After A Two Week Suspension, Dr Disrespect is Back On Twitch

So much for the 30-day ban, eh Twitch?
Just two weeks after his channel was suspended for toilet trouble at E3 2019, Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm, is now back on Twitch (via Dexerto). To recap, he got his E3 privileges revoked and his Twitch channel darkened following his multiple IRL sessions in the many toilets of the LA Convention Centre. Twitch did make the right call in suspending his channel for this invasion of privacy as well as breaking California state laws.
However, this suspension ended up falling short of the maximum 30-day rule Twitch imposes for most of its violations. So far there are no extra conditions for his return on the streaming platform, though his channel’s chat is now in subscriber mode to limit the number of messages being sent to his account.
Twitch declined to comment further.


Star Wars Andor Actor Diego Luna Explains Why Cassian’s Story Is Relevant

Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were lucky enough to participate in an Andor press conference joined by the cast and crew of the upcoming Star Wars series. One of the biggest topics that they discussed was how relevant the story of Andor is, despite being a prequel spinoff to 2016’s Rogue One A Star Wars Story.
Diego Luna, who plays the protagonist Cassian Andor in Andor, said:
And for me, it’s quite relevant today to tell the story of what needs to happen for a revolutionary to emerge, to exist, to come to live, you know. What gives meaning in the life of someone to be willing to sacrifice everything for a cause, you know? What needs to happen? That that journey matters to me. And the character says stuff that it haunts me in Rogue One. You know that he started to fight since he was six years old. What does that mean, exactly? You know, why a six-year-old would miss his childhood and start a fight?
That, to me, is really interesting to know. He talks about a dark past. He talks about doing terrible stuff for the Rebellion. What is he referring to? I think that story matters. That story is interesting. And there is a lot of material there for us to play. So I was really excited to be able to go into that journey and give those answers you know?

Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy also chipped in, and he said:
Well, look, I mean, there’s no secret way. The show exists because there’s an enormous, arterial, important, passionate Star Wars community.
And I know it’s not a monolithic community. There’s many different version and factions within it, but there’s this huge dedicated Star Wars community that shows up. And that’s our whole card. That’s what gave us the money and the momentum and the ability to make a show that’s this insanely big, I mean, this abundant and this difficult to make. That audience is our primary concern, and we want to bring something to them that is a completely different lane than what they’ve had before, but we’re doing it in a completely uncynical fashion.
There’s nothing cynical about our show. The word we use more every day, and I was at Pinewood today prepping for two, is real. We want to make this real. This place is real to us. And we will bring a lot of things to that community that we hope they’re really interested in, and we hope they really appreciate it, and we hope they really appreciate the passion that we’ve tried to make it real. At the same time, it’s no secret.
Their partner, their boss, their girlfriend, their boyfriend, their mother, their father. A lot of people that are Star Wars adjacent or Star Wars averse. And [LAUGH] you should be able to watch our show. Our show is designed that this could be your entry point to Star Wars. You could watch our 24 episodes, that could be your way in. We’re doing a show that does not require any prior knowledge whatsoever to get involved. And our hope is, you know, I mean that’s the gamble. Can we satisfy and electrify and excite the dedicated fans?
And can we at the same time bring something that’s so intense emotionally and seems so true and is the smallest domestic dramas and the smallest interpersonal relationships that are dropped down in the midst of the epic tectonic revolutionary historical moments where people have to make huge decisions? Can we attract another audience that’s interested in that as well? Can we marry those two things together? That’s the gamble. That’s what we’re trying to do and that’s why we’re here.
The first three episodes of Andor are slated to premiere on 21 September 2022.
In the meantime, check out my interview with Andor actors Kyle Soller and Denise Gough by heading over here for the written article, or you can watch the entire interview below:


[Report] Netflix’s Castlevania Season 3 Release Date Leaked

As an anime fan, I’m always surprised to see more good animated shows being made available on Netflix. One of my favourite shows in that category is Castlevania and it looks like we’re finally getting Season 3 very soon… or are we?
In a (now deleted) tweet from the Netflix Nordic Twitter account, it was revealed that the third season of Castlevania is scheduled to debut on 1 December 2019. After a few hours, the tweet was removed but thanks to a Redditor’s quick screenshot fingers, we have proof of the tweet. The screenshot is definitely legit as the tweet also crossed my timeline before it was deleted.
Screenshot taken from here.
John Squires, the editor in chief of Bloody Disgusting contacted Netflix and confirmed that the tweet was relaying incorrect information. Apparently, Castlevania Season 3 isn’t coming out on 1 December 2019 in the US or anywhere. The Netflix Nordic Twitter account has carried on tweeting as if nothing happened.

Just checked in with Netflix. The Netflix Nordic Twitter account made a mistake this morning. #Castlevania Season 3 is *not* dropping on Netflix on December 1st.
Not in the US, not anywhere. No date available yet.
â€” John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) November 26, 2019

As much as I would like to get excited about Castlevania Season 3 and theorise that this is all a big damage control event, it’s quite strange that Netflix themselves would just quietly announce a new season to one of their best animated productions through a social media account that isn’t even their main account. It’s highly like that this is indeed just a mistake.
One thing for sure is that a third season is on its way. It was confirmed all the way back in June 2018 and interviews with the show’s producers show that it’s scheduled to arrive sometime in 2020.


Total War Devs Partners With China, Announces New Card Game

Sega and Total War developer Creative Assembly have announced a long-term partnership with Chinese leading internet/online game services provider NetEase to publish the real-time strategy games franchise in China.
This deal means that they will work to localize the Total War games for Chinese gamers in the country, including the recent critically-acclaimed Total War Three Kingdoms. We loved the latest entry in the long-running franchise, giving it a 90/100 in our review (which you can check out here).
However, the most surprising thing to come out of the announced collaboration is the official reveal of Total War: Elysium, a new collectible card game slated for release on PC and mobile platforms in China. At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation yet on when or even if it will be released in the rest of the world.
It will likely be similar to other existing collectible card games like Hearthstone or Gwent, the latter of which is more probable considering its war strategy roots.
Creative Assembly Studio Director and EVP of SEGA Studios Tim Heaton said:

â€œFor nearly two decades, the Total War franchise has been a leader in the strategy games genre, thanks to its trademark gameplay and a focus on authenticity.
We are excited to bring the historical titles of the franchise to the Chinese market where we have already seen a huge appetite for Total War.
Our partnership with NetEase is an ideal pairing with our shared mission for bringing quality gameplay experiences to our passionate fans across the globe.â€

In addition, the blog post on the Total War official website also revealed that Creative Assembly has a whopping nine projects currently in various stages of development, including a major new IP in the form of an unannounced tactical team-based shooter.
The developer has previously dabbled in non-Total War titles in the past, such as 2014’s Alien: Isolation (first-person survival horror), 2005’s Spartan: Total Warrior (action-adventure hack and slash), and more. It will be fascinating to see them grow even more in the years to come.


SEA Games 2019 Esports Live Update: Day 5 Results

On Day 5 of the SEA Games 2019 Esports event, we’ll be seeing the countries compete for the gold medals for Hearthstone, Arena of Valor, and DOTA 2. With Mobile Legends: Bang Bang already concluded and the Philippines bringing home another gold medal, let’s see who comes out on top today:
Hearthstone
Gold Medal Match
Thailand vs. Malaysia (1 – 3)
Arena of Valor
Lower Bracket Final
Vietnam vs. Thailand (0 – 2)
Gold Medal Match
Indonesia vs. Thailand (0-3)
DOTA 2
Gold Medal Match
Philippines vs. Thailand

Congratulations to Malaysia for winning the gold in Hearthstone, and for Thailand as well for Arena of Valor. Major props, however, have to go for The Philippines for winning two gold medals for both Dota 2 and Mobile Legends. The land of Jollibee and sisig is now the king of the two major MOBAs in the world.
One more day left; we’ll be checking out the Tekken 7 and StarCraft 2 tournament tomorrow. You can watch the Day 5 matches here:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAUwnPgbUas&w=560&h=315]


Mortal Kombat 11 Gameplay Reveal: Southeast Asia Guide [Update]

Update: Gameplay stream is done. All relevant updates will be pushed to the top of this article.Â
I’ve just seen the gameplay of Mortal Kombat 11 and it’s glorious! True, it’s a rezzed-up version of Mortal Kombat X, but there are some new mechanics and new tidbits revealed during the NetherRealms event and livestream just a few hours ago.
Let’s go through them one by one:
-These are the confirmed characters so far: Baraka, Sub-Zero (still voiced by Steven “Wolverine” Blum), Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Skarlet, Sonya Blade (voiced by Rhonda Rousey), and Shao Kahn.

-We have a new character: Geras the time-manipulating fighter. He uses sand and earth to beat up his opponents and can teleport. He can stop opponents mid-air and punish them.

-Chronica is a new character, though we’re not sure if she’s playable or not.
-MK11 brings back character variations: each character has three playstyles.

-The game’s super meter system is now divided into three types: a horizontal defense meter, a vertical attack meter, and a Fatal Blow meter. When you burn meter, you use up either the defense or attack meter depending on the special move.
–Fatal Blow is basically a new version of X-Ray Moves.
–There’s a new defense mechanic called Flawless Block: it’s like Just Defense from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. You will be at a frame advantage if you block perfectly, just at the right time the attack lands.
–Customization is key in this MK. You can change Scorpion’s mask, katana, and spear with new variations, like in Injustice 2. Each weapon has up to three augment slots so you can mix and match buffs and boons.
-The Fatalities are just a gruesome as ever and now comes with a freeze frame ending. Check out the montage below.

-Game’s coming out on 23rd April. You can get a Kollector’s Edition of the game which comes with a sweet Scorpion mask.

-Story: At the end of MKX, Raiden turns evil.Â Heâ€™ll be the guy who punishes anyone and everyone who dares attack Earthrealm. The heroes of MK will be visiting their younger/older selves during the course of the plot. It’ll be fun for MK lore fans, that’s for sure.

–[Rumoured] Mortal Kombat 11 will feature a Shaolin Monks side game for its adventure mode. For those not in the know, it’s a 2-player co-op 3D brawler.
–[Rumoured]Â Story Mode is back and is separate from Adventure Mode. Itâ€™ll revolve around 3 major characters.
-[Rumoured]
–[Rumoured] Additions in the roster: Reiko, Shang Tsung, Kotal Kahn, Fujin, Liu Kang, Kitana, Ashrah.Â
Original story
In about 9 hours, we will bear witness to the full gameplay reveal of Mortal Kombat 11. We’ll be putting all of the MK 11 info on this article, so keep this page bookmarked for your info.
So where and what time should you tune in if you’re living on our side of the world?Â Glad you asked! You can catch the stream here on NetherRealm’s Twitch account. Here are the timings for the main show. :

Malaysia/Singapore/Philippines: 18 January, 3am (GMT+8)
Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam: 18 January, 2am (GMT+7)

If you want to catch the interviews, just tune in 30 minutes before. Here’s the official schedule (thanks Shahqil Kshah):


Konami Let Silent Hill’s Domain Expire And Someone Bought It

In case you needed more reasons to hate Konami, Silent Hillâ€™s domain name has been purchased by some random person after Konami let it expire, for the second time.
Konami has seemingly given up trying to hide the fact that they donâ€™t care about the IPs they own and their legacies, as the domain name for the iconic horror series Silent Hill, silenthill.com expired and someone actually bought it before Konami could. This isnâ€™t the first time itâ€™s happened, as in 2019 the domain name was up for grabs but was repurchased by Konami.

Now if you type in the domain into your search bar itâ€™ll take you to a page with a tweet from Masahiro Ito that says, “I wish I hadn’t designed fxxkin Pyramid Head.”. Yeah, thatâ€™s it. In case you didnâ€™t know, Ito-san is a renowned video game artist and was the creator of Pyramid Head along with many other nightmarish beings youâ€™d find in Silent Hill.
The tweet in question was him expressing frustration over the rights to the mannequin humping character belonging to Konami and his distaste for following instalments to the Silent Hill series including the character. Pyramid Head was meant to be a one-off character that was unique to James Sunderlandâ€™s time in the fog ridden town.
While the Silent Hill franchise continues to stay as dead as Jamesâ€™ wife, the first game’s director and writer Keiichiro Toyama is working on a new action-focused horror game called Slitterhead, with legendary composer Akira Yamaoka returning for the project as well.
If you want to learn more about Slitterhead, check out our coverage of the Q&A session discussing the upcoming game.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyUGYL9aSww


RRQ Hoshi & Blacklist International Prove Why They’re The Best At M4

Day 2 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M4 World Championship was going to be action-packed right from the get-go as we saw the prides of Malaysia and Indonesia, TODAK and RRQ Hoshi go toe-to-toe alongside RRQ Hoshi’s sister team from Brazil, RRQ Akira face the Filipino phenoms in Blacklist International.

Check out our M4 Schedule with live score updates!

TODAK vs. RRQ Hoshi
The day began with TODAK versus RRQ Hoshi, a highly anticipated matchup between two of the best in their respective countries. Not only was a spot in the upper bracket semifinal on the line but also pride as TODAK as an organisation has lost all four series they have played against RRQ Hoshi since M1 back in 2019. And we would soon find out, this time would be no different.
Game 1

Game 1 started off pretty evenly, with RRQ Hoshi only maintaining a small gold lead throughout most of the early game. Around the fourth minute were unfortunately met with a pause which didn’t last too long and after a few minutes we were back into the action. After losing their first turtle, TODAK knew that they would need to mirror objectives so during the second Turtle, TODAK’s star-rookie Rival dived in and stole the Turtle from the Indonesians.
Regardless of this, RRQ Hoshi were still very much in control of the game and by the time the third turtle respawned, RRQ Hoshi had already learned their lesson and strengthened their numbers when taking on the Turtle. With their second Turtle acquired, RRQ Hoshi used that momentum to take out Rival and YumSkie from TODAK. From there they abused their advantage to take map control which would then lead them to take the Lord. After pressing into the Top Lane, RRQ Hoshi would play around the next Lord which they would take uncontested. It was after this that TODAK made the bold decision to engage with RRQ Hoshi, taking down three players. Unfortunately for TODAK, RRQ Hoshi’s remaining two players swept the rest of TODAK and with the Top Lane completely open, Game 1 was RRQ Hoshi’s for the taking.
Game 2

After such a blunderful Game 1, TODAK were eager for redemption and decided to take control of Game 2’s early phase. Rival displayed his ganking prowess as TODAK’s jungle as he drew attention away from the Turtle by getting a kill onto RRQ Hoshi’s Skylar in the Gold Lane and helped prevent VYN from killing his teammate CikuGais. From there, Rival zipped up to the Turtle and claimed it for his team.
It was around the eight-minute mark that RRQ Hoshi finally caught up and took the gold lead from TODAK. After scaling for most of the game, RRQ Hoshi had finally become strong enough to dominate TODAK in team fights. Despite all this, TODAK remained relatively even in kills and tried to focus objectives whenever they were in an optimal position, but RRQ Hoshi didn’t let that happen too often as they secured themselves two Lords by the 19th minute. The game would go on to be almost 27 minutes with RRQ Hoshi coming out on top.
Game 3

Going into Game 3 TODAK were looking to go on the offensive once again but they were cleanly read by RRQ Hoshi who engaged first.
RRQ Hoshi would continue to dominate objectives, securing themselves two Turtles by the 10th minute. Unfortunately for TODAK, they were unable to prevent RRQ Hoshi from snowballing their lead. Although the game carried on past 20 minutes, TODAK were still extremely far behind and all they managed to do was delay the inevitable. After losing all three Lords that appeared on the map, the Malaysians finally fell to RRQ Hoshi and were sent into the Lower Bracket when they will fight to stay alive in this tournament on 10 January at 7:00 PM (UTC+8).

RRQ Akira vs. Blacklist International
This match-up between the Brazillian powerhouse in RRQ Akira and the Philippines’ Blacklist International was also another highly anticipated match-up as RRQ Akira looked to both Brazil’s and South America’s only chance to give Southeast Asia a run for their money. But as we would soon find out, maybe they’re not quite there just yet.
Game 1

Blacklist came out of the gates swinging as they attempted to apply pressure onto RRQ Akira, which turned out in Blacklist’s favour as they secured first blood within the first 50 seconds of the game. From then on out, Blacklist completely outclassed RRQ Akira in every way imaginable as they took control of the entire map, not letting the Brazilians even get a whiff of an objective. With the kill score 13–2 in favour of Blacklist, before we knew it, the game was already over and Blacklist were up 1–0.
Game 2

Going into Game 2, RRQ Akira decided to change up their bans in the draft phase, dedicating all three of their initial bans in caution of Blacklist’s Mid Laner Hadji. Game 2 would be a lot closer with RRQ Akira putting up more of a fight and even managing to secure one more Turtle than Blacklist International. But unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. Although the scoreboard showed that RRQ Akira held up pretty well, Blacklist were in control of the game then entire time and managed to take advantage of that which ultimately won them Game 2.
Game 3

Game 3 would be a little bit different as both teams flipped sides with Blacklist now on the Blue side and RRQ on the Red. Anyone could tell that in this game, RRQ Akira were playing a lot safer and were more respectful of Blacklist’s playmaking capabilities. RRQ Akira took advantage of this as they knew in the early game, it was an even playing field so all they needed to do was bait Blacklist to engage on RRQ’s terms. This led to RRQ Akira having a kill lead of 5–1 in the fifth minute. The game would slow down for the next five minutes with Blacklist catching up in gold but things began to fall apart for Blacklist during the first Lord fight. Although the fold was even and Blacklist managed to take the first lord, RRQ Akira didn’t let up and began applying pressure across all lanes. By the next team fight, all of RRQ Akira were ready and prepped for another team fight and it definitely showed as they would come out on top. As result, RRQ were able to finally get on the board as both teams proceeded to Game 4 with a score of 2–1 in favour of Blacklist.
Game 4

With their confidence high, RRQ were ready for the next game in hopes to tie the series, but Blacklist had other plans. Game 4 would see Blacklist’s return to the same dominating form we saw back in Game 1 where they completely controlled both the map and tempo. Although RRQ Akira did their best to stay even on objectives, Blacklist capitalised on the map control given and before we knew it, the game was over in 14 minutes. Luckily for RRQ Akira, this isn’t the end of the road as we will get to see them fight it out to stay in the tournament. They’ll be playing on 10 January at 9:00 PM (UTC+8).
As for the winners of both games, RRQ Hoshi and Blacklist International will be facing off against each other on 11 January at 7:00 PM (UTC+8) so don’t miss out on that. Be sure to check out our schedule on M4 where we will also be updating scores.


Streamline Media Group Appoints Sheloman Byrd As New COO

Streamline Media Group (Streamline), a video game and metaverse development company based in Malaysia, has welcomed Sheloman Byrd as their new Chief Operations Officer. Byrd recently left Warner Bros. Discovery after three years, where he led external development as Executive Producer.
His most recent title, MultiVersus, debuted earlier this year as the most-played PC fighting game ever with over 20 million players. Before this, Byrd spent nine years at Tencent driving business development and strategy for the US & European PC/Console market, working with key partners like Epic Games (Fortnite), Psyonix (Rocket League), and Ember Lab (Kena: Bridge of Spirits).
Sheloman Byrd, COO, Streamline Media Group, said:
“Anyone who’s worked with me knows how much I love games, from production and design to marketing and business development. It’s a passion that is continued for nearly twenty years with no end in sight. It’s an exciting time overall, with over 3 billion global gamers and more playing every day.
With this new role at Streamline, we’ll scale our success and expand our capabilities to drive the next wave of interactive experiences—ones that take diversity, high quality, and authenticity into account from the start.”
Since 2001, Streamline has serviced international developers, publishers, and brands, including Genvid, Balenciaga, Capcom, and Microsoft from production studios in Southeast Asia, Japan, and The Americas. As an active member of the games and tech global industry for over twenty years, Streamline has always committed to driving meaningful change through diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for emerging markets and social and economic minorities.
Alexander Fernandez, CEO, and Co-Founder of Streamline, said:
“Streamline is transforming entertainment and global industries through video game technology and craft. I’m excited to have Sheloman join us at this incredible moment of growth as we continue building talented teams’ representative of the world as it is.”
Byrd joins Fernandez, CEO, and Bo Kjægaard-Jensen, CFO, in the C-Suite. As COO, Byrd will lead production and development, expand capabilities and capacity to include new segments beyond gaming and the growing demand for video game technology expertise. You can visit the Streamline website to learn more about Streamline and its diverse leadership team delivering video games and metaverse solutions.
Streamline continues to underscore its commitment to supporting the growing demands of global game development by actively recruiting emerging talent within the gaming and tech industries. Streamline is hiring on-site and remote teams across its Colombia, Malaysia, USA, and Japan offices. For more information about job opportunities, visit Streamline Studios Careers.


Is Borderlands 3’s Deluxe Edition Loot & XP Boost Mods Going To Be Unfair?

When Borderlands 3’s release date was unveiled, Gearbox also brought up its many editions of the game: Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Collector’s. It all seems on par with video game collector editions at launch, until you realize that these versions of the game will gift players an equippable XP and Loot Drop Boost Mod; most likely a special Relic you can equip on your chosen Vault Hunter.
In this day and age where developers purposely pad their games to extend longevity (like Anthem’s Legionnaire quest), this does raise some alarm bells. PC Gamer did ask Gearbox about what these mods do and how they benefit players. Because it does raise Twitter questions and responses like this:

You conpletely missed my point. What I think is “stupid af” is the idea of building BL3 to “sell that garbage” – ie, selling boosts and loot. That would be stupid af and that some people have been throwing shade on an imagined fear is frustrating as hell.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 8, 2019

While Gearbox Software issued a statement, it doesn’t exactly answer the question of whether these editions are the only way to get said mod.

“While Borderlands 3 is not a competitive game, where boosts could lead to direct player advantages and be considered a competitive concern, we still take balance of the progression and loot systems in the game very seriously.
We are still fine-tuning these systems in Borderlands 3, and the benefits the boosts in the Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Collectorâ€™s Edition will provide, but at this stage we can confirm that the Loot and XP boosts will both be level capped and tied to specific pieces of gear, similar to boosts in past Borderlands games.
The intent is to give those players an initial boost, but not something that permeates the entire Borderlands 3 experience indefinitely.”

Then again, players who pre-ordered or bought the collector’s edition of Borderlands 2 did get the Vault Hunter’s Relic which boosted chances of finding rare loot by 5 percent. Guess it’s just an incentive for players to get better loot early on; a relic like that will become obsolete when you get better ones in-game. As it should be.


PS Plus November 2022 Adds Nioh 2, Lego Harry Potter Collection & More

PlayStation Asia has announced that gamers will have three new games to look forward to in the PlayStation Plus Asia November 2022 lineup. PS Plus subscribers will be able to redeem Nioh 2, Lego Harry Potter Collection, and Heavenly Bodies.
PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium members can add these three titles to their game library from 1 November 2022 until 5 December 2022.
Nioh 2 / Nioh 2 Remastered | PS4, PS5

Master the lethal arts of the samurai as a mysterious half-human, half-supernatural Yokai warrior, in this challenging single-player action RPG sequel. Take down a host of deadly new Yokai, seasoned samurai warriors and gargantuan boss monsters in Team Ninja’s stylized vision of Japan’s early Sengoku period. Unsheathe your deadly weapons and cut down all enemies in your path using a revamped combat system and the ability to transform into a full Yokai to unleash devastating paranormal powers.
PlayStation Plus members can add both Nioh 2 on PS4 and Nioh 2 Remastered to their game library.
Check out my review of Nioh 2 here.

LEGO Harry Potter Collection | PS4

The Lego Harry Potter Collection brings together Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 remastered! This compilation unites the creative prowess of Lego and the expansive world of Harry Potter, with an exciting journey full of spell-casting, potion-making, puzzle-solving, lessons, duelling and much more. Enjoy two-player fun either local or online.

Heavenly Bodies | PS4, PS5

Discover the ever-changing nuances of weightless motion in this challenging physics game, featuring a collection of stellar scenarios inspired by the feats of space explorers and researchers throughout history. Wrangle control of your cosmonaut’s arms with the left and right thumbsticks to push, pull, and clamber through fully physically simulated scenarios aboard a scientific research station, alone or with a friend via local co-op.


Hereâ€™s What We Want For The PlayStation 5

Sony recently spilt some beans on the hardware used in their next-generation console, which, according to all the previous PlayStation naming schemes, will be called the PlayStation 5. With cutting-edge processing power and lightning-fast storage, we’re about to step into a new generation of gaming never seen before. It’s the space age of gaming.
The current generation of consoles is already very flexible, able to play games and substitute for a home entertainment unit. Technically, it already is a home entertainment unit. You no longer need a Smart TV or an Android Box or anything with a PlayStation 4 at home since it already has Netflix, YouTube, and likes.
I’m not a fanatical fanboy, but I’ve also had all the previous PlayStation consoles lying dormant in my cupboard.
Before we step into the future, here’s a list of features we’re looking forward to seeing in the new console.
Higher Refresh Rate
The PlayStation 4 Pro had quite a stellar processor. It had an AMD Jaguar CPU churning out data at 2.13 GHz. That’s 500MHz more than the original PlayStation 4. It also had a beefy GPU, but it was limited to either pushing unlocked framerates or higher resolution at the cost of framerates.
With monitors and TVs now being able to hit up to 144Hz, it’s a shame that Sony’s console couldn’t reach beyond 60 frames per second (fps).
It looks smoother, more precise, and more responsive than playing on 60 fps.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1cmhZs1P54]
Now I understand that this is an unpopular opinion, but once you’ve gone at least 120 fps, even the smooth 60 fps looks sluggish to your eyes. The buttery smooth 120 framerate will make you appreciate your games more, even at the cost of some resolution, especially in action-heavy games such as Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Native Keyboard and Mouse Support
In the era of accessible peripherals, it’s somehow hard to find games in which support the debatable use of the keyboard and mouse. Yes, there are certain caveats to this such as gaining an advantage in shooter games, but wouldn’t that level the playing field if everyone had the same access to the feature?
I’d like to see it in more than just gaming.
Gone would be the days of adapters such as the XIM4 and the likes, and those who use them in games gaining a clear-cut advantage against controller players.
This feature managed to land on this list due to a few reasons. Chief among which is the ease of typing in-game such as replying to your friends or playing MMOs such as Final Fantasy XIV, or using the browser on the console.
Players like me enjoy the flexibility of using either a controller or the keyboard and mouse, and while the PlayStation 4 currently supports the use of the peripherals in the browser and the menu, I’d like to see it implemented in a wider range.
Little To No Noise From The Machine
Have you ever played any game on the PlayStation 4 Pro even without 4K HDR enabled? It sounds like it could take off at any moment. It’s like there’s a jet engine strapped inside the console.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm9hq5Bt3OA]
I have repasted my console with a better thermal paste, a Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut to be exact and it’s one of the best thermal pastes on the market with a recommendation from overclocking expert, DerBauer. My laptop’s peak temperature dropped 15Â° Celsius after repasting, but the PS4 Pro still sounds like it’s trying to take off.
The PS4 Pro’s modest heatsink.
I bet the heatsink isn’t efficient enough to dissipate heat quickly from two chips, or the fan isn’t pushing enough air to cool its processors. Either way, we hope that the next console has a way better cooling solution.
Crossplay with PS4
We’ve heard that the console will be getting backwards compatibility, but it wouldn’t mean much if we couldn’t play our multiplayer games with folks still rocking the PS4.
Not to mention, the PS4 has a massive player base right now and that could go to waste if we can’t play online games with other players. I’m not just talking about PvP games, but also co-op games such as Borderlands 3 that is coming out in September.
I’m happy that the current generation peripherals such as the PSVR is compatible so we won’t need to scramble in search of new VR hardware to hook up to our new console. I also hope that the Dualshock 4 is at compatible with at least some games on the PlayStation 5. I mean, the latest Alpine Green Dualshock 4 looks sexy, and I wouldn’t want to waste that sitting collecting dust while I rock a vanilla Dualshock 5.
I don’t want y’all to become obsolete.
Creating an inclusive ecosystem like that would surely be beneficial to all the players and developers. Here’s hoping Sony would also open the gates to cross-platform compatibility.
Here’s hoping!
A Great Price Tag
This one might sound like a choosing beggar’s point, but hear me out. With all the features mention above, as well as the massive horsepower provided by the Ryzen processor and the Radeon Navi GPU, I really hope that this console is still affordable, and in turn, accessible to the majority of console gamers.
It’s in a comfortable range right now.
Because if it were to reach more than RM2000, it has potentially lost its purpose as an all-accessible gaming console. At this price point, it’s much better to build a PC as you’ll get more flexibility out of it as well a higher performance-per-buck. Not to mention the upgradability offered by having a built PC, so it technically can never become obsolete.
Having an affordable home console is the exact unique selling proposition a PlayStation console, as well as the other services offered on the consoles such as Netflix, YouTube and all that.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, this list sounds a lot like what I’d get from building a PC, but this is just a wishlist, and nothing more than that. I’d be stoked if at least one of the above would make it to the final cut.
What do you want from the next PlayStation console? Drop your thoughts down on the comments below, or find us on our Facebook page.
Top image credit: iFixit


[Rumour] Are We Getting Street Fighter 6 For Next-Gen?

Following Capcom’s recent company-scale hacking via ransomware, the company suffered a data breach involving sales reports, personal employee information, and details on upcoming projects. One of them may be a boon for fighting game fans: a sixth Street Fighter game.
Allegedly, anyway. According to a pastebin containing files from the hack (via Twitter & Reddit), Street Fighter 6 is in development and will be out for Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. QA company Keywords International is in the process of playtesting the upcoming game. Also, the game’s development is going smoothly as the email is about the game’s 3D modelling.

Ragnar has just released more onto the internet, this time including emails regarding #StreetFighterVI.
Email itself seems to be about progression on 3D modelling, but this is still groundbreaking nonetheless. VI confirmed! pic.twitter.com/hG0dr2F6Br
— /PPG/ (@pokeprotos) November 18, 2020

While news of a sixth mothership Street Fighter title is not a huge surprise given that Street Fighter 5 is on its last legs expansion-wise, it’s good to know that Capcom is still on that fighting game gravy train. With other alleged news pointing to the fact that the game features cross-generation updates and cross-platform play, we may be getting a Street Fighter that will be unifying players regardless of consoles.


We’re Getting A Minecraft Movie From Warner Bros. Starring Jason Momoa

Aquaman star Jason Momoa will be getting a video game movie role soon.
Warner Bros. will be producing a live-action Minecraft movie with director Jared Hess in the helm. Jason Momoa himself is currently in final negotiations for the lead role of the video game adaptation.
Dune producer Mary Parent and Roy Lee will produce the film (via Hollywood Reporter), with executive producers Jon Berg, Cale Boyter, and Jon Spaihts in tow. The film will also have a posthumous producing credit for Jill Messick before her death in 2018.
Minecraft will be the latest in line of movies based on video games, which are currently hot right now. Both Sonic The Hedgehog films and Detective Pikachu have done very well in worldwide box offices. For more on the latest video game movie, check out our review of Sonic The Hedgehog 2.


Street Fighter 6: Dee Jay Move List & Guide

Street Fighter 6 is coming out on 2nd June, which is just less than a month away. As such, the game’s roster for its launch is set with 18 characters, each with their various playstyles.
In this entry, we’ll be focusing on the legendary hip-hoppin’ musician of the Street Fighter universe with the fancy dreadlocks and MAXIMUM pants, Dee Jay.
Note: This guide is still in development.
All inputs are in numpad notations. For example, Hadouken from player 1’s starting side is 236P.
Attack buttons are as follows: LP, MP, HP are light punch, medium punch, and heavy punch respectively. LK, MK, and HK are light kick, medium kick, and heavy kick respectively. None of this Fierce or Roundhouse bulls*** in Asia.
Info & video credits: Fighting Game Anniversaries, WoolieVS, FlawlessDeku, Capcom, Reversal

Street Fighter 6 Dee Jay Overview

The reggae-loving Sobat-tossing fighter is back in part 6, and he’s better with his mixup games than ever. He has a projectile, a forward-moving combo special, and an anti-air. And he has a Roll Through Feint that lets him fake opponents out into doing something unsafe, ready for you to punish with your safe moves.
While half his moves are charge inputs (hold 2 secs. backwards or down, then forward plus attack button), his other moves are all motion inputs which is a far cry from his past iterations. This means quicker reactions using his many Sobat kicks and Machine Gun Upper, along with his new Jus Cool move which comes equipped with many confusing follow-ups and lockdown moves to stop opponents in their tracks. Music is indeed the weapon!
Play If: You want a faster and leaner “Guile”, you love combos but some form of defense (hybrid characters), love bobbing and weaving back and forth in the arena all day & everyday.
Avoid If: you prefer more straightforward characters, you prefer more defensive characters.

Dee Jay Move List

Special Moves
Air Slasher: [4]6P. Fireball. Slightly faster recovery than a Hadouken, but it’s not as fast as a Sonic Boom.
Jackknife Maximum: [2]8K. Anti-air. Can be used in combos and combo enders.
Roll Through Feint: 236LK. Feint move. Use it to bait opponents into doing an unsafe move, like an uppercut.
Quick Rolling Sobat: 236MK. Great footsie tool; just make sure to use the tip of the attack for safe recovery.
Double Rolling Sobat: 236HK. Good for ending combos. Moves Dee Jay forward with attacks. Pretty unsafe if blocked.
Machine Gun Uppercut: 214P. Good to end combos, but not much else. Don’t use this too much unless you want to be stylin’.
Jus Cool: 214K. A retreating sway that can be comboed into. Has follow-up attacks: LK for a super fast low attack, MK for an overhead (or block string if it’s blocked), HK for an anti-air/combo starter, and 6P -Juggling Dash- for a projectile-invincible dash that covers a lot of ground.
There are follow-ups from Juggling Dash: 4P for a backdash to confuse opponents and make them whiff attacks (ala SF3 Dudley’s sways).
Super Arts
The Greatest Sobat (Level 1): 236236K. Used for combos.
Lowkey Sunrise Festival (Level 2): 236236LP>LP>MP>HP>LK>MK>HK. Basically the Street Fighter version of Geese’s Deadly Rave combo super. Good damage.
Marvelous Sunrise Festival (Level 2): 236236MP>LP>MP>HP>LK>MK>HK. Basically the Street Fighter version of Geese’s Deadly Rave combo super. Good damage, and can be followed up with HP or HK for a final hard-hitting uppercut for big damage. HP ender switches positions with your opponent, while HK ender pushes opponents to the corner.
Headliner Sunrise Festival (Level 2): 236236HP>LP>MP>HP>LK>MK>HK. Basically the Street Fighter version of Geese’s Deadly Rave combo super. Good damage, and can be followed up with HP or HK for a final hard-hitting uppercut for big damage. HP ender switches positions with your opponent, while HK ender pushes opponents to the corner.
Weekend Pleasure (Level 3): 214214P. Great combo tool and anti-air.
Unique Moves
Knee Shot: During forward jump, 2LK. An air attack that stays active until you land; allows you to move even when blocked. Puts you at frame advantage.
Sunrise Heel: 6MK. Allows you to move even when blocked. Puts you at frame advantage.
Face Breaker: 4HK. Can be canceled into special moves.
Threebeat Combo: LP>MK>MK. Target combo. Very fast.
Dee Jay Special: MP>HP>HK. Target combo. Last hit can be canceled into Super Arts.
Funky Dance: MP>MP>HP. Multi-hit target combo.
Funky Dance Feint: MP>MP>4HP. Two-hit target combo with feint.
Party in the Air: During a jump,  MP>HP. Knocks down opponents to ground first when it connects.
Speedy Maracas: 22PP. Builds Super Art Gauge for as long as you hold it. Use a bunch of Air Slashers for keepaway, then sneak this move in and make opponents come to you.


Kena: Bridge Of Spirits Offers Solid 2000s-Era Platforming Goodness, For Better Or Worse

Platform(s): PC (version played), PS4, PS5
Genre: 3D Platformer with Well-Integrated Asian Influences
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a beauty to look at. It’s gorgeous, its vistas and landscapes are a sight to behold, and the main title character and the Corruption enemies she fights are animated just as fluidly and smoothly as a top-tier Pixar and 3D Walt Disney animated feature.
Given Ember Labs’ beginnings as an animation studio before transitioning into video game-making, this key part of the game is really apparent. Its Balinese soundtrack also complements incredibly well with its Asian folklore trappings, from its peaceful overworld themes to its haunting chime-filled battle anthems.
The best part? Kena herself is not bogged down with extra key and in-between frames to the point where her movement and in-game controls suffer like other past titles where animation takes centerstage.Â The game itself plays like a breeze, provided if you’re into 3D platformers with a tinge of Dark Souls-esque combat. If you don’t mind these 2000-era tropes surfacing in your 2021 titles, there’s a lot to admire and love here.
Soul Survivor

Kena’s plot revolves around our title character who is tasked with guiding lost spirits and curing a giant forest-and-mountain spirits-filled area of its ever-growing corruption. Along the way, you’ll find cute and cuddly Rot Spirits who can aid you as followers; you can command them to lift heavy rocks for you, form into “spirit dragons” that you can control to break down idle roots and spores of corruption, and even unleash them onto corruption enemies to stun them momentarily, making them show off their weak spots for you to shoot your spirit arrows at. They definitely add a lot to the charm of the game and are useful in a pinch.
Speaking of armaments, Kena has access to a staff for fast/slow-but-heavy melee attacks, a spirit bow with rechargeable arrows to pick off foes from afar, and spirit bombs to displace them mid-battle. She also has a Soulslike block and a parry for defensive purposes, though the latter has quite a narrow window of timing, you’d probably get hurt more often just pulling it off.
Luckily, Kena’s offensive is fast and overwhelming so she’s mostly going to be at an advantage. Save for a few key boss fights that will test your patience & skills, the action in Kena: Bridge of Spirits does get challenging but in a fair and straightforward manner. Kind of like Capcom’s Maximo series if you want to go deeper into the old-school gaming well.

The puzzles and platforming in Kena’s adventure is also as basic as you can get: use the new abilities you acquire to get through the environment and open up doors. Have a few blue spirit “switches” out of reach? Shoot them with a spirit arrow. Need to form platforms? Use your spirit bombs to temporarily make them available. There’s a huge modicum of fun to be had, despite how familiar things can get.
And that’s the only bad thing I can mention about the game: the fact that everything you do here is familiar to the point of being rote. Perhaps Ember Labs is being intentional here since it’s been eons since we had a 2000s-era platformer that’s made this well and looks this breathtaking.
Even on Medium/High settings on a PC, Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ art direction is solid as the invisible wall in the game that clearly is leading you to its linear pathway amidst its Legend of Zelda-like open world.
At the same time, you’ll be doing a lot of back-and-forth questing, platforming guesswork, by-the-numbers mob-fighting, and checking every corner of a given area to collect all the spirit tokens you can to buy new skills and cosmetic hats for your Rot Spirits. This is honestly nothing groundbreaking here; if you don’t like all the traditional gameplay stuff I mentioned, this game isn’t for you.
Spirited Away

As a fan of old-school platformers of the PS2 and Gamecube era, I’m down for Ember Labs’ first-ever game offering. It could have ended up being an overproduced and bogged-down mess, but Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a wondrous 10-hour experience from start to finish. Action game veterans can blaze through the game’s combat like butter, and seasoned 3D platformer aficionados may not find anything to wow them.
Despite those quirks, everything else from this title offers a ton of charm and tightly-knit gameplay moreso than other triple-A experiences can offer these days. Sometimes all you need is a lot of heart to make your treasure of a game shine. Ember Labs did just that with this proverbial gem.
Final Score: 80/100


The HBO Max Green Lantern Series Will Now Focus On John Stewart

Remember the HBO Max Green Lantern series that was announced back in 2020? We’ve finally gotten an update and it looks like the project is getting some major changes. The HBO Max Green Lantern series will now focus on John Stewart as its main protagonist, instead of the previously-announced Guy Gardner and Alan Scott. Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine were slated to portray those two Green Lanterns.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project’s original writer and showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith has departed the series despite having completed scripts for a full season of eight episodes. The decision to restart the project with John Stewart was allegedly made only after DC Films head Walter Hamada left the position. The only remaining crew from the old project is Greg Berlanti and his Warner Bros. TV-based Berlanti Productions.
Previously it was said that the Green Lantern series would be the most expensive show DC ever made with a budget estimated in the US$120 million range. However, the new project will have significantly less budget under the new leadership.
It’s unclear who will be playing John Stewart, as the project is basically restarting development. John Stewart is the second human being in DC Comics canon to become a Green Lantern after Hal Jordan (third if you count Alan Scott but his ring isn’t from the same source). Stewart debuted in the comics in the 70s but later became especially popular after being featured as the main Green Lantern in the Justice League animated series.


Nvidia Is Making Changes To Its Cloud Gaming Platform

A few years ago, Nvidia launched its own cloud gaming platform called GeForce Now. However, it’s still in beta and only a select number of people will get the opportunity to try it out.
Recently, a new update was rolled out that made big changes to GeForce Now’s UI. It transformed the Netflix-like home page to something that resembles most game launchers today like Steam and the Epic Games Store.
One of the hardest things to do in the previous menu is to actually search for a game. The main page would categorise games according to new releases, free-to-play, and so on. The new update puts a larger search bar on that page and welcomes the user with a view of their own games library.
The new UI. Image from Reddit user AlphaPulsarRed.
According to PC Gamer, Nvidia claims that it has improved the search bar so that users can find specific games easier through detailed descriptions and tags. Once you do find a game, there will also be more info available for you to look through.

“If youâ€™re looking for a post-apocalyptic game that features kittens in sweaters, we may have a game for that,”
– Nvidia, speaking to PC Gamer.
Unfortunately, a major bug affecting the new UI was recently discovered. Nvidia has decided to withhold the update for now as they are trying to fix the issue. GeForce Now members can still use the current version without any problems.
It’ll probably take a few days for the fix to be rolled out so users will have to wait a bit longer to get that new UI experience.


Kakuchopurei Best Games Of 2019 – PART 1

Salutations! This is part 1 of 6 of a Best Games of 2019 special. We talk about the first five games of our 30-game list.


TGS 2019: Yo-kai Watch 4 Ghosting Soon For PS4

Welp, Level-5 has gone done it; they’re releasing the fourth Yo-kai Watch game in glorious HD for the PS4. You play a boy who can see ghosts and collect them (all) with a special watch device; you know the drill.
There’s no release date as of yet, but a trailer showcasing how pretty this side of Japan looks. The side with all the funky and goofy ghosts you can summon from your special watch.

The action RPG made its debut on Switch on 20th June, but in Japanese. Hopefully this port will convince the company to localize it for next year; Malaysia could use more alternatives to PokÃ©mon.


Saints Row Reboot May 2022 Preview: Still As Chaotic & As Fun As Ever

The first reveal of the Saints Row reboot could have gone better, to put it mildly. A lot of crime game/action adventure/ open world game fans cried out for blood over how “woke” Saints Row has become. To be fair, there wasn’t much gameplay to gleam from previous trailers, but that didn’t stop people from talking smack about it.
That will probably change as the game is closer to its release month of August and developer Volition is willing to show off a lot more than usual to placate fans and calm them down. The gameplay we saw & previewed in a recent Deep Silver and Koch Media press event proved that the longtime Saints Row makers are doing their best to bring back the magic of over-the-top street crimes with the reboot.
Let’s break down why this could be the sandbox action title you need for 2022 that’s set in contemporary times.

Classic Story Missions

This being a reboot, this Saints Row’s story will be focused on how this new Third Street Saints are formed from scratch; basically you are bonding with your new pals Eli, Neenah, and Kevin as The Boss. The first mission we’re shown is a simple bank robbery for the sake of “making rent” and involves a car chase and a showdown with a group of heavily armed Los Panteros gang members.
A few other missions we were privy too included one where we escorted Neenah to a Foundry to blow it up, and rescuing Kevin from the strength-in-numbers group the Icons while decimating their Burning Man-style encampment with a Port-A-Potty attached onto a car like a makeshift wrecking ball. They seem fun to play in, with each of them seemingly more explosive and action-packed than the last. It’s these missions where players learn how to sideswipe with cars while driving, use big weapons which we’ll talk about later, and also learn the art of climbing atop the roof of the car and having free aim while “car surfing”. Yes, you are vulnerable to enemy fire since you’re out in the open, but your aim isn’t restricted and you get more style points killing enemies this way.
You Can Change How The Boss Looks Anytime & Anywhere

No more wardrobes for you to change your clothes in. All you need to do to change up your outfit and look is to pull out a phone and go to town. Depending on what collectibles you’ve found and what you’ve unlocked, you’ll be able to dress up as a normal purple Saints gangster, or a heavily-armed office lady. Go nuts!
As an aside, you’re not required to switch to different characters and genders every time. If you rather just roleplay as your set character for the entire game, you can just do that. Volition just left this option in for anyone to meddle around with.
Heavy Vehicle Customization

Not only do you have a plethora of vehicles to collect from Raycasters to Kenshin bikes, but each of them have their own signature abilities. These include infinite boosts (provided you don’t collide into things) and ejector seats if you need a fast car that ejects you to the air.
Why would you want to be in the air? Because of….
Wingsuits

Oh yeah, there’s a wingsuit you can play around with. It ain’t the same as flying and super-jumping like in part 4, but at least you can land and bump onto bystanders to gain more air to fly further and higher. Clearly Volition has been inspired by Super Mario Bros. 3’s Tanuki suit when it comes to this neat traversal feature.
You Have To Earn Your Powerups
The Saints Row reboot features perks you can equip for passive boosts. However, you’ll need to complete challenges to unlock two Minor slots, two Major slots, and two Elite slots. These include spending ludicrous amount of money to completing a couple of tougher challenges on Santo Ileso.
The Weapons Are Still At Insane, But Not Too Much
The Forge story mission where you have to blow up a factory with your pal Neenah showcases some of the heavy artillery that’s present. The El Lanzador is a giant shotgun that knocks anything and anyone down up-close and personal. There’s even a boxing glove gun, and even a football grenade called the Thrustbuster which explodes after you toss it like it’s hot. There’s a Pinata gun that shoots projectiles that has a huge blast radius filled with explosives, paper mache, and gun ammo for your other weapons.
There are 12 melee weapons, 7 pistols, 4 SMGs, 6 Rifles, and 6 Shotguns we’re shown, with an unknown amount of big guns you can use. Also, each different gun has its own plethora of skins you can use, which range from space blaster skins to even a KISS Foam finger gun skin. Volition is really going all out with customization here.
A Bright Future?
Long story short, think of this reboot as the missing game that blends in Saints Row 2 and Saints Row The Third, but focused on a new storyline involving a new Third Street Saints group. Like we stressed in a previous feature we did, there’s really no way to go beyond what Saints Row 4 achieved, so it’s back to basics but with the wacky levels still on a reasonable high level. The latest gameplay preview we saw is proof that the old Volition gang’s still got it.
The Saints Row reboot will be out in 23 August 2022 for PC, Xbox Series, and PS5.


Disco Elysium Thought Cabinets – What Are They And How To Use Them

One of the more enigmatic yet really rewarding systems in Disco Elysium is the Thought Cabinet. The game in itself is an unconventional RPG so it’s not surprising to find unconventional mechanics used in the game. This guide will help you understand what it is and how to use it and become the disco detective you’re meant to be, baby.

The words “Thought Cabinet” already gives a good idea of how it works. You basically get new “thoughts” as you progress the same. Sometimes you get one for choosing specific dialogue options, sometimes one of your skills (personalities) chimes in and allows you to get one. You’ll never get all thoughts in one playthrough and that’s fine.
Once you get a thought, it will be listed in your thought cabinet menu as a thought that can be internalised. Internalising thoughts is how you actually place them in your cabinet which means you equip them and thus derive various stat boosts and penalties from them. Just remember that internalising takes time and some thoughts can take more than 6 hours while some can just take an hour.

Keep in mind, thoughts will even have stat effects while you’re internalising them so make sure you balance them out with clothing and/or stat boost items like cigarettes, drugs, and booze.

Here’s a list of all thoughts in the game, how to get them, and the results of internalising them:
Day 1-2 part 1
Aceâ€™s High

How to get: Donâ€™t do Aces Low after doing Aces High with Kim (Pass Easy ENC check)
While researching: 4 hours, +1 Empathy towards Kim
Result: +1 Empathy towards Kim +1 Esprit de Corps

Aceâ€™s Low

How to get: Do aces low move after Kim offers high-five (ENC check??)
While researching: hours, +2 Empathy towards Kim
Result: +2 Empathy towards Kim Kitsuragi, +1 Espirit de Corps

Actual Art Degree

How to get: Enough art-related dialogues (and Concep of 4+?)
While researching: 1h 30m hours, -1 Perception
Result: -1 Hand/Eye Coordination, Conceptualization passives heal +1 Morale and give +10 XP
Doesnâ€™t actually work at the moment.

Advanced Race Theory

How to get: Talk to Measurehead (The Union building doorman) and pass a Conceptualization check.
While researching: 1hour 40m, -1 Drama
Result: Learning Cap for Rhetoric raised to 5. +1 Conceptualization

Anti-Object Task Force

How to get: Keep hitting physical objects with your bare hands/feet. This requires hitting 3 different items, not counting doors. The postal box and the furnace room in the Doomed Commercial area count.
While researching: 2 hours 15m, -2 Pain threshold
Result: Attacking physical objects heals 1 health damage. +1 Pain threshold. All FYS (Physical/Pink) learning caps raised by 1.

Apricot Chewing Gum Scented One

How to get: Find the smell of apricot twice â€“ Investigate your Ledger for one gum wrapper, convince PF from â€œThe Skullsâ€ to give you his Jacket and check the jacket pocket for another. You can also find a wrapper once you put on â€œPour Lâ€™Homme Laborer Jeansâ€, found in Cindy the Skullâ€™s furnace room. Interfacing check required for the Ledger and Jeans, Suggestion required for the jacket.
While researching: 5 hours 5m, -1 Reaction speed
Result: +2 Perception

Bankruptcy Sequence

How to get: Make a Conceptualization check for a terrible and worthless investment idea with Mega Rich Light-Bending Guy, in the sealed container at the Union (talk to Evrart about the container to get a Rhetoric check to unlock it). Pitching a successful investment plan gets you 100 real but not thought..
While researching: 5 hours, -1 Empathy
Result: Int Check Failures give 1 Real

Boiadeiro

How to get: speak to Muhotel) about his name (you might also need to research boiadeiros from Paledriver or elsewhere). Having too high an Encyclopedia score auto-fails initiating this thought? Alternately, you have to pass a hidden Inland Empire check.
While researching: 6 hours 30m, -1 Physical Instrument
Result: -1 Esprit de Corps, Cigarettes give +2 INT

Caustic Echo

How to get: Open hidden compartment in ledger, throw card away, think about it immediately afterward. You gain the Ledger of Oblivion tool: +1 Authority, +1 Suggestion, -1 Inland Empire.
While researching: 10 hours, +1 Volition
Result: 300 XP on completion, -1 Authority, All MOT learning caps raised by 1.

Coach Physical Instrument:

How to get: Fail to make throw in the petanque game south of the hotel. Observing the game first helps you fail.
While researching: 40m
Results: +2 Physical Instrument if shirt slot is empty, -1 Encyclopedia

Col Do Ma Ma Daqua

How to get: Talk to Lena (Wheelchair lady) about the invisible Phasmid (Requires Suggestion) then go outside and listen closely
While researching: 7 hours 10 m, no other changes.
Result: +3 Perception, -1 Encyclopedia

Cop of the Apocalypse

How to get: Keep warning people about the coming apocalypse
While researching: 6 hours 55 m, -1 Rhetoric
Result: Learning cap for Inland Empire raised to 6, Learning cap for Shivers raised to 6

Date of Birth Generator

How to get: Wonder when you were born after questioning Klaasje about the dead merc.
While researching: 7 hours 15 m
Result: Learning Cap for Logic raised by 4, -1 difficulty to all FYS (Physical/Pink) passives

Detective Costeau

How to get: Keep referring to yourself as Detective Costeau (fail conceptualization check when meeting Kim), refuse your real name.
While researching: hours, -1 logic (or -2 conceptualization?)
Result: +1 Savoir Faire, +1 Espirit de Corps

Fairweather T-500

How to get: Equip at least one piece of ceramic body armor.
While researching: 3 hours 30 me, -1 Savoir Faire
Result: +2 Hand/Eye Coordination against enemies in FT-500 armor

Finger on the Eject button

How to get: Keep talking about your suicidal desires. Just having a single big breakthrough with a gun in your mouth is not enough.
While researching: 2 hours, +2 Authority, +2 Suggestion
Result: Suicidal ideas every evening.

Finger Pistols (9mm)

How to get: Talk to Siileng after the racist Lorry driver accuses him of drug smuggling and successfully pass a composure check.
While researching: 1 hour, -2 Savoir Faire
Result: +1 Reaction Speed Empty hand slots give Suggestion +1

Guillaume Le Million

How to get: Pass an Encyclopedia check with the Mirror in your room regarding â€œthe Expressionâ€
While researching: 4 hours 30m, -1 Logic
Results: +1 Pain Threshold All PSY (Purple) Learning Caps raised by 1

Hobocop

How to get: Become homeless or refer to yourself as homeless â€“ I got it while checking the board next to Garte. Possibly mutually exclusive with Lonesome Long Way Home?
While researching: 4 hours 20m, -1 Composure
Result: Reveals extra Tare bottles on the map, more money from selling tare bottles, Learning cap for Shivers raised to 6

HOMO-Sexual Underground

How to get: Pass the Composure check for the smoking man you meet on the apartment building balcony and ask him if heâ€™s in the underground movement
While researching: 8 hours
Result: Stopped obsessing about sexuality (Pointless?)

Indirect Modes of Taxation

How to get: Pick up shoes in the Apartment buildng. (apartment 10, accept the cleaning ladyâ€™s quest to investigate) and wear them. Alternately, support Capitalist ideals, talk to the pawn shop owner, accept Bribes from Joyce (Rich Lady) and Evrart (Union Boss), basically any dialogue choice that supports just you making money.
While researching: 1 hour 45m, -2 Empathy
Result: Ultraliberal dialogue options (Pro-Capitalist, Anti-Working class, Anti-Taxes, Hustle for money) give +1 Real, -1 Empathy

Inexplicable Feminist Agenda

How to get: Support Feminism in the early parts of the game. Just talking to Garte, asking why Silvie left, and loudly proclaiming yourself a feminist should be enough.
While researching: 3 hours 45m, +2 Authority vs Males
Result: +1 Empathy, -1 Electrochemistry

Day 1-2 part 2
Jamais Vu (Derealization)

How to get: Talk to Lena (Wheelchair lady) about understanding your reality- she will refer you to Joyce (Rich Boat Lady) who can give you a â€œreality lowdownâ€ to unlock this (ask about where we are and Revachol specifically).
While researching: 3 hours 25 m
Result: -1 Encyclopedia +1 XP for every orb clicked, All INT (Blue) learning caps raised by 1

Kingdom of Conscience

How to get: Pick up pants near the fishing village (just north of the drunks) and wear them or choose neutral/moderate dialogue options (Donâ€™t commit to any political philosophy [communism, fascism, libertarianism], whether â€œI donâ€™t want to get involvedâ€ or â€œcanâ€™t we all just get along?â€)
While researching: 1 hour 25m, -2 Half-light
Result: Moralist Dialogue options heal +1 Morale, Learning Cap for Volition raised to 5, Learning cap for Logic raised to 5

Lonesome long way home

How to get: Wonder where your home is. Once again, easiest to do so during your HQ call.
While researching: 6 hours 5m, +1 Encyclopedia
Result: Perception learning cap raised to 5, Speed (the drug) gives +1 PSY (Purple Stat)

Magnesium-Based Lifeform

How to get: Check Cunoâ€™s shack. Talk to Cuno about the Magnesium residue, be positive about it, and pass a Composure check after talking to him.
While researching: 1 hours 15m, -1 Shivers
Result: +2 Volition -1 Logic

Mazovian Socio-Economics

How to get: Communist dialog options. I got a major boost by asking Garte for the garbage disposal key, and selecting the most communist â€œare you really guarding your garbage from the homeless?â€ option.
While researching: 3 hours 10m, -2 Visual Calculus
Result: Left-wing Dialogue options give +4 xp (Communist) -1 Visual Calculus -1 Authority

Motorway South

How to get: Talk to Joyce about the Pale (pass the conceptualization check in the reality dump) and then the old driver lady about the her passing out and traveling through the Pale. (You might need to talk about Gabriel earlier and say youâ€™ve lost your memory due to heartbreak?)
While researching: 8 hours 10m, -1 Visual Calculus
Result: +1 Inland Empire, All INT White Checks unlocked

Opioid Receptor Antagonist

How to get: Make anti-drug related comments, donâ€™t use drugs, confiscate drugs. Simplest way â€“ tell Klaasje that Narco Mania is no laughing matter during her interview.
While researching: 55m, -2 Electrochemistry
Result: No positive effects from drugs No negative effects from alcohol

Overproductive Honour Glands

How to get: Get enough honor points (5+?). Refusing bribes definitely gets you some â€“ keeping your word and stuff for more points?
While researching: 20m, -4 Drama
Result: Learning cap for Authority raised to 5

Regular Law Official

How to get: Be as normal and boring as possible, avoid wacky options.
While researching: 1 hour 20m, -2 Inland Empire
Result: -1 Shivers, -1 Inland Empire, All learning caps raised to 3

Remote Viewers Division

How to get: Keep insisting that the case may have supra-natural complications.
While researching: 6 hours, -1 Perception
Result: -1 difficulty to all PSY passives, -1 Drama.

Revacholian Nationhood

How to get: Support Facism (stand against women and immigrants)
While researching: 9 hours 10m, -1 Composure
Result: Nationalist dialogue options damage -1 Morale, Alcohol gives +2 FYS (Physical/Pink)

Rigorous Self-Critique

How to get: Constantly apologize / dunk on yourself (4 times?)
While researching: 6 hours, -1 Authority
Result: Int and Psy red check failures heal 1 morale. Fys and Int red check failures heal 1 health. Pain Threshold learning cap raised to 6.

Some kind of Superstar

How to get: Keep referring to yourself as a superstar. If you start doing so at the mirror, you should get the thought after talking to Garte for the first time with Kim along.
While researching: 1 hours 10m, -2 Logic
Result: -1 Logic, Learning caps for the following raised to 6: Visual Calculus, Suggestion, Electrochemistry, Composure

The Bow Collector

How to get: You get it in the same dream where you get White Mourning, but it requires a conceptualization skill check. Make sure to pick the dialogue option that mentions the bow collector when youâ€™re talking to the Ancient Reptilian Brain.
While researching: hours, -1 Authority, -1 Hand/Eye Coordination
Result: +3 Shivers

The Fifteenth Indotribe

How to get: Talk to Joyce (The Rich lady) about her company Wild Pines (Specifically the option about â€œ8 percent of *all* cargo in the worldâ€).
While researching: 5 hours 55 sec,
Result: +10 cents for each green orb clicked, Learning Cap for Savoir Faire raised to 6

The Precarious World

How to get: Pass the Shivers check with the Dice Maker inside the abandoned business building behind the Bookstore.
While researching: 4 hours, All red checks fail
Result: Critical success/failure thresholds lowered by 1

The Suicide of Kras Mazov

How to get: Examine the Bust of Kras Mazov in the studentâ€™s apartment in the apartment building and insist to Kim that you look just like Kras.
While researching: 4 hours 45m,
Result: White check failures heal morale, +1 rhetoric (?)

Volumetric Compressor

How to get: Throw up twice while looking at the Hanging Corpse (i.e, fail the endurance check, get ammonia salts, then fail again).
While researching: 30m, Learning cap for Endurance raised to 4
Result: All currently locked white Endurance checks unlocked (literally only useful for examining the corpse, waste of 2 skills points)

Waste land of Reality

How to get: Research Advanced Race theory then talk to Measurehead (racist Union guard) and tell him you need to get sober.
While researching: 20 hours, -2 Physical Instrument
Result: -1 Physical Instrument, -1 Inland Empire, -1 Suggestion ,+1 to all Psyche skills (PSY/Purple), No positive effects from Alcohol

White Mourning

How to get: Read the entire note inside your Ledger, pass an Interfacing check.
While researching: 5 hours, -1 Authority
Result: +20% Zoom Out Distance, All MOT (Agility/Yellow) learning caps raised by 1

Day 3 onward
Arno Van Eyck

How to get: Speak to Egg head in the church about making his beat more hardcore, then fight the right tape. In order to speak to him, say nothing till you get to the ALL CAPS dialog, then keep selecting it till you get â€œTHE QUESTION ISâ€
While researching: 50m, +1 Interfacing
Result: All white checks unlocked, you can spot Arno posters in the environment.

Bringing the Law (Law-Jaw)

How to get: Keep referring to yourself as â€œthe lawâ€ when introducing yourself, refer to yourself as â€œthe Lawbringerâ€ to Lilienne, the Net Picker (In the Fishing Village, Day 3 and beyond)
While researching: 2 hours 55m, -1 Rhetoric
Result: Learning Cap for Hand/Eye Coordination raised to 6, Automatically Succeed all Hand/Eye Coordination passives, -1 Rhetoric

Cleaning out the Rooms

How to get: pass the logic check from Soona in the Church after solving the hole quest
While researching: 5 hours 35 minutes,
Result: +1 Suggestion, +1 Inland Empire, +1 Rhetoric

Hardcore Aesthetic

How to get: Presumably something to do with the music guys?
While researching: hours,
Result:

One More Door

How to get: Try and fail to open the bunker door north of the Church, Red Interfacing Check (Day 3+)
While researching: 45m, +1 Half-light
Result: -1 Half-Light All PSY (Purple) White Checks Unlocked

Searchlight Division

How to get: Talk to the fishing woman about missing people
While researching: hours,
Result: +2 Perception

The Insulindian Miracle

How to get: Tell Joyce about the Unions ultimate end goal and then listen to her explain how these islands were discovered
While researching: hours,
Result: All white checks unlocked.

The Jamrock Shuffle

How to get:
While researching: hours,
Result:

The Litany of Contact Mike

How to get: Talk to the girl by the Tent about Contact Mike (near the Boardwalk, after day 3)
Requires a passive Encyclopedia Check of 10+ and possibly a passive physical Instrument check of 10+ afterwards. Ends the conversation with â€œthis is about your lack of respectâ€.
While researching: 15m, -1 Logic, -1 Conceptualization, -1 Drama
Result: All FYS (Physical/Pink) White Checks unlocked

Torque Dork

How to get: Nerd out about machines enough times? Interfacing is the required stat. You nerd out over Kimâ€™s car, andâ€¦.
While researching: hours,
Result:

Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre

How to get: Talk to Trant, the guy with the kid admiring the Mural on the Boardwalk (south-eastern end of the map), ask him how a tape computer would work.
While researching: 42m, -1 Suggestion
Result: Encyclopedia passives give +10 xp and +2 Real, -2 Suggestion (Possibly broken â€“ doesnâ€™t actually provide the benefits listed?)

Credits to naguide.


Kingdom Hearts 3’s Producer Promises More Kingdom Hearts

To celebrate the release of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind DLC, the Square Enix staff conducted a special “7 Light and 13 Darkness Q&A” session with series creator Tetsuya “loads of zippers” Nomura.
If you’re itching for more Kingdom Hearts after this DLC, you’re in luck. Nomura said that the Kingdom Hearts Union X team (ie: the mobile game) will be announcing a surprise this week. He also said that there are two newÂ teams in operation, with one of them working on a title that will be announced soon.

He also answered other questions concerning the ever-expanding and head-scratching series.

No, he’s not sure if there is going to be a Kingdom Hearts 3 Final Mix.
No, there won’t be any Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC after Re:Mind. At least for now, because the team is focused on the next title.

Sounds like the future is looking bright for a lot of Kingdom Hearts fans and people who like batty-as-hell subtitles in their Square X Disney games.


You Can Upgrade Your Xbox One Copy Of Cyberpunk 2077 For Free; No Word On PS Version Yet

Are you planning on getting an Xbox Series X to play Cyberpunk 2077? Do you still have your Xbox One around, but don’t wish to buy two copies of Cyberpunk 2077 to play on each different Xbox console? Worry not, CD Projekt and Xbox has you covered.
According to a recent announcement, owners of Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available.

Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020

While this sounds nice, it is a vague tweet. It’s not confirmed yet whether this is the backwards compatible version of Cyberpunk 2077 on current-gen consoles or a next-gen port.
On the other side of the fence, there’s no word on whether PlayStation will give a free PS5 upgrade for the PS4 version of CD Projekt’s RPG. Either way, Cyberpunk 2077 won’t be available for the new next-gen consoles this Holiday 2020. So far, Xbox One owners can now sigh in relief that they don’t need to shell out more money for a next-gen version of the game.


ZoÃ« Quinn Of GamerGate Infamy Accuses Night In The Woods Creator Of Rape

From one alleged sexual crime story in the games industry to another, and it’s not even halfway through the week of 26th August.
ZoÃ« Quinn, creator of Depression Quest, has said publicly on Twitter that Night In The Woods creator Alec Holowka allegedly raped her.Â She posted about this following the recent story of Nathalie Lawhead who accused legendary video game music composer Jeremy Soule of raping her.

I’ve been silent about this for almost my entire career and i can’t do it anymore. Sorry if this is rambling and messy, I’m scared shitless to out an industry legend like this but I can’t live with the secret anymore 1/2 pic.twitter.com/DpbhtuaoEP
— zoë “Yog Blogspot” quinn (@UnburntWitch) August 27, 2019

To sum it up, she met Alec Holowka, started a relationship, then stuff got bad during her stay at Winnipeg with him. He then painted himself as a victim among his peers after she broke up with him in the most peaceful way possible, and resulted in putting the blame on her.
Nathalie’s post inspired ZoÃ« to post about her hidden secret.Â Â It’s quite a harrowing read.

2/2 pic.twitter.com/cbNLd84PSG
— zoë “Yog Blogspot” quinn (@UnburntWitch) August 27, 2019

This is pretty messed up. However, keep in mind that (i) this is still alleged, (ii) the timing of this post might seem like coincidence with the Jeremy Soule debacle, and (ii) ZoÃ« Quinn is known for being the progenitor and catalyst of GamerGate. If you need a real refresher course on that 2014 hullabaloo, this Human Events story is the best place to start.
As they say in the realm of crime, you are innocent until proven guilty. I’ll be sure to update the story if there are further developments.
Update (28/8/2019): Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency fame has this to say concerning the recent whistleblowing.

Video Games are having a #metoo moment. The toxicity from fans has been well documented for years but the toxic, abusive, predatory behavior between developers has mostly been spoken in whispers between trusted friends. I'm in awe of the bravery of those who have spoken up today.
— Anita Sarkeesian (@anitasarkeesian) August 27, 2019

This is a time when all the men who claim to be allies get to show their real values. If you work with or are in communities with predatory men speak up, speak to management, voice your concerns, demand consequences for predatory behavior.
— Anita Sarkeesian (@anitasarkeesian) August 27, 2019

If anyone is a survivor or feeling victimized and doesn't know where to turn I am here for you, and @femfreq is here for you. You can reach out to us at https://t.co/dUjv17hDMo and I'll open the @femfreq DMs to the public for a little while as well.
— Anita Sarkeesian (@anitasarkeesian) August 27, 2019

Update (29/8/19): Two of Night In The Woods’ leads, Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry, have cut ties with Holowka.

This week, allegations of past abuse have come to light regarding Alec Holowka, who was coder, composer, and co-designer on Night In The Woods. We take such allegations seriously as a team. As a result and after some agonizing consideration, we are cutting ties with Alec.
— Night In The Woods (@NightInTheWoods) August 28, 2019

“…going forward, Night in the Woods will be handled by Bethany and I. Weâ€™re not sure what that all means yet. This stuff takes time.
Thousands of people have connected with Night In The Woods in a very personal way. We canâ€™t tell you how to feel about any of this. Whatever youâ€™re feeling is valid. Your experience with art is yours. What it means to you is yours, regardless of anything else.”


Returnal Gets New Suspend Feature; Gets Exploited For Easier Progress

What do they say about the best of intentions and the eventual road to Hell? Returnal’s most recent update introduces a Suspend Cycle feature where players can pause their cycle and continue it later. Players can turn off their consoles and continue the game at a later time.
Turns out there’s a way to make it a reusable save point for the game, which wasn’t the intention of developer Housemarque. Initially, the developers said that it was simply a single-use save state, not so much a “Save Game” option. The feature can’t be used during boss battles, cinematics, first-person sequences, or intense combat.
“By suspending the cycle, Returnal will simply create a single-use suspend point, and once you resume playing the suspend point is deleted and cannot be used again”.
How do players manipulate it? Here’s a step-by-step according to Twitter user Joseph Yaden:

Suspend your save in-game.
Upload that save to cloud.
When you die, download the save from cloud.
Start back at your suspension point.

So far, many folks have tried the exploit and it seems to work for them. You know what they say: don’t hate the player, hate the game. And if your game has an exploit that doesn’t sour other people’s fun, just roll with it.


Returnal Has A Bunch Of Hidden Cheats

We’re barely a week into the release of PS5 exclusive Returnal, and YouTube user TheRandomizer discovered a handful of developer cheats/codes that you can enter with a USB keyboard. These were presumably left in the game accidentally, but most importantly, they don’t disable trophies.
Developer Housemarque is apparently already making a patch for the cheats. What do the cheats do? Well, one spawns a random weapon at your current proficiency level while the other resets your Cycle (while retaining your stuff)’. You can head on over to this ResetEra page if you really want to attempt them.
In the meantime, you can check out my review of Returnal here, or head on over here for a guide to surviving the game.


KKP September 2019 Esports Roundup

Last week, we saw OG bringing home the Aegis as the grand champion of The International 2019, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) esports event in the world.
Post-TI depression is real but don’t worry, there’s never going to be a lack of esports tournaments in the world. Let’s check out what we’ve got in September 2019:
Penang Esports Festival

Date: 7 – 8 September 2019
Location: Setia SPICE Arena, Penang
Games: FIFA 19, PES 2019, Tekken 7, SSBU, Soulcalibur VI, Pokemon, PUBG Mobile, Auto Chess, Dragon Ball FighterZ
Website: https://penangesports.com/
Aside from all the tournaments happening there, the Penang Esports Festival will also be hosting exhibitors who comprise of game developers and local talents. There will also be cosplayers and game demo booths.
Entry is priced at RM5/day and tickets are bought at the venue.

WESG SEA Malaysia Finals

Date: 7 – 8 September 2019
Location: TBA
Games: CSGO, CSGO (women), DOTA 2, StarCraft II
Website: http://sea.wesg.com/2019
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/wesg_sea_01
Winners of the WESG SEA national finals will qualify to compete in the WESG Southeast Asia Grand Finals.

Battle Arena x 4Gamers League of Legends MY/SG Tournament

Date: 14 – 29 September 2019
Location: Online Only
Prize Pool: RM6,000
Website: https://battle-arena.my/2019/08/14/ba-wirforce-lol-mysg/
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/battlearenamy
The tournament was initially named the 2019 WirForce Esports Invitational League of Legends MY/SG Qualifiers but due to unforeseen circumstances arising in Taiwan, it will now proceed under the new name as shown above.
Registration is free and open from 14 August 2019 to 9 September 2019. The tournament has enough spots for up to 128 teams.

KD2M DOTA 2 Online Tournament

Date: 14 – 15 September 2019
Location: Online Only
Prize Pool: RM15,000+
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/komunitidota2/
Komuniti DOTA 2 Malaysia (KD2M) is one of the biggest DOTA 2 communities in Malaysia and this September they’re bringing back their annual online tournament.

Kejohanan E-Sukan Kampus Semester 2

Date: 27 – 28 September 2019
Location: TBA
Games: PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Prize Pool: RM180,000
Website: https://www.mygameon.my/xpax-kek
The inter-varsity tournament returns this year for their second semester, this time with a superb prize pool of almost RM200,000. The venue will be announced soon so stay tuned!

Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship

First Qualifier: 31 August – 1 September 2019
Second Qualifier: 14 – 15 September 2019
Main Event: 21 – 22 September 2019
Location: Pavilion Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Prize Pool: RM70,000
Website: https://toyotavelocity.com/
Feel the heat of Toyota Gazoo Racing virtually as Toyota presents Malaysia biggest esports racing event, The Toyota Gazoo Racing Velocity Esports Championship.

OMEN Challenger Series 2019 Malaysia Open Qualifiers

Date: 21 – 22 September 2019, 28 – 29 September 2019
Location: Online Only
Prize pool: US$50,000 (for the whole tournament)
Website: https://omengaming.co/omen_cs/
The Omen Challenger Series is back this year and this time, the grand finals will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia where 12 teams from the Asia Pacific region will compete to get the lion’s share of the US$50,000 prize pool.

National Cyber Games 2019

Date: 28 – 29 September 2019
Location: Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia
Games: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, CSGO, DOTA 2
Prize Pool: RM12,000 (total)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/NCG2017/
The National Cyber Games returns this year replacing FIFA 19 with Mobile Legends, arguably a much more popular game. Registrations for some of the games are still open.


Overwatch League Commissioner Aims To Have 28 Teams Competing

In an interview with Inven Global, Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer not only revealed the league’s lofty ambitions in terms of participating teams going forward, he also commented on the teams’ rosters and issues surrounding players’ origin not matching the cities they play for.
“How many guys from the New York Yankees are from New York? Itâ€™s very common in the traditional sports scenes. Son Heung-min plays for Tottenham, and Tottenham fans donâ€™t care where heâ€™s from, heâ€™s a superb football player and thatâ€™s all that matters to the Tottenham fans.” he said casually.
He also shared his thoughts on the disadvantages of esports compared to traditional sports and where Overwatch stand out on this aspect. “The disadvantage that esports has compared to traditional sports is that since traditional sports have been around for so long, even if you donâ€™t like that sport, you know roughly what the rules are. If a friend took you to a game that you donâ€™t know about, that friend will spend the first 20-30 minutes explaining the rules of the game.” he explained.
Pic Credit: Inven Global
Elaborating on how Overwatch stands out when compared to other esport titles, Nanzer addedÂ “One of the advantages Overwatch has is that itâ€™s pretty simple. Itâ€™s easy to explain. Obviously thereâ€™s more depth to it, but the same can be said of traditional sports. I definitely think that as the esports scene grows, the audience will grow as well.”
The interview was part of his visit to the Korean Blizzard office, coinciding with the launch of Overwatch Contenders Korea and he had this to say when asked aboutÂ  the league’s aim compared to its current state. “To actually realize our vision and goals, we are going to need more teams around the world. We will be starting conversations about season 2 expansion teams and weâ€™re really focused on additional teams in Asia and Europe. Eventually our goal is to have around 28 teams around the world.”
28 teams in 28 cities all around the world? Now that’s a massive task never attempted by any sports league. We would love to see this one pan out as intended.
To read the full transcript of the interview, head over to the Inven Global post here.


Syazwan’s Top 10 Games Of 2019

It has been quite a while since I’ve sat down and pondered upon how the gaming industry has grown over the past decade. In fact, I was very lucky to have witnessed its growth alongside my very own. I’m sure you saw how great the industry thrived as we grew older.
2019 was the year where I began to intimately understand video games, and that is thanks to the guys at Kakuchopurei for giving me the opportunity to complete my internship that is required to complete my studies.
I was definitely clueless and frightened of the unknown. But I’m glad that I was an avid gamer, so I had the basics down pat.

Under the watchful eyes of Mr Toffee and Kenn, I was able to pass my internship, and ultimately my studies, with absolutely flying colours.

Therefore, I am happy to share with what I think are my top 10 games that were my go-to games in 2019. Let’s start from the bottom, with a classic sci-fi horror flick!
#10. Resident Evil 2 Remake

First and foremost, I am a scaredy-cat and is very, very susceptible to jumpscares. Resident Evil 2 Remake is one of those survival horror games that had me interested even though I literally can’t stand being poked a bit with gratuitous horror.
The sharp graphics and immersive gameplay are the is a true hallmark of a horror title, and Capcom has executed it well. Each jumpscare is calculated, so you won’t expect when the next scare will be.

Corridors are peppered with looming shadows and creeping darkness. I’ve never felt at ease while playing the game yet, the addicting gameplay kept me going.

This game might not be for the faint-hearted, but maybe that’s just me. I just don’t enjoy creepy things chasing me.
#9. Borderlands 3

Borderlands is a time sink of a series that I’ve spent too much time on and I have not regretted even a single minute on it.
Borderlands 3Â was a great improvement from the previous instalment introducing new characters with improved movements and skillset. Heck, even the gunplay is better. Most importantly, the gazillion combinations of loot!

I was just slightly disappointed by the company’s practice of having it on the Epic Games Store rather than Steam, but that’s just me.
#8. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
I was an avid fan of Ace Combat back in the PlayStation 2 days. When I heard an Ace Combat game was coming in hot for the PlayStation 4, I was quite excited but wasn’t hyped. Maybe because the fire has died out of waiting for too long.
I tried the game once, and lo and behold, the fire is rekindled!

With massive upgrades in graphical performance, the game felt like a fantasy flight simulator, and it was a solid one at that. The storyline is convoluted, as per Ace Combat tradition. But put that aside and you have a great experience waiting for you.

If you have a PS VR kit lying around, go grab this game and prepare a bucket for you will be amazed by the hyper-realistic flight experience. And proceed to then regurgitate your lunch and/or breakfast.

Oh yes, they brought back my favourite fictional fighter jet, the ADF-01 FALKEN. This baby looks cool and shoots lasers; what more do you want?

#7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I was never a believer in From Software’s games. Simply because I suck, and I suck hard. I simply lack the patience required to progress any of the titles. However, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a fresh breath in what was a hectic line-up of games which features dying as the main mechanic.

The lack of a stamina bar means that I can sprint and attack endlessly, but it doesn’t mean I should. The game subtly tells you that reading your opponents’ attacks is a must and one should never spam the attack button.

The movements were also different from other From Software’s games. The game allows players to grapple and jump and the lot. It’s such a fresh feeling to have immense mobility while getting battered to death. And because it’s my first ever From Software game, it goes in my “Best Of 2019” list.
#6. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Yes, I get it, it’s an old game. But old is gold, and this one is a gem for me.
I used to play the original Final Fantasy VIII on my mundane, grey PlayStation 1 back when I was a kid. So when this game returned and was playable on modern consoles and PCs, I was stoked. Heck, I was jumping when they announced it back in June.

Sometimes, nostalgia isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a strong driving force for me and it shows with this game, even though it looks outdated, the remastered version was a good one despite being released in 2019 and potentially overshadowed by its cousin, Final Fantasy VII Remake.
#5. F1 2019
Finally, a sim racing game!
F1 2019 was quite a huge benchmark in terms of graphical advancements and simulation aspects. I mean, just look at this photo from the race.

The sound design was great, simulating actual engine reverbs and tyre screeches. Although the RPG element of the game kind of toned it down for me, everything else was on point.

The simulation aspect of the game is also top-notch. Real-life physics were studied and applied to the game with the help of real F1 drivers. It was a magnificent sim.
#4. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

Ah, one of the more divisive titles on the list.
Destiny and its sequel, Destiny 2, are surely games that I might have spent a little bit too much time and money on. Bungie has gone and done one of the most ambitious games with plans for the original Destiny spanning up to a decade, but in the end, it didn’t come to fruition due to certain circumstances. Such a shame.

They then gave us Destiny 2, which was in shambles when it was first released. Bungie then redeemed themselves with the introduction of the Forsaken and Shadowkeep expansion, introducing new exotics, and revamping the weapon and armour system.
Now the peashooters feel like they have an impact behind each shot, especially with new and downright solid exotics like the Izanagi’s Burden sniper rifle, which looks like a sword and deletes almost anything with one Honed Edge shot, or the Ace of Spades hand cannon, which was passed down to us from the late legendary Hunter, Cayde-6. Rest in peace, wherever you are, partner.
Absolutely deletes everything.
Bungie has learnt from their mistakes, and without any interference from any publishers, ahem Activision, the game is shooting skywards in terms of gameplay and longevity.
The potential is there, and Bungie has taken it.
#3. Apex Legends
The source material, Titanfall 2 release was marred by its abysmal launch date, sandwiched between two gigantic FPS mainstays in the industry, Titanfall 2 is a hidden gem in which a lot of players overlooked in favour for the more popular titles released in close proximity such as Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty WWII.
The series’ former Windows-exclusive nature was another factor to its weak launch as not many players have heard or played the title unless you had an Xbox system or a gaming rig.

Nevertheless, Respawn Entertainment delivered an outstanding titleÂ with Titanfall 2, which was a PS Plus free title last month. The solid gunplay added with the title’s signature untethered movement system meant that the game had already proved to be in a class of its own. Furthermore, we had a sentient and intelligent mech as our buddy along what appeared to be one of the most impactful story campaigns I have ever experienced.

That’s not the main point here. Apex Legends took the battle royale genre by storm and rightfully snatched the crown from the kid-infested battle royale title, Fortnite.Â
The free-to-play title scored one of the highest ratings we’ve ever awarded to a game. Plus, it has spawned many tournaments with epic plays that you shouldn’t miss.
#2. Katana Zero
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to review this one. I thought it would be another lame side-scroller that’s destined to gather dust in the recesses of my massive backlog. I was wrong.

The game had a deep and dark storyline, and I wasn’t prepared for anything like that. I would say that the game is perfect, but the tedious levels made progressing the story somewhat a challenge for someone with sluggish reaction times like myself.

If you have the opportunity to try this one out, by all means, go for it. It’s a title you won’t regret.
Oh, if you’re not convinced, check out my review of Katana Zero.
#1. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Some would have probably seen this one coming a mile away.
This game was a decade long wait since my first Monster Hunter title, which was the portable title, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. To be honest, I have lost all hope to see a Monster Hunter title on the PlayStation 4.
However, loyal fans like me were rewarded with an astounding return, exceeding all expectations I had. While the base game, Monster Hunter World, took its sweet time to mature, the frigid expansion, Iceborne, was the culmination of decades of improvements, and it shows.

I have recently spent almost a thousand hours last year playing this game. While sometimes content would feel as if it has run out and became dry, there are more than hundreds of builds and playstyles for players to try out.

Trust me, each time I switch to a new build with a new playstyle, it felt like I was playing a new game. It never gets boring.

I mean, check out how mastered the Long Sword as I avoided all the Nightshade Paolomu’s attacks in the clip below. All the pings you hear are successful Foresight Slash and Iai Slash dodges, which makes my character immune to damage while looking like a badass.
[wpvideo ZCx2V2tl]
Capcom has found its golden goose, and if I were to swear my life upon a game, this game would be it, times ten.
To Another Decade
The decade wrapped up beautifully, and now we are stepping into 2020 with a ton of great titles waiting for us such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cyberpunk 2077 and many more. Also, the PlayStation 5 is coming real soon.
It’s surely going to be one hell of another decade, and I’m lucky to be part of that decade. Here’s to the next ten years of great gaming!


Star Wars The Bad Batch Season 2 Trailer Teases The Return Of A Wookie Jedi

During Star Wars Celebration 2022, it was announced that Star Wars The Bad Batch Season 2 will premiere sometime in fall 2022 with the debut of a new trailer.
The trailer reveals that the second season takes place after a time jump of unknown duration.
There’s also Commander Cody. He was the Clone Commander who served under Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Clone Wars and was last seen betraying Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau during Order 66 in Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.

What’s most interesting about the trailer is that it features the return of a certain Wookie Jedi from Star Wars The Clone Wars; Gungi (see the featured image of this article). Gungi was a male Wookiee Jedi youngling who was training to become a Jedi in the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. It’s nice to see that he survived Order 66 AKA the Great Jedi Purge, but will he survive past Season 2 of Star Wars The Bad Batch? Only time will tell.
Star Wars The Batch Batch is the latest animated series in the long-running sci-fi franchise and the first season is currently available on Disney+ Hotstar.
Star Wars The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars. Members of Bad Batch; a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army; each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew.
We managed to participate in a brief exclusive interview with actress Gwendoline Yeo, who voices the Kaminoan named Nala Se in Star Wars The Bad Batch, courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia.
We managed to participate in a roundtable interview with head writer and executive producer Jennifer Corbett as well as supervising director and executive producer Brad Rau, courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia.