieland: Double Tap.
The biggest question here is whether a sequel to that beloved movie is ultimately justified. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg never did make one for theirs, so why should Ruben Fleischer and his foursome of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) return for another movie?
The ‘Deadpool‘ Of Zombie Movies

While the 2009 movie was already meta by poking fun at itself and other tropes of the zombie genre for the past five decades, Zombieland: Double Tap manages to do more of the same thing and still feel fresh.
While some might deride this movie as formulaic or derivative,Â the distinct lack of great meta-horror comedies in the past decade or so means that the franchise has yet to become stale, as it is looking to reclaim its crown.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The Zombieland franchise was never meant to be a gritty or dramatic perspective of what it means to survive in a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world. We already have the Romero movies and Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us for that. What we wanted is more of the same humour, and this movie doesn’t disappoint in that regard.
The sequel picks up exactly 10 years after the events of the first movie, with the group more confident in their post-apocalyptic survival skills. The first movie had them still struggling to survive while in the process of getting to know each other. The second movie gets to skip all that, getting straight to the action and meat of the movie.

Zombieland: Double Tap is best when it pokes fun at zombie tropes and is unafraid to make fun of itself, with a smattering of pop culture references.
In one of the earlier scenes in the movie, Columbus can be seen reading an actualÂ Walking Dead comic (the camera zooms and lingers on the cover so it’s impossible to miss).
He snarkily comments about how scary the comic is while also mocking it for being “unrealistic”.

Another scene sees Columbus and his ‘mirror clone’ Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) comparing the former’s ‘rules’ and the latter’s ‘commandments’, riffing on how uncannily similar they are (this isn’t a spoiler since Middleditch’s Flagstaff already appeared in the trailer). These are only two of the many moments that make Zombieland: Double Tap one of the best comedies I’ve seen in recent memory.
You’re Not Here For A Good Plot

Without spoiling too much, the movie begins with the group finding refuge in the White House, a ripe setting for a lot of presidential jokes. The plot begins when Wichita and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) ghosts Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) by leaving them behind with nothing but a goodbye note.
It turns out that both of the girls were starting to feel too shackled by the men after spending so long together. Little Rock (who is now a young adult) feels shackled by Tallahassee’s overbearing father act while Wichita feels pressured by the level of commitment expected by Columbus after years of being together.

Zombieland: Double Tap is relatively light plot-wise, even when compared to its predecessor.
The premise this time around is essentially an excuse for the characters to go on another journey and get themselves in more funny situations.
Well, no one watches Zombieland (or any zombie movie for that matter) for its plot, so it’d be foolish to expect anything more.

Newcomers Madison (Zoey Deutch), Berkeley (Avan Jogia), Nevada (Rosario Dawson), Albuquerque (Luke Wilson), and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) all play their parts well, but I would’ve liked Dawson’s badass Nevada to have been given a more prominent role instead of Deutch’s bumbling blonde Madison (who received the most screentime of all the supporting characters).
Still Worth A Ride A Decade Later

I was initially afraid that Sony Pictures was trying to cash in on an uninspired sequel, but I’m glad to say that Zombieland: Double Tap feels just as good and quirky as its predecessor. Not a lot has changed in the franchise even after ten years, and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing else like Zombieland: Double Tap out there, and that alone is justification enough for this sequel to release in 2019.

For those planning to watch Zombieland: Double Tap, don’t leave just yet when the credits begin to roll.
Expect a certain veteran actor to pop up for a cameo in both of the movie’s mid-credits and post-credits stingers, which will definitely bring a smile to the faces of anyone who watched and liked the first movie.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100
We received a preview screening courtesy of GSC Cinemas and Sony Pictures Malaysia. Zombieland: Double Tap premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 31 October 2019.


Gamescom 2021: The Full Schedule

This feature is still being updated with upcoming events.
Gamescom is going online in 2021. The best Europe-based video game expo will be showcasing its latest titles this August, and we’ve got the schedules and links for you to watch the streams on.
All times listed on this schedule will be in GMT+8 (Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines).
Xbox Gamescom 2021 Stream

Xbox will be showing off its new and upcoming titles during Gamescom week.
Date: 25 August 1am GMT+8
Stream Link: YouTube, Twitch
Gamescom Opening Night Live

A live two-hour showcase of new and upcoming games, hosted by Geoff Keighley.
Games that will be showcased include Call of Duty: Vanguard, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Far Cry 6, Genshin Impact, LEOG Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Saints Row (2022), SIFU, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Of course, expect a few surprises along the way.
Date: 26 August 2am GMT+8
Stream Link: Twitch
Future Games Show

Future Publishing will host its own Future Games Show during Gamescom week, with its own slew of video games and upcoming titles from various developers.
Date: 27th August 4am GMT+8
Stream Link: YouTube, Twitch


Korea Has Announced Its First Professional Valorant Team

With Riot Games’ multiplayer shooter out in the wild, it’s only a matter of time until each country starts officiating their own esports teams for the game. Korea draws first blood with its first-ever Valorant pro team: Vision Strikers.
This team is made up of ex-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro players who used to be on the same team. This does makes sense as Valorant is basically CS:GO but with Overwatch-style hero powers.
Here is the team’s line-up (via Inven Global):

PyeonÂ “termi”Â Seon-hoÂ -Â Head Coach
KwonÂ “Argency”Â Soon-woo -Â Coach
KimÂ “glow” Min-soo -Â Team Captain
KimÂ “stax”Â Gu-taek -Â Player
LeeÂ “k1Ng”Â Seung-won -Â Player
KimÂ “Zest”Â Ki-seok -Â Player
KimÂ “Lakia”Â Jong-min -Â Player
Kim “Efina”Â Nak-Yeon –Â Player
GooÂ “Rb”Â Sang-Min -Â Player

Here are the official presser words from Termi to get the competitive ball rolling:
“The immediate priority is shaping the team to become the best in Korea, and to be the representing VALORANT team of this country. Looking further ahead, we want to become the best in the world, and as a team with a clear vision, we want to be respected and envied as a team by esports fans around the world.”
We can look forward to more Valorant teams being announced from all over the world to shake up the esports world. In the meantime, check out Vision Strikers’ training space below, which will no doubt be filled up with blood, sweat, tears, and cursing in the next few months. At least until Riot Games announces the Valorant equivalent of a Worlds.

Want to go pro, sort of? Check out our guide to get you started on that journey.Â


Another Overwatch Lead Is Leaving Blizzard

A news report on Bloomberg states that a key Overwatch executive producer is leaving Blizzard: Chacko Sonny.
Sonny’s departure was announced to the staff via email; Blizzard co-runners Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra mentioned that he was a “thoughtful leader”. Sonny himself said that his time at Blizzard as being “one of the best experiences of my career”.
His departure doesn’t actually spell disaster for Overwatch 2 however. In a statement to PC Gamer, Blizzard said his departure was due to him taking a break from game production in general.
“Chacko Sonny is leaving Blizzard to take some time off after 5 years of service. The deep, talented Overwatch team is making excellent progress on Overwatch 2, and thanks to their hard work, the game is in the final stages of production. Weâ€™ll be sharing more at the Overwatch League Grand Finals later this month.”
While not as high profile as Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan (who left the company earlier this year), Sonny was still integral to the series as he has served as its executive producer for three years, and was also a production director two years prior to that.


Inti Creates Announces Umbraclaw, A 2D Platforming Cat Game Set In The Underworld

Inti Creates is getting in touch with its cat-loving side with its new 2D title.
Enter Umbraclaw, a 2D side-scrolling action game that follows the journey of Kuon, a cat who died and must return home to his owner from the underworld. The game is directed by Satoru Nishizawa, who is known for Blaster Master Zero. The game’s art style is part fantasy storybook and part afterlife imagery; a tinge of darkness if you will.
The game’s Anima Revive system will give Kuon abilities from various animals, giving you different attacks and skills to overcome the underworld and its obstacles. Umbraclaw will be out for PC; the game’s release date is still shrouded in mystery like our feline protagonist.
Check out the trailer below.


Crash Bandicoot 4 Won’t Feature Microtransactions, Dev Confirms

Last week, Activision and Toys For Bob officially announced Crash Bandicoot 4: Itâ€™s About Time. However, the Microsoft Store page for the upcoming game apparently indicated that it would feature “in-app purchases”, which led to gamers worrying about the presence of scummy microtransactions.
Developer Toys For Bob has since confirmed that Crash Bandicoot 4: Itâ€™s About Time will have “no microtransactions” in a tweet on their official Twitter account earlier today. They also clarified that the Totally Tubular skins featured in the announcement trailer for the game will be included in all digital versions of the game.

We’re seeing confusion about #MTX in @CrashBandicoot 4 and want to be ðŸ’Ž clear: There are NO MICROTRANSACTIONS in #Crash4. As a bonus, the Totally Tubular skins are included in all digital versions of the game.
â€” Toys For Bob (@ToysForBob) June 30, 2020
The Totally Tubular skins.
Of course, the “in-app purchases” statement might only mean that the developer could be adding paid DLC after launch, but there has been no confirmation on that as of yet. Crash Bandicoot 4: Itâ€™s About Time is slated to release for the PS4 and Xbox One on 2 October 2020.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qF5JrciMnU&w=560&h=315]


Afterimage And Its Hand-Drawn Search Action Gameplay Will Be Out Late 2022

The Metroidvanias/search action game onslaught continues past 2022.
Developer Aurogon Shanghai has announced a new hand-drawn 2D search action title called Afterimage. It’s slated for the PS5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam) for late 2022. Here’s an overview of the game (via the Steam page):
Key Features

Traditional 2DÂ side-scrollingÂ action RPG Metroidvania.
Intuitive controls.
Seamless semi-open world with over 15 different areas.
Over 10 character abilities.
Selections of unique weapon/magic builds.
Over 150 varieties of enemies.
Over 40 epic original soundtracks created by Aurogon Sound Team.
Estimated 25-30 hours gameplay on first run.
Andâ€¦ more surprises for you to discover!

Take a look for yourself and see if this sort of prettiness and fluid action sates your 2D wanderlust.


New Multiplayer Shooter Scavengers Heads To Early Access This 28 April

If you’re looking for more accessible version of Escape From Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown, but with a more battle royale flair, look no further than the upcoming online shooter Scavengers.
This game from Midwinter Entertainment combines the best of large-scale battle royale shooters with the chaotic variables of an open-world title ala the FarCry series. You can win a match of Scavengers by either wiping out most of the lobby or escaping the level with as much stuff as you can carry. And you can do so free of charge, as the game will be in early access on Steam this 28th April. The console versions of the game will be out at a later date.
Scavengers also has an upcoming experimental multiplayer mode that’s basically meant for theatrical events. See, Midwinter Entertainment invited a number of folks for an online ScavLab test session featuring 1,700 live players for the sake of announcing the game’s Early Access date. The devs will definitely be using ScavLab for future events like this one, with the goal of getting up to 9,000+ players in the same space.
Check out the gameplay of Scavengers below; it may be the next best thing of 2021.


Evil West Delayed To November

Cowboy-themed third-person action game Evil West is getting delayed.
Focus Entertainment announced that the game, delayed by Flying Wild Hog, will be pushed back from its 20th September September release to a 22nd November release. That’s a 2-month pushback, which is fine.
The reason? The developers want to polish the game further for multiple generations of consoles according to a Twitter announcement.

pic.twitter.com/OrgZq3Lk80
— Focus Entertainment (@Focus_entmt) August 16, 2022

I’d say carry on with the polishing. Check out the gameplay trailer below if you want to see what the big deal is. Cowboys, demons, gore, lots of gunplay; it’s what you wanted out of an occult-filled Wild West game.


What to Expect From This Year’s Anime Festival Asia 2018

The Anime Festival Asia 2018 is returning for its 10th edition this year, and it will take place at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Center from November 30 to December 2, 2018.
Here’s what to expect from this year’s AFA 2018:
I Love Anisong Concert

The main attraction for this year’s event is the I Love Anisong concert held every night for three days straight. It features some of Japanâ€™s top anime singers/bands and rising stars, including May’n, Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets, SPYAIR, and more. Additionally, many of these singers and bands will be available for autographs during the day so check out the schedule to make sure you get to meet your favorite artists.
Exciting Activities

Some of the exciting activities awaiting attendees at AFA 2018 include meet and greet sessions with your favourite celebrities. You should grab this opportunity to meet folks like Atsushi Abe, Minami Tanaka, Erii Yamazaki, and Rika Abe.
The World Cosplay Summit 2019 Singapore Preliminaries will also be held at AFA 2018, as well as Cosplay Singles Showcase. The former is to determine who will be representing Singapore World Cosplay Summit 2019 finals in Japan next year, while the latter is open to any cosplayer attending AFA 2019 worthy enough to be selected.
Exhibitions and Special Guests Galore

Foodies can head on over to the Akiba Town Food Street section for some Japanese culinary delights while other can visit the myriad variety of exhibitions at AFA 2018. There will also be a dedicated Creator’s Hub selling fan-made merchandise such as bookmarks, posters to doujins and more.
An event won’t be complete without special guests, and attendees can look forward to many of them at this year’s event. Special guests include voice actors/actresses like Ai Furihata, Ai Kayano, Ayako Kawasumi, and more.
Tickets for the event range from only SGD15 (limited to one-day exhibition access only) to the most expensive at SGD428, which will grant attendees VIP access to the I Love Anisong concert, exhibition/stage access for all three days, and more.
For more details and information on tickets and the event, head on over to the official Anime Festival Asia 2018 website here. In the meantime, check out its sweet 10-year anniversary anime opening.
https://www.facebook.com/animefestivalasia/videos/380035136068324/


Forspoken Is A Middling Open World Experience, But Not Without Merit

Platforms: PlayStation 5 (version reviewed), PC
Genre: Action-adventure with open-world fantasy land to magic parkour in.
Square Enix’s Luminous Production has shoes to fill, as its last game Final Fantasy XV came out to mostly some indifference. Now with a fresh new IP and a new world to create, what they’ve resorted to doing, in the end, is, well, nothing out of the ordinary if you’ve at least kept up with anime trends of people in contemporary times warping into fantasy lands where they’re godlike.
Still, don’t count out action-adventure game Forspoken completely, because it does have a few merits despite what the internet tells you. Is it enough to elevate it beyond mediocrity though? Probably not, but not for lack of trying.
In Living Colour

First up, I have to say that it’s not every day you get to play a game starring a black woman with magic powers and elite parkouring skills; Forspoken gives you that opportunity, and thankfully its gameplay is solid enough to warrant a playthrough or so. The game’s plot revolves around said woman, Frey, as she’s a down-on-her-luck New Yorker who is close to committing suicide before she gets whisked to a fantasy world named Athia where she somehow has magical powers and a talking bracelet she calls Cuff. She also has a fondness for pussy cats as the game clearly shows her love for felines and how every one of them are given more modelling and asset care than most of the NPCs and their awkward facial animations.
You don’t have to interact with them too much as the game’s meat is controlling a freestyling parkouring spell-chucking fighter who explores the rather barren and monster-filled world of Athia. Yes, I get that the world’s in a bit of a bind thanks to the catastrophe called the Break, hence the less-than-populated world. But apart from some nice vistas, the world does feel hollow at times and is only worth exploring due to the many checkboxes and revealed places you’ll be ticking and visiting for powerups.
Frey has access to earth magic: rock projectiles that are essentially a magic equivalent of an AK-47, a Mega Man charged shot, and a shotgun, along with some nice AoE attacks and support spells. Later on, after killing the equivalent of an elemental Mega Man-style boss, you gain FRed Magic which is your sole melee option in the game alongside a grappling hook that elevates you further from “grapple-like” structures throughout the land. You’ll eventually get Blue Magic that come with a horizontal wideshot you see in most 2D shmups, water tornadoes, and the ability to glide onto water surfaces and even summon a water bubble to slow down your fall from heights. Lastly, you’ll get Green Magic which comes with a pretty awesome Panzer Dragoon-style paint-target-enabled homing shots and a “super jump” option that doesn’t require you to use nearby ledges.

When Frey is fully-powered with all these coloured magic, the game gets very, very fun with these plethoras of combat and traversal techniques. While some attacks feel floaty and may not land as impactful, you can always unlock the other alternate fires of each spell element to see which fits your playstyle. The melee Fire sword option and the spear attack are where it’s for me, along with the Wind homing shots and Water cluster bomb-type shots. Gliding on water and also launching myself with the grappling hook is a hoot as I can just traverse hours on end going from one corner of Athia to another. The second half of the game and post-game bits are definitely my highlight gameplay-wise.
And here’s the problem that sours the whole package: it takes a very long while to get to these Forspoken bits; I’d say about 10 hours or so before you even get the last few coloured spell trees. The game does the whole progression system where the best stuff gets gated way too soon, making you rely on your basic spells and parkouring for the majority of the time. Most of the fun and interesting parts of the game are locked close to the end.
Ditto with the story; you’ll have to put up with a huge number of cliches and Whedon-speak before the second half surprises you with its revelations. It’s no Shakespeare or even Spec Ops: The Line, but it’s better than what the purposefully-taken-out-of-context bits will have you believe. There’s a bit to love in Frey’s character and some of the support cast even if the first major half turns you off if you can push through.
And while I felt that Frey’s controls are fine, that’s only because I tweaked a lot of the accessibility options available to make her a free-flowing parkour spellcasting magician of doom. The game’s default setting is not ideal from the get-go, so some fiddling pre-game is recommended to get the most out of our heroine’s acrobatics and spell-slinging.
Blinded By Light
Forspoken isn’t a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but what potential is there does shine in the second half of the game once you’re past the 8+ hour mark. However, I won’t blame you if you cannot put up with a lot of its tiresome by-the-numbers gameplay approach and experience coupled with Bear McCreary’s table scraps; other triple-A games of Forspoken’s ilk do introduce you to the action quicker and more effectively.
As it stands, Luminous Productions has quite a way to go to captivate people from the start. A shame, because there’s a lot of potential buried within Forspoken’s flaws. Maybe wait for this game to go half-off, because it’s current asking price is insane for what you’re getting.
Pros

The second half bits with the new spells are fun.
Controls for Frey are fun & flexible (with some tweaking).
Pretty-looking at times.

Cons

Terrible pacing.
Average story & characters that feel forced, at least before the second half.
Most of the world feels hollow.

Final Score: 50/100


Production I.G’s Anime Beans Streaming App Shuts Down This March

Japanese animation studio Production I.G has announced that its Anime Beans anime app will no longer be operational starting from 31 March 2023.
Originally, Production I.G launched the Tate Anime (Vertical Anime) app in June 2017 and it lasted until May 2018. The app was then relaunched in June 2018 with the new Anime Beans name. The app offered three-minute vertical anime shorts that were updated on weekdays, and each series had about 10 episodes. Anime Beans also offers original anime, as well as anime from studios under the I.G Port umbrella, which includes Attack On Titan and Welcome To The Ballroom.
There is fierce competition among streaming services out there, especially when it comes to anime. Streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are already duking it out and grabbing the popular anime out there, so it’s extremely difficult for smaller streaming services to even stand a chance of competing.


A Single-Player Titanfall Game Was Recently Cancelled

Sad news for Titanfall fans waiting forever for a worthy single-player campaign: the one that Respawn was making a while back in secret has been given the Titan boot.
Electronic Arts has reportedly cancelled a new single-player game set in the Titanfall/Apex Legends universe, aptly codenamed Titanfall Legends. A Bloomberg report stated that the game was in development at Respawn Entertainment by 50 people since 2021.
The game was led by creative director Mohammad Alavi until he left in January 2022. Alavi was a senior designer on the Titanfall series and narrative design director on Apex Legends during his 11-year stint in Respawn. Before that, he worked at Infinity Ward; his works include iconic Call of Duty missions like No Russian and All Ghillied Up.
Titanfall Legends was slated to be out by 2025 before the secretive cancellation. Staff who worked on the game and cannot be repositioned in other teams within Respawn will be laid off and given severance packages.
As someone who has praised Titanfall 2’s campaign, this really sucks. This also means we won’t get to see follow-ups to the memorable missions as shown below.


IGN Announces Summer Of Gaming Event

Looking to fill in the hole left by E3 2020’s cancellation, IGN has announced a Summer of Gaming digital event.
Set to be held in June, the event will feature studios and companies like 2K, Square Enix, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Amazon, Google Stadia, Twitter, Devolver Digital, and THQ Nordic. There will be live broadcasts, publisher presentations, remote interviews, and more.
IGN said that the event will be accessible on not just platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch, but also Mixer, TikTok, Snapchat Discover, and more.
The ESA is considering an online event of its own, but no new announcement has been made yet. In the meantime, we’ll see if the Summer of Gaming event will make for a good E3 substitute.


Sonic Superstars Is A New Classic 2D Adventure Featuring The Iconic Hedgehog

During Summer Game Fest 2023, Sega unveiled Sonic Superstars. It is slated to release for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC sometime in fall 2023.
Adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic 2D Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and harness all-new Emerald powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways. Navigate gorgeous, never-before-seen environments solo or with up to three other players and stop Dr. Eggman, Fang, and a mysterious new adversary from converting the islands’ giant animals into Badniks before it’s too late!
In the meantime, head on over here for my review of Sonic Frontiers or check out my guide on how to be a supersonic hedgehog.
Check out the trailer below:


Hu Tao Returns In New Genshin Impact Banner

Liyue’s favourite funeral parlour-owning weirdo is coming back this November.
Genshin Impact fan favourite 5-star Pyro user Hu Tao will be back in a Moment of Bloom re-run banner starting 2nd November until 23rd November. So if you’ve missed her the first time, you can gacha her again alongside new character Thoma, a Pyro polearm user. Two other characters will also get a rate up: Diona and Sayu.
Two more events will be taking place during the new Genshin Impact banner run. Shadow of the Ancients is a new exploration challenge while Dreams of Bloom will be focused on the player planting flowers to get new Flower Stand Furnishings for your Serenitea Pot. Shadow of the Ancients will be out on 5th November while Dreams of Bloom will be out on 12th November. The Labyrinth Warriors storyline will still go on even with the new events happening.
Genshin Impact v2.2 is out right now. For more on the game, check out our recent Labyrinth Warriors guide.


PlayStation Launches Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Display At Lot 10 Malaysia

As part of a PlayStation 5 Global Campaign, Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore has unveiled a Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 installation at Lot 10 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Anyone within the vicinity can take photos and use the #LivefromPS5MY and tag @PlayStationAsia to be in the running to win PlayStation merchandise; only the first 100 visitors who participate in the social media exercise will win them.
The display details are below:
DATE: 1st to 14th March 2023.
TIME: 10 am – 10 pm.
LOCATION: Lot 10, 50, Bukit Bintang St, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Check out the display pictures here:

If you head inside Lot 10 and UNIQLO Fahrenheit, you can try out the PS5 in the available kiosks for visitors; at this point in time, there’s no sight of a playable demo of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 though you can check out other PS5 games.
If you rather try out PlayStation VR2 sets, you can head to the Sony Store at Lalaport instead.


Star Wars Squadrons Won’t Be As Expensive As AAA Titles, Here’s Why

The upcoming Star Wars Squadrons game will launch for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam, Origin, and Epic Games Store) on 2 October 2020, but unlike previous EA Star Wars games like 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 or 2019’s Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, it won’t be selling at a premium AAA title price.
In the US, Star Wars Squadrons only costs US$40, while here in Malaysia, it’s already available to pre-order at just RM159 on both Steam and the PlayStation Store.
In an interview with GameSpot, COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen explain why it’s cheaper than recent Star Wars games.

“We always look at the games and we want to make sure we are providing the greatest value for our players.
And, you know, games all have [a] different scale, and most of our games right now have [a] huge scale.
We designed [Squadrons] to really focus on what we heard from consumers, which is one of their greatest fantasies, and that’s to be able to fly an X-Wing fighter, a Tie Fighter, and be in a dogfight.
And so it doesn’t have the breadth of some of our games, but it is still an incredible game, and so that’s why we chose to price it at a slightly lower level, to also allow access to as many people as possible who have that Star Wars fantasy.
I think you’ve seen us over the years differentiate pricing on lots of games.
We’ve differentiated pricing on things like Plants vs. Zombies games because we knew that they were skewed to younger audiences, for example, or maybe didn’t have the depth of all of the game modes that you might see in a FIFA or Madden.”

Essentially, the game won’t feature the same amount or scale of content as other more expensive games, as it is more focused on a specific experience; that of piloting a starship in dogfights. The price will help players keep their expectations in check, though it’s clear how smaller the experience will be at this point in time.
In Star Wars Squadrons, players can look forward to 5v5 multiplayer space battles and a singleplayer campaign, where players will learn what it means to be a pilot as they battle from the alternating perspectives of two customizable pilots, one serving in the New Republicâ€™s heroic Vanguard Squadron, while the other fights for the Galactic Empireâ€™s fearsome Titan Squadron.
They will also be able to visit new locations like the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan. The game will feature cosmetic and gameplay customization options with rewards and bonuses that are earned solely through gameplay. As players move up the ranks, theyâ€™ll earn components such as weapons, hulls, engines and shields to customize the performance of their starfighters; and gain cosmetic items to customize their cockpit, ship exteriors, and appearance of their pilot.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0eRkhR1z6A&w=560&h=315]


Check Out This Gorgeous NieR: Automata Artwork By Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Character Designer

Yesterday was NieR’s 10th anniversary celebration. To mark the occasion, illustrator and character designer Raita Kazama (Xenoblade Chronicles X, Border Break, Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix) tweeted a congratulatory message along with this gorgeous NieR: Automata illustration.
It’s not the first time Kazama has done NieR art, as he’s drawn some 2B illustrations in the past, but this is arguably his best NieR work yet.

???????????????????????????????????#??????? pic.twitter.com/N34UGZ27rh
— ???? RaitaKazama (@kazamaraita) March 29, 2020

Aside from 2B’s hair blending a bit with A2’s (which can’t be helped I guess, since they’re all white-haired), I am totally in love with this illustration. A2’s confident pose particularly stands out and makes me wish (again) that we got to spend more time with the character in the game.
On the official side of things, the NieR 10th anniversary celebration came with a couple of notable announcements. There’s a NieR Replicant remaster that’s coming to current-gen consoles and Steam, and a new NieR mobile game for iOS and Android that’s looking very mysterious. It’s hard to say no to more NieR, and I hope that the unique series will continue to leave an impression on fans.


Here Is 14 Minutes Of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 2D Shmuping Her Way Through Bullet Hell

Publisher Bushiroad and developer Kaminari Games just showcased about 14 minutes of new Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath gameplay.
The story mode gameplay showcased voice actresses Risa Tsumugi, Wakana Kingyo, and Yuzuki Watase bantering while demoing the game. The game itself seems like your standard 2000s arcade shooter with colourful graphics and flying women with powers extraordinary. The selling point is clearly the anime story here, featuring the titular character Tohru being herself with her master Miss Kobayashi and her pals Elma and Lucoa.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath will be out for PS4 and Nintendo Switch in 24 March 2022.


Universal Studios Singapore Gets Super Mario & Nintendo-Themed Power Up

The Universal Studios Singapore (USS) theme park just south of Malaysia will have its first-ever expansion to host a slew of a new generation of attractions, especially those who grew up with Nintendo games and Illumination Entertainment cash cows.
This S$15 billion (RM45 billion) investment by Resort World Sentosa (RWS) will see the expansion of the theme park and will extend the park to include two new attractions, which would be Super Nintendo World and Minion Park.
Image Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts
Naturally, the Super Nintendo World attraction will feature Mario, the main icon of the brand, as well as other characters from the household brand. It will also feature attractions designed like the levels from Nintendo games.
Image Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts
On the other end of the spectrum is the Minion Park which revolves around Illumination Entertainmentâ€™s Despicable Me franchise and would definitely feature the annoyingly cute little yellow Minions.
The Minion Park will have the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem 3D ride as its main attraction. The ride would be similar to the Transformers: The Ride experience, but this time you’ll be working with the Minions to enact Gru’s schemes in a family-friendly experience. This park will replace the Madagascar Area.
Image Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts
The plans also include a rebranding of the S.E.A Aquarium. It will be renamed the Singapore Oceanarium and will feature three new zones: the Evolution & Extinction zone, the Exploration & Deep Ocean zone, and the Conservation zone.
Image Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts
New entertainment options will also be available in the future such as the Adventure Dining Playhouse which offers a pirate-themed dining experience.

There will also introduce a new Waterfront Lifestyle Complex that will be part of a complete overhaul of the current promenade. The complex would house two hotels as well as a variety of retail options to invoke an exciting 24-hour premium lifestyle venue for visitors.
Image Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts
According to Channel News Asia, the expansion would come in stages, beginning as early as 2020 and is slated to be done around 2025. That’s quite a wait, but at least it’ll be easier to fly down to Singapore for this instead of visiting the New York Nintendo store for your quick weekend Mario-themed fix.


Borderlands 3 Director’s Cut Vault Card 3 Is Out Now: Here’s What You’re Getting

Borderlands 3 is getting a Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands-themed upgrade today.
Gearbox just launched the latest Vault Card, which is a battle pass of sorts where you do daily and weekly quests to earn exclusive rewards from the card. This week’s new Vault Card is dubbed Bunker Masters and features new items and Legendaries tailored after Borderlands 2’s best DLC, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.

There will be 28 unique rewards for players to unlock in Vault Card 3.

4 pieces of new Legendary gear (2 Assault Rifles, Grenade Mod, Shield)
4 Vault Hunter Heads
4 shared Vault Hunter Skins
4 ECHO Device Skins
3 Weapon Skins
5 Weapon Trinkets
3 Emotes
1 Room Decoration

Highlight Legendaries from the Vault Card include the Mana Well Shield and Blade Fury Assault Rifle; we’ll detail these in a future piece later this week.
Remember: you can only have 1 Vault Card active at a time, and you’ll need the Director’s Card DLC. To celebrate this release, Borderlands 3 will bring back the co-op Loop Drop event that’s active from now until 26th November midnight GMT+8. Basically, Badass enemies will drop more loot if you’re playing a game with 2-players or more.
On a related note, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is available as a standalone game for all platforms, with the PC Epic Games Store version being free.


Disney+ Hotstar Offers Spooky Content This Halloween, Including New Horror Movie Barbarian

Bring out the pumpkins and dust off your costume because it’s finally Halloween again! In honour of the spooky season, we have prepared a list of spine-chilling shows that are sure to scare.
The links to each movie or series are included in their titles. Get ready to sleep with the lights on!
Barbarian

Barbarian is the most recent hottest horror movie to arrive on Disney+ Hotstar. This movie has a unique plot structure and it’s best to go in without any spoilers or prior knowledge, trust me.
In “Barbarian,” a young woman traveling to Detroit for a job interview books a rental home. But when she arrives late at night, she discovers that the house is double booked, and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to spend the evening, but soon discovers that there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.
From 20th Century Studios and New Regency, “Barbarian” stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler and Jaymes Butler. The film was written and directed by Zach Cregger. The producers are Arnon Milchan, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz. Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Natalie Lehmann, Danny Chan, Alex Lebovici and Bill Skarsgård are the film’s executive producers.

American Horror Stories

You’ve heard of American Horror Story. There are so many seasons of that now, but if you don’t have the time to binge entire seasons, American Horror Stories is perfect. It’s a spinoff of American Horror Story and is a horror anthology series, which means that every episode features a standalone spooky story you can enjoy.

Scream Queens

There are only two seasons of this series, but it remains one of the best horror comedy series out there. It’s full of easter eggs and references for horror fans, as well as starring horror scream queens like Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Keke Palmer and more.

Werewolf By Night

Marvel goes horror with Werewolf By Night.
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the chilling special aims to evoke a sense of dread and the macabre, with plenty of suspense and scares along the way as we explore a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Check out my review of Werewolf By Night here, or check out my interviews with Werewolf By Night actress Laura Donnelly, who portrays the role of Elsa Bloodstone, and Werewolf By Night director and music composer Michael Giacchino.

KKN Di Desa Penari

This Indonesian movie teaches us the importance of listening to our elders. Six friends are warned not to cross the forbidden bridge, but as the story goes, they do not listen to their elders and strange things start to happen. Find out what happens when a mysterious dancer starts showing interest in the group.

Ada Hantu

This Malaysian movie features a YouTuber named Alif. He gathers some friends at an old abandoned bungalow that used to be occupied by the Japanese Army during World War ll for his birthday and his friends decide to play a prank on him. What could possibly go wrong? Find out what happens in Ada Hantu.
Ada Hantu features some unexpected twists and turns, so be sure to check it out.

There are a lot more horror offerings on Disney+ Hotstar, so be sure to explore and check them out.


Niantic Offers To Reserve Your Pokemon GO Nickname For Upcoming Harry Potter Game

Niantic Labs, the brain behind Pokemon GO and Ingress Agents, is preparing for the launch of its next game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Together with Portkey Games and WB Games San Francisco, the game will be launched soon.

However, as Pokemon GO and Ingress Agents players are aware, their code names are unique and couldn’t be carried over to other Niantic games. This is where you’re wrong.
Niantic is offering players until 30 April an opportunity to reserve their Agent Name or Trainer Nickname to use in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Players can do so here.
There may be some cases where Code Name reservations are not guaranteed. For example, your Code Name may overlap with a user in another Niantic title. For this scenario, the reservation will be first come, first served.
If you have the same username on both your PokÃ©mon GO and Ingress account, you only need to reserve your Code Name once.
To be clear, this is not an option to select an entirely new Code Name, but rather to secure your existing username. If you want to choose a different name for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, you will need to wait until Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launches in your region.


Extraction 2 Has Bigger Action & More Emotion Than Its Predecessor

The first Extraction movie didn’t really need a sequel, but here we are, four years later, with Extraction 2. It had great action sequences but everything else was just average. Fortunately, Extraction 2 is a better movie than its predecessor in almost every way.
The Return Of The Rake

Extraction 2 pretty much picks up where the last movie left off back in 2020. Even though the end of the first movie effectively killed off Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake, in typical action movie trope fashion, it turns out that he’s still alive and all he has to do is rest to recover from multiple seemingly-fatal gunshot wounds. No one watches action movies for their logical plots, so there’s no surprise there. As a whole, the plot and narrative of Extraction 2 follow the same formula as the first movie; it involves the protagonist “extracting” some people into safety from some dangerous people.
However, the major differences this time around are that the movie takes place in Georgia (instead of India like in the first movie) and it feels like there’s much more to the movie than just its action scenes (though there’s obviously still a lot of that). Despite this being a sequel, Extraction 2 feels very standalone in that you don’t even have to watch 2020’s Extraction to understand anything in this movie. That showcases the weakness of the first movie, which didn’t show much depth in its writing. Extraction 2 improves in that regard, giving us some character development and insight into Tyler Rake’s tragic past, especially because the plot of Extraction 2 involves people from that past, including Olga Kurylenko (who plays Mia, the protagonist’s ex-wife). This time around, without spoiling anything, the mission is more personal for the protagonist, and that makes for a more interesting movie for viewers to feel invested in.

Besides that, the biggest highlight of the movie is its 21-minute-long one-shot action sequence, which is definitely impressive to behold. The marketing for this movie definitely didn’t lie when they kept focusing on promoting this one aspect of the movie. The reason why the 21-minute-long one-shot sequence is so breathtaking is because it involves the characters moving from wildly different locations and settings in real-time; seamlessly escaping from prison (as seen in the trailers) to being on the run on a moving train with helicopters and masked goons chasing them.
Unfortunately, that 21-minute-long one-shot sequence is the best part of the movie, but it also takes place a bit too early on in the movie’s two-hour runtime. That means that the movie peaks early and doesn’t really get as good as that sequence ever again; not even the climax in the third act of the movie. The rest of the movie is as expected, filled with action scene after action scene, but it’s broken by a few emotional scenes here and there, where Chris Hemsworth manages to show off a bit of range.

One-Shot Man

If you liked 2020’s Extraction, you’ll like Extraction 2. Why? Because it essentially offers the same experience, but with action sequences on a bigger scale and some improvements in the form of more character depth for the protagonist, Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake. Extraction 2 has a sequel-bait ending, and if it performs well (it likely will, if the first movie was any indication), then an Extraction 3 is all but confirmed.
FINAL SCORE: 70/100
We received early screeners of Extraction 2 courtesy of Netflix Malaysia. Extraction 2 is slated to premiere exclusively on Netflix on 16 June 2023.


Dragon Ball Super Broly Is Epic, Personal and Nostalgic; Here’s Why

After more than three decades, Dragon Ball fans will finally get the film they want: Dragon Ball Super Broly, the movie that will add two previously fan favourite non-canon characters into the Toriyama-sanctioned universe. Three if you count Goku & Vegeta’s new fusion from the Fusion Reborn film.
Not only is this the 20th movie in the franchise but also the third to be considered canon, after 2013’s Battle of Gods and 2015’s Resurrection F to be written by the legendary Akira Toriyama himself. It also helps that it’s a really action-packed heavy stakes-filled fight-fest for the ages that does its main antagonist justice.
Haven’t Watched Dragon Ball Super? No Problem!

Dragon Ball Super Broly clearly takes place after the end of the Dragon Ball Super anime, since it references the events that happened during the Tournament of Power arc. Some of the callbacks might go over the heads of fans who haven’t been keeping up with Dragon Ball Super, but fans shouldn’t worry about that.
Gripping Opening Flashback Sequence

The first 20 to 30 minutes of the movie comprised exclusively of an extended flashback sequence to show us Planet Vegeta before its destruction at the hands of Frieza. It also serves to introduce the younger versions of Goku, Vegeta, and Broly, as well as Goku’s father Bardock and Vegeta’s father King Vegeta.
It took a huge chunk of the movie, but the flashback sequence was especially heartwarming and heartbreaking to fans of the franchise who know what’s coming. There are also a couple of retcons to the original story that I find to be improvements to the established lore, such as Broly’s origin and Bardock’s behaviour.
Broly Actually Has A Personality Now

Dragon Ball has never been known for its good narrative or well-developed characters. Goku himself is essentially the same person he was 30 years ago, and we love him for it. That’s why it was such a pleasant surprise to see Toriyama writing Broly as a fleshed-out character in his right, which was not a luxury he afforded to most of the other Dragon Ball villains.
You can rest assure that Broly is still the same unstoppable force that we’re all familiar with, especially when he turns into his Legendary Super Saiyan form. However, this time around he’s not evil just for the sake of being evil, and he doesn’t hate Goku just because he was tormented by Goku’s incessant crying when they were babies in pods.
Dragon Ball Super Broly’s Broly is a gentle soul with an actual personality, with a tragic past of being banished by King Vegeta simply for his abnormal power levels and raised by his father Paragus through harsh warrior-like indoctrination. This continued abuse is what made him unstable, and we often see the softer side of Broly throughout the movie as well, turning him into a sympathetic antagonist.
ACTION, ACTION, ACTION!

Although this is a Dragon Ball movie with heart and nostalgia, it still remembers what fans love about the franchise: the kinetic and fast-paced action. Dragon Ball Super Broly delivers that in spades, with the primary focus being on Goku, Vegeta, and Broly. Some fans might be disappointed to know that none of the other characters received their share of the action but perhaps it’s for the best since the movie could maintain a tighter narrative with a smaller ensemble.
The fights between Goku, Vegeta, and Broly are earth-shattering and explosive, with each individual’s transformation given more details than they usually would in the anime. The fights are also some of the biggest in scope in the entire franchise, to the point that the fight between Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta and Legendary Super Saiyan Broly broke the fabric of reality.
One gripe I had with the fighting scenes was that Goku and Vegeta would no longer scream out their signature attacks like “Kamehameha!” or “Galick Gun!” Instead, a narrator or voice from the heavens would announce the moves and what’s happening on-screen, as if we’re in a wrestling match. It’s weird and off-putting, not to mention immersion-breaking.

Besides that, the fact that Dragon Ball Super Broly is written by Toriyama means that the movie has some of that trademark Toriyama humour. You’ll find yourself laughing at the interactions between Goku and Vegeta, as well as some funny moments involving Frieza as well. Humour is a vital part of Dragon Ball, so I’m glad that the movie still has lots of that.
Dragon Ball Super Broly manages to be both epic and personal. The movie’s ending sets up more stories to be told in future movies or anime series while staying true to the franchise roots while retconning and expanding certain aspects of established lore. Most importantly, the action and fights are extremely satisfying. Self-proclaimed Dragon Ball fan should do themselves a favour and watch this movie.
Final Rating: 85/100
Catch Dragon Ball Super Broly when it releases in Malaysian cinemas on December 27, 2018. I caught one of the earlier limited screenings, which are currently available at selected TGV Cinemas.


Action RPG Hades Gets Ghostly Update

Supergiant Games have released a major patch for their rogue-like dungeon crawler Hades.
The Nighty Night Update contains some new additions, including a new weapon called Malphon, the Twin Fists and a new Stygian Blade Aspect called the Aspect of Arthur. Meanwhile, existing stuff like The Mirror of Night and the House of Hades now have twice the number of Talents and new events respectively.
Here’s the full list of highlights:
â€¢Â Malphon, the Twin Fists: pummel your foes into the ground with this furious close-quarters weapon
â€¢Â Mirror of Night Rework: now withÂ twiceÂ the Talents, inviting more choices to fit your playstyle
â€¢Â Aspect of Arthur: wield the might ofÂ Holy ExcaliburÂ with this legendary Aspect of theÂ Stygian Blade
â€¢Â Improved Visual Effects: we’ve made frenetic combat easier to parse without compromising theÂ oomph
â€¢Â New Pact of Punishment Conditions: see if you can surviveÂ Benefits PackageÂ andÂ Routine Inspection
â€¢Â Administrative Chamber: access yourÂ Permanent RecordÂ beyond a mysterious locked door in theÂ House
â€¢Â New House of Hades Events: the god of the dead’s residence is livelier than ever
â€¢Â Expanded Story: hours of added narrative featuring Nyx, Chaos, Artemis, Zeus, and more
The update also brings with it a lot of other tweaks and additions. It’s pretty cool that developer Supergiant Games is going the extra mile and laser-focused on making Hades meatier and a tad different than other action RPGs; as if its art style and control scheme isn’t enough.
Check out the full patch notes here.


Is Parasite Eve Making A Comeback?

The last Parasite Eve game on the PSP back in 2011 -called The Third Birthday– was interesting, to say the least. It was also one of the games Hajime Tabata directed before doing bigger Final Fantasy projects like Type-0 and XV. So is it high time to see the revival of this survival horror RPG? Or body-switching action RPG?
Well, we might be getting that, or an HD remastering of parts 1 and 2. Square Enix recently filed a trademark (via Gematsu) for the franchise at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Whether it’s a sequel, a remaster (the most likely one), or an anime, it’s all up to Square Enix.
Me? Well, a remaster of all 3 gams makes sense if Square Enix wants to gauge fanfare for a cult series, but I’d like to see the mechanics of the first game make a grand comeback in a full-fledged sequel. Parasite Eve 2 felt too much like a Resident Evil clone, while The Third Birthday was something completely different and screwbally. Having a real-time-esque RPG battle system in a survival horror setting and design sounds like a concept people will lap up if they keep an open mind.
Plus, Aya’s a pretty cool protagonist to root for when she isn’t posing like she’s being photographed for a Maxim cover. The 90s was a lovely time for female video game protagonists, eh?


Meta’s Newly Launched ‘Twitter Killer’ Threads App Reaches 30 Million Users

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently launched the Threads app, which offers a place for real-time online conversation, a feature Twitter has always prided itself on.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, said on his verified Threads account Thursday morning (Thursday night, Malaysian time) that 30 million people had signed up for the app.

Threads has attracted a growing number of celebrities including Coldplay, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Chris Hemsworth, Gordon Ramsay, and Tom Brady. Famous social influencers are also getting on the Threads train – Zach King, Lele Pons, Gary Vee, MrBeast, and many more.
In many ways, the app appears similar to Twitter, from its layout to its product description. The listing, which first appeared earlier this week as a teaser, emphasizes its potential to attract users and build connections. Based on the listing description, the app reads:
“Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world”.

When users download the Threads app, they are asked to link their Instagram accounts, customize their profiles, and follow the same accounts they already follow on Instagram. The look of Threads is similar to Twitter, with the same layout, text-based feed, and ability to repost and quote other Threads posts. However, Threads also offers Instagram Stories sharing capabilities and blends Instagram’s existing aesthetic. Verified Instagram accounts are also verified on Threads automatically. Accounts can also be set to be public or private.
The Threads app joins a growing list of Twitter rivals and could pose the biggest threat to Twitter, given Meta’s vast resources and massive audience. It also comes amid heightened turmoil at Elon Musk’s Twitter, which experienced an outage over the weekend, followed by an announcement that the app had imposed temporary limits on how many tweets users can read while using the app.
At this time of writing, many have praised the app as having more leniency compared to Twitter’s new restriction, although several features such as DM (Direct Message), pin posts, trending page, and analytics page aren’t included in the social platform.
We, Kakuchopurei, have created an account on Threads and our impression of the App is overall positive. We’re happy to see lots of new and familiar users from the Twitter gaming community sign-up for it. Give us a follow and say hi!
Threads is available to download for iOS via the App Store and Android on Google Play.


Hololive’s Official MMORPG Holoearth Will Feature Microtransactions

The makers of Holoearth, which is a Hololive game, will feature microtransactions.
According to a Famitsu report, the game’s microtransactions will not be gacha-related; rather it’ll be for items like chatroom stickers, firecrackers, and other live event items. All users will get 250 Holocoins at the start. Check out how much Holocoins cost in yen.

80 Holocoins = 160 yen/US$1.20
240 Holocoins = 480 yen/US$3.60
400 Holocoins = 800 yen/US$6
750 Holocoins = 1,500 yen/US$11.20
1400 Holocoins = 2,800 yen/US$20.90
2250 Holocoins = 4,500 yen/US$33.63
4900 Holocoins = 9,800 yen/US$73.23

In addition, the game will have an avatar customization option, with its beta being available around Fall 2023. Here are examples of what characters you can create:

The game is also getting improvements for its 3D graphics and its battle mechanics, as well as its gameplay loop according to its developers. If you want a chance to check it out, the game’s Proto-Live event will take place in Summer 2023 with Hololive owners Cover to strengthen servers so that more people can come in and playtest Holoearth.
Holoearth is still in development, with Hololive vtubers streaming their open-world portion playtests in the future.


Kakuchopurei Talks Esports With Malaysia’s Minister of Youth & Sports [Exclusive]

As the saying goes – seek and you shall find.
That has always been the mantra of us over here at Kakuchopurei.com. If and when we have queries about some particular topic, we go straight to the source for answers.
So being nosy-slash-curious to as what the recently-elected Minister of Youth and Sports, Yang Berhormat Tuan Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, has in store, our very own Kenn posted this tweet about a year ago.

Hey!
Sure. Just need to find the right timing. Please do plan a time/date with @Amshar_Aziz /@hafriziqbal .
Looking forward to it!
â€” Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) November 24, 2018
After a series of false starts and rescheduling, we finally locked in the date for the interview and last week, what has been just slightly over a year in the making finally came to fruition.
We found ourselves at the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports office building in the administrative capital of Putrajaya where we spent time with the Minister himself. We talked about Malaysian esports, the recently-revealed national esports blueprint, grassroots development, ESM, Overwatch, and more just to set the record straight.
Full video right below.

Interview timestamps:
00:41 – Why talk a lot about esports in Malaysia?
04:55 – Convincing parents that esports isn’t a waste of time.
06:45 – The state of esports in Malaysia right now.
08:30 – ESM in a nutshell.
11:45 – Esports blueprint post-mortem & analysis.
16:49 – National Esports Arena: yay or nay?
22:10 – On game publishers handling esports games.
24:20 – Overwatch Malaysia withdrawal issue (https://www.kakuchopurei.com/2019/10/16/team-malaysia-withdraws-from-overwatch-world-cup-2019/)
27:04 – Closing statement


Maxsoft Confirms Switch Lite’s (Questionable) Pricing For Malaysian Market

The official pricing for the Nintendo Switch Lite in Malaysia has finally been confirmed. Local gaming store Impulse Gaming has revealed (via our friends at Aksiz) that the Nintendo Switch Lite will be available for purchase starting from 20 September 2019 at the questionable price of RM949.
The pricing is set by Maxsoft, who has been known to balloon prices for the hybrid consoles in Malaysia and Singapore (previously for the ‘enhanced’ Nintendo Switch model), seeing as they’re exclusively the only regional Southeast Asian distributor authorised by Nintendo.
In comparison, Impulse Gaming is currently selling both the normal and enhanced Nintendo Switch models for the price of RM1299. That’s only about RM350 more expensive than the Nintendo Switch Lite.
That’s not even mentioning the fact that the Nintendo Switch Lite will be sold for only US$199.99 in the US, which roughly translates to just RM800+.
The Big Question
Why would someone buy the Nintendo Switch Lite for RM949 when you could get the full complete and superior package for just a few hundred ringgit more? This is especially so when considering that the drawbacks of the Nintendo Switch Lite, such as undetachable Joy-Cons and the inability to go into docked mode.


NFS Heat Sets Ablaze New Record

The Need for Speed series has been going through a bumpy ride in the last few years with games getting progressively worse each year. However, the tide has turned with Need for Speed Heat, a game that finally manages to capture the awesomeness of street racing which the series is known for.

#NFSHeat set a new record during the first week with more of you playing this game than any other NFS title this generation. Thanks to our community for bringing the Heat! pic.twitter.com/4BhGpdKsup
â€” Ghost Games (@GhostGamesEA) November 18, 2019
In a recent tweet from developer Ghost Games’ official Twitter account, it’s revealed that the player count in NFS Heat within the first week after release has surpassed all other NFS games that came out in this generation in the same respect.
For those of you haven’t been keeping up with the NFS games that’s been released in the past few years, here’s a list to help you out:

Need for Speed Rivals (2013)
Need for Speed (2015)
Need for Speed Payback (2017)

Aside from the three titles listed above, a mobile game titled Need for Speed: No Limits was also released in 2015 and it was developed by Firemonkeys Studios.

It isn’t hard to see why NFS Heat is becoming such a success. The game doesn’t try to do a lot of new things like its predecessors but instead focuses on the signature elements of the NFS series such as street racing, car customisation, and police chases. It’s also worth noting that the game has zero microtransactions, lootboxes, and pay-to-win mechanics.
If you’re a big fan of street racing games and this article has piqued your interest to try out NFS Heat, I’m pretty sure our review will help you make a better decision.


Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Launch Trailer & Demo Out Now

The folks over at Koei Tecmo and Team NINJA have just dropped the launch trailer and final demo for their upcoming game, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty! If you want to give it try before actually purchasing it then worry not as the demo is available right now on all supported platforms until 26 March.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is set to release worldwide on 3 March for PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. And if you’re an Xbox Game Pass member, you’ll be able to play it through there, too.
So what’s in this final demo, you ask? Well, according to Koei Tecmo, it includes two early stages of the game that weren’t in the first demo. You’ve got “Chapter 1: Village of Calamity” and “Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous Heroes.” Both chapters are packed with intense fighting against demons and enemy soldiers in a fantasy Three Kingdoms setting during the Later Han Dynasty. You’ll play as an anonymous militia soldier and fight your way through waves of monsters and enemies. Exciting stuff!
And get this: the demo also has online multiplayer! Plus, if you transfer your cleared saved data from these early stages to the main game, you’ll earn a sweet in-game item called the “Crouching Dragon Helmet” when the game officially drops on 3 March.


Sam Fisher Will Be A Playable Character In Rainbow Six Siege

For those of you clamouring for a new Splinter Cell, here’s the next best(?) thing: Sam Fisher will be a playable character in the team-based online competitive shooter Rainbow Six Siege and its Shadow Legacy update.

The full reveal will be on 17th August, 2am GMT+8 on the Twitch.tv Rainbow Six channel. Not only will Sam “Zero” Fisher be playable, but players can expect map reworkings and balancing updates.


Razer Is Producing Surgical Masks & Donating Them To Combat Covid-19

Razer may be best known for their PC gaming peripherals, but now they’re going to be contributing to the fight against the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced on Twitter earlier today that the company is currently producing surgical masks and plans to donate up to a million of them.
On his personal Twitter account, Tan said that he hasn’t been sleeping for the past several days in order to shift their existing manufacturing lines into producing surgical masks due to the shortage of such masks worldwide.

We intend to donate up to 1M masks to the health authorities of different countries globally. For starters, weâ€™ve been in touch with the authorities in Singapore (where the @Razer SEA HQ is based) to donate some of the initial shipments to assist their fight against COVID-19.
â€” Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) March 19, 2020
The company plans to donate up to one million of these surgical masks to different countries in the world, including Singapore (where the Razer SEA HQ is based). Regional Razer offices from other nations will also be working with their respective governments and health authorities.
Tan ends his announcement by asking people who want to help to reach out to Razer via social media.

If youâ€™d like to get involved with our fight against the virus, please follow the @Razer social media channels. If youâ€™re a corporate or an individual who just wants to helpâ€“ do reach out to us. We need all the help we can. #razerforlife #covid_19 #forgamersbygamers #razermask
â€” Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) March 19, 2020
It’s certainly gracious of Tan and Razer to play a part in fighting against the Coronavirus by using their own resources. This example is one that should be followed and emulated by other organizations/corporations, no matter what industry they’re from. Kudos to Tan and Razer for their effort.


Days Gone, A PS4 Exclusive, Will Be Out On PC Next Month

Enjoy the prospects of killing zombies in an open world game? Love to cruise the countryside apocalypse on your bike? Want to relive that famous wedding scene where your girlfriend demands you ride her as much as you ride your bike in the house of God in 120fps? Then you should save your money to buy Days Gone on PC.
Days Gone, a PS4 exclusive game made by Bend Studio, now has a release date for Steam and Epic Games’ PC platforms: 18th May. This version of the game will feature ultrawide monitor support, unlocked framerates, improved graphics, and all the post-launch content on the PS4 version back in 2019.

To recap, here are the system requirements needed to run Deacon St. John’s adventure on your rig:
Minimum

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS:Â Windows 10 64-bits
Processor:Â Intel Core i5-2500K@3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300@3.5GHz
Memory:Â 8 GB RAM
Graphics:Â Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4 GB)
DirectX:Â Version 11
Storage:Â 70 GB available space
Additional Notes:Â SSD for storage and 16 GB of memory is recommended

Recommended Riding

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS:Â Windows 10 64-bits
Processor:Â Intel Core i7-4770K@3.5GHz or Ryzen 5 1500X@3.5GHz
Memory:Â 16 GB RAM
Graphics:Â Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB)
DirectX:Â Version 11
Storage:Â 70 GB available space
Additional Notes:Â SSD for storage is recommended

PlayStation did mention that a slew of PS4 titles will make their way onto PC. CEO Jim Ryan said that the PC port of Horizon Zero Dawn went really well reception-wise on a GQ interview. He added that people liked it and bought it, and it didn’t make PlayStation fans angry.
Too bad we won’t get a Days Gone 2. But a PC port of Bloodborne would be friggin’ cool.


Brawlhalla Battle Pass Season 2 Adds 80s Synthwave Theme

Today, Ubisoft has announced that the Brawlhalla Season 2 Battle Pass is available now on all platforms for US$9.99. Lasting for 12 weeks, the Season 2 Battle Pass casts Legends in a Synthwave theme; a 1980s retro-futuristic universe where players will be able to unlock up to 85 Tiers with rewards unique to this Battle Pass.
Players progress through the Season 2 Battle Pass by earning Gems through General, Daily and Weekly missions, increasing their Battle Pass Tier. One Daily Mission is granted to each player every day, with the ability to store up to three Daily Missions at a time.

Once a Day, players can recycle a Daily Mission for a new one, while Weekly Missions open each new week of the Battle Pass and will not expire until the end of the Battle Pass Season. If players want to progress faster through the tiers, they can unlock them immediately for 35 Mammoth Coins each.
All players can earn and advance Battle Pass Tiers in the free track, which offers unique rewards such as:
AvatarsColour SchemesWeapon SkinsEmotesSidekicks

The Gold Battle Pass offers Brawlhallaâ€™s players the access to even more unique rewards such as:
Character SkinsKO EffectProgression PodiumProgression SkinMammoth CoinsBattle Pass BoostersLoading FrameUI & Nameplate ThemeAll the rewards the free pass offers
Additional Weekly Missions are available to players who own the Gold Battle Pass, which immediately grants all rewards for previously unlocked tiers upon purchase, including the most radical Synthwave loot and accessories.

Developed by Blue Mammoth, Brawlhalla is an epic free-to-play platform fighting game that brings players to the fight for glory in the halls of Valhalla, with over 50 unique characters to choose from. Brawlhalla also supports cross-platform play between the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, iOS, and Android devices.


Justice Society Movie Boasts All-Star Voice Cast

Originally announced last year, Warner Bros. has revealed the voice cast for the upcoming Justice Society World War II animated movie.
The cast is led by Castle star Stana Katic as Wonder Woman and Doom Patrol star Matt Bomer as The Flash.
The cast for Justice Society World War II also includes:
Elysia Rotaru as Black Canary.Chris Diamantopoulos as Steve Trevor.Omid Abtahi as Hawkman.Matthew Mercer as Hourman.Armen Taylor as Jay Garrick. Liam McIntyre as Aquaman.Ashleigh LaThrop as Iris West.Geoffrey Arend as Charles Halstead/Advisor.Keith Ferguson as Dr. Fate.Darin De Paul as Roosevelt.
It’s unclear which version of The Flash that Matt Bomer will be voicing, especially since Armen Taylor is already voicing Jay Garrick. This is the Justice Society (who are the precursor to the Justice League), so Jay Garrick is supposed to be the original Flash.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeff Wamesteris is the director for Justice Society World War II, with a script by Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, DC Super Hero Girls) and Jeremy Adams (Supernatural, Batman Soul Of The Dragon).
Jim Krieg (Batman Gotham By Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) are producing.
It’s great to see that DC Comics and Warner Bros. are pushing the Justice Society into the limelight. A version of the team will also be featured in the upcoming Black Adam movie, which is slated to premiere on 21 December 2021.
Justice Society World War II is slated to premiere sometime in spring 2021. However, it’s only one of several DC Comics animated movies to be released in 2021. The others include Batman Soul Of The Dragon and Batman The Long Halloween.


Bright Memory Infinite Chinese New Year Update Adds New Third-Person Mode & Rabbit Costumes

PLAYISM and FYQD-Studio’s first-person action game Bright Memory Infinite has received a new Chinese New Year update, which adds a new third-person “Perspective-Assist” mode and more.
When you turn it on in settings, Shelia’s model will be displayed on-screen. Shelia’s model will only be displayed while moving and firing a weapon without aiming. The camera will revert to first-person when aiming, using skills, using the Light Blade, defending, and grappling.
The update also adds new costume DLCs to the lineup: The Cyber Rabbit and Rabbit School Uniform.

New Functions

Perspective-assist mode

Shelia’s model will only be displayed while moving and firing weapons without aiming. The camera will revert to first-person when aiming, using skills, using the Light Blade, defending, and grappling.

New Rabbit School Uniform DLC for Shelia
New Cyber Rabbit DLC for Shelia
A toon rendering model added for Shelia

Press the home key in-game to switch models.

Changed the tiger doll with a rabbit doll in the car chase mission

Optimizations

Optimized NPC character models and improved frame rate.
Optimized the lightning effects of the Six-armed Emperor’s lightning attack and improved frame rate.
Optimized GPU processing of the flame effects when the Giant King is in its second form.
Optimized the “check weapon” action for the assault rifle to make the arm movement more natural.
Optimized the motion blur after the sneaking mission.
Adjusted the skins menu to show the newest skins first.
Optimized Shelia’s model in the skins menu so that her left arm is in a more natural position.
Optimized the lighting in the skins menu.

Fixes

Fixed an issue where checking weapons with the crosshair turned off will prevent you from picking up items or shooting.
Fixed an issue where players can attack while climbing.

Bright Memory Infinite is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Check out the trailer below:


E3 2019: We’re Getting A Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Sequel

To cap off their video presentation, Nintendo decides to tease fans of The Legend of Zelda with this info: they’re working on a Breath of the Wild sequel.
The teaser didn’t show much; it’s basically Link and Zelda checking out the remnants of Calamity, then it comes back to life, followed by a rising castle. That’s it; no release window, no gameplay teases, nothing.
Take a look at the teaser yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Chances are it’ll be an extension of the first game, which itself is an epic action-adventure game with limitless exploration and ways to solve things. We’d go as far as to declare it one of 2017’s best games ever.


Borderlands 3 Maurice Black Market Vending Machine Location: 8th July

This week’s Borderlands 3 Maurice Black Market vending machine is a punch above the rest. Read below to find out why and where to find this elusive machine.
How To Find Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine for 8th July
You have to head down to Desolation’s Edge in Nekrotafayo. Head down to this part of the map where the Maliwan base is.

Here are some landmarks to help you out in case you forget.

The vending machine is at a lone ledge nearby the triangle-shaped part of the map.

These are the weapons available on this week’s Maurice Black Market vending machine:

Sawbar Assault Rifle with good stats
Deep Dive and Redundant Facepuncher Shotgun
Moxxi’s Bouncing Pair

Buy all the Facepuncher shotguns for this week, because they’re a pain to farm. They will cost you a few million, but are worth it for melee-based Amara builds and certain Fl4k setups.


Go Westeros: John Bradley and Hannah Murray (Sam & Gilly)  Shares On How The Next Season Goes

We’ve seen how John Bradley’s Samwell Tarly grew up over the seasons, from a liability to a seasoned tactician. He’s grown up to a better man, although still berated by his father. Sam was the person who protected Gilly, played by Hannah Murray, and saved her from slavery and abuse, bringing her back to Black Castle and in effect, breaking his oath with the Night Watch.
Although many fans would argue about this case as Samwell Tarly did not leave his post, he was ordered to go to the Citadel for training as part of his service. Sam did not father Gilly’s child, he chose to ask Gilly to lie and claim that he did to his family so that they would protect and care for Gilly and her baby. He did not marry Gilly. He holds no lands. He definitely doesn’t have crowns or glory. He is, after all, a very smart character.
So, his vow seems intact, but would it be of any value to an institution that undervalued him, another institution where he’s an outsider as John Bradley, who plays Tarly, puts it.
How Would Season 8 Unfurl?

According to an HBO interview transcript, Hannah Murray highlighted that ‘cryptic’ describes her character best in the upcoming final season.
On the other hand, Bradley said that things are going downhill before it has even a chance to recover in the next season. “Everybody knows about the threat and everybody knows potentially how bad things could get. It feels climactic,” Bradley said.

“Like the final act in a play where all the characters are suddenly on stage all at once. You know that there’s momentum building. There’s a kind of claustrophobia to it. We’re not going to six or seven vastly diverse and disparate locations in one episode.”

Murray enjoyed the being part of the cast. “It’s been so much fun to get to be this huge gang of incredible, weird, wonderful people,” added Murray.
Bradley pointed out that the vast world of Game of Thrones would always have multiple worlds overlapping each other narratively, but never physically. What happens in another part of Westeros would inconsequentially affect another part, and because of that, everyone feels like a part of a family even though the characters weren’t on set together or when their characters did not encounter one another as Bradley would put it. He details the experience to be a lovely feeling.
Murray also shares a similar experience. She would usually see Emilia Clarke at premieres, but never with a wig on.
There was this one time where Murray and Clarke were in hair at the same time one day.
“I saw her with her wig on, and it was so weird to get starstruck by someone that you know. I said to Candice, the person responsible for hair and make-up, â€œI got a bit overwhelmed by the wig.â€

Candice simply responded, “You’ve met Emilia â€“ youâ€™ve never met Daenerys”.

More Secure Than The Wall

Bradley exposes how tight security is, especially with the scripts.
“The scripts are password protected and they come on encrypted emails so that kind of heightens the gravitas of the experience as well,” told Bradley.
The actors would have to type a password, and then making sure their two-step verification is on.
It’s very secure, a bit like a spy, as Murray puts it.
Speaking of Scripts
The scripts affected Bradley, but not in the way you would expect.

“Normally, at the end of every episode you get, at the end of the script, it says, “End of episode 1. End of episode 2.” At the end of the final episode, it said;
“End of Game of Thrones.”

Wow, that’s a powerful line that shakes the very foundation of the show. An impactful piece of line that marks the very end of a beautiful and epic saga.
“No matter what comes after with prequels and spin-offs, the core show is over,” added Bradley.
He cited that this is one of the motivations to go all out for the final season of the show.
“Once you said, end of Game of Thrones, that was a real kick up the ass to do this well.”
A real kick up the ass to end the journey that began 9 years ago.
The Long Wait
To fans who’ve been bugging as to why the wait has been so long, Hannah Murray has the answer to that.
She simply states, “I think it’ll make sense when they see it.”
Murray remembers talking to David Benioff and Daniel Weiss, both co-creators of the show, years ago and they said they knew they were going with the narrative from talking to George RR Martin.
The two co-creators did say that they had no idea how to pull the show off. â€œWe almost don’t know how we’re going to do it,â€ said David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
Especially on a TV budget But here we are, with the final season looming over our heads.

“I feel like the scale of these episodes is unlike anything we’ve seen on television before,” Murray commented on the epic scale of the saga.

Game of Thrones Season 8 will be out 15 April, Monday at 9am on HBO (Astro Channel 411/431 HD).


PlayStation’s Play At Home Returns This March With Free Ratchet & Clank

Sony Interactive Entertainment launched the PlayStation At Home initiative last year in April 2020 to keep the PlayStation community entertained while practising social distancing.
Last year, they offered two games for free: Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey. This year, we’re getting 2016’s Ratchet & Clank for free. This yearâ€™s Play At Home initiative kicks off in March and will go on until June 2021.

Starting 2 March 2021

PlayStation and Insomniac Games will makeÂ Ratchet & Clank PS4 available for free download for a limited time through PlayStation Store from 12pm GMT+8 on 2 March 2021 to 12pm GMT+8 on 1 April 2021.

Starting 25 March 2021

Funimation is offering extended access for new subscribers to Funimation orÂ Wakanim in the countries they are available.

In the coming weeks, Sony will share more details on free games and entertainment offers to drop in coming months. This is a great strategy by Sony and Insomniac to hype up the upcoming Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, which is slated to launch exclusively for the PS5 on 11 June 2021.


The Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship Returns In 2021

Activision has announced the return of the Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship. Presented by Sony, eligible players in Call Of Duty MobileÂ can compete for a share of the more than US$2 million total prize pool. Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship Garena Qualifiers will start from July 2021.Â
Activision mobile vice president Matt Lewis said:
â€œThe momentum worldwide for Call Of Duty MobileÂ is incredible as our players continue to have a great time playing.
Picking up from last yearâ€™s competition, weâ€™ve increased the prize money up for grabs and the number of teams that can qualify, so there are even more reasons for fans to prove theyâ€™ve got what it takes to be the best.â€Â
The Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship 2021 Presented by Sony is open to eligible entrants across the world and will be conducted regionally in multiple stages.

Sonyâ€™s newest flagship smartphone, Xperia 1 III, will be the official mobile device of the World ChampionshipÂ and will provide a 120 FPS gaming experience1. Eligible players can compete for a spot at the World Championship Finals via Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship Garena Qualifiers.
Details of the qualifiers will be revealed at a later date. In the meantime, you can stay tuned on the Call Of Duty Mobile social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to get the latest news on the Call Of Duty Mobile World Championship.
You can downloadÂ Call Of Duty MobileÂ on theÂ Google Play StoreÂ andÂ Apple App Store. Call Of Duty Mobile has also managed to generate a whopping US$644 million worldwide to date.


Singapore Launches First Social AR Experience Using Footage From Netflix’s Our Planet

Some say that Augmented Reality (AR) technology is the future, and vice versa. If that’s true, then Singapore is well on its way to the future as it launches its first Social AR Experience, REWILD Our Planet, at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands.

Co-developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Google, and PHORIA, REWILD Our Planet uses gorgeous 4K footage taken from Netflix‘s new documentary, Our Planet. The Social AR Experience focuses on four natural landscapes that represent the last wilderness locations on our planet, including the:

Forests of Borneo and India
Oceans of Asia
Grasslands of Mongolia
Frozen worlds of the Arctic

How it all works is that REWILD Our Planet combines IMAX-style projections with spatial soundscapes and the AR experience (which unfolds through the lens of the Google Pixel 3), where groups of participants will work together to build natural 3D landscapes by unlocking global weather patterns and magical animal encounters.
The end result is a deeper understanding of shared solutions and a meaningful pledge to act and help bring nature back, as well as evoking important conversations about conservation, the fragility of the planet and the negative impacts of humankind.
Located at the Inspiration Gallery on Level 4 of the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, REWILD Our Planet will be available from 6 April to 2 June 2019 and will be open from 10am to 6pm daily. Admission is free of charge, with every session involving a maximum of 20 people lasting around 10 minutes.
Vice President of Communications for Netflix Jessica Lee said:
â€œOur PlanetÂ is the definitive nature documentary event of our time and Netflixâ€™s most ambitious documentary project to date. We are proud to bring great and vital content like this to millions of people worldwide, informing and inspiring them towards taking action for the greater good.
WithÂ REWILD Our Planet, we are taking this one step further by showing how stories can come to life in a way that spurs us all to help improve our environment. We couldnâ€™t be more delighted to do this in concert with amazing partners like WWF, Google, PHORIA and ArtScience Museum of Singapore.â€
Meanwhile, Our Planet is now streaming on Netflix. It boasts Sir David Attenborough as narrator, as well as 10 others who narrate in their respective local languages, including prominent Hollywood actresses like PenÃ©lope Cruz for Spain and Salma Hayek for Latin America.
Check out the sizzle reel for REWILD Our Planet below.
[wpvideo qMia5seg]


Here Are The Cool Announcements From Today’s PlayStation Lineup Showcase

Sony PlayStation made a preemptive strike a week before Tokyo Game Show to announce its slew of new titles. Let’s highlight the best ones, shall we?
Samurai Shodown Slated For 2019
https://www.facebook.com/kakuchopurei/videos/715437335484148/
We wrote about this earlier. Long story short: 2D weapons-based fighting, classic roster returns, lots of blood.
Yakuza Team To Release A New Adventure Game Called Judge Eyes

Toshiro Nagoshi & co. are taking a step back from minigames and fisticuffs to create a PS4 game called Judge Eyes. It looks like a murder-mystery adventure title with triple-A production values where the messy-haired protagonist can recall past memories and visions to solve cases for the cops. Slated for 13th December in Japan and out next year in the West.
Shadowverse Devs Announces New Medieval RPG

This new game, called Project Awakening, is from the guys who are sponsoring legacy fighting game pros like Daigo Umehara and making money off of Gran Blue Fantasia & anime Hearthstone Shadowverse. Looks kinda like a generic Monster Hunter clone until you see the smoke coming out of the battlefield at the end. Maybe you can summon dead soldiers to fight for you?
Front Mission Returns…Sort Of

Square Enix’s Front Mission spin-off survival shooter Left Alive is slated for a 28th February 2019 release date. The game will be produced by Shinji “Final Fantasy” Hashimoto, directed by Toshifumi “Armored Core” Nabeshima, and have its characters designed by Yoji “Metal Gear” Shinkawa.
Square Enix Is Using Tales Of Producer Hideo Baba For A New JRPG

Good ol’ Square Enix: acquires high profile talent to make JRPGs under their banner. Hideo Baba of Tales Of series’ fame is leading the new Square Enix Studio Istolia to create a new game called Project Prelude Rune.
Not much to see here apart from the fact that it’s a high fantasy game, has a lovely tune to it, and is most likely has real-time combat. You ARE using the Tales Of guy after all…
Even More Footage of Kingdom Hearts III & Sekiro
We won’t say no to more gameplay of next year’s two most-anticipated action games.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered For PS4 & Nintendo Switch

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES Remastered Edition is more beautiful than ever and coming to #NintendoSwitch and #PlayStation 4 in 2019! pic.twitter.com/hwfldVLYRO
— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) September 10, 2018

This remaster of the four-player co-op JRPG will be out next year. Also, we get to hear Donna Burke’s Irish narrator voice and vocal chops in the intro.
Kingdom Hearts Goes VR

Now you can see Aqua getting Norted in first-person glory. You sicko.
In all seriousness, Kingdom Hearts: VR Experience can now relive their favourite KH memories in VR mode.
Gungrave G.O.R.E Announced, Not A Single F*** Was Given

As much as I liked Yasuhiro Nightow’s Gungrave series, we’d be lying if we said we really needed a gun-filled action game in our lives.
Hot Shots Golf & Space Channel 5 Goes VR
We saved the best ones for last. PlayStation’s marquee arcade golf title and Sega’s newscaster-starring dance game is getting the VR treatment. We’re kinda missing the cartoony caricatures from the series though, but at least you’ve given us one more reason to consider forking money out for your VR moneysink, PlayStation.


Here Are All the Endings to Netflix’s Bandersnatch

By now you would have probably watched it, or at least heard of Netflix’s latest Black Mirror episode, Bandersnatch. A one-of-a-kind, ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ episode made for television (or streaming devices), Bandersnatch is a groundbreaking approach to how traditional entertainment is consumed. But for us gamers, it isn’t really a novelty since we’ve been dished with story-altering choices in games such as the Fallout series, the Elder Scrolls, and the TellTale games.
There are multiple endings to Bandersnatch and we don’t fault you for obsessing with unlocking them all. What happens at the end? Does Stefan’s game get the highest rating possible? Or have you discovered a fun, fourth-wall breaking cutscene? Lucky you, we have it covered.
At this point of writing, we gather that there are thirteen possible endings in Bandersnatch and thanks to Reddit, we have it all laid out in this graph below. But before we go any further, here’s the obligatory

Open Image in New Tab to Enlarge
Which one was your favourite ending? And how many tried did it take you to get it? Also, we have additional tips to enhance your Bandersnatch viewing experience:
–Turn on subtitles : You may miss out on some interesting and useful info.
–Don’t turn off the episode if the credits show up – There’s more!
–The show is over if Netflix defaults you to a new Black Mirror episode. – Hope you have 3 hours to spare.
–Let Netflix choose the option for you when watching the episode. – An easy, safe way to ensure you get all possible endings
–Consider this – Who’s being played here really – Stefan by you, or us, the viewers by the directors who gave us the false sense of choice?

Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch is now showing on Netflix.


Fast X Is The Next Fast And Furious Movie

The next Fast And Furious movie is officially titled Fast X. It will be the tenth and final installment of the franchise. However, it will be split into two separate movies, Part One and Part Two.
Confirmed returning characters for Fast X are Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Ludacris). Han (Sung Kang) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). Justin Lin is the director. Newcomers include Brie Larson and Daniela Melchior.
Fast X will premiere on 19 May 2023. It is currently in production.
Check out the key art below:


Obscure 1996 Arcade Game Osman ComingTo Nintendo Switch & PS4 [Update]

Remember the 1989 classic Capcom action game Strider? Well, there was a spiritual successor to that game in 1996 from the same game director (Kouichi Yotsui) who jumped ship to Mitchell Corporation. That successor was called Osman (Cannon Dancer in Japan), and it was a heckuva platformer, set in a cyberpunk Arabian setting and had a martial artist who fought fist and foot against all manners of insane enemies.
After languishing in obscurity for so long, the 1996 arcade side-scrolling action game will be released on new platforms for the very first time via news on Konami’s Tokyo Game Show 2022 showcase. ININ Games will be porting the game onto Nintendo Switch and PS4 for 2023. Check out the new trailer below.